There were some pretty interesting conversations on this subject when the new Star Fox came out; I think there were similar elements with the new Star Wars movie [something about 'Star' franchises I guess - kidding!].

Yeah, the friendly version of enemies is one of the most charming features of the series. Thousand Year Door is really great at emphasizing this. It looks like the new game may too, to a degree (have you seen the shots of Mario talking to Goombas and Koopa Troopas at the Coliseum), but who knows? Bringing back the…

Oh no, it's disappointing that the experience didn't pan out well for Handlen. This is one of those titles that I didn't really have any interest in, yet have been drawn in further with each little detail or promo released ahead of the game. The Rescue Squad V videos, in particular, are outstanding.

What a rube.

Wow, that is a terrible poster.

"Hey, let's throw a few large cardboard boxes in too. Everybody loves a box."

Funny enough, when I played it originally I didn't have any issue, but when I tried Black Mesa (which uses the same engine) around 2013 or so, I got the motion sickness really badly. I guess things change over time, but it was pretty disappointing to find that I had effectively lost access to one of the best games of…

I think this is a bit much, and is a case of painting with too broad a brush. For example, I am a "modern liberal of the millenial persuasion" who is happy to see people in authority called out for hateful or non-inclusive language, but also doesn't think yoga is cultural appropriation and loves eating sushi (I'm…

I've written a lot on AVClub about my love of XCX's themes (heck, even within this very article!), but I never get tired of it. I came to the game a month late, but found that all the news about its story being underwhelming was really overplayed. It's the story of a community learning to adapt to new conditions and…

No way! Fi was almost certainly my least favorite character, though I'm never very excited to play as Zant or King Daphnes either. It's nice that the characters play so differently that everyone can have legit favorites and least-favorites.

I want Forza Horizon 3 so bad! I don't have an Xbox, though, and I'm unwilling to pay the full asking price on PC. Don't get burned out on it - that way we can play it as a group when I finally buy it a year from now on sale, haha.

Divinity: OS is spectacular. I actually enjoyed it even more than I enjoyed its much-vaunted forebears. The writing is great, and the tightness of the world makes it feel like there is no wasted space. That's a good thing, too, since the confrontations demand a familiarity with your environment and toolset. I need to…

If nothing else, it's a conversation starter.

That's fair. The touch controls are such a radical alteration of the series winning formula that it stands to reason they'd be make-or-break.

Ganondorf is truly the king of Hyrule Warriors. He's my wife's favorite, along with Twilight Midna, largely because he can just crush swathes of enemies with his strong attacks.

The intermissions almost feel like an in-game justification for doing side missions. Since the main plot of each chapter is built to feel time-sensitive (though it isn't really), the intermissions serve to present the player with a plot-light period where carrying out weird sidequests doesn't feel like a waste of…

Did that house across the water with the wealthy eccentric bug you too? I can't remember what island it was on, but I rode my ship all around trying to get to that house that I could see (and discuss with people on the dock), but could not reach it. I understand you get a magic carpet at some point, so maybe that's…

It had some steep competition, what with Teti's solid explanation of changing trends at AVClub earlier this year, but this is one of my favorite staff comments I've seen here. Thanks Zack!

I had mixed feelings about the Ocean King Temple. On the one hand, I liked re-exploring the same space but finding new methods of navigation - that's some pretty classic Metroid/Dark Souls stuff right there. On the other hand, I don't feel like the mechanics were always well explained; I knew, for example, that I…

Yup, it's my first time through TTYD. While I own the original, I never played it when I had a Gamecube and now that I don't I'm playing an HD version through alternative means. It's really quite lovely, and the writing is characteristically excellent. The most recent writing highlight is probably the Cheep Cheep…