I don’t know if it’s the sight of old Casper Van Dien really putting it out there as General Rico, or the general nostalgic vibe, but Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is fantastic. It’s been my favorite shooter of the year. Instead of putting more time into Marathon, I found myself sneaking away to stomp some bugs. I’m doing my part.

Art is alive when it explores its borders and stretches its edges. That’s exactly what you get with Winning Works at MCA, featuring the Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet - a perfect pairing of up and coming dancers in an iconic institution working together with boundary pushing, emerging choreographers waiting to burst on the scene.

How did we get to episode 9 already? It’s 3pm. The day is still young, but the season is mostly over and I’m a little sad. I get that production on this has to be an UNDERTAKING and that’s likely a huge understatement but man. I feel the approach of the end, and there’s so much more I want to see.

With all of the humans dead and our greatest works left to rust, Timberborn envisions a world inherited by beavers. Despite a premise that sounds like an internet meme, it is far from a simple gimmick. The adorable exterior hides a game that takes its survival mechanics seriously. Developer Mechanistry clearly knows what they’re doing, as Timberborn stands as one of the best examples of the genre released in recent memory.

Despite earlier speculation by Seamus Blackley of the Xbox’s oncoming demise, less than 24 hours ago new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma confirmed that the next Xbox will indeed be a PC hybrid codenamed Project Helix.

Originally released along with Season 1 of the Playdate, Ratcheteer has been sitting on my device, mostly unplayed, for the last couple of years. You can’t blame me. Despite the Playdate being a fantastic portable device, I don’t always have time to indulge myself in every game that piques my interest—even if it’s a Playdate Community Game of the Year award winner for 2022. I’m glad, then, that Ratcheteer DX is releasing for Steam, and I can see why it won community favorite

Lunar New Year is celebrated by thousands of Chicagoans from within and without the Chinatown community.

Planet of Lana was a game that flew a little under the radar when it released in 2023. It’s part of a platforming adventure game subgenre that was made popular (and possibly originated) by Limbo. I would love to say that Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf raises the bar—but it is a solid example of its genre, even if it doesn’t redefine it.

Alright. It’s 2pm, we’re coming off of lunch and ok, let’s be honest, in the real world 2pm is generally when that post-lunch sleepiness is setting in, but in this case, I’m hyped. There’s a LOT going on in The Pitt right now, and though I admit to some apprehension as well, I just want to know what’s about to go down.

I usually don’t do much sampling with Steam Next Fest. I do the odd article here and there, focusing on this demo or that. But this year, I decided to go all in and play as many demos as I could. I think I may have bit off a little more than I could chew—because between my upcoming coverage, the Marathon server slam, the fact I was sick most of the week, and my cat Mr. Worf demanding my attention, I felt like I was drowning in demos for a long time.

Welcome back to a crazy Fourth of July shift at The Pitt. It’s like Robby said - I shouldn’t have come in today.

I’m an absolute sucker for old school survival horror, and based on my time with the Steam Next Fest demo for Senara: The Sacrament, that’s exactly what developer Influsion Inc. is going for. But instead of relying on retro aesthetics, they want to up the scares with "hyper-realistic" graphics that do their best to mimic real life.

Can we talk about how Dana basically holds the entire place together? Not only does she route things back to front, regulate dysregulated docs, and look after patients, she also battles dueling egos and handles every major crisis given with the proper amount of smarts and sass.

Dr. Al and Robby meet up in a side room and have a rather normal consult. Ok. Well, there’s hope for everyone. Robby then heads to Dana’s desk to check in on the baby and she’s of course checking to see if he’s made up with Langdon.  Back at the betting, we’ve added “sinkhole.” That’s a long shot. Langdon gets asked but can’t play,and they’re really cool about it after he tells them it’s due to rehab bills. Sinkhole was a double down, so what does our favorite dad nurse kn

Then we’re back to the crushing reality of the US healthcare system instantly. She, despite working hard and her husband working hard - has no insurance and can’t afford the care her husband needs in the ER. Dr. Mohan sets her up with social work and man, do I hope someone can help her.

via. Marvel.com The latest show out of the MCU has been a critical success. But something about it has been knocking around in my head. I know most of the praise is definitely deserved. Wonder Man  is a very character-driven story, buoyed by the genuinely fantastic interactions of Sir Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams. Watching these two bounce off of each other is electric. Their chemistry is so potent that it retroactively makes Tre

Screenshot: ANTHEM#9 ANTHEM#9 is a game of "buts." It is the debut title from self-taught solo developer koeda, but it feels surprisingly polished in its presentation. It has some serious style and seriously catchy music, but a gameplay loop that makes me feel like it’s missing that certain something. It features a clever gem-matching combat system that feels great when it works, but the world around it feels empty.

Enter Dana with the lab results. ITP 9000. Do I know what that means? Of course not, but I think it means everyone shuts up and waits to find out.