Games have a zombie problem. They can be your basic slow shamblers or your fast berserkers, but whatever variation appears in a game, zombies are little more than mindless pinatas meant to be killed in large numbers. Zombies are rarely a challenge to fight on an intellectual level, and an enemy that doesn’t get…
Innovation is like a game of telephone. Someone creates a message, but as it spreads, it loses its meaning. Lessons that seemed clear back in the first-person shooter’s formative years became taken for granted and eventually forgotten. Shooters today are all about weapon limits, level design set pieces, and regenerating health. Doom’s return in 2016 was like finally hearing those original lessons with startling clarity. Its immaculate design is a defiant reminder of the strength of classic shooter design.
Eleven years after its release, the first-person shooter F.E.A.R. still feels ahead of its time. It is one of the smartest shooters ever made, a game that won’t wow you with a screenshot but should impress you if you play it.
Eleven years after its release, the first-person shooter F.E.A.R. still feels ahead of its time. It is one of the smartest shooters ever made, a game that won’t wow you with a screenshot but should impress you if you play it.
It may be a rare sight today, but a demo is one of the best things an upcoming game can do for its audience. Of course, not all demos are created equal—the best demos generate excitement and set expectations for what’s to come, while the worst demos convince us not to buy. What makes a great demo?
Do you have a game you regularly return to, just because you like how it feels? For me, that game is Forza Horizon.Read more…