Posts By Eric Van Allen
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3.2KPreviewsPeering into the abyss with retro action platformer Chasm
Metroidvania is a term that gets a little over-used. It isn’t very descriptive and demands knowledge of two games and their inner...
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2.3KPreviewsA city of intrigue, art and murder unmasked in Masquerada: Songs and Shadows
One of my favorite parts of a new role-playing game is getting absolutely lost in the universe. The best RPGs, in my...
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5.0KReviewsFull of sound and fury — Rainbow Six: Siege review
Tactical play is a hallmark of the Rainbow Six series. Although differing in intensity, each entry has tried to put a spin...
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3.2KPreviewsTaking the road less travelled with Stories: Path of Destinies
Every story has a branch, a “what-if” moment where the protagonist wonders if they might have been able to do something differently....
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4.1KReviewsThat’s no moon — Star Wars Battlefront review
Nostalgia is a powerful tool. It signifies an emotional attachment to something, and that’s valuable in its own right. Games like Shovel...
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4.7KReviewsThe devil’s in the fine print — Typoman review
Typoman is a game about the power of the pen, the strength that words have, and what can happen to a society...
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4.3KReviewsA ghoulishly good time — Yo-Kai Watch review
Within an hour of starting up Yo-Kai Watch, I had befriended several ghouls, including a talking cat named Jibanyan who punched cars...
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10.3KReviewsI will rise, again and again — Rise of the Tomb Raider review
“When a child first catches adults out — when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not always...
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6.4KReviewsFour times the chaos, four times the charm — Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below review
Having no prior experience with Dragon Quest before picking up Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below, I...
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6.3KReviewsBurning out your fuse up here alone — Rebel Galaxy review
Space isn’t always the idealistic future we paint it to be. While some portray it as a romantic opera of gallantry and...
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7.3KReviewsSomeday, we will foresee obstacles — Life is Strange Episode 5 “Polarized” review
This is part five of our coverage of Life is Strange, and the review score reflects the series as a whole. If...
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2.6KFeaturesGaming Trend’s Games of the Quarter Q3 2015 — The home stretch
We’re closing in on the home stretch, and games are starting to blur together like faces in a mosh pit. This last...
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4.4KReviewsBuilding a lasting Lego universe — LEGO Dimensions review
Toys-to-life games haven’t managed to hook me in at all. The idea of game content tied to physical figurines was already a...
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5.4KReviewsIdeal framing — Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water review
Fatal Frame has always been a series that eluded me, spare the few hours I spent with Crimson Butterfly on the PS2...
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4.6KReviewsBubblegum fighter — Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax review
All-star fighting games are nothing new to the genre, because they’re fairly easy to conceive and create. Take any number of cameo...
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12.9KReviewsUnderground-bound — Undertale review
“Spiritual successor” is a fickle term. It denotes that a work is not part of an established canon, but cannot exist without...
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4.2KReviewsGrinding for favor — Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance review
If something ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That was the thought that kept returning to me every time I booted up Disgaea...
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4.8KReviewsTactical espionage brilliance — Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review
It’s 0200. Clouds move overhead in the distance, slowly closing in. It’s dark, but it will be light soon. I lay prone...
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5.0KReviewsTale as odd as time — Steins;Gate review
Everyone has that moment in their life they wish they could undo. It can be as major as burning that final bridge...
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2.5KImpressionsGhost party — early impressions of ghoulish party-shooter Extreme Exorcism
“Don’t stop moving.” Those three words are how Mike Christatos, president of Golden Ruby Games, summed up their new game to me,...
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7.3KReviewsCabin in the woods — Until Dawn review
Horror is a difficult genre to execute. The rise and fall of tension, as diegetic strikes of a bow on strings slowly...
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5.4KReviewsOne flew over the pigeon academy — Hatoful Boyfriend review
I once heard the saying, “Love is for the birds,” and interpreted it as a dismissal of the idea that human interaction...
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4.1KReviewsIntergalactic classic — Galak-Z: The Dimensional review
Galak-Z: The Dimensional is much like the empty void of space. Cold, unforgiving, and apathetic to your outcome, it simply exists for...
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4.6KReviewsSail away sweet sister — Submerged review
Failure tends to be a core principle of gaming. Whether you’re running a level, fighting a mob, or tackling a mission, you...
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2.5KImpressionsLife is Strange Episode Four “Dark Room” impressions
Note: We try to keep these impressions as spoiler-free as possible, but due to the events in episode three of Life is...
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3.6KReviewsThis is (not) the end — Lost Dimension review
Lost Dimension is, in many ways, a testament to the changes made in JRPG design over the past few years. Madness, paranoia,...
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7.3KReviewsHeroes, ideals, and the Holy Grail — Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works review
The Holy Grail. An almighty wish-granting device, able to fulfill any desire only for those who are worthy. War erupts every few...
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3.8KReviewsSome monsters should stay extinct — Godzilla review
Since most of my family hails from Wisconsin, I was born and raised into the cult following surrounding Mystery Science Theater 3000....
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3.1KFeaturesGaming Trend’s Games of the Quarter Q2 — Hitting the halfway point
We’re already halfway into 2015, and what a year it’s been already. Many games have already made a strong case for Game...
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8.0KReviewsRe-opening Pandora’s box — God of War III Remastered review
Remasters are commonplace now, and in the summer drought of game releases, they’re often a nice way of retreading old ground or...
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2.0KPreviewsTowers, tactics and traitors — hands-on with Lost Dimension’s inventive take on SRPGs
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and even in war, great enemies can create strange bedfellows. This is the motivation that drives...
