There are few games as important, influential or impeccable as Cave Story. Originally developed by one man, Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya, and released for free in 2004, it’s often regarded as the father of modern indie games — in no small part due to its creativity, efficiency and mastery of game…

After years and years of playing, something just feels right about picking up a controller and jumping into Street Fighter II. Fighting games represent some of my all-time favorites and Capcom’s 1991 arcade hit defined those sensibilities. There are plenty of versions of it out there, but thanks to the…

Rhythm Violence. That’s the phrase that Drool uses to describe its latest rhythm game, Thumper. As simple as that phrase is, it encompasses the heart and soul of the game in a way that a longer sentence has a hard time doing. Drool was started by two ex-employees of Harmonix,…

The Switch’s library continues to grow and fill in genre gaps, and descending upon the world to fulfill that strategy RPG need is Disgaea 5 Complete. Originally released on the PS4 two years ago, the latest entry in the hellishly delightful Disgaea franchise comes to the Switch with all its…

Games are a funny business. Sometimes we purchase AAA titles that we ditch after a few hours, and other times we find dinky little flash games that keep us up all night. Some lengthy experiences can feel empty and devoid of value, while shorter games can have a profound influence…

The best video games start with a seedling of an idea — a singular core concept that lies at the heart of the gameplay experience — and slowly nourishes it to perfection. Mario’s tight platforming, Zelda’s scope of adventure and Metroid’s sense of exploration are all prime examples of franchises…

Despite my first game system being the Genesis, I was never much of a Sega kid growing up. Sonic was really the only franchise I cared about, so many of the company’s older fare, like Alex Kidd, was unknown to me for the longest time. So when I heard about…

Crossovers and puzzle games have a lot in common. It all comes down to lining up the pieces just right to keep things balanced, careful planning to keep it going smoothly, and a sense of energy and celebration to really highlight the best of the base parts. I may not…

A new console usually means getting excited about a game that makes the most of the hardware — which in turn will help the game itself look fantastic and give players the opportunity to do things that couldn’t be done before. Sometimes though, it pays off to go back and…

The twisted brainchild of Super Meat Boy’s Edmund McMillen, The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ gained notoriety back in 2011 for its unique combination of accessible roguelike ideas, crude humor and deeply masochistic mechanics. Only expected to sell a few hundred copies during its initial release, Isaac became an overnight sensation,…