Owlboy Review

Genre: Platforming Adventure
Players: 1
Playtime: 7 Hours (Includes beating the game and finding 75% of Buccanary Coins and other secrets; Played on the Nintendo Switch)


Owlboy is the impressive culmination of 9 years of development poured into one the most stunning pixel-based works of art you'll likely ever lay eyes on.  And really, that's more or less what the game is: A project of love and admiration for old-school platforming adventures of the Nintendo era.  As you may imagine with such a long development period, the developers faced numerous revisions and changes of direction along the way.  Was the long wait able to meet the eager expectations that came along with these delays?  Prepare for liftoff as we take to the skies and assess the pros and cons of this windswept adventure.

Throwback Thursday - Metroid Fusion

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Rolling into the mix this week: The game of genetic mutations aboard desolate space stations that is Metroid Fusion.

Released in the US on November 18th, 2002, Metroid Fusion was the 4th installment in the Metroid series.  Following the events directly after that of the SNES classic Super Metroid, bounty hunter Samus is exploring the surface of planet SR388 when she is attacked and infected by an unknown parasitic organism known as "X".  She is saved through a vaccine made of Metroid cells, the only predator of this hostile parasite.  Armed with this new Fusion Suit, Samus can now absorb these organisms for health and ammo, but due to the Metroid's genetic makeup, is also vulnerable to the cold.  Back in commission, Samus is sent to investigate an attack aboard the BSL space station, where she discovers that the X parasites have begun infesting with the help of "SA-X", an X parasite who has replicated Samus' genetic makeup after her attack on SR388.  There are many horror games that will try to rile you up with a good jump scare or unsettling imagery, but it's remarkable how much this simple 2D doppelganger can strike such a greater chord of fear and unease.  As you're crawling through the shadowy vents of the space station, and the door beneath opens to reveal the dreaded SA-X walking in with loud echoing clanks of the metal walkways, you're filled with such tension knowing you can be torn to bits with with one shot of its ice beam.

Tabletop Tuesday - Rivers, Roads & Rails

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of train tracks and tire tracks that is Rivers, Roads & Rails.

Players: 2-10
Time: 30-90 minutes
Genre: Casual Family Game

Tools of the Trade

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Throwback Thursday - Super Smash Bros (series)

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Challenging the lineup this week: Hats off to the competing mascots of the Super Smash Bros series.

It may seem at ends in saying the following for a series that is all about beating each other up, but Super Smash Bros is truly a love letter for Nintendo's long and rich history.  And it all began with the debut of Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo 64, releasing in the US on April 26th, 1999.  For the first time ever in any Nintendo game, players could play as the likes of Mario, Link, Samus and more, together in a one-of-a-kind game.  In fact, it dared to take a new approach to the typical fighting game genre, opting for a side-scrolling brawler with damage percentage and stage knockouts instead of your standard fare health bars and power meters. Each character also offered such a unique move set that reflected and celebrated each character's series.  And this attention to detail carried over everywhere, from the battlegrounds in which characters would fight on to the items they would use in battle.  With an easy to learn, pick up and play style, Super Smash Bros would go on to be a smashing hit and one of the greatest multiplayer games of a generation.

SteamWorld Dig 2 Review

Genre: Action-Platforming Adventure
Players: 1
Playtime: 6.5 hours (Includes beating the game and finding 60% of all upgrade cogs and artifacts; Played on the Nintendo Switch)


2013 saw the release of SteamWorld Dig, a surprise hit indie game from the developers of Image & Form that combines the likes of Metroidvania exploration with a procedural-like Dig-Dug and other robot, steampunk-like inspirations.  Building upon the criticisms of this first entry, SteamWorld Dig 2 offers a more fleshed out adventure and carefully crafted world, with aspects such as a greater focus on story, unique puzzle / platforming challenges, and a greater variety of upgrades.  With that said, does this sequel still manage to strike gold?  Let's grab our pickaxes and take a look at the positive and negative charges to be found in this robotic wild western of a game.

Tabletop Tuesday - Labyrinth

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of magical halls with moving walls that is Labyrinth.

Players: 2-4
Time: 45-90 minutes
Genre: Strategy