Therefore, the IGS Classic Arcade collection is a rare opportunity to play these Taiwanese arcade games that you might not have ever heard of. Which makes sense, because a lot of these games were released around the time when games–and arcades especially–were transitioning to 3D graphics.

This exact type of browser-based, room-code casualness makes Jackbox Party Pack games so accessible and alluring for casual audiences—and Trivia Murder Party 3 continues that. Just now in a standalone format. But there are some extras that make this not only a standout title for Jackbox Studios, but also make playing with strangers even easier.

Screenshot: Cosmic Fear While I’ve played a few great games that could be classified as “walking simulators,” the vast majority of these types of games aren’t great. Sometimes it's the indulgence in the surreal, or the lack of meaningful progression or meaningful impetus to see what’s behind the next door, et that kills it. Cosmic Fear isn’t the best of the genre, but it’s a rare example of a game that sits in the middle ground. It doesn’t fall victim to the worst of the over

Because Brazilian Drug Dealer 4 just reskins a lot of weapons and enemies to function like their Quake counterparts, I felt right at home running around and blasting… okay, whatever the hell it is I’m blasting. Honestly, I have only a vague clue as to what’s happening here. While I think being Brazilian might help a bit with the context, even then the entire thing feels like an inside joke I’m not a part of.

Ultimately, Monowave feels like one of those indie games I would cover years ago in an attempt to prove that video games were art, showcasing titles that highlight the visuals while ignoring the fact that they are barely games at all. For the record: all video games are art. I don’t need to validate that anymore. But not all art is good, and as a game, Monowave is not good. (I’m so sorry.)

Sometimes it feels like you can’t open Steam without seeing a new roguelike deckbuilder for sale. Don’t get me wrong: I love the genre, but it gets a bit stale after a while. That’s why a game like Shroom and Gloom feels so fresh.

The one thing from the playthrough that really stood out was that voice made a lot of difference. At one point when the kids were being swamped by monsters, someone yelled “it’s because they can hear you!” “I’m sorry, I’m just scared!” was the reply “Be scared quietly!” That should be the game’s tagline.

Screenshot: Marsupilami 2: Salsa Palombia Before I played this game, I had no idea what a marsupilami was. I thought it was a novel character created by developer Ocellus Studio for their Donkey Kong Country-like Marsupilami: Hoobadventure, and that Marsupilami 2: Salsa Palombia was just its follow-up. It turns out, in fact, this is a character that has been long established. Which, honestly, is a bit how my Moomin knowledge was before I played Winter’s Warmth. I guess if it’

Look at that guy. This little Onion just wants to do one thing, and that’s boil cabbage and make soup. (Is that two things? Or is it one process? This idle game is a cute (if somewhat spastic) desktop companion Onion that does nothing but make soup, spasmodically dance, and feed hungry travellers.

Screenshot: Twisted Tower I’ve been playing first person shooters for a long time. I was right there at the birth of the genre, playing some of the very first FPS games on the very first hardware. I’ve played lots of great FPS games, and even more terrible ones. Twisted Tower sits on the lower end of the spectrum, despite having a ton of initial promise. Twisted Tower is a first person shooter that is based around a 1950s (ish) theme park (er) themed tower. It obviously takes

Screenshot: Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is approaching 1.0, and I got a chance to play the final build ahead of release. And while I didn’t really enjoy the first Moonlighter, I got weirdly addicted to Moonlighter 2. Anyone who was a fan of the first will find little in this game beyond a continuation of the story and fleshing out of lore. A lot of reviews will (and have) go over the differences in the two games–from the art style, to th

Screenshot: PixArk I’ve never played PixArk before now, but I have played Ark. And while I know it has a cult following and established fanbase, I never saw the appeal. I wrote a review for Ark back when it hit 1.0 and the entire game felt waterlogged. Bloated and cumbersome, like something that is overcomplicated and literally slow because of how badly optimized it was. But I have to admit that premise is compelling, and I love me some open world sandbox games with breadcrum

Screenshot: Debate and Switch Recently, I had the chance to test out a couple of Jackbox party games from the upcoming Jackbox Party Pack 12, which is releasing in October this year. For this preview, I sat down (digitally) with some Jackbox crew and a few of my peers to play a match each of “Debate and Switch” and “Hyperface.” First off, I have to get this out of the way: “Debate and Switch” is itself, a bit of a bait and switch. See: “debate and switch” is an established TV

Screenshot: Blood Dungeon I’m not a huge fan of the survivors style autoshooter/bullet heaven games. Before Blood Dungeon, I probably had the most fun playing Deep Rock Galactic Survivors–and that was just as much because of the theme as the gameplay. Blood Dungeon takes the survivors-type formula and adds a genre twist: sidescrolling. On its face it doesn’t seem a significant swap from top-down to sidescroller, but it completely reinvigorates the genre. In fact, Blood Dungeo

So why is this getting released now? Nostalgia, surely. But also because Aspyr parent company Embracer now owns the rights thanks to their acquisition of Middle-earth Enterprises in 2022. That means there’s a possibility that more WB Lord of the Rings games will be rereleased by Aspyr, so this could be the first of many.

I haven’t played a sidescrolling beat ‘em up meets roguelike since Absolum. And while that has to be a peak example of the genre, I can certainly learn to love again with Anomaly President. Released in Early Access a couple of weeks ago, I knew right away that Anomaly President had the potential to be something great.

Starting out as a prototype in the Big Mode Game Jam in 2023, Backpack Boy has had a multi-year journey to make its way to 1.0. The first commercial game of developer Chuck & Niles Games, Backpack Boy isn’t going to redefine the sidescrolling puzzle genre, but it’s a charming game that does a whole lot of things right.

Agent 64: Spies Never Die gave me a hit of nostalgia that throwback hardware and old games can’t. For one fleeting moment, it actually felt like I was a kid again, showing my friends a brand-new N64 cartridge. It’s a rare feeling to chase, but with Agent 64, Replicant D6 managed to catch it.

I’ve been reviewing games for almost a decade at this point, but I’ve been playing games a whole lot longer than that. It’s rare for me to find a game that will easily capture my attention for hours. I’m not talking about mandatory play sessions I do for these reviews. That’s me shouldering through games that might even be fun, but aren’t fun because now I’m playing them for work. Splatoon Raiders was the opposite. I sat and played for hours without even glancing at the clock

I’m playing a game. I know I should be having fun. I love first person shooters. I like fast first person shooters. Even the game thinks I should be having fun: the music is pumping, the bullets are flying. My guns are chugging away (plinking, really) – but I’m just not having any fun.