Andrew King Dec 17, 2021. 4 minute read
Guardians of the Galaxy Cleverly Uses Flashbacks To Open Its World
Guardians of the Galaxy is linear. But it isn’t linear. An open-world game might say, “See that mountain? You can climb it.” But Eidos Montreal’s Marvel story smartly sets its exploratory sights on memory instead. When we say that a video game is linear, or nonlinear, we’re typically describing how…
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FEATURES
Andrew King Jun 30, 2021. 8 minute read
From Max Payne to Zeus: How Narration in Games Helps Developers Get Creative
It’s a concept as old as stories, but in games, you can mostly trace the use of a narrator back to a trio of indies released around the start of the last decade. In 2011’s Bastion, you were a little guy running around as your actions were described by a…
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FEATURES
Andrew King Mar 24, 2020. 6 minute read
The Protestant Reformation of the First-Person Shooter
Doom wasn’t the first first-person shooter. Depending on who you ask, that was either Maze War or Spasim. In fact, Doom wasn’t even the first FPS developed by id Software. The cutting-edge studio released Wolfenstein 3D one year prior. But it was Doom, of course, that really put the FPS on the map.…
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FEATURES
Andrew King Feb 7, 2020. 4 minute read
9 Shows Netflix Should Adapt Into Video Games Next
This week, Netflix released The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics — a strategy RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics. It’s a tie-in that dares to ask “What if Jim Henson really wanted Muppets to kick the most ass?” Unlike the brilliant source material, however, the licensed game is just okay. But if Netflix is…
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LISTS
Andrew King Dec 18, 2019. 5 minute read
Wattam Review: Rebuilding the World, One Weird Friend at a Time
Wattam asks you to play as a green, block-shaped mayor with a mustache on his upper lip and a bomb under his bowler hat. When you doff the cap, the bomb explodes, launching you and anyone nearby up into the air with a green smoke trail. All affected erupt in…
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REVIEWS
Andrew King Dec 17, 2019. 4 minute read
2019 Was the Year of Arena Combat in Games
Arena fights were everywhere in 2019. I don’t mean “arena shooters.” The style of FPS gameplay popularized by Quake is still alive and well, but I’m talking about a more specific trend. In 2019, video games made you fight for your life while an audience watched, clapped, gasped and applauded.…
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FEATURES
Andrew King Oct 30, 2019. 3 minute read
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Best Killstreaks Guide – What Killstreaks To Use
Infinity Ward’s latest military shooter is a return to the studio’s roots in a number of ways. In addition to bringing back the Modern Warfare name, old favorite characters like Captain Price and nods to famous missions like All Ghillied Up, the new Modern Warfare returns to the Killstreak system…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Oct 29, 2019. 2 minute read
The Best Weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Multiplayer
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a game where you use guns to shoot things for points to get more guns to help you shoot things better. Of course, it can seem more complicated than that, at times, between perks, attachments, and strategies. But, at its core, Call of Duty…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Oct 28, 2019. 2 minute read
How to Do a Finishing Move in Modern Warfare – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Guide
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare offers a variety of new ways for players to filet their friends and foes with the inclusion of flashy finishing moves. These are basically melee attacks, but with added flair. They’re simple enough to pull off, but certainly not easy. What button do you need to…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Oct 28, 2019. 4 minute read
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Multiplayer Tips Guide – 7 Things the Game Doesn’t Tell You
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is here, which means it’s time for another year of shooting, leveling up, and muting anyone and everyone. This year’s entry offers a robust, diverse package of multiplayer modes, from Gunfight’s tense, intimate stand-offs to Ground War’s wide-scale vehicular mayhem. There’s also, you know, regular…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Oct 25, 2019. 6 minute read
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Perks Guide – Best Perk Combinations
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is out now and as in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare before it — and every game since, regardless of whether its warfare was modern, advanced, or infinite— mastering the game depends on building a killer custom perk loadout. For the uninitiated, perks are…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Oct 17, 2019. 3 minute read
Felix the Reaper Review: Dance! Dance! Dance Until You Die!
Billed as a “romantic comedy,” Felix the Reaper casts you as a goofy grim reaper who loves two things: dancing and Betty, his lingerie-clad love interest who serves the forces of Life. Basically, she’s whatever the opposite of a grim reaper is. After the opening cutscene sets up this Romeo and Juliet…
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REVIEWS
Andrew King Oct 11, 2019. 7 minute read
How Live Games Are Making Players Act Like Ancient Astronomers
A comet, blood red and burning bright enough to be visible in the high noon sky, has appeared over the land. The continent is at war, with six would-be rulers vying for control. The hurtling scarlet rock is visible to all of them, and they are all desperate for a…
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FEATURES
Andrew King Sep 17, 2019. 2 minute read
Borderlands 3 Trinkets Guide – How to Equip Trinkets
Borderlands 3 is the most realistic Borderlands yet, because, just like in real life, you can dangle things off your gun. The new loot-shooter from Gearbox Software has plenty of cosmetic items that you can use to customize your Vault Hunter’s appearance. Additionally, there are skins, and, new to this…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Sep 17, 2019. 2 minute read
Does Borderlands 3 Have Cross-Play?
After a seven year wait, Gearbox Software finally released Borderlands 3 on Friday. A lot has changed since Borderlands 2’s release in 2012. Significantly, the walls that have long separated console and PC ecosystems have started to crumble. Fortnite players on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch all face off…
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TRENDING
Andrew King Sep 16, 2019. 4 minute read
Breaking Down the 9 Weapon Manufacturers of Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 has more than one billion guns and each of them was created by one of the game’s nine weapons manufacturers. These corporations provide your Vault Hunter with the nearly infinite supply of loot you’ll find hidden in Borderlands 3’s loot chests, cardboard boxes and “Dook Huts.” But, they’re…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Sep 14, 2019. 2 minute read
The Hidden Prizes in the Borderlands 3 Diamond Loot Chest
Borderlands 3 is finally here and Gearbox Software has given its fans — at least the ones with $250 to spare — the opportunity to be real world Vault Hunters with the Borderlands 3 Diamond Loot Chest Collector’s Edition. Like most modern AAA games, Borderlands 3’s release has been spread…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Sep 13, 2019. 3 minute read
Borderlands 3 VIP Guide – SHiFT Codes, VIP Codes
Borderlands 3 is here and with it the chance to be a VIP. No, not a Very Important Person. A Vault Insider. The P is for Program. If you refer to yourself as a VIP and people want to know what the P stands for, we regret to inform you…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Sep 13, 2019. 2 minute read
How to Save Your Game in Borderlands 3
If you’re googling “Borderlands 3” and “save” right about now, you’re probably wondering whether the inevitable success of Borderlands 3 launch can “save” Randy Pitchford’s reputation after months of scandals and missteps… You won’t find those answers here, friend! What you will find, however, is a quick explanation, which the game…
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GUIDES
Andrew King Jul 22, 2019. 6 minute read
Why is There So Little Religion in Games?
The inhabitants of Possum Springs apparently have two options on Sunday mornings: they can attend a church with a progressive woman pastor who cares deeply about serving marginalized folks, or they can sacrifice kids to a monster in the abandoned mines beneath the town. Easy choice, right? As an Extremely…
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FEATURES