The All Too Prescient Assassin in ‘Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate’
The world has reached a point where clichéd cartoon depictions of authoritarianism as seen in Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate become pointed political commentary.
Utter Miscellany
‘Knee Deep’ Has a Great Setting That Ruins the Game
Knee Deep's elaborate stage isn't meant to convey a sense of spatial reality, it's really just a mechanism for cool scene transitions. And boy are they cool.
The Bubblegum Noir of ‘Read Only Memories’
Read Only Memories is a bubblegum-happy, brooding and brutal noir about kidnapping, murder, corruption, revenge, and corporate conspiracies.
The Thoughtful Absurdity of ‘Spaceplan’
Spaceplan is a goofy game that still manages to pack a potent emotional punch.
‘999’ Evokes the Fun and Menace of a Compelling Conspiracy
It’s a bit easier to understand the flat-earthers and moon-hoaxers after experiencing the madness of 999.
‘Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’ — You Like to Watch
In our role of the spooked cameraman, there’s just enough light to highlight our confinement -- but not enough to highlight the dangers.
The Grindhouse Violence of ‘Resident Evil 7’
Resident Evil 7 portrays an extreme gap between our capability to handle violence, and the violence that we experience.
We Kill Ourselves with Stories in ‘Verde Station’
Verde Station examines how we construct stories, and how those stories then shape our view of the world.
Players Lose Control in ‘Tales from the Borderlands’
This is an interactive story in which players don’t craft the characters, we just control them.
I’m But a Tool of Totalitarian Capitalism in ‘Beholder’
I embrace my totalitarian duties -- but only so long as they earn me cash.
In ‘Reigns’ It’s Only When Our King Dies That We Realize the Full Horror of Our Rule
Reigns uses our gameplay actions to surreptitiously tell tragedies and comedies and all manner of stories that embed us so deeply in the forest that we can only see the trees.
The Medium Supports the Message in ‘A Normal Lost Phone’
The game has a specific message it wants to impart, and the medium of a fake smart phone is used in clever ways to support that message.