Editorial

Why We Love Metroidvanias

A month or so back as I was loading up my Nintendo Switch with games to play during a much needed vacation to visit my parents in Florida, I took a chance on a little indie title called Hollow Knight. It was lowest on my priority list between Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker, which I figured my daughter and I could play together, and Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze. I’d heard good things about this moody Metroidvania and I figured I might want something more bitesized to fool with on the plane. This all went down about a week or so before departure. 

Mario Kart GP VR is a dream come true

Last year, Japan got the very first Nintendo VR game for arcades, Mario Kart GP VR. Just like the other Mario Kart arcade games, Bandai Namco developed this as well, but for their "VR Zone" arcades. Until earlier this month, there was no place to play it outside of Japan. Bandai Namco has opened a "VR Zone Portal" in the food court of Union Station in Washington D.C., a bit of an odd place for its US debut. After eating lunch at Chick Fil A mere feet away from the pop-up, I dove in.

The Video Games Monsters That Scare Us Most

Videos games can be terrifying in ways that films and TV shows are incapable of because they put you in the shoes of the person making all the bad decisions and turn the threat of things that go bump in the night, personal. I remember the first time I played the original Resident Evil on PS1; walking down that long yellow hallway past a row of ominous glass windows positive that something was going to pop out but confident that I was somehow untouchable and safe on the other side of the TV glass. I wasn’t.

Nintendo Needs to Kill The 3DS

I haven’t traveled with my 3DS since Nintendo released the Switch nearly two years ago. I’m sure, like me, most of you prefer to travel with as little as possible and having to take more than one portable system with you can just be a nuisance. When they announced the Switch, Nintendo seemed to have a product on their hands that would not only replace the Wii U as the home console, but would allow the 3DS to finally rest in peace as well. Yet, here we are with the re-release of the original Luigi’s Mansion and the game is only releasing on the 3DS!? Really? The 3DS? With a newly announced sequel underway it seems that the Switch would be the ideal platform for fans to replay this under appreciated GameCube Launch title, yet Nintendo seems unwilling to let the 3DS die.

Handsome & Humble: November Issue

Handsome & Humble is an ongoing series from Handsome Phantom about the games in the Humble Monthly Bundle. Humble Monthly is subscription service ($12 per month) from Humble that give subscribers a bundle of PC games each month. There are always some AAA titles, as well as a handful of indie games. The bundles are usually worth somewhere around $200, so we think its an awesome value for what subscribers pay

Are Video Games Ruining Pro Sports?

Video games have become a part of the global zeitgeist and, as a result, you could imagine my surprise when I heard that the Vancouver Canucks had banned video games from team road trips. The ban was primarily based around the ever so popular Fortnite. When asked about why video games are bad for the team, Vancouver Canucks forward and alternate captain, Bo Horvat said, “('Fortnite’s) definitely a no-go on the road." He mentioned further that he thinks Fortnite is a “waste of your time” and added that teammates would be better served “hanging out with the guys.” A lot of other teams have players who are active Fortnite players (not surprising with numbers hitting 80 million in August).

Top Modes & Mechanics - Assassin's Creed Series

Say what you will about series with annual releases - they cause franchise fatigue, they're usually rushed and buggy at launch, or they aren't fresh and unique enough from year to year. But given that Ubisoft rotates the development of the Assassin's Creed franchise among several of their studios, fresh ideas can be found in each installment, even if only a year removed from the previous iteration.

Sony's Complacency Could Be Their Undoing

It’s hard to argue with anyone that tells you Sony has all but won this console generation from the get go. From the moment Microsoft introduced us to the Xbox One, Sony was already in the lead. With a focus on being the center of your living room rather than focusing on the games, Microsoft gave Sony the chance to take back the lead in the console wars... a lead that they hadn’t seen since the PlayStation 2. While Sony has taken that lead and ran with it over the course of this generation, they now find themselves in a place where, if they aren’t careful, they’ll begin to fall behind again the same way they did last generation to the Xbox 360.

Handsome & Humble: October Issue

An Interview with Fictional Bad Games

You might be too young to remember but there was a time when the software store shelves were a virtual minefield to unsuspecting children and their clueless parents. For every delightful discovery of highly polished joy like a Super Mario or a Castlevania one could find countless rushed to market, licensed tie-ins attempting to cash in on the public’s fascination with whatever the current trend was.

The Replay Value of God of War+

It's easy to forget God of War (2018) is barely five months old. Not only does spring seem to be forever ago, but the game became such an instant classic that it's hard to remember the world before it came out - in the long, long ago. Hyperbole? To some, but the game received a heap of critical praise, commercial success, and "Boy!" memes. At the basic level, Santa Monica Studios managed to bring the God of War franchise, and its haggard hero Kratos of Sparta, back from death.

Platted That! - God of War (2018)

Welcome back to Platted That! This week we're going to do a quick rundown of the biggest hit (so far) of 2018, and one of the best console exclusives ever made. While we would have preferred a more unique title to distinguish this sequel from its predecessors, one that didn't force us to refer to the game as "God of War (2018)," we loved returning to the saga of Kratos and enjoyed the challenging but very doable Platinum Trophy it came with.