This week in VGGN issue #24, it’s the lighter side of spooky month in a feature all about the horror game monsters that appear in non-horror games. It’s also a quiz. Have fun! Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-02... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

VGGN Issue #23 is out now, and as always, totally free. As part of a bit that maybe goes on for too long, I'm talking about horror games this week + lots of little mini-reviews. Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-02... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: Creeping Terror (3DS) Unlike some digital-only games from the 3DS, this game isn't forever lost to time (the 3DS shop is closed) since it's also on Steam. I'm a sucker for the 3D gimmick, though, and I happened to already own this one. It's a side-scrolling horror…

Start your spooky month with issue #22: zombie games, thoughts on EA and Xbox news, and a new feature where I'm getting at least a little use out of my physical game collection. Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-02... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

With spooky month just two days away, now may be a good time for two reminders. (1) The first Dead Island cinematic trailer, though not representative of the game, is the best trailer ever made. (2) Dead Island 2 didn't get enough love. It's fantastic. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZqr...

Mini-Review: Zombies Overloaded (PS5) It's one of these - a top-down twin stick shooter with hordes of zombies. It's usually $7, but was on sale for half off this weekend (and under $3 with PS Plus). It doesn't do much more than you'd expect, but there are worse ways to spend…

What's in a name? This week, in issue #21 of the Video Game Generations Newsletter, I rank the most evocative studio names and make up meanings for them + lots of mini-reviews. Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-02... All Issues: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

In VGGN issue #20, I'm spotlighting spaceships and space stations in video games. Also, the conclusion to last week's GameStop rant, a few recent game releases, and mini-reviews. Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-02... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: Hell Is Us (PS5) With no area maps, waypoints, or quest markers, I thought this was going to be tougher to navigate. If I had put too much time between play sessions (multiple days, for instance), I might have lost the thread or forgotten what I needed to do next, but…

Issue #19 is here. Point-and-click adventure game fans, this one's for you. Also, my thoughts on a few of the recent Nintendo Direct announcements. As always, it's totally free. Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

I'm a little behind on wrapping up VGGN issue #19. I usually work on it a bit each night after work (my actual job), but this week was problem after problem that had me working late every night. It's on track for today, but it will probably be late this afternoon or tonight.

In issue #18, out now, I write about 21 of my favorite video games based on licensed IP. Would any of my picks make it onto your own list? Also here: 18 of my prior mini-reviews. Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: Lost Soul Aside (PS5 Pro) I'm thankful for a number of things. One, reviewing games isn't my job, so I don't have to nit-pick whether it lives up to 9 years worth of hype or doesn't reach Naughty Dog levels of voice acting and characterization. Two, I'm not so entrenched…

How does the social media mob decide which video game to collectively clown on next? Is there a mailing list I’m not on? Is there a clowning overlord that decides?

A couple hours into Lost Soul Aside, and I’m loving it. Further proof for me that some gamers only see games in two categories: masterpieces or total garbage, with nothing in between. Too much negativity in gaming social media these days. Just let games exist and be fun, ya’ll.

Mini-Review: Reynatis (PS5) It's a third-person action game set in an alternate reality Shibuya, the popular fashion and entertainment district of Tokyo where magic is real and rogue wizards are hunted by a wizarding police force. The story was interesting enough to keep me…

Issue #17 is now available. This week, I list my most anticipated games releasing through the rest of 2025, and I ponder the question "do today's gamers actually like games?" Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub Completely free as always.

Issue #16: Inspired by @blessingjr.bsky.social and @snowbikemike.bsky.social from KFGD, here are my top 30 little guy sidekicks and a top 10 "kid companions" list, drawing from the games I've played. Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: Mafia - The Old Country (PS5) Everything about this game is just right. It looks great, runs well, isn't chock-full of open-world bloat (aside from optional collectibles), has a perfect 12-16 hour play time, tells an interesting story, and has a great cast. It's…

Issue #15: A back-to-school tour of in-game campuses, big companies are not your friend, recent events, and mini-reviews. Reminder: No ads, no fees. Just a free newsletter. Read it: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe: vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: Between Horizons (PS5) It may not be obvious from stills, but this is a 2.5D side-scrolling adventure game. It looks retro with its pixel art, but that serves more as textures on the 3D-rendered environments. The character sprites and icons are pixelated, so it's…

VGGN #14 is here. This week I'm ranking 20 of the weirdest games I've played from 10% to 100% on the Weird-o-Meter. Issue #14: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... All issues: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe FREE: vggn.eo.page/sub What's the weirdest game you've played? Would any of mine make your list?

Mini-Review: Choo-Choo Charles (PS5) It's everything I hoped it would be. I'll get a few complaints out of the way first, though. It's fully voiced, but none of the characters' mouths move. In a visual novel or a pixel retro game, it wouldn't seem odd, but in a fully 3D world…

Mini-Review: Baobabs Mausoleum Episode 3 - Un pato en Muertoburgo (PS5) After about six years, I finally got around to playing the final chapter in the Baobabs trilogy of bizarre bite-sized adventure games (available now in a "Grindhouse Edition" set on all platforms). The game…

Mini-Review: South of Midnight (Xbox Series X / GamePass) To their credit, Compulsion Games never makes the same game twice. The studio who made the PS4 launch title Contrast and the alternate history dystopian We Happy Few is now owned by Microsoft. Their latest game is set…

VGGN #13 is out now. It's a huge issue all about my TRS-80 CoCo games. I honestly don't expect that anybody will read it all, but it's here for preservation and posterity. Issue #13: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... All issues: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe FREE: vggn.eo.page/sub

In VGGN issue #12: Ranking 25 first-person puzzle games like Portal, Talos Principle, Entropy Centre, QUBE, and Relicta. Also: too many mini-reviews and some recent events. Issue #12: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... All issues: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe FREE: vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: Viewfinder (PS5) I've been meaning to play this game since it came out exactly two years ago, because the Portal-like genre (or, first-person physics puzzle games with an emphasis on exploration and escape) is one of my favorites. My dashboard stats say I finished…

This week in VGGN issue #11, I write about games featuring recognizable actors. Any examples on my list you didn't already know about? Any big examples I missed? Enjoy! Issue #11: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... All issues: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe FREE: vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: Night Trap - 25th Anniversary Edition (PS5) I don't usually "review" games I don't finish, so consider this just some info and thoughts on the game. I did make it past what seems to be the first Game Over point to the second one (about 11 or 12 minutes) but that's…

This week in Issue #10 of the VGG Newsletter: a big behind-the-scenes retrospective on Lunatix (the BBS game), Lunatix Online, and Starlock plus recent events and reviews. Issue #10: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-01... All issues: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe FREE: vggn.eo.page/sub

Am I the only one who can't see Neil in Death Stranding 2 without seeing Derek Wilson (a completely different actor; Wolf in Futureman, etc.)? preacher.fandom.com/wiki/Derek_W...

Mini-Review: Death Stranding 2 - On the Beach (PS5) I loved the first game, and this is an improvement on that in every way. It's a game where you can spend hours upon hours not pursuing the main objectives, just exploring, making deliveries, and gathering the resources needed…

VGGN #9 is out today, in which I write about my co-op gaming experiences (I'm mostly a single-player gamer), with a collection of my mini-reviews all about co-op games. Issue #9: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-009.pdf All issues: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe free: vggn.eo.page/sub

Arriving just under the wire for Pride Month is VGGN Issue #8, about LGBTQ representation in video games. Am I the right person to write such an article? Probably not, but I did it anyway. Issue #8: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-008.pdf All issues: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe free: vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: Alone in the Dark - 2024 (PS5) I'm having trouble deciding what to say about this reboot of the classic horror game franchise, as this is the first Alone in the Dark I've played. It's a perfectly fine game, although the events of the last chapter seemed like a big…

Issue #7 is here, with this week's big feature focusing on interactive fiction (text adventures). Lots of mini-reviews too, but no news this week. Read issue #7: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-00... Archive (every issue): vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe here (free): vggn.eo.page/sub

Mini-Review: MindsEye (PS5 Pro) When I think of broken games, I think of way worse than this. It's not a boring open world failure either, because it's not an open world game. It's a linear mission-based shooter where they managed to include a fully working…

SGF predictions wrap-up, ranking my summer showcase favorites, my conflicted thoughts on the MindsEye backlash and game price hikes, and way too many mini-reviews. Read issue #6: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-00... Archive (every issue): vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe here (free): vggn.eo.page/sub

(1 of 2) Calling fans and writers of interactive fiction (or text adventures): for an upcoming issue of my newsletter, I'm gathering mini-interviews about it. If you'd like to be included (along with a link to your IF-related page or site, if any), check out the forum post...

Mini-Review: The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy (Switch) It's a spiritual successor to Danganronpa with the branching paths and flowchart narrative of the Zero Escape or Somnium Files games, but even saying that could be a spoiler. The first 30 hours plays out in a linear…

Another week, another issue of the newsletter! Issue #5 is here, and it's (mostly) all about video game music. As always, this is totally free. I can't stress that enough. Issue #5: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-00... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe Here: vggn.eo.page/sub

Newsletter issue #4 is here. Enjoy! Just a reminder, this is free. There are no ads. I'm just doing this for fun. It's not a marketing ploy. Please check it out, share, subscribe, etc. Issue #4: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-00... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe Here: vggn.eo.page/sub

VGGN Issue #3 is here, hot off the non-existent presses. This one's a deep dive into my video game collecting obsession (plus a bit of the usual news/reviews stuff). Enjoy! Issue #3: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-00... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe Here: vggn.eo.page/sub

If you're in the Venn diagram of people who loved Immortality (2022), have a PS5, and collect physical games, you might want to consider this limited edition (only 1,500 copies) for the game from "Editions" (@lostincult.co.uk). I just put in my own pre-order. www.lostincult.co.uk

VGGN Issue #2 is here. Amazingly, I didn't just stop after the first issue. This week: commentary on some recent events, a long rant about game criticism, and three mini-reviews from last year. Issue #2: vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-00... Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Subscribe Here: vggn.eo.page/sub

I had this wild idea to start a video game newsletter. I gave up the podcasting gig years ago, but I still post mini-reviews, and I still have plenty to say (and rant) about games and gaming. If interested, please give Issue #1 a look. Reposts appreciated. vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-00...

Mini-Review: Clair Obscur - Expedition 33 (PS5) I can't image what could take the place of this as my Game of the Year for 2025. It's a turn-based RPG, but real-time dodging, parrying, and skill boosting demand quick reflexes a la Paper Mario, especially against tough bosses…

Mini-Review: Cat's Request (PS5) If I ever get back into indie game development myself, I imagine I'd start with something like this; a side-scrolling point-and-click adventure with strange music, a Flash game-like art style and animation, and an equally weird story. It might…

Mini-Review: Fear of BIOSEC (PS5) Sometimes, I have a day or two gap between one game and the next big release I'll be starting. When this happens, I pass the time with super short games. FoB (as it's called on its dashboard icon) has pros and cons. Pro: It's not insultingly…