Tag Archives: Sandbox

Yakuza Kiwami review

In Japan, the Yakuza franchise has enjoyed success since the original 2005 release. But in the States, the series has only earned a modest following for most of its existence. For curious players, the games ...

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Yakuza 5 review

There’s a curious tension about open-world games. Although the genre extends an exhilarating sense of freedom, offering virtual playgrounds filled with interactive objects, all too often titles rehash Grand Theft Auto’s tenets. For all the ...

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Rebel Galaxy review

One of the downsides of a risk-adverse game industry is that developers often stick with proven concepts instead of trying out new ideas. Generally, this approach could be used to retrace the careers of Erich ...

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Scaling Valhalla Hills

Games have taught us three things about the Vikings: they were ferocious fighters, passionate mead drinkers, and were only mildly industrious. The Early Access release of Funatics Software’s Valhalla Hills confirms these purported characteristics, extended ...

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Mad Max review

Much like George A. Romero’s series of Living Dead films, George Miller’s Mad Max films have had an indelible impact on interactive entertainment. Both franchises have spurred entire subgenres of games- with the best efforts ...

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Nom Nom Galaxy review

Soup might just be the one of the most synergistic foods around, with a final product that’s typically greater than the sum of its individual parts. The culinary concoction is also an ideal point of ...

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Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess review

Summoning the Dark Prince is often a dour endeavor, involving messy sacrifices, tongue-twisting incantations, and the strong possibility of unintended side-effects. When Deception IV: Blood Ties was released for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, ...

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Dying Light review

Robert’s take: After infiltrating a quarantine zone to uncover the cause of a pestilent outbreak, protagonist Kyle Crane demonstrates a dexterous command of parkour while traversing the region. From scampering across lofty, patchwork rooftops to ...

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Worlds of Magic preview

Three axioms summarize my standpoint on game design: graphics can never be too attractive, control schemes can never be too intuitive, and simulations can never be too intricate. While the first two assertions leave little ...

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