The Roundup: TV From The Last Of Us, Movie From Gravity Rush, New Intern Khloe Wilkerson, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Skyrim’s Library, PS5’s DualSense Edge Controller, Scary Roblox, And More!

By Ronald Gordon Hello and Welcome back to the Roundup! The Critics Circle’s way of gathering up the stories from Members near and far and showing them off proudly. This week we have a Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak review, a hot tip on Playstation’s new controller design, news on Gravity Rush, and so much more!…

The Insight: On Savoring Horizon Forbidden West And The Epic Story Of Aloy

Upon release, we ran this Horizon Forbidden West story. In an effort to show both sides, here is another take on the the Aloy saga. By Kimari Rennis I am a woman with simple tastes when it comes to video games. I need a strong female lead and a fresh, jarring narrative to change my…

The Insight: Horizon Forbidden West Shows Brilliance And Range, But Guerrilla Games Needed Some Self-Editing To Create A More Moving Experience

By Harold Goldberg Update: About 15 hours into Horizon Forbidden West, my PS5 began slowing down to one frame per second. I have no idea why. But I couldn’t leave the game to reboot because I was in the middle of a boss fight. Once I was done, I began to look for a campfire,…

The Insight: A Disabled Person Moves Thoughtfully Within The World Of Bugsnax, Discovering Personal Truths

Members of the New York Videogame Critics Circle met Bobby Kent during the Reggie Zoom Fundraiser which we put on earlier in the month. We continued our conversations offline with Bobby and the result is this deep essay, which brings a new meaning to the narrative, characterization and gameplay within Bugsnax. By Bobby Kent Allow…

The Moment: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Got Me With A Parade

By Harold Goldberg Everyone loves a parade, and as I played a thrilling new PS5 game from Sony and Insomniac, I thought of the 76 trombones and the “big parade” in the old Broadway show and movie called “The Music Man.” It’s the stunningly lively parade in the air that got me in “Ratchet &…

The Insight: A Look At Crash Bandicoot 25 Years Ago, And Now, On The Run

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…

Awards! Join Us Tonight at 8 PM As Hideo Kojima Receives Our Andrew Yoon Legend Award on Twitch And YouTube!

Hideo Kojima Honored with New York Videogame Critics Circle’s Andrew Yoon Legend Award in Advance of 10th Annual New York Game Awards Ceremony Legend Award recognizes the father of the stealth genre New York City, Jan. 21, 2021 – The New York Videogame Critics Circle will honor world-renowned game creator Hideo Kojima, with its Andrew Yoon Legend…

Kimari Rennis’ Heartfelt Post For Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Blog

It’s been a decade! This year marks the New York Videogame Critics Circle’s 10th Year in existence. It’s been our honor to spend half of that time working with underserved youth in the Bronx and Lower East Side. Last week, Sony asked senior intern Kimari Rennis, now an NYU Freshman, to write about her experiences…

The Essay: What Sony’s PS5 Means To A Writer Who’s Been There For All PlayStation Hardware Releases

By Harold Goldberg It’s bittersweet. The PlayStation 5 may well be the last PlayStation I will ever review. I’ve been around, carefully writing about this Sony-created game playing machine since the days of the PlayStation one. I’ve bonded with friends and girlfriends while playing, and I’ll never forget those relationships, many of which are still…

The Podcast: Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann And Media Molecule’s Siobhan Reddy Join Talking Games With Reggie And Harold!

It’s really “The Last of Us” – for Reggie and Harold. That’s because the two wrap up their seven-episode fundraising podcast. But it’s with an awesome PlayStation Special! Please donate now to help underserved communities now! First, Naughty Dog’s game director Neil Druckmann speaks about the making of and release of The Last of Us…