Author: Nathan Mejia

South Park: Snow Day Review – Meet Some Friends of Mine It’s hard to argue that any television series has impacted its audience quite like “South Park.” Known for its sharp wit and fearless commentary, the show has ventured into various realms, including video games. The more recent showcasing of this can be seen in The Stick of Truth, a game that brilliantly parodied fantasy RPGs, capturing the essence of the show within a new genre. This leads us to the question: Does South Park: Snow Day have what it takes to stand beside some of the more prominent releases…

Metroidvania, or search action, is a genre that has become popular with indie game developers. Of course, not because it’s an easy genre to master; in fact, I would argue that it can be one of the most challenging genres to get right. Indeed, I have encountered many titles that undertake the task but fall short due to their map design or gameplay feel. So, when I encounter an actual good game in the genre, I can’t help but tell everyone who will remotely listen. Unveiling the Mystery: Ultros and the Time Loop Challenge Ultros follows a nameless protagonist who…

Pathea Games has quickly become one of my favorite developers. Their life sims offer a unique blend of gameplay ideas and character interactions. So, naturally, I had to try out their school management sim, Let’s School, to see what unique elements it would bring to the table. Let’s Manage Our School The premise of Let’s School is simple enough. Players are put into the shoes of a nameless headmaster in charge of a declining or new school. Their job is to encourage their students in their studies and ensure their staff are well-equipped to handle the fragile minds of the…

As a child, I dreamt of someday becoming a detective – solving crimes with an eye for that one obscure piece of evidence that everyone else missed and, of course, winning over the girl in the process. Every new case would introduce a new villain, along with a visit from a damsel in distress to my office. This was the epitome of coolness to me growing up. Now, with a more mature understanding, I realize detective work isn’t quite like the stories I once idolized. However, the allure of intrigue remains an element that games often strive to capture. Card…

It’s that time of year again when we decide what game deserves to be called the best game of 2023. Although this year, it feels like every month was dedicated to a huge release that caught my attention, and for the first time, I couldn’t actually decide what games I liked the best. So, I picked my babies; these five were my absolute favorite games of the year. Ones that I couldn’t put down until I had either one hundred percent completed them or reached at least one hundred hours in. 5. Pikmin 4 The first in this list has…

Last month, Paradox Interactive announced three of four clans that players can make their character in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. These included the Banu Haqim, Tremere, and Brujah clans. Today, they announced the final clan that players can choose from, titled the Ventrue, kindred who see themselves as rulers over all vampire society. They will usually choose to embrace those in their clan who are already familiar with money and power. Their abilities allow them to dominate over those weaker than them and overwhelm anyone who resists with superior endurance, ensuring any Ventrue will be hard to take…

While the Iron’s Hot: Crafting a New Destiny in Stal While the Iron’s Hot has a rather simple premise, the main character (named by the player) wants to be a master blacksmith, and traveling to an island of crafters is one of the best ways to do so. However, after the ship he is sailing on encounters a storm and proceeds to get torn apart, he winds up beached near the town of Stal, a small dying village with only one resident left after the master blacksmith who previously lived there died. He now decides to help rebuild the town…

Coral Island Review: A Fresh Take on Familiar Farming Humble Games has a knack for discovering niche indie games and bringing them to a broader audience by releasing them on multiple platforms. This trend has provided a platform for games that might otherwise struggle to find an audience. Coral Island is their latest indie title to grace Steam, initially in early access to allow players to help refine the game before its full release. So, what exactly are we farming for? Is it to find someone who will sweep us off our feet? Or perhaps to defeat a shady corporation…

Developer Pathea has returned to help us spend our time in a more meaningful way by taking us to a Western-inspired town named Sandrock. My Time at Sandrock doesn’t try to reinvent life sims; instead, it opts to shift the focus from farming and socializing to material gathering and building machines in an attempt to breathe life back into Sandrock. This makes exploring the town feel fresh, even after thirty hours. Exploring Sandrock: A Fresh Take on Life Simulation Games An average day for a builder usually starts with obtaining a commission and setting up various crafting machines for the…

I have a unique relationship with war; my family is only here today because my great-grandfather served in the military and was stationed in Berlin during the tail end of World War II. So, I’ve been fascinated with the history of war and, of course, the media related to it. When I heard that there was a game promising to tackle war in a way I hadn’t seen before, I was intrigued, to say the least. Long Gone Days focuses on Rourke, a private in The Core, a private military group that raises children to fight wars. Today is Rourke’s…

The latest patch for Final Fantasy XIV, 6.5, has just launched, giving players new raids, story content, and trials to enjoy as we wait for the launch of Dawntrail early next year. Among the plethora of new content is the final piece of the Twelve Gods raid series, Thaleia. However, going in blind can be stressful, and some players learn better when prepared. So, we have compiled this quick guide to ensure that players will be able to hold their own when completing the new raid this week. Encounter 1 Additional Monsters (Adds) The first encounter will be against two…

I have a confession to make about one of my deepest fears. I am profoundly afraid of the mysteries lurking in the ocean. One recurring nightmare I’ve had over the years involves swimming in water only to look down and see the eye of a massive sea serpent gazing back at me. This fear is so ingrained in me that even swimming in video games can trigger panic attacks if I’m not constantly vigilant beneath me. So, playing “Under the Waves” was a way for me to confront this fear. Under the Waves follows Stan Moray, who starts working as…

So, we get it; you’ve always been interested in getting Blue Reflection, but the price wasn’t always to your liking. Well, Koei Tecmo and Gust have us covered with a massive sale of both entries of the series. These discounts cross between PSN, Nintendo Switch eShop, and PC via Steam, so players can choose where to experience the games. Additionally, their DLC content is separately discounted alongside bundles, primarily comprising cosmetics. The first Blue Reflection is 70% off, while Blue Reflection: Second Light is 50% off. However, players will need to be aware that the Switch eShop only has Blue…

Bokeh Game Studio has been making waves since the announcement of their first game, Slitterhead, a horror title that boosts choices being an integral part of the title. Today, Bokeh Game Studios tweeted out a cropped image of some Junji Ito artwork, leading fans to believe that some sort of collaboration with the famous horror Mangaka could be in the pipeline. The picture (a cropped version of the Tomie cover) means nothing, as this is not an original art piece nor a recreation, as the photo appears to be a physical copy of the manga. This can be seen in the shadows…

There is something about farming in video games that relaxes me. After a long day of work, I like to open up a can of Dr. Pepper and spend a few hours tending my crops. The world would align, and everything would feel right again, but what if I could also tame creatures in turn-based battles? Well, Moonstone Island is here to show what farming and creature collection can do to a man.  Moonstone Island opens up on the player character, only known as the Alchemist, as they are napping on a floating island. It isn’t long before the appropriately…

Bethesda and Microsoft have been finding themselves in the middle of a neo-console war between the acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the release of Starfield. A recent document from the FTC case attempting to block the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard was released that Phil Spencer used during his testimony. This document shows recent titles from Bethesda, which Microsoft acquired in 2021, including many games that were being planned and released alike. This chart showed whether or not cross-console play was integral, whether they were already existing IPs, whether they were on PlayStation Consoles, and whether they were multiplayer or single-player games.…

KFC has never been shy about doing collaborations with different franchises. Most recently, KFC had collaborated with Diablo IV, offering in-game loot in exchange for purchasing a chicken sandwich online or with fashion brands to sell clothing plastered with the Colonel’s face. So, it shouldn’t surprise anybody that a new collaboration was announced on the Japanese KFC Twitter account. However, this announcement was suitably vague, showing only a silhouette of a Chocobo and Moogle and a date of October 4, 2023. These two characters are very popular mascot characters for the Final Fantasy series. The most probable collaboration would be…

Resident Evil 4 Remake has been a great return to form for fans of the original game released on GameCube and PS2. However, there was always a piece of content that had always been missing: a story featuring Ada Wong as she tried to get samples of the Las Plagas parasite as the other side to Leon’s campaign. This was part of the PS2 release but wasn’t in on the launch of the remake. Today, during the State of Play, Capcom released a Trailer for the DLC Campaign Separate Ways to make its way onto consoles on September 21, for…

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece has been met with favorable reviews since the series was released on August 31. This is in no small part because series creator Eiichiro Oda worked hand in hand with Netflix and Tomorrow studios to ensure the stories of the Straw Hat Crew were recreated as faithfully as possible. Today, the official One Piece Netflix account had a special message to share with fans from Oda himself. The video itself is brief and begins with Oda talking about the work it took for the series to be made and thanking new and old fans…

UPDATE: Unity has clarified the fee, saying that only the initial installation will be counted towards the cost. So, developers will not need to worry about users reinstalling the game causing another charge. Demos will also not be subject to the fee, nor will installs from Xbox Game Pass be counted. However, there has still been no clarification if developers would be on the hook for pirated copies of the game. Unity has been a popular engine for professional and hobbyist developers for years, with many popular games coded with the engine. Today, Unity Technologies has announced a plan to…