Tech-Gaming Technology, Gaming, and Culture

For episode 15-2 of the Tech-Gaming Podcast, we assemble into Indie Outlook form to tackle a quartet of tower defense, speedrun, run-and-gun, and brawling gems. Besides giving away three copies of Poncho for the PlayStation ...

Shooting Stars makes me feel like a 90 year-old who has ventured onto the internet for the first time. The game’s pixelated visuals do a convincing job of mimicking the decline of visual acuity. The ...

While it’s refreshing to see franchise like Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm and Warriors variants shirk the confines of consoles, PC ports of high-profile games aren’t a guaranteed slam dunk. Both publishers have struggled to ...

Back in 2006, Nintendo and Tommo teamed up to create Jump Ultimate Stars, a DS-based title which assembled dozens of beloved manga protagonists for a behemoth-sized battle royal. Understandably, obtaining licenses for Naruto, Bleach, Death ...

For years the Homeworld franchise laid dormant, its engaging gameplay, beautifully immersive visuals and intriguing lore abandoned after just two games and one spin-off. For nearly a decade diehard fans clung to hope that a ...

Not long ago, message boards were proclaiming that the death of the Japanese role-playing game was imminent. Stagnancy seemed to be the genre’s unassailable final boss, and developers had run out of creativity-restoring potions. But ...

Sporadically, role-playing games make fleeting, fourth-wall breaking references to the game industry. But 2010’s Hyperdimension Neptunia was the first franchise to construct an elaborate allegory for our precious pastime, imagining a realm where four goddess ...

Just a few weeks ago, the quality of quantity of new game releases was discouraging. But coinciding with February’s arrival, a number of notable titles are due to hit digital storefronts and store shelves. From ...

Like many situation comedies, Strawberry Vinegar’s tranquil suburban setting offers a context for the peculiar. The tale’s opening moments introduces readers to Sakuraba Rie, an articulate school girl with little interest in maintaining a social ...

As successful game series spawn sequels, the push toward conceptual innovation becomes stronger. But one of the tragedies born of this ambition happens when imprudent mechanics are shoe-horned in to offset stagnation. Too often, these ...