Author Archives: Tom Auxier
Who the hell is this: why we can't stop loving Mario
Looking back at the mascots of the early 90’s is a funny thing. No one could have guessed that now, twenty years later, Sonic would be puttering around in the dark releasing vaguely hopeful attempts to restore its franchise to
Who the hell is this: why we can't stop loving Mario
Looking back at the mascots of the early 90’s is a funny thing. No one could have guessed that now, twenty years later, Sonic would be puttering around in the dark releasing vaguely hopeful attempts to restore its franchise to
Review: To the Moon
Few games try to be touching. Those that do regularly fail, because the player is rarely interested in being touched. He or she wants to blow things up or make characters look stupid, because that’s a lot more fun. To
Review: To the Moon
Few games try to be touching. Those that do regularly fail, because the player is rarely interested in being touched. He or she wants to blow things up or make characters look stupid, because that’s a lot more fun. To
Sequels That Should Have Been: Septerra Core
Oh poor, misunderstood Septerra Core. You don’t deserve to only be remembered as the game Steve Downes got the job for Master Chief in Halo from. No two fanbases loathe each other as much as I imagine Japanese and Western
Sequels That Should Have Been: Septerra Core
Oh poor, misunderstood Septerra Core. You don’t deserve to only be remembered as the game Steve Downes got the job for Master Chief in Halo from. No two fanbases loathe each other as much as I imagine Japanese and Western
Reviewing Reviews
Review scores, and review readers, are fickle things. We’ve seen this in full recently: the Eurogamer Uncharted 3 review, the Batman: Arkham City 6/5 review from Yahoo, and the response every time Jim Sterling gives a famous game an 8/10.
Reviewing Reviews
Review scores, and review readers, are fickle things. We’ve seen this in full recently: the Eurogamer Uncharted 3 review, the Batman: Arkham City 6/5 review from Yahoo, and the response every time Jim Sterling gives a famous game an 8/10.
Cooperative Competition and Cardboard
Goldeneye gave me some of my favorite gaming memories. Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart gave me the others. There’s something about sitting around a coffee table with your friends, eating badly processed boneless chicken wings and laughing as someone
Cooperative Competition and Cardboard
Goldeneye gave me some of my favorite gaming memories. Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart gave me the others. There’s something about sitting around a coffee table with your friends, eating badly processed boneless chicken wings and laughing as someone
What We Want to See in Grand Theft Auto V
The sirens of a new Grand Theft Auto title (a numbered one, no less) are bleating throughout the internet, and thus it falls to me, Nightmare Mode’s second biggest Grand Theft Auto fan, to talk about it in hushed tones.
What We Want to See in Grand Theft Auto V
The sirens of a new Grand Theft Auto title (a numbered one, no less) are bleating throughout the internet, and thus it falls to me, Nightmare Mode’s second biggest Grand Theft Auto fan, to talk about it in hushed tones.
Simplified Strategy
Let me cut to the chase in this post about upcoming indie strategy good time Unity of Command: I love that it’s simplified. Simplification in the modern gamer lexicon is usually interchangeable with “casual”. Casual games are simplified, so making
Simplified Strategy
Let me cut to the chase in this post about upcoming indie strategy good time Unity of Command: I love that it’s simplified. Simplification in the modern gamer lexicon is usually interchangeable with “casual”. Casual games are simplified, so making
Preview: The Bridge
Most indie gamers can remember when they first played Braid. The 2008 game kind of put indie development on the mainstream map, and it established to the fringe gamer that there was more than just mainstream, big budget entertainment out
Preview: The Bridge
Most indie gamers can remember when they first played Braid. The 2008 game kind of put indie development on the mainstream map, and it established to the fringe gamer that there was more than just mainstream, big budget entertainment out
Defender's Quest Impressions and the Future of the Tower Defense
Let me tell you a story that’ll get around to Defender’s Quest. This is the only way to start without hyperbole. I’m writing this piece in a coffee shop in Amherst, Massachusetts. When it gets sufficiently late, I’ll head on
Defender's Quest Impressions and the Future of the Tower Defense
Let me tell you a story that’ll get around to Defender’s Quest. This is the only way to start without hyperbole. I’m writing this piece in a coffee shop in Amherst, Massachusetts. When it gets sufficiently late, I’ll head on
The Dark Souls Affair
The best games feel like siblings. They grew up with you, and you don’t see them much anymore but you know they’re there for you if you need them. I think of Chrono Trigger like an older brother, and I
The Dark Souls Affair
The best games feel like siblings. They grew up with you, and you don’t see them much anymore but you know they’re there for you if you need them. I think of Chrono Trigger like an older brother, and I