The very small number of Xbox One games with companion apps were extremely interesting. Dead Rising 3 used it as a way for a character to call you rather than just having it pop up on-screen, and even though that was just moving the same function to another device and it was a little laggy, it made a rote part of the…

Oh no, I didn't dislike Ocarina of Time! I really enjoyed it and Majora's Mask, but I was never invested in the series enough to seek out the other games or get wrapped up in the iconography. OoT in particular seems like a game that's been re-litigated over and over as the series has evolved, and I was reluctant to…

For some reason (and again, not actually reading a lot of the talk), I felt like revisiting OoT is one of those endlessly discussed flashpoint topics that can't be brought up without a ton of strong opinions bubbling over, but I forgot that everyone in here is relatively calm about it. :)

After getting on an extreme Overwatch kick last year, I cut back on regular game-playing habits for a while to work on prep for MAGFest… and then I haven't jumped into much since then. My roommate and I got really into Burnout Paradise in the last month, but now that I have a Burnout license and not a lot of incentive…

The end of Disc 1 is about where I stopped my last playthrough attempt (because of losing the save file, not disinterest). The thing that stuck with me the most wasn't Aeris dying but the scene right after, when the party reconvenes and considers giving up. Cloud is a mess, as usual, but when he asks for support, the…

Seriously, this is the second time he's played the head of FEMA!

I once had imitation tavern-style pizza at a bowling alley that was like mozzarella on matzo. THAT was crackery, and I'm nervous to let anyone think that's what delicious Barnaby's tastes like.

This weekend I'm game jamming… sort of!

THANK YOU for putting a name to "tavern-style pizza"! Barnaby's makes my absolute favorite pizza, and since I always went to a non-Chicago location, I had no idea it was representative of a broader style. Cake-y really is a good way to describe the crust.

I love these sort of accidental digital messages in bottles. It reminds me a lot of the Bomb Iraq Mac. About a decade back, an artist bought a Mac from a thrift store and found a tiny homemade Gulf War game called Bomb Iraq, as well as a bunch of uncomfortably personal stuff, like a pros and cons list of living…

Looked up Memory of a Broken Dimension and I'm thrilled.

Under-the-radar indie game picks! Supposedly this is the year Crypt Underworld comes out, which is really exciting. The best way to describe the aesthetic is "having a dream in a PS1 cutscene": https://www.youtube.com/wat…

One of the all-time Level 1 greats.

Dana Cree's advice sounds great. Thank you!

I really wanted to try that one! I don't have enough opportunities for local multiplayer but it looks adorable.

Serious question, is there any direct confirmation from Comet in any form that this is their fundraiser? I want to support them but can't find any official mention of this on their social media feeds or anywhere else. I am extremely reluctant to donate money if there's a chance this is exploitative.

I never read those, that explains it. Will keep my eyes peeled in February.

I'm never privy to these meetups so please channel the info through somewhere! I'm close-by and glad to support Comet, and also meet AV Clubbers.

What's also interesting are the games that don't have technobabble or show people typing away at a keyboard and just treat computer skills as straight-up magic. Think about Sombra in Overwatch, who uses hacking as a catch-all power with basically no needed explanation. Sometimes a game like Syndicate couches hacking…

I live and work near here. I've been here several times. A close friend works adjacent to this building and had to shelter-in-place and protect his customers. People I love are in the line of fire because of internet hate speech.