Author: John Smith

Hotline Miami: A Piece of Poetic Prose

Posted on February 15, 2013 by John Smith

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If you look at it purely as a video game, Dennaton Games’ Hotline Miami is a top-down shooter with a retro palette and a modern amount of blood spray. But Hotline Miami isn’t just an ordinary game and I felt it would be unfair to give it an ordinary review (though, I believe it’s worthy of perfect score, for reasons that I hope are clear). What follows is a “prose poem” that tries to get to the heart of Hotline Miami. I hope you like it. (more…)

Posted in Features, PC, Top Story | Tagged

Speed of Sound: The Music of Sonic the Hedgehog

Posted on November 27, 2012 by John Smith

Let’s pretend the year is roughly 2000. It’s Sonic’s tenth anniversary. It’s his first real debut into the third dimension. The game is Sonic Adventure. It will be heralded as a general success. It will set some major tropes for the future of the 3D series to come, though it’s a bit of an oddity. At worst, it will later be looked back upon as “good for its time.” You advance through the levels – suddenly you’re on Speed Highway. The dark of a city forever trapped in the night – highways impossibly bent and stretched along the sides of buildings, through the air. Clear signs of construction that is, considering the landscape, entirely unfinished. This, gamer, is your music. (more…)

Posted in Features, PS3, Retro, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Kirby’s Dream Collection Review: The Collection of Your Dreams?

Posted on October 15, 2012 by John Smith

The pinkest, puffiest, suckiest, and blowiest gaming icon is finally celebrating his 20th birthday. Kirby’s Dream Collection brings together the first six games in the series, from the classic Game Boy titles up to Kirby 64. Kirby is one of gaming’s most recognizable icons – and he’s a platforming character from the company that’s arguably the king of platformers. Have the Kirby games withstood the test of time? And is this a fitting celebration for the powerhouse of pink? (more…)

Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Wii | Tagged