1979 Revolution: an Interview with Navid Khonsari, Part 1

Navid Khonsari put a lot of his family's history into 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, his studio's game about the Iranian Revolution. The result: an extremely personal game that draws heavily from real people's experiences.

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Sent from Satan: Why Doom scared us back in 1993

For many of its players, the original Doom was genuinely, bone-shakingly terrifying.

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Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Closing Down in January

A few years ago, I was invited to Niantic’s offices to preview the reveal of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a new game from the developers of Pokemon Go. Considering that, for a brief and bright moment, Pokemon Go essentially took over the world, there was a lot of anticipation for a Harry Potter-themed…

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NEWS

The folly of calling Stranger Things ‘unoriginal’

Immature poets imitate, but mature poets steal.

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‘Crimes of the Future’ Review: Eat Trash, Be Free

After more than twenty years, David Cronenberg returns to the world of sci-fi body horror without missing a beat. Amid the rotting bones of a nameless, placeless coastal city, the performance artists Caprice (Léa Seydoux) and Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) collaborate in public surgical extractions of Saul’s “novel organs,” glands…

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Crimes of the Future

REVIEWS

Every Fighting Game Movie Ever Made, Ranked From Worst to Best

The story portion of fighting games has rapidly evolved over the years. What started with a simple framing device — often a tournament of the world’s finest — has grown into cinematic epics like last month’s Mortal Kombat 11. But video games aren’t the only place where these stories unfold. With the release of MK11, I…

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Mortal Kombat Movie

LISTS

Elden Ring Ashes of War Tier List – Updated June 2022

Elden Ring Ashes of War are exceptionally potent skills that completely change the way you play the game. Ranking every one of these abilities in one place is daunting task as a result, but we’ve attempted to do just that with our Ashes of War tier list. The hope is…

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elden ring ashes of war tier list

GUIDES

Buddhas and Boxing: A Street Fighter Tour of Bangkok

Some of the elements in Street Fighter's depiction of Bangkok are real-- and you could see them for yourself, if you ever visit.

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The Other Guy, or the Case of Two La Parkas

On Saturday, the pro wrestling world suffered a major loss with the death of La Parka, a longtime top star wrestler in Mexico’s Lucha Libre AAA promotion. Real name Jesús Alfonso Escoboza Huerta, 54, Parka succumbed to organ failure stemming from in-ring injuries that he suffered in October. The wrestling…

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WRESTLING

It’s Okay To Struggle With the Sprouts, FFXIV Veterans

I’ve heard teaching can be fulfilling. There’s power in taking a young or inexperienced mind and watching it blossom under your tutelage. Passing on your knowledge to someone ensures a long, bright future for your community. Sometimes, though, you just want to finish your Duty Roulettes. The number of players…

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Confused FFXIV Players

FEATURES

5 Unusual Power Fantasies Provided by Video Games

Video games can do a lot of things, but one of the most common is to make the player feel powerful. These fantasies can come in many forms — winning a sports championship, defeating one’s enemies, completing difficult quests, and so on. But video games aren’t all about being Italian…

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The Ooze

LISTS

Why Warcraft is a hit in China… even though it isn’t ‘good’

In China, Warcraft had a LOT of advantages-- and an audience with, perhaps, more favorable tastes.

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