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It sure has been a while since that big indie boom from two console generations ago. Since Indie Game: The Movie put the hardships and drama of designing games like in front of a broader Netflix audience. In fact, it's been ten years since the release of Super Meat Boy and twelve since the release of its flash-based predecessor, Meat Boy.
Square Enix has continuously bolstered the MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI, with new expansions and content releases since its Japanese release in 2002. It appears that trend will continue according to a recent announcement by the game's producer, Akihiko Matsui, which addresses future updates and support for the subscription-based game.
Final Fantasy XIV continues to be a major contender in the MMORPG genre even after its unfathomably rocky start, which was so catastrophic that the developers decided to annihilate much of the game's world through a literal in-game catastrophe that cleared the way for them to construct something grand atop the original's scorched remains.
I had an opportunity to play in the Guilty Gear Strive open beta and went toe-to-toe with server issues and resulting scheduling conflicts. That said, I enjoyed the game so thoroughly that had I not found a way to rearrange my schedule, I probably would have shirked my other obligations to continue the momentum.
In EVE: Valkyrie, players can experience an exhilarating sense of speed as their ship flies through structures in simulated deep space. A user gazing up at the Eiffel Tower during a virtual tour of Paris may feel dwarfed by the architecture. Virtual roller coasters defy expectations and feel true-to-life.
Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World: The Prophecy of the Throne is the latest entry in the franchise, and it leans on much of the lore established in Re:Zero's medium-spanning isekai narrative. Despite its wholly original story, it is clear from the outset that you are not starting anywhere near the beginning of the main character's arc.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate, by Spike Chunsoft, is a game whose legacy stretches all the way back to the 1993 title, Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon, which starred Torneko from Dragon Quest IV and helped establish the series' unique gameplay.
Thanks to shows like Critical Role, Harmonquest, Stranger Things, and an episode of Community, seems to be experiencing a bit of a resurgence. In fact, it's played by a wide range of people who don't appear conventionally nerdy on the surface. It's amusing, because for a long time video games were king and, true, they still pretty much are.
When the printing press was invented Conrad Gessner feared that it would cause an information overload that would be harmful to people. When radio, television, and, of course, video games made their debut, people worried about the possible effect these might have on human psychology. It is reasonable to assume that media, in general, affects...