‘Gravity Rush’: An underrated classic doomed by a forgotten platform
I wonder who also remembers the PlayStation Vita (PSVita). It was a handheld gaming console that was released in 2011. It resembled the curved, slick look of the wildly popular PlayStation Portable (PSP), and it featured a touch screen, an additional touch pad at the back, cameras at the front and back and even motion […]
‘Angel’s Egg’: enigmatic, surreal, beautiful
Every worthy piece of art demands to be solved, its every aspect analyzed, until all is exhausted and its every secret is unearthed from the veil of its appearances. There is a great sense of joy when that is accomplished, and I take pride in thinking that I am mostly successful in such expeditions, to […]
‘Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor’ is the ultimate gambling show
Forgive me readers, for I have sinned. Indeed, it is a cardinal sin to leave good works of art unappreciated. I held off on seeing “Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor” for so long, and only recently did I watch it and discover that it is a sublime masterpiece. My only path to redemption now is to spread […]
Hoot Recommends: Halloween edition
Stewart Huang: Try “Dark Deception,” a first-person horror twist on “Pac-Man” where you are chased by spooky monsters like giant monkeys in elaborate mazes while collecting purple shards. It’s an intense arcade experience that will have you on the edge of the seat the entire time. And it’s quite an addictive and challenging game, featuring […]
Hoot staff recommends: Midterm music edition
Sasha Skarboviychuk When it comes to studying, the best background noise is silence. But in cases when my roommates or anything else in my surroundings is making noise, I opt for classical music. My big thing with this is that the music I listen to while studying cannot have lyrics; if the song has lyrics […]
Yu-Gi-Oh! 101
We’ve all heard of this classic card game and the hit anime show, but not a lot of people know how to play it, so let me give you the basics. Overview First, you and your opponent have to decide who goes first. You can do this by rock paper scissors, rolling dice or some […]
‘Final Fantasy XIV’ has the best community in any online game
“Final Fantasy XIV” was the perfect game for me back in August. I finally had tons of free time but couldn’t go outside due to the pandemic. As you would expect from a “massively multiplayer online game,” this game offers huge open worlds ripe for exploration, exciting adventures and characters to meet and be attached […]
‘Free Guy’ is pretty good without the guy
Directed by Shawn Levy, “Free Guy” is a film of two interconnected plots. On one hand, you have a coming-of-age story of Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a non-playable character (NPC) in the video game “Free City” who gains free will and awareness after falling in love with Molotov Girl (Jodie Comer), a player character. On the […]
Fall Flex 2021: a whole lot of waiting
I’ve never been to a Fall Flex, this time called “a welcome back concert,” so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I’m probably not mistaken in thinking that there was a lack of communication, and that the acts themselves, while mostly solid, weren’t exactly worth all that time anxiously waiting on a sunny day. […]
A tribute to Chaos Rings, the great mobile series that died too young
They don’t make mobile games like they used to anymore. The predatory “free-to-play,” “gacha” genre is far too profitable for most developers to deviate from. And no, mobile ports of classic games can hardly be considered real mobile titles. It’s depressing that almost all the good mobile games—ones that were specifically designed with the mobile […]
It Takes Two is the best co-op adventure
“It Takes Two” is a two-player, third-person action adventure where you and your partner play as Cody and May, a divorcing couple who suddenly find themselves as miniature wooden dolls, now held hostage by a talking relationship self-help book. He forces you to work together in a variety of co-op challenges and puzzles that are […]
It Takes Two is the best co-op adventure (where I got to be a sweaty tryhard)
“It Takes Two” is a two-player, third-person action adventure where you and your partner play as Cody and May, a divorcing couple who suddenly find themselves as miniature wooden dolls, now held hostage by a talking relationship self-help book. He forces you to work together in a variety of co-op challenges and puzzles that are […]
‘Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice’ is a superb narrative experience bogged down by mediocre gameplay
Developed by Ninja Theory, “Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice” is a third-person action adventure game in which you play as Senua, a Celtic warrior in the eighth century who must make her way to Helheim—the underworld in Norse mythology—by exploring Viking ruins, solving puzzles and overcoming supernatural foes in order to rescue the soul of her dead […]
KFC made a dating sim and it’s a joke
Adding to the list of odd games my Steam friends saw me play, “I love you, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator” by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) (2019) is more of a glorified commercial than an actual dating sim, which is a shame because they could have done so much with it. You […]
Latest TSA event made me very hungry
Last Saturday night was the Taiwanese Student Associtation’s (TSA) Formosa 2021: Tour of Taiwan, an online event that promised to give a virtual tour of the island nation. Having been away from campus for the past year and a half, I was excited to finally go to a cultural club event, though I wondered how […]
‘Apex Legends’ is the best battle royale
Battle royale is one of those shooter sub-genres that I thought was pretty boring. The premise is simple: 60 to 100 players are thrown into a huge map, Hunger Games-style, and must collect guns and gear to kill each other until only one team or player emerges victorious. I thought this meant that the majority […]
‘Devotion:’ alright Taiwanese horror game
Perhaps I had unreasonably high expectations for “Devotion.” Made by Red Candle Games, it’s a first-person, 3D horror game and the spiritual successor of “Detention,” another Taiwanese horror game I really enjoyed and reviewed for The Brandeis Hoot. But alas, I’m disappointed to report that Devotion is only an alright, not so scary horror game […]
‘Genshin Impact’ is underwhelming
Developed by miHoYo, “Genshin Impact” is an ambitious free-to-play anime mobile RPG that has taken the gaming industry by storm, raking in $245 million worldwide within its first month, making it the highest-grossing mobile game of October. It has high production values with an open world design, a first for the mobile games platform excluding […]
Four horror games, new and old, to terrify your Halloween
I don’t think most of us will be dressing up and going outside this Halloween given the unfortunate state of the world as of late. There’s one thing we can do: scare ourselves from the comfort of our homes. And there’s no better way to do it than by playing a horror game (scary movies […]
‘Among Us’ is great, but it ain’t ‘Fall Guys’
As you have probably seen, the indie multiplayer title “Among Us” has been something of a YouTube sensation for the past few weeks, much like “Fall Guys” was about a month ago. Countless streamers and content creators are playing it and making videos on it. After trying it out for myself, I think it’s fun, […]
