Author: Westen
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Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist Review- Sad Anime Castlevania
I love the idea of being in a pitch meeting for a game and imagining how the concept of it was sold to a publisher. It’s fun to devolve a game’s concept into a stupidly simple elevator pitch. The way I envision the Ender series being pitched is “imagine a Castlevania game, but make is…
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My Top 10 Video Games With No Combat
Video games and combat are intrinsically linked, it seems. I suppose I understand why. Video games can provide special narrative experiences. But the thing that sets video games apart from other mediums is the fact that you can interact with them. And it’s much easier to sell someone on gameplay where you fight with someone…
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Final Fantasy IX: Nostalgia Free Review- Just Enough Black Magic
Due to the age of this game, this review contains some spoilers. I tried to keep those spoilers as in check as I could. I first played Final Fantasy IX twenty years ago as a teen. Like many games from that era, I ended up dropping it pretty quickly. Emulating games and having a seemingly…
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Three Early Impressions: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The number of people who love medieval times has always been fascinating to me. People don’t just love that era from a “history is interesting” perspective. There are entire industries built around feeling like you are living in this era. The Medieval Festival that takes place near me is a major event that so many…
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An Interview With A Solo Developer: The Making of “A Murder in Buckfield”
Solo game developers have always been one of the most impressive things to me in the gaming space. Game development has so many facets to it. Being able to navigate everything from level design to plotting out the story to writing dialogue has always seemed like an absolutely herculean task. Not to mention, the fact…
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard Review- The Man In The Middle
There’s a popular meme out there where two girls are having what looks like an insane fight, and meanwhile, some kid seems to be smoking a bong and having the time of his life watching the fight happen. Dragon Age: The Veilguard makes me feel like that kid. I have watched people fight to the…
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Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Spoiler Free Review- Mostly Rolling 6’s
A review code for this game was provided by Fellow Traveler I’ve always loved dice mechanics in video games, as I’m not sure if there’s a mechanic that better replicates how real life can be. No matter what you do on any given day, elements of luck follow. Everything is a bit of a dice…
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review- Timing is Everything
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle makes me think about how silly the human mind is. We all put a lot of importance on our first and last impressions of something or someone. And look, that’s great and all, but it doesn’t always make sense. If I have a lot of great interactions with someone,…
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Ranking the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct
If you follow this blog, you may have figured out that I enjoy ranking things. I planned on catching up on reviews over the next few weeks, but after watching the Xbox Developer Direct yesterday, I just needed to write about it (and rank it). Xbox Developer Directs have become one of my favorite showcases…
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Closer The Distance Review- Creeping on the Grieving
I’ve always felt a little weird whenever I’ve played a Sims game in the past. Something about those games feels inherently creepy. Watching a normal person do all of their everyday activities from a slight distance away just doesn’t feel right. It feels a bit scandalous. Now, imagine this concept, but attach a story about…
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