3x3 grid: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Final Fantasy IV, Dark Souls, Mass Effect, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Disco Elysium, The Last Guardian, Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, and Dragon Age: Origins
extremely from the hip, in terms of most influential, limit of one per series, reflective of this moment in space and time
anti-woke is when slurs achieve personhood and get scholarships
one must respect the hatred even when one loves the hated
"One of the finer, more refreshingly creative RPGs of the 2010s, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE imbues its showbiz fantasy with remarkable diegetic texture. In the vein of the Persona series, dungeons give physical shape to psychological phenomena and power structures: Consider the level that explores the relationship between photographers and their subjects, with vaguely Escherian architecture that evokes the disorienting effect of being captured on camera. Then there’s combat: While party members in turn-based RPGs often strike nonsensically flashy poses during and after battles – who are they stunting for? – our crew here hams it up with professional purpose as fights unfold beneath bright lights and before a voracious audience. When characters execute cross-team combos they call out the name of the next companion in the queue, as though introducing a guest on a track. And worry not: Every attack in a chain nets you cash or an item. All labor is rewarded generously, each worker spared alienation. That’s praxis."
really happy to share my first piece for Unwinnable, looking back on Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE for its 10th anniversary. a game whose absurd premise and world (complimentary) take root thanks to a surprising commitment to diegesis
unwinnable.com/2026/03/05/t...
I will somehow not touch this until 1.0
"One of the finer, more refreshingly creative RPGs of the 2010s, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE imbues its showbiz fantasy with remarkable diegetic texture. In the vein of the Persona series, dungeons give physical shape to psychological phenomena and power structures: Consider the level that explores the relationship between photographers and their subjects, with vaguely Escherian architecture that evokes the disorienting effect of being captured on camera. Then there’s combat: While party members in turn-based RPGs often strike nonsensically flashy poses during and after battles – who are they stunting for? – our crew here hams it up with professional purpose as fights unfold beneath bright lights and before a voracious audience. When characters execute cross-team combos they call out the name of the next companion in the queue, as though introducing a guest on a track. And worry not: Every attack in a chain nets you cash or an item. All labor is rewarded generously, each worker spared alienation. That’s praxis."
really happy to share my first piece for Unwinnable, looking back on Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE for its 10th anniversary. a game whose absurd premise and world (complimentary) take root thanks to a surprising commitment to diegesis
unwinnable.com/2026/03/05/t...
Would the Founding Fathers approve of Trump's war in Iran? I won't pretend to speak for them. But in January, I pretended to speak with them.
a titan
I have not! do you recommend it?
"Wading through this absurd historical moment, and the absurdity of playing videogames in it, I have found myself increasingly drawn to demos. Beyond being gentle on my time (and my wallet), demos for games that are still in development are works in compelling states of flux. They often reflect visions that have yet to fully bloom: They're rough and unrefined, rife with the thorns that tend to get stripped over the course of production. Grab these roses; let art bleed you."
wrote brief thoughts on why I've been drawn to game demos lately, along with also brief reviews of eight recent demos
nivmsultan.com/demos1/
“apocalyptic text” (complimentary)
Love a good capsule review. @nivmsultan.bsky.social was generous enough to write eight. "Less a demo than an apocalyptic text" is service criticism.
"Wading through this absurd historical moment, and the absurdity of playing videogames in it, I have found myself increasingly drawn to demos. Beyond being gentle on my time (and my wallet), demos for games that are still in development are works in compelling states of flux. They often reflect visions that have yet to fully bloom: They're rough and unrefined, rife with the thorns that tend to get stripped over the course of production. Grab these roses; let art bleed you."
wrote brief thoughts on why I've been drawn to game demos lately, along with also brief reviews of eight recent demos
nivmsultan.com/demos1/
I have started curating a folder of essays and reviews that elicit the first reaction here — would definitely recommend
"Meanwhile, surviving in the wilderness requires extensive and expensive preparation. The real-time with pause combat (shades of the masterful Vagrant Story) is unwieldy. And material rewards are elusive, opportunities for fast travel even rarer. But Banquet for Fools isn’t sadistic. It simply has confidence in its vision and in you, like a pen-and-paper game master who expects the world of you and will give you the world in return. It wants you to undertake an adventure of tangible stakes, to understand that the souls in your care have needs and deserve investment, to remember that dungeons aren’t fountains of loot but places shaped by distinct histories." "So the game pushes you to learn how to earn a living and afford supplies. It spurs you to tap into, and relish, the nuance and dynamism of its combat, with its grapples, charge attacks, and defensive maneuvers. It teaches you to cherish healing berries and thank the universe for equipment upgrades. It encourages you to reject modernity and embrace long walks home."
reviewed Banquet for Fools, an RPG that crafts its world, and your passage through it, with immense confidence in its vision and in you. made me think of D&D (and of Dragon's Dogma, which makes me think of D&D) in what games can accomplish when they trust you
www.slantmagazine.com/games/banque...
"Meanwhile, surviving in the wilderness requires extensive and expensive preparation. The real-time with pause combat (shades of the masterful Vagrant Story) is unwieldy. And material rewards are elusive, opportunities for fast travel even rarer. But Banquet for Fools isn’t sadistic. It simply has confidence in its vision and in you, like a pen-and-paper game master who expects the world of you and will give you the world in return. It wants you to undertake an adventure of tangible stakes, to understand that the souls in your care have needs and deserve investment, to remember that dungeons aren’t fountains of loot but places shaped by distinct histories." "So the game pushes you to learn how to earn a living and afford supplies. It spurs you to tap into, and relish, the nuance and dynamism of its combat, with its grapples, charge attacks, and defensive maneuvers. It teaches you to cherish healing berries and thank the universe for equipment upgrades. It encourages you to reject modernity and embrace long walks home."
reviewed Banquet for Fools, an RPG that crafts its world, and your passage through it, with immense confidence in its vision and in you. made me think of D&D (and of Dragon's Dogma, which makes me think of D&D) in what games can accomplish when they trust you
www.slantmagazine.com/games/banque...
I omitted Terrence C. Carson, unforgivable, but forgive me
so you got kratos. the character. the icon. the brand. kratos is black. "hes like tanned mediterranean" hes not real. he's voiced by two black dudes, mocapped by a black guy, when they want to sell Kratos as a power fantasy, as an action hero you buy video games to control: he is black.
oof. and: among the show's many cowardly decisions (ex. not casting Christopher Judge as Kratos), I remain baffled by them not just hiring the voice actors who happen to be exceptional TV actors. you had Richard Schiff. you had Jeremy Davies
"Leon’s never in so much danger as Grace, though, who soon finds herself stalked by terrifying creatures across a sprawling, stately care facility that boasts all the labyrinthine design of the series’ best locales. Requiem is ingeniously successful at instilling its forebears’ sense of trying to survive and escape from a living puzzle box. As Grace, you’ll sweat over whether to burn through precious bullets to clear a corridor of threats or risk sprinting through unharmed. Creatures sniff the air for your presence and let out shrill wails meant to goad you into panicking. Sometimes, it’s worth spending those bullets just to give your nerves a rest."
Nic Reuben's not on here, but, man, every piece he writes is revitalizing
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/f...
everyone's talking about Browt, but what about getting browt to the polls
this is super cool, thank you for sharing
we must defend the Underkeep!!!
Vampire Crawlers will be studied as a feat of brain chemistry manipulation
waiting for the Vinson Cunningham essay on the BAFTAs
the cleric to the wizard
if I see this at age 8-11 it completely changes my life
