Astronite | PS4 Review

Metroidvanias have made their mark on the industry over the years, and it's clear to see. You can find new ones in just about every gaming storefront to date. With all that new there was also once the all time greats like Castlevania, and Metriod which spearheaded the genre boom. A gaming industry trend that has yet to slowdown. I've personally seen some tried and true indie metroidvanias in my career that stick closely to tradition, and others that blend other genres into the mix to create something more innovative. Some just as great, if not better than their predecessors. I've also had the displeasure of playing through some of the worst there ever was. Stuff I don't care to mention. On that scale of bad to great, in comparison to other metroidvanias, somewhere between great and okay lies JanduSoft's "Astronite" ...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II | The Multiplayer Experience

I've followed, reviewed, and supported Call of Duty since it's golden years. Without fail I've played each new release despite my growing concerns over the multiplayer experience. I witnessed the ups and downs of matchmaking, saw skill based matchmaking introduced, and the lobby system in general struggle to maintain a from the start experience. Problems that continue to persist.

With each new release I stuck by my own claims saying that the biggest problem with Call of Duty was not so much the game itself or the gameplay, but the players who were playing it. To an extent that claim has always held true. Multiplayer continues to be what kills the CoD experience over time. From toxic gamers to hackers, and modders it has grown increasingly problematic. Fast forward to MW2, and almost immediately those player problems reared their ugly heads to an extreme, but that was not the only problem this time around ...

Knifeboy Rebooted | Switch Review

Coming from developer Runic Codes like a cryptic piece of pop art is the hand drawn video game "Knifeboy Rebooted". A cryptic conspiracy driven comic book hero style action adventure with light Metroidvania features, and speed running in mind. It is centered around a dude with a knife protruding from his forehead, and a dystopian community under the rule of tyranny. Move over Chainsaw Man cause you've got some competition now!!! ...

This mystery man, and living weapon who has been resurrected into the alien post-dystopian world as it's savior is there to make sense of himself, and the world around him. Through interesting characters of different races, and information gathered from various sources he slowly comes to terms with the fact that he was the one to put an end to the New World Order, and that Anonymous has risen to take their place. That in this sordid recollection every conspiracy theory imaginable is made manifest. From Free Masons to the Illuminati. All throughout the jointed yet disjointed world. A world filled with disheveled makeshift locales named as if they were borne of fringe conspiracy theories themselves. Places like Mountain of D.O.O.M., Twin Peaks, and Pirate Bay just to name a few. It is here that Knifeboy must find eight hidden Golden cogs, return them to Dr. J, and rediscover his lost memories in relation to those who seem to know him more than he does. It is in this discovery that he can then come to terms with the truth, and his role in that truth.

Donut Dodo | Switch Review

Harkening back to the age of arcades Flynn Studio's "Donut Dodo" brings to us a hi-score challenge that is somewhat familiar yet distinctly different. Featuring the eternal rivalry between baker Billy Burns, and the donut thieving Donut Dodo this collect-a-thon platformer brings to the table a formula most retro fans will be able to grasp from the start. An undertaking complete with a main antagonist in the form of Donut Dodo, and three enemies in the form of Sniffy, Stinky, and Ghastly. Taking the confrontation to carnival themed locales across the globe with different layouts joined together by platforms, ladders, ropes and other devices meant to help you avoid danger as you collect all the donuts so that you can reclaim the king of all donuts from Donut DoDo before moving on.