The story of Stax records has long been smoothed over andsculptedinto a neat bundle of Southern aphorism and marketing copy: The Memphis home of “Soul Man” andShaftand the Staple Singers was the more authentic (insert adjective like “gritty” or “greasy” or “Southern-fried” here), counterpart to the pop-oriented Motown; a rare …
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On Militarie Gun’s debut LP, Life Under the Gun, frontman Ian Shelton isn’t afraid to turn his innermost fears and doubts into straight-up earworms. A long-time member of the hardcore scene — with his rusty nail of a band Regional Justice Center — the Seattle musician and his newest project …
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After 10 years in development, Dead Island 2 is finally here. The zombie-themed action role-playing game underwent four studio changeovers before being dragged across the finish line by Dambuster Studios. With a development cycle about as long as vaporware legend Duke Nukem Forever, a title with a similarly troubled and …
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It’s strange to think of Mario as an underdog. Although he’s been depicted as vaguely blue-collar since his first appearance over 40 years ago, Nintendo’s mascot has always been decidedly super. And despite having had more professions than Johnny Sins, his most notable role is also his simplest: he’s a …
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On paper, nothing about Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon should work. Developed by Platinum Games and directors Abebe Tinari and Hideki Kamiya, it serves as a companion piece to the main Bayonetta trilogy ,but like other Nintendo-published co-productions — namely Cadence of Hyrule and Metroid Dread — it …
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Released in 2005, Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 revolutionized the survival horror genre as we knew it. A masterful blend of intense action, gripping storytelling, and unforgettable characters came together to create a truly captivating experience. At the time, it wasn’t exactly what survival horror buffs wanted, but it was what …
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In an infinite sea of remakes and remasters, the latest re-release for the Nintendo Switch, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, doesn’t even qualify. It’s essentially a port, albeit with some added content, akin to the console’s best-selling Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Like …
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Like a Dragon: Ishin! originally debuted in 2014, just before its parent series Yakuza got its big break outside of Japan with Yakuza 0. While entries after that game quickly came westward (and now launch the same day worldwide), Ishin remained out of reach for audiences outside Japan until now. …
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Released in 2002 for the GameCube, the original Metroid Prime feels like a concept that frankly wouldn’t be made by modern Nintendo. At the time, the Japanese company was coming out of their first ever major defeat in the console wars with the Nintendo 64 having been outsold by Sony’s …
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Rhythm games, as a rule, have largely been ignored over the past decade. Though Guitar Hero made a splash in the early 2000s and spawned a wave of me-too music titles that persisted throughout the late 2010s, the genre has all but evaporated. Long-running franchises like Dance Dance Revolution and …
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