Tag: Review

Eric Swain Game Essays

‘Tales from the Borderlands’ episode 5 review

It’s good. If you’ve waited this long to find out whether or not you should get Tales from the Borderlands, I really don’t know what to say to you. If you haven’t finished it or even played it yet, then you should really go remedy that before continuing to read what I have to say here. There is a concept of the innovator and master in art. The idea that some artwork innovated on a concept and later some other artwork showed mastery of that innovated technique or style. | more

Eric Swain Game Essays

‘Tales from the Borderlands’ episode 4 review

What I’m loving about Tales from the Borderlands is that it allows itself to go wherever the story needs it to. Case in point, after three episodes of being a treasure hunt, the game just up and says, “let’s change genres. We’re now a heist film.” Ok, a treasure hunt and a heist aren’t too far off from one another in the narrative output department, but it is still a big shift in focus. Now that our plucky cadre of miscreants are under the thumb of Pandora crime boss Vallory, they have to satisfy her desire to complete the vault key rather than their own. | more

Eric Swain Game Essays

‘Tales from the Borderlands’ episode 3 review

I don’t remember where I heard, saw or read this, but I remember an interview with John Cleese, the estimable comedian behind Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and A Fish Called Wanda, that he had to learn how to do comedy differently for each of those works. When he moved on to doing a full half-hour show in Fawlty Towers, he realized there was a difference to how he was doing the few minute shorts of Monty Python. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Reviews for June/July/August

The summer months are slow and that apparently makes me slow. Anyway, here are the reviews I actually managed to finish writing. When in doubt and bored with the game, make the review interesting. Daedelic Entertainment and I have a running thing with their published adventure games. I keep reviewing them and, so far, with a single exception they keep disappointing me. 1954: Alcatraz is no exception to the pattern. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Reviews for March/April/May

I stopped writing PopMatters columns back in March for a number of reasons, all of which have to do with being super busy trying to get technical things to work and those things refusing to. I really want to get back to writing again instead of staring at code sheets, but at least I kept up with the reviews at any rate. I love Shadowrun: Dragonfall. When I finished the game, I exclaimed on twitter that I hoped I wouldn’t even up being hyperbolic when I say it is the front runner for my game of the year. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Reviews for Janruary/February

The doldrums of the early months of the year have allowed for some catch up to games I didn’t have time for. Both for my own personal enjoyment and as for reviews. In fact, all but one of the games I reviewed were from the very end of last year that the 3 reviews a week schedule wouldn’t allow for. Ok, that’s not entirely honest. I was swamped and couldn’t play them until PopMatters went on break. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Reviews For November/December

In this time of reflection and end of year lists, I’m going to take a moment to reflect instead on the games I wrote reviews for in the past two months. I’m doing it early because PopMatters is on hiatus until the new year and the rest of the reviews I have lined up will go up then. What is there left to say about the PSN downloadable title Rain? No, seriously what is there left to say. I was struggling to fill out the word count on this one. On a purely aesthetics level, the game is a wonder to look at. | more

Eric Swain Game Essays

Memoria Review

December 11, 2013 | Filed under: Game Essays, Recent Posts and tagged with: Memoria, Review This review has quite a storied history. I accepted the game for review from a PR contact with the purpose that it would go up on PopMatters. I didn’t know that someone else was already doing the game and had a review in the pipeline. So began my trek to find this review a home. After a number of dead ends, one editor said he’d look into it, though by that time it was too late to be paid for. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Reviews For September/October

Only 4 reviews over the last two months. It would have been more, but several things have kept them from others being published on time. Late review copies, accidental double scheduling etc. My next review round up looks to be a doozy. What is there really to say about Divekick? I’ve never been really all that into the fighting game scene or games in general. I’ve usually owned at least one for some matches with friends when they’re over as they’re generally good party games with a quick turnover. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Reviews For July/August

September 3, 2013 | Filed under: External Sources, Recent Posts and tagged with: Combo Crew, Face Noir, Hotline Miami, PopMatters, Review, Scurvy Scallywags, The Night of the Rabbit, The Walking Dead: 400 Days I have a large backlog of review copies I have to get through. August was the first month I got nearly every game I requested. Usually I got one, maybe two. And then I got more review copies offered through my PR contacts that I seem to have now. | more