starfield ship in orbit
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Starfield's Shipbuilding Is the Endgame Bethesda Needed

Anyone who is familiar with Bethesda's open-world RPGs will tell you that although there is a nearly limitless amount of content available to you, only a fraction of that content can be considered…

September 26, 2023 | 09:00 EDT

Starfield outpost in front of stars
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Starfield's Outpost System Is Holding the Game Back

Now that Starfield has been released into the hands of millions of adoring fans across the world, it seems that most people would agree that the game has more or less lived up to expectations. Yes,…

September 19, 2023 | 09:10 EDT

Clive looking conflicted in Final Fantasy XVI
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The Problem With Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI

You’ve probably heard this before, but Final Fantasy XVI is a pretty dark game. Even with brightness settings maxed out, there’s a lot of gruesome violence, emotional gut punches, and moments that…

June 29, 2023 | 11:10 EDT

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How Final Fantasy XVI Perfected the Quick-Time Event

The general attitude towards quick-time events (QTEs) is that they are superfluous and immersion breaking. While plenty of games have utilized the QTE in the past two decades or so of gaming, I find…

June 27, 2023 | 11:30 EDT

starfield
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Could Starfield Lead the Way to Xbox's Best Year Yet?

Anyone who has been keeping up with the happenings of the gaming industry for any substantial time will tell you that it's best to keep your expectations low. Even with this maxim in mind, the last…

June 14, 2023 | 12:00 EDT

Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck
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Why I Hope We Get More Horizon Forbidden West LEGO Sets

This past year, LEGO released an impressively detailed Horizon Forbidden West LEGO set featuring a 13-inch Tallneck with smaller Aloy and Watcher LEGO figures. This set was a bit pricey at $79.99,…

December 27, 2022 | 11:00 EST

Trainers in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
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Is Game Freak Still the Right Studio for Pokemon?

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet released just a couple weeks ago, and though it sold over 10 million copies during its launch weekend (and became the fastest-selling Nintendo game of all time), fans have…

November 30, 2022 | 11:00 EST

Cobalt Coastlands and Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Arceus
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Cobalt Coastlands Is the Termina Great Bay Coast of Pokemon Legends: Arceus

The world of Pokemon Legends: Arceus is designed in a familiar fashion to games we've seen before, with a main hub area and the ability to travel to several other distinct locations. One location in…

March 17, 2022 | 12:00 EDT

Running across Cobalt Coastlands in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
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Pokemon Legends: Arceus Makes Relaxing Easy

If you've been playing the most recent release in the Pokemon saga (and have managed to ignore the near non-stop debates about graphical fidelity), it's likely you've been having an overall enjoyable…

February 12, 2022 | 11:00 EST

The Pokemon Arceus floating in the sky
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Are the Changes in Pokemon Legends: Arceus Enough?

Nintendo and Game Freak aimed to revolutionize the Pokemon franchise with Pokemon Legends: Arceus. "Action meets RPG in a new kind of Pokemon adventure," the marketing promises. The game's release…

February 2, 2022 | 12:00 EST

Persona 3 Portable box art main characters
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What Would the Ideal Persona 3 Remaster Look Like?

To this day, there is still no definitive way to play Persona 3. Granted, you can still purchase digital downloads of Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable via the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita…

December 29, 2021 | 12:00 EST

The crumbling remains of the estate in Darkest Dungeon
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The Sympathetic Focus of Darkest Dungeon II

We here at TechRaptor have put a lot of time into Red Hook Studio's dark fantasy RPG, Darkest Dungeon II. While it is still in Early Access on the Epic Games Store, this sequel makes a lot of…

November 16, 2021 | 12:00 EST

Aloy aiming a bow and arrow at a Tremortusk in Horizon Forbidden West
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Why Don't the Horizon Forbidden West Collector’s Editions Come with a Physical Disc?

Those looking forward to the Horizon Forbidden West release date don’t have too much longer to wait for the Horizon Zero Dawn sequel, and Sony continues to fan the hype with the latest look at the…

September 7, 2021 | 12:00 EDT

Skyrim
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Every Version of Skyrim Ranked

With the announcement of Skyrim: Anniversary Edition slated to release this November, a sobering realization hit: There are way too many versions of this open-world RPG out there. In the 10 years it…

August 23, 2021 | 12:00 EDT

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Biomutant's Narrator Makes Me Appreciate The Stanley Parable Even More

After years of waiting and excitement, Biomutant finally hit store shelves last month to a rather lukewarm reception. The general consensus out there is that Biomutant is a massively ambitious game…

June 22, 2021 | 12:00 EDT

outriders
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Destiny to Outriders: Is a Perfect Looter Shooter Impossible?

It is often accepted that the first Borderlands game was responsible for the popularization of the looter shooter genre. At the time, looter shooters seemed like the peanut butter-chocolate of gaming…

April 29, 2021 | 12:00 EDT

The Outrider sympathizing with a military leader
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Outriders is Surprisingly Funny

Chances are if you enjoy looter shooters, you are curious about Outriders. If not, you really should be. People Can Fly's take on the formula manages to get a lot of things right with its gameplay…

April 8, 2021 | 11:30 EDT

The teenage companion, America, being asked to be the player's slave
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What Fallout: The Frontier Could Learn From New Vegas—Writing Abuse Survivors

Content warning: This article contains mentions and descriptions of sexual assault and pedophilia.  A few years back, I was on my usual annual Fallout: New Vegas playthrough. This time around, I was…

February 3, 2021 | 12:00 EST

Evelyn Parker in Cyberpunk 2077
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Where Cyberpunk 2077 Succeeds: Giving Sex Workers A Story

This article contains spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077, and discussions of sexual assault, suicide, and self-harm. If all you knew about sex workers came from gaming what would you think about this group…

January 8, 2021 | 12:00 EST

cyberpunk 2077 judy
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Cyberpunk 2077: A Monument to the Sins of the Gaming Industry

As is the case with every major industry, the gaming industry is no stranger to controversies. It's almost depressing how there are so many credible allegations of discrimination and exploitation in…

December 28, 2020 | 12:00 EST

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Opinions

CDPR Is Already Acting Like A Big Publisher

The Witcher 3 only released back in 2015, and for those that don’t remember, CD Projekt Red was surging in popularity, but they weren't necessarily a household name. In that short five years, CDPR…

December 16, 2020 | 12:00 EST

cyberpunk 2077 bar
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Is CD Projekt Red's Crunch For Cyberpunk 2077 Fair?

With only a few weeks to go before the next generation of consoles are released to the public, game developers are almost certainly in a rush to meet deadlines. Under normal circumstances, releasing…

October 19, 2020 | 12:00 EDT

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Does Assassin's Creed Valhalla Need RPG Mechanics?

For longtime fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise, few things are as contentious as Ubisoft's decision to add RPG mechanics to the basic Assassin's Creed gameplay formula. No one is denying that…

July 21, 2020 | 12:00 EDT

Ciel Fledge Things I'd Like To See - Ciel pointing at amusement park
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11 Things I'd Like to See in Ciel Fledge

I spent a solid 24 hours in my review of Ciel Fledge: A Daughter Raising Simulator. This game developed by Studio Namaapa and published by PQube is an interesting mix of visual novel, life simulator…

February 21, 2020 | 11:30 EST

The Witcher 3 Art Showing Geralt in foreground with Angry Bar Patrons Scowling Towards him from the background.
Opinions

Could The Witcher Lead to More Shows Based on Games?

The Witcher TV series is, by most accounts, a fairly decent adaptation of The Witcher books and games. It’s not a perfect show by any standard, of course, but it’s just good enough that fans of the…

January 13, 2020 | 11:00 EST

Pokemon Sword and Shield RotomDex
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Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Best Feature Might Be What it Cut

Pokemon Sword and Shield did a lot of interesting things overall—both in what it added and what it trimmed from the series—to the point of internet oversaturation. Whether it be moves cut, Pokemon…

December 2, 2019 | 11:00 EST

Dexit players cheering
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'Dexit' Killed My Dreams of a Complete Pokedex

If you haven't been following developments with Pokemon Sword and Shield, you might have missed this whole "Dexit" thing. It's got fans in a bit of an uproar — understandably so, all things…

November 16, 2019 | 11:00 EST

pokemon sword and shield logo
Opinions

In Defense of Game Freak - Arguing Against #BringBackNationalDex

The past month has been tough if you follow Pokémon at all. Despite a steady stream of trailers showing off new features for Pokémon Sword and Shield, much of the coverage of late has transformed…

July 16, 2019 | 02:00 EDT

cyberpunk 2077 key art
Opinions

What is Cyberpunk?

In 1984, William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer was released. An underground hit that won multiple awards, the novel, which is about a washed-up computer hacker who must contend with an artificial…

June 27, 2019 | 02:00 EDT

outward2
Opinions

Outward Is Full of Cool Moments But Requires Too Much of a Time Investment

Recently released on consoles and PC, Outward is the debut role-playing game from Nine Dot Studio. It happily wears its inspirations on its sleeves as it features a blend of the classic PC RPGs of…

April 17, 2019 | 12:15 EDT

mount & blade ii bannerlord - desert castle
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What I'd Like to See in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is still very much in development. Fans have been eagerly anticipating the release of this open-world role-playing game from the moment it's been announced. The wait…

April 10, 2019 | 02:00 EDT

BotWTitle1
Opinions

The Weakest Links: The Flaws In Breath Of The Wild

I finished The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild recently. Considering that I began playing it when it launched, you don’t have to tell me how slow I am with starting and finishing games. That’s…

October 28, 2017 | 01:00 EDT

Undertale Strings of Determination Review
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UNDERTALE: Strings Of Determination - A Track By Track Breakdown

The first time I played UNDERTALE I was blown away, not by the game's interesting and ever-changing game mechanics, combat situations, pacifism, or clever writing.  What really stood out to me was…

September 23, 2017 | 01:00 EDT

BotWOverlook
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Breath of the Critics: A Qualitative Analysis of Video Game Reviews and How We Should Approach Them

After ascending a series of waterfalls, I’ve reached Ploymus Mountain’s plateau peak. I’m in a land caught in perpetual rainfall, and right now, I’m nervously weighing my options as I crouch in…

March 29, 2017 | 11:00 EDT

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild - Quick Thoughts

It's crazy to think that the last time Nintendo released a console The Legend of Zelda game it was 2011 with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.  After The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was…

March 15, 2017 | 09:00 EDT

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Header
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Mods We'd Like to See Ported to Skyrim Special Edition

With Skyrim Special Edition on the horizon (tomorrow), our minds inevitably turn to mods. In fact, Nexusmods have already announced that they will be creating a dedicated new site separated from…

October 26, 2016 | 11:00 EDT

Artwork for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, showing Adam Jensen against a yellow and black backdrop
Opinions

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Set the Immersion Standard

One of the biggest characteristics of video games that set it apart from every other form of entertainment and art is its propensity for high immersion. Immersion is something all entertainers yearn…

September 12, 2016 | 10:00 EDT

Mount & Blade 2 - Bannerlord
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E3 2016 - Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord Siege Details

I attended a thirty minute presentation that was an expansion of what Taleworlds Entertainment showed off at this year's PC Gaming Show. So everything was all about siege. From what I saw, and from…

June 18, 2016 | 09:30 EDT

Fallout Shelter Red Rocket
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5 New Rooms I'd Like To See In Fallout Shelter

Fallout Shelter recently pushed a notification that new rooms would be coming in an update. I neglected to get a screenshot of the notification, but thankfully Redditor /u/Krade33 snapped one and…

February 29, 2016 | 01:58 EST

World of Warcraft - Legion Logo
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Most Anticipated Games of 2016 – World of Warcraft: Legion

There is no question that World of Warcraft has been in some turbulent, up-and-down times recently, with subscribers in a definite gradual decline. I personally haven't played WoW on a regular basis…

February 24, 2016 | 01:00 EST

More Like Undertale
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More Games Should Be Like Undertale

Before playing Toby Fox's RPG, it was easy to dismiss as a hype train come derailed in the same manner Five Nights At Freddy's as a series became overly hyped by its fanbase—that all fades once you…

December 26, 2015 | 09:00 EST

Witcher Box Art
Opinions

Most Disappointing Games of Gen 7 – The Witcher

The buzz regarding The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is almost inescapable this year. The seamless blending of story-driven role-playing with an open world experience has been apparently achieved, with…

November 25, 2015 | 01:00 EST

Evening Over Goodsprings
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[Updated] New Vegas: Five Years on the Long Fifteen

  It's been five years since Bethesda Softworks published Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas, and with over one thousand hours of in-game experience (so sayeth Steam), you could perhaps say I'm slightly…

October 19, 2015 | 09:00 EDT

Fallout Shelter Red Rocket
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18 Things Fallout Shelter Needs To Fix

I want to confess something. A few years ago, all I did for gaming was play Facebook Cow Clickers for about a six-month period. I clicked on castles to make more soldiers. I clicked on turnips to…

October 15, 2015 | 09:00 EDT

World of Warcraft Lgeion
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World of Warcraft: Legion – Mixed Feelings

World of Warcraft: Legion, the newest World of Warcraft expansion, was announced yesterday at Gamescom 2015. As a fan of the lore and occasional player of the game, I was incredibly excited, even…

August 7, 2015 | 11:00 EDT

Dragon's Dogma Header
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Best Game of Gen 7 – Dragon's Dogma

When thinking about which games were the best of Gen 7, I have a short list that immediately comes to mind. Lost Odyssey made me cry. Red Dead Redemption let me live out my six-shooter outlaw…

July 24, 2015 | 01:00 EDT

The Witcher 3 Screenshot
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Little Things That Make The Witcher 3 A Classic

You don't need me to tell you The Witcher 3 is a great game. Andrew has already done that in his review, all the big sites have been doling out 10s and high 9s and its generated a lot of *ahem*…

June 11, 2015 | 09:00 EDT

The Witcher 3 screenshot of Geralt crouching while he fights a giant in the background
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Five things Bethesda Can Learn From The Witcher 3

The open-world game is the new frontier for developers pushing hardware, but it's rarely the breeding ground for memorable storytelling. Maybe I'm old-fashioned — I cut my teeth on Deus Ex and Final…

June 4, 2015 | 09:00 EDT