Video Games – Michael Iantorno

March 1, 2022

Power Bombs and Glass Cannons: A Reflection on Metroid Dread

9 Min Read

01March

This is more of a personal reflection on Metroid: Dread rather than a review. I mention this off the top because I’m not claiming any sort of objectivity — my critiques of the game are firmly rooted in my ongoing love for Super Metroid and Metroid: Fusion. To put in bluntly: I’m judging Dread in comparison to two of the series strongest entries, which is unfair for innumerable reasons. As most of...

December 20, 2014

The Cave Review

By Mathew

3 Min Read

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20December

I really wanted to like The Cave. The premise caught me immediately. Start out by assembling a team of three from a rogue’s gallery of characters ranging from a perpetually flourescent time traveler, a knight in shining armour, and a pair of twins who look like they fell out of a Tim Burton movie. After making your pick, drop down into a mysterious cave and delve into the dark backstories...

July 4, 2014

First Impressions – Transistor

By Michael

2 Min Read

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04July

I think by now you are all aware of the love we give Bastion around here, and by extension, SuperGiant Games. So it is no wonder that I picked up a copy of Transistor a couple of weeks ago, SuperGiant’s sophomore effort released back in May. Much like its predecessor, it is an action-RPG rooted in an ability/item management system. Where it differs is its setting: a stunning futuristic...

December 21, 2013

First Impressions – Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

By Michael

3 Min Read

1 Comment

21December

I’m a huge Final Fantasy Tactics fan, so when I heard that Squeenix had made another tactical RPG that looked essentially like the same damn game my interest was piqued. I picked up the PSP version with high hopes of playing another strategic masterpiece, and although I may have set my expectations a bit high I’m still pretty impressed. Below are my first impressions of the game...

October 16, 2013

Organ Trail: Director’s Cut Review

By Mathew

3 Min Read

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16October

Organ Trail is more of a prolonged joke than a game. Anything based on Oregon Trail would have to be, I suppose. For those of you who aren’t children of the 1990s, Oregon Trail was a computer game released to schools on floppy diskette. The player assumes the role of a man guiding his family across America to Oregon by means of covered wagon. Raging rivers, bears, and dysentery stand in the...

October 11, 2013

Spelunky Review

By Mathew

4 Min Read

2 Comments

11October

The best word to describe Spelunky is dangerous. The player takes on the role of an unnamed adventurer with an uncanny resemblance to Indiana Jones. With nothing but a whip in hand and a backpack brimming with ropes and bombs, you plunge into the depths of an ancient cavern. Deadly spikes, arrow traps, snakes, and giant spiders lurk around every corner, each hellbent on preventing you from...

September 25, 2013

Legend of Dungeon Review

By Mathew

4 Min Read

1 Comment

25September

As a retro enthusiast, there’s nothing listed under Legend of Dungeon‘s key features that I can complain about. “26 floors of randomized dungeon.” “Tons of items, weapons, and magic.” “[A] [l]ocal and online scoreboard.” “4 player co-operative gameplay.” In theory Legend of Dungeon delivers on all the golden tropes of the rogue-like genre it hails from. But after a few hours of...

September 11, 2013

Shadowrun Returns Review

By Mathew

4 Min Read

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11September

Shadowrun Returns surprised me. First off, because I completely forgot I had funded the project on Kickstarter. A banner advertising the game on Steam caught me off guard, prompting me to plumb the depths of my Gmail account for a long forgotten activation code. Secondly, because of how good the game is. Shadowrun Returns is a rare Kickstarter project that not only manages to live up to the hype...

CategoryVideo Games