Copy Kitty is a set of interesting mechanics wrapped in a lesson on bad visual design

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by Omar (@siegarettes)

Copy Kitty is a game where a cat with the ability to steal other’s abilities gets sent a military training program by her strange uncle. It’s also a solid action game that combines Gunstar Heroes style weapon mixing with an almost Bangai-O sense of level design that’s built to get you to explore the myriad applications of your weapons. Now I’m a big fan of Treasure, so having Copy Kitty hit some of those same notes solidified it as action excellence for me. 

I still found a lot to dislike about it, however.

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The Joy of Casual Play

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By Omar (@siegarettes)

I am a filthy casual. 

I’ve spent hours playing Match-3 and word games on my mobile devices. I have a soft spot for “walking simulators”, bought Yosumin! just to have a game for every letter of the alphabet, play visual novels, buy licensed trash and love the Wii. Just look at some of the games I own:

Bejeweled 3, Peggle, Insaniquarium, MySims Skyforce, TMNT Smash, Blastforce, Hakuoki, Dance Central 2,Tiny Wings, Zookeeper. I mean that’s some serious casual nonsense, yeah? At one point I even contemplated buying that Power Rangers Samurai DS game and that Emily Strange skating game. 

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My most played 3DS game is Animal Crossing. You could even say that’s the reason I bought a 3DS. So why is this guy running a site about videogames? And more importantly, why should you give a damn about these games?

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Final Fantasy XIII (Steam) Review

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By: RJ (@rga_02)

  • Final Fantasy XIII
  • Developer - Square Enix
  • Publisher - Square Enix
  • PC (Reviewed on PC) Also on PS3 & Xbox 360
  • Rating - T

Here’s a bit of a disclaimer. My love for FFXIII is well documented. I platinumed the game two times on the PS3. Hell, I even bought a copy for the Xbox 360 - a console I don’t even own. I recognize its faults, but I tend to look past those and enjoy what is presented before me. There is something beautiful beneath all the uncertainty. And with its recent release on the PC, I wonder if it can recapture that beauty for me.

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Working on Space (Jam) Camp: Part 1, All About Those Jordans

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Space (Jam) Camp is a series about what happens you attempt to learn how to play one of the most complex sports games made without knowing anything about basketball.

A while ago I decided that I’m going to play a sports game. In an effort to have a broader knowledge of the medium, I’ve been expanding the scope of the games I’ve been playing, and reading up on games that I never intend to play. The NBA 2K series is one of the most popular, dominating the charts and being one of the few sports titles not crushing the opposition through Electronic Art’s near monopoly on the genre. (It’s also one of the most complex, with an insane amount of context sensitive Isomotion™ moves to pull off). So with that knowledge, I promptly went over to my local game store and picked up a copy of NBA2K11 (and a bullet hell SHMUP by Cave).

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Neverending Nightmares Review

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by Omar (@siegarettes)

Neverending Nightmares
Developer - Infinitap Games
Publisher - Infinitap Games
PC (Steam) and Ouya (reviewed on PC)
Rating - N/A

Neverending Nightmares is not fun. As I played it, it became a game I became reluctant to return to. From start to finish, it was an experience that left me feeling ridden with anxiety. That’s also exactly the way it should be.

Built as a conduit to channel the depressive and intrusive thoughts that creator Matt Gilgenbach experienced following the commercial failure of the studio’s previous game, Retro/Grade, Neverending Nightmares is grave deep in oppressive atmosphere. From the very start Nightmares makes it clear that the experience won’t be fun.

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Futuridium EP Deluxe Review

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By: RJ (@rga_02)

  • Futuridium EP Deluxe
  • Developer - MixedBag
  • Publisher - MixedBag
  • PlayStation 4 & PlayStation Vita (reviewed on the PS4 & Vita) - Also available on PC & iOS
  • Rating - E

Zig zagin’ through deep space with WipEout-esque music blasting in your ears, and acid inducing scenery that makes your eyes melt with joy. This is Futurdium EP Deluxe. But instead of racing your way through highways of the future, you are a space pilot shooting blocks. In what seems like an old video game trope rehashed into something pretty, MixedBag attempts to well….mix up the genre a bit.

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Love - 60: Virtua Tennis 4

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Love - 60 is a series about tennis videogames.
By Omar (@siegarettes)

For whatever reason, I love tennis videogames. I don’t play or watch the sport in real life, and I only became interested in it after playing Mario Tennis 64 as a kid. Since then I’ve gone on to spend a lot of with a virtual racket and ball. 

Among its contemporaries, the Virtua Tennis series is probably the quintessential modern tennis game. Originally developed for arcades, it’s one of the more accessible games in the genre.

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