By Makeda Byfield You don’t know why and you don’t know how. But what you do know is that at the opening of Hitchhiker, Versus Evil’s new narrative mystery game, you’ve ended up in a stranger’s car. The driver, Vern, is a talkative raisin farmer. His stories are nice and all but … you just…
By Kimari Rennis I fondly remember the day when I was first introduced to the Monster Hunter franchise. I came home from high school, turned on my PlayStation 4, and my friends were talking about how they were struggling to fight a pink T-rex that sneezed fire. Curious, I asked for a share play so…
By Jade Entien Some people don’t like to tell their life stories. They often have legitimate reasons, like that they don’t think their lives are exciting, or they’re embarrassed by certain parts of it. However, it would be amazing to hear what they have to say, because everyone leaves behind parts of themselves for the…
By Isaac Espinosa On September 14th, 2001, Nintendo introduced the world to the GameCube. It was Nintendo’s newest 3D console, and the company’s way of competing with the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox. During the GameCube’s lifespan, one game stood above the rest to me, and to this day it is revered as one of…
By Matt Gerardi Welcome back to The Roundup, the New York Videogame Critics Circle’s look at our members’ writing and news from around the world of videogames. In this installment, our writers go behind the scenes of Hitman 3 to explore its storytelling philosophy, dig into the labor laws and practices that sustain crunch, and…
By Harold Goldberg It’s the 25th Anniversary (!) of Crash Bandicoot. The cheeky marsupial is often overlooked as an essential part of game history, so much so that I devoted a chapter to its creation in my narrative history of games, All Your Base Are Belong To Us (How 50 Years of Videogames Conquered Pop…
By Makeda Byfield Fans of Supergiant Games may notice one voice that pops up in throughout the company’s games. Logan Cunningham brings life to iconic video game characters such as the Narrator in Bastion, The Transistor in Transistor, and Poseidon, The Storyteller and many more in Hades (which won a landmark five New York Game…
By Kimari Rennis Over the years, I learned that the exact book that you want to read has never been made, but you yourself have the power to make that narrative a reality. That same notion can be applied to the video game industry, where indie developers make the games that they want to see…
By Jade Entien Talk about mental health is necessary. But sometimes it’s a troubling discussion, either because some people are currently trying to get through their pandemic issues and don’t have time to listen, or people feel uncomfortable talking about it. It’s sad that many people worldwide struggle with their mental health and can’t discuss…
It’s nationwide! Students around the country can join us on Zoom on 3/9 & 3/16 for workshops that will help you to write reviews and narrative – to win cash! For the March 9 workshop, register here. For the March 16 workshop, register here.
By Isaac Espinosa Take on the definitive edition of Mario’s new cat-filled adventure and try to tame the gargantuan rage-fueled Bowser! Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is a Nintendo Switch port of the original Wii U title released in November, 2013. Super Mario 3D World has gone through a plethora of changes on…
By Matt Gerardi Welcome back to The Roundup, the New York Videogame Critics Circle’s look at our members’ writing and news from around the world of videogames. In this installment, our writers review Mario’s latest Switch adventure, fills us in on the big news from Nintendo’s latest direct, and find small ways that new consoles…
By Harold Goldberg Part of our New York Videogame Critics Circle Level Up Now scholarship program includes poetry written by high school students who have the world’s biggest entertainment medium in mind – along with salient social justice issues. (We will post the winners of the scholarship contest next week.) People of color haven’t had…
By Ronald Gordon The boundary between the living world and the Spirit World isn’t easily breached. But a few gifted people can learn to tiptoe across this line at will. That might not always be a good thing. Such is the setup within The Medium, a psychological horror game developed and published by Bloober Team…
By Matt Gerardi Welcome back to The Roundup, the New York Videogame Critics Circle’s look at our members’ writing and news from around the world of videogames. In this installment, our writers dig into streaming culture, recount the latest troubling news from Cyberpunk’s ongoing PR nightmare, and take us into Hitman’s world of assassination and…
