‘Soul Hackers 2’ Overrides Predecessor’s Past with New Digital Identity

March 8, 2022March 10, 2022 Bray Lawrence

Atlus has released new story and character information about their upcoming RPG, Soul Hackers 2, a sequel to the twenty-five year old game, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. Following its cult-celebrated predecessor’s meshing of sci-fi aesthetic with the Shin Megami Tensei, Soul Hackers 2 aims to upgrade the concept by coding a new tale about humanity and its relationship with technology.

Crowdfunding, Gaming

‘Bundle for Ukraine’ is a Stellar Deal to Support a Great Cause

March 8, 2022March 9, 2022 Bray Lawrence

Have you been looking for ways to help people in Ukraine? Do you also like playing interesting and unique games from indie developers? Then Necrosoft Games have the perfect bundle for you. The Bundle for Ukraine is a itch.io bundle hosted by Necrosoft Games with content from 732 creators containing over 1,000 games, tabletop RPGs, books, and soundtracks aimed at helping the people in Ukraine through this tumultuous time of Russian forces invading their country: all at the starting price of $10 with the option to give more for the goal of raising $2 million.

Reviews, Video Games

‘Tales of Arise’ Review: Rising to the Occasion Never Felt So Good

October 15, 2021October 20, 2021 Bray Lawrence

I have spent most of my life playing Japanese role playing games. From the Final Fantasy series to the Shin Megami Tensei series, I have enjoyed several different JRPG titles from Japan. But one in particular was always hit or miss for me, and that was the Tales series. I bounced off of Abyss and Beseria, never owned a Gamecube to play Symphonia, finished Vesperia and liked it, but never felt the pull of replaying it. So to say that Tales of Arise is one of the best JRPGs to date is an understatement. Tales of Arise captures what makes JRPGs timeless while evolving and creating a new vocabulary of play through its storytelling and combat that I hope other studios take note of.

Interview, Video Games1 Comment

DevTalks: Solo Developer Stephen Ddungu Talks Amazing New ‘Sword of Symphony’

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Jamal Michel

Stephen Ddungu recently took social media by storm for the work he showcased from his newest, independently developed JRPG video game called Sword of Symphony. Music is at the heart of Stephen’s personal journey but also the incredible indie project that first had thousands talking on TikTok.

Marvel, Reviews, Video Games

‘War for Wakanda’ is Proof Black Panther Needs His Own Game Already

August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 Jamal Michel

War for Wakanda — Marvel’s Avengers free expansion — dropped last week, and T’Challa’s exploits defending his homeland from the likes of A.I.M. and Ulysses Klaue revitalize the game in considerable ways. When Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics announced their All-Access weekend ahead of the expansion on July 31, their player count spiked to over 10,000 gamers through the weekend, well above the game’s average of around 800 since its release last September.

Gaming, Interview, Marvel

‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Narrative Team Talks ‘War for Wakanda’ Expansion

August 16, 2021August 16, 2021 Jamal Michel

Marvel’s Avengers highly anticipated War for Wakanda DLC drops tomorrow and gamers are preparing for the arrival of the king of Wakanda himself. It was announced this summer that T’Challa would be voiced by the illustrious Christopher Judge (God of War, 2018), and also that T’Challa was going to bring fans a different kind of story from the folks at Crystal Dynamics.

Marvel, Video Games

Square Enix Reveals New Outfits for Black Panther in ‘War for Wakanda’

August 2, 2021August 2, 2021 Jamal Michel

T’Challa’s influence as Black Panther can be traced back to his inception in 1966 and since then, he’s made countless appearances in film, television, animated series, and more. Some of his most iconic outfits and costumes come from the Silver and Bronze age of comic books, with memorable suits like the classic all black ensemble with gloves and boots to match featured in 1976’s Jungle Action (Vol. 2) #23.

Marvel, Video Games

‘Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda’ DLC Launches in August

July 29, 2021July 29, 2021 Jamal Michel

Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have been on a tear with news and updates regarding the new DLC for their Avengers roleplaying game. While the player base has seen substantial decline since the game’s launch September of last year, the recent news about War for Wakanda has many players understandably hyped.

Gaming, Video Games

‘Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut’ Set to Arrive in August

July 1, 2021July 1, 2021 Jamal Michel

Sucker Punch announced today that Ghost of Tsushima, their Japanese masterpiece of an RPG, is getting a director’s cut release on both PS4 and PS5 August 20. Players will experience the brand new Iki Island and loads of additional content, new features, and some PS5 exclusive enchantments that will further elevate the critical hailed title.

Interview, Video Games

DevTalks: Davionne Gooden is One of the Dopest Indie Developers You’ll Meet

June 29, 2021December 10, 2021 Jamal Michel

As I prepped my Zoom background with a gorgeous wallpaper of She Dreams Elsewhere game art, I hadn’t really anticipated the kind of indie developer I’d be sitting down with. Oftentimes you’ll hear stories of conversations that turned sour because of personalities that couldn’t share the same room but the cameras turned on and Davionne Gooden and I were vibing.

Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

‘Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin’ Demo Showcases the Franchise’s Best Parts

June 27, 2021June 27, 2021 Jamal Michel

A free demo of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is available now in the Nintendo eShop ahead of the game’s July 9 release date. The game, a sequel to its 2016 predecessor on the Nintendo 3DS and mobile devices, features some of the most unique stories built into the world of Monster Hunter.

Interview, Video Games

‘Fightin’ Words’ Episode One: Gaming Icon Tanya DePass

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021 Jamal Michel

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. She’s also a gaming icon, having been named one of the “Gamers of the Year” for 2020 by Kotaku, as well as a 2020 Annenberg Innovation Lab Civic Media Fellow at USC.

News, Video Games

Botched Release of ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Proves it May Not Have Been Worth All the Hype

December 16, 2020June 3, 2021 Jamal Michel

I remember back in 2006 when our most pressing concern as gamers was the introduction of the now-infamous Horse Armor Pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a seemingly innocuous $2 cosmetic bundle for your mount that is known to many as the genesis of microtransactions. From in-game currencies and season passes, to multiple editions of games and their exorbitant expansion packs, the culture of “games as a live service” has dominated the last decade of gaming news.

Video Games2 Comments

My Journey Through Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward

January 27, 2016January 28, 2016 Diego

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Square-Enix’s MMO, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Just when I thought my MMO days were numbered, I tried out the game and am now playing it often with my friends. Needless to say, I was quite hyped when the first expansion, Heavensward, was released in June. After playing it throughout the summer and into the new year, I have finally collected my thoughts on the game and its current state.

Continue reading “My Journey Through Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward“

Fantasy, Gaming1 Comment

D&D and Me

October 16, 2015October 17, 2015 Shawn Taylor

When you’re into comics, science fiction, role-playing games and the rest, people will make assumptions about you. These assumptions are that you’re a nerd (not in the liberating sense that we use here), a geek, a wimp — somehow different or less than the folks who consume and participate in mainstream popular culture. And this applies to white people. When you add race to this, you get doubly othered quite a bit of the time. You like “white shit” and you’re soft. In many cases, you become an ass-whooping magnet. We won’t get into how all of this stuff is now mainstream or how fantasy sports leagues are about as Dungeons and Dragons as you can get, just minus the swords, gold, and magic.

And it is D&D that I want to talk about here. I’ve played for over thirty years. While I am not participating in an active campaign, I would in a heartbeat if I found one that interested me.

Continue reading “D&D and Me”

Gaming, Guest Post, Video Games3 Comments

I Let My Pokémon Down

September 18, 2014April 24, 2019 Guest N.O.C.

by Dave Lee

Pokémon is the shit on many different levels.

First of all, I don’t consider myself a true gamer in the sense that I’m looking for more of an experience and less of a challenge. Also, I don’t have time to be consumed by a game for that long of a time. I’m trying to get that run-through action similar to when you set aside those weekends to binge-watch all of Breaking Bad. Yeah, there’s post-game content, online play, and it’s definitely heads out there on a serious quest for shiny pokémon (#veryrare). But the RPG format provides that one and done feeling.

Also, the game is marketed towards a younger audience. You know what that means to me? I’m not piling on more stress on top of the stress I already face as a dude in his late 20s, still trying to find his way in the world. Just some good ol’ fashioned fun that’s easily accessible, especially for dudes who haven’t been keeping up with the new generation consoles and getting their subscriptions of Gamepro, which doesn’t even exist anymore.

Continue reading “I Let My Pokémon Down”

Video Games5 Comments

The Terror of the Game Over Screen

February 18, 2014September 17, 2014 Diego

Originally posted at The Space Between Two Worlds

I had a lot of fears back when I was a kid. Most of them were typical for my age like being scared of the dark, the dentist, or getting lost somewhere. However, I think game overs had to be one of the weirder fears. Or was it? As a kid who loved playing video games, it was only natural that I’d be seeing tons of game over screens. Back in the day, most were pretty simple; a black screen with the words “Game Over” with sad music playing. No biggie.

However, there were some that scared the shit out of me.

Continue reading “The Terror of the Game Over Screen”