first thoughts

Deadlock’s Infernus

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This article is dedicated to Spades. I was queueing up for a random Infernus match, still not really knowing the character but ready to do my best. I liked his kit enough and I needed a third character with 15 wins to unlock ranked, which was gonna be a hell of a grind but I had to start somewhere. Spades was an incredibly laid-back dude on my team who offered to queue up together for more games afterward. He watched me play, doctored up a custom build for my playstyle, and then queued into matches with me for over nine… [Continue Reading]

Deadlock’s McGinnis

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I’ve covered an agile healer and a middling-speed DPS, now let’s complete the roster with a slow tank! Between these three characters, I think there’s something for everyone who is interested in trying Deadlock but struggling to choose a starter class. The final hero in our triumvirate will appeal to players who want a massive healthpool, an easy way to heal and deal damage, and limited mobility so being bad at Deadlock’s movement systems doesn’t kneecap one’s gameplay quite as much as on other heroes. Meet McGinnis! I played McGinnis in my first-ever Deadlock match for all the reasons mentioned… [Continue Reading]

Deadlock’s Seven

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The first time you boot up Deadlock, you’re going to be prompted to play a tutorial to learn the bare minimum of how things work in the Cursed Apple. And this game is absolutely complicated enough that everyone, myself included, will highly recommend you indulge that offer. You will find yourself playing a cackling electricity-ridden scarecrow with a satellite dish for a head, and the first thing I remember thinking was, “aabicus, under no circumstances are you allowed to main the tutorial guy. Any other character, sure, but there’s nothing lamer than playing the easy class clearly designed for noobs.” I… [Continue Reading]

Deadlock’s Ivy

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When I was invited to join the Deadlock closed playtest in August 2024, I installed it and logged into the main menu with pretty much no idea what I was getting into. After starting up the sandbox to poke around, I was faced with a massive list of random heroes I knew nothing about, and chose the winged gargoyle because I figured flight would be useful for exploring the map. A year and a half later, Ivy is still my favorite hero in the game. She really has a little bit of everything, and I’m mostly just writing this to gush about… [Continue Reading]

Elden Ring: First Impressions From a Total Beginner

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Advance note: In no way would I consider this a full review of Elden Ring, as I’ve only played for a few nights and can easily tell I’ve barely scratched the surface of what the game has to offer. I know I’m not the only person who’s heard all the mysticism around the FromSoftware label. The Soulsborne ‘series’ has captivated a community and seems to hold a venerated place in the pantheon of gaming. Above all, its main reputation seems to be that of brutal, gut-wrenching difficulty that only masochists could enjoy. And it was for this reason I avoided… [Continue Reading]

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

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I’ve personally been an almost-exclusively PC gamer throughout my life, mostly because I never had enough money to buy a second platform. Plus I prefer the moddability, customizeability, and non-gaming functionality that comes with the territory. But recently I’ve spent several days watching my boyfriend play FNaF Security Breach on his PS4. And I can’t even complain because the game is a real treat on the eyes. (Caveat: I’ve only played the first FNaF, back when it just came out. So this review will be ignoring lore entirely.) Since I don’t know how to do anything on a PS4, all… [Continue Reading]

Stardew Valley

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The first time I tried Stardew Valley in 2016, I just couldn’t get into it. It felt like a grindfest, it felt like a timesink, and it felt like I never had enough time in the days. I futzed around for a while, ran out of inventory space from all my tools, and gave the game up. But perhaps my life was just too hectic back then. In the new pandemic-ridden reality of 2021, I suddenly found a whole new appreciation for Stardew Valley. Sow the land Stardew Valley is a shameless Harvest Moon clone who nevertheless does such a good job you can’t… [Continue Reading]

Star Wars: Republic Commando, a 2021 Review

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Growing up, I loved Star Wars Battlefront II and its predecessor. It probably still ranks in my top 3 games of all time. But I’d actually never played Republic Commando until this year, despite knowing it was another iconic Star Wars shooter from the same era. Now that I’ve played it, I can 100% see what all the hype was about. The first thing you’ll notice while playing through is how modern the game feels. The controls are crisp, the sound design and lighting are immersive, and there’s a surprisingly-high emphasis on environmental storytelling. The campaigns are full of memorable… [Continue Reading]

Back 4 Blood Beta Review

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I was lucky enough to get to play the Back 4 Blood beta thanks to my friend AngelOfWeir gifting me a pass! I will admit going in that I had some serious reservations about what I’d seen. After over 1800 hours in the Left 4 Dead, Payday, and Killing Floor franchises, I was seeing some massive issues in the early streams. So I was very happy to play the beta and see that all of the issues I was concerned about got fixed. Here are some reasons I’m definitely gonna buy the game when it comes out: 1. The zombies… [Continue Reading]

Quake: Does it Hold Up?

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In keeping with the spirit that inspired me to play the original Doom and Doom II to fill the pre-Team Fortress Classic hole in my repertoire, I would be remiss to not also try id Software’s other magnum opus. Their followup game that nevertheless managed to redefine the shooter genre again and take the gaming industry by storm. I don’t know how they managed to do it twice, but the original Quake is a fantastic experience. If you haven’t played it, you really need to go see what all the fuss was about. Now I must confess that I didn’t… [Continue Reading]