Editorial

Early Access: How Does It Make Sense?

While I love the idea of sampling something early, I've never understood exactly how it works. To me, it's a bit like throwing a party and purposely inviting a few exclusive guests over early. The sun is still out, the floors haven't been cleaned yet, and I'm still walking around in an unfortunately revealing bathrobe with appetizers in the freezer. Most of those exclusive guests would apologize for showing up early and walk out. And if they were also gamers they'd then complain about my unfinished party on Reddit.

Handsome Phantom Holiday Tales

Dear Papa Boon, an MK11 Wishlist

Great Expansions: Bethesda Edition

Can you hear the Geiger counter going "tick-tick-tickety?" Cause there is a ton of fallout from the recent launch of Fallout 76. The online-only survival title has generated controversy over the basic concept, the lack of NPC interactions, stability issues, game-play balance, and end-game viability. Add to that the recent scandal over a collector's edition bag, and Bethesda is in a bad way with its fans.

The Dualshock 4 Needs to Die

Despite the amazing software we've been treated to, and the versatile hardware offerings that Sony has given us, there is one aspect of the Playstation 4 that I can't wait to see gone. And that is the DualShock 4.

Red Dead Online, Initial Impressions (PS4)

"Stretch your legs, kill your friends."

Handsome & Humble: December Issue

Handsome & Humble is an ongoing series from Handsome Phantom about the games in the Humble Monthly Bundle.

Platted That! - Assassins Creed: Odyssey

Malaka...Assassin's Creed Odyssey really surprised the Handsome Phantom crew. Many of us were willing to write this game off, especially in a year with so many amazing titles coming out. Against all odds, Odyssey delivers a stellar RPG that is epic in every sense of the word. The Platinum Trophy requires a significant time investment, but the stories along the way are well written, and fun as heck.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Isn't Slow... It's Something Else

At the time of this writing, I’m approximately 38% of the way through the main story of Red Dead Redemption 2. While I’m not exactly tracking hours, I’d say I’ve put in somewhere between twenty and 30 hours of gameplay. At times I’ve felt like I needed to rush through the main story missions, identified by the yellow bubbles on the map. Other times I’ve felt like I didn’t care at all about the main story and preferred to just do some hunting, play poker for an inordinate amount of time only to lose all my money, or collect a few bounties. No matter what I want to do, the pace is exactly the same - slow.

We Love the Deals!

The last couple years have been some of the best ever for the video game industry. Because of this there has been a plethora of games released and, if you’re like most people, there are a ton of games you still hope to play. Time and money are both huge factors when it comes to what games we end up playing. To save you both we took the time to find out where you can save the most money this Black Friday and hopefully get caught up on most of the games that you have been wanting to play.

Tetris Effect Willfully Snubbed For Game Awards Nomination

Talk to anyone who has played Tetris Effect and they’ll all tell you the same thing - “make sure you wear headphones when you play.” Why is this the first thing that comes to mind? Because the sound design is so euphorically mind blowing that experiencing the game any other way is basically a sin. So why was the game snubbed in every sound category nomination for The Game Awards? Your guess is as good as ours. 

Are There Too Many Video Games Being Developed?

Say what you will about game crunch, but would a little extra time be the worst thing for a game currently? Rockstar may be at the center of this “issue,” but why do they even feel the need to rush these games out? Are we hurting for something to play so badly right now that we couldn’t live without Red Dead Redemption 2 for another six months?