Console

Across the past two decades, Electronic Arts has become a dominant force in the arena of sports simulation. At one time, recreations of athletic competitions were single-shot efforts, until EA popularized a business model that ...

Across the late ‘90s and early 2000s, I was an unapologetic Insomniac devotee, purchasing every single Ratchet & Clank game on release day. Amidst this era, the annual iterations weren’t quite frequent enough to satisfy ...

For years, Budapest-based Zen Studios has cultivated a near-faultless formula. Beginning with 2007’s Pinball FX and continuing through Pinball FX 2 and Zen Pinball 2, the developer strove to simulate the steel-orbed pastime, with each ...

Video games have continuously plumbed the gulf between imitation and inspiration. Ever since the first Space Invader broke formation, giving birth to Galaga, developers have often built upon the ideas of their peers. As such, ...

Typically, Armageddon is handled by muscular soldiers packing obscene amounts of firepower. But when developer Compile Heart envisions doomsday, it’s energetic J-pop idols who are responsible for saving our hides. Previously, the Shibuya-based studio crafted ...

Local multiplayer sessions can lack convenience, requiring a careful synchronization of schedules and venues. But often, they’re worth every iota of effort, producing the type of spirited camaraderie that’s missing from online play. From childhood ...

If the success of a game can be measured by the number imitators it spawns, then Monster Hunter is irrefutably triumphant. Once a multiplatform franchise which graced the PlayStation 2, PSP, and Wii, in recent ...

Disparagers often state that developer Omega Force’s output represents variations on a single theme. Irrefutably, there’s some truth in that assentation, with a throng of titles (typically, but not always having ‘Warrior’ in the title) ...

In 2010, NIS America published Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman, a game that was every bit as eclectic as it name suggested. With Rogue-like mechanics and a storyline teeming with references to classic tokusatsu, ...

Quite often, Western dystopia is rendered in a very distinct manner. Outdoor settings are often sun-beached and desiccated, dotted with the rotting remnants of a once-industrious society. Whether the context is Borderlands, Homefront, or the ...