PC Game Reviews

RaiderZ, developed by the now-defunct Korean studio MAIET Entertainment, was an ambitious MMORPG that tried to carve out its own niche in the saturated market when it launched in 2012. The game was known for its action-oriented combat system, which set it apart from traditional tab-target MMOs. While RaiderZ ultimately couldn't sustain its player base and was shut down in 2015, its unique features have kept it alive in the memories of its fans, and even today, it survives through private servers. The core appeal of RaiderZ was its combat system, heavily inspired by games like Monster Hunter. Players had to dodge, block, and time their attacks carefully, creating a more immersive and dynamic experience compared to the auto-attack style...

Have you ever played a game where you could sense its untapped potential and wished it had a better development budget? For me, The Caligula Effect: Overdose is that game. It's a JRPG remake of The Caligula Effect, developed by Historia and published by FuRyu and NIS America (the original was developed by Aquria and published by Atlus). The story is written by Tadashi Satomi, known for his work on Persona 1 and Persona 2. The term "Caligula Effect" refers to the desire to do forbidden things, which ties into the source of trauma for some characters. Overdose improved many aspects of the original game, adding new routes and characters. In this review, I’ll focus on Overdose while still mentioning the original game where relevant. Story...

Fighting games are a really cool hobby. I find them very much akin to real life martial arts: a one on one competition, no holds barred, where only your skill and your knowledge of yourself and, perhaps, of your opponent, are the only things that matter. Of course, fighting games are less physically demanding than, say, tae-kwon-do, krav maga, karate, etc, but the similarities are there, especially from an e-spectator’s POV, and you’re watching high level games of both “genres”. Truly masterful. As far as I see it, fighting games are composed of three parts: body, mind and heart. Although different, they all complement each other. Body refers to the execution, which is what you do with your hands and/or fingers (depending on the...

If you’re a retro gamer, there’s a good chance you’ve probably heard the name Action 52 before. Whether having played, seen or heard about it, most of us have likely experienced the tragedy of the over-stuffed, under-developed compilation for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Mega Drive; a testament to why games need time to make. Fast forward several decades, and game studio Mossmouth - of Spelunky fame - have rounded up a group of modern-pixel indie developers and studio friends (people like Ojiro Fumoto) to create UFO 50; both a nod and an antithesis to Active Enterprises’ cash grab…It’s Action 52, but it’s actually fun. Essentially, UFO 50 is a collection of 8-bit games made by “UFO Soft”, a pseudo-imaginary game studio -...

Picture this, readers: the year is 1998. Clinton has been impeached, NASA just found evidence of frozen water in the soil of the moon with the Lunar Prospector, a bunch of countries decided to collectively outlaw human cloning, Hugo Chavez is elected as the Venezuelan president, a stacked line up of major Hollywood movies debut (seriously, 1998 was a strangely amazing year in Hollywood), Russia enters into a long term financial crisis, a little game called Half-Life launches to moderate acclaim, and Google is just founded by two PhD students in California. But none of that truly matters in this article. Why? Because Might and Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven just came out, and that's what this is about. Oh yeah, it’s gaming time. Many...