Review: Chaos Reigns:Spirit of the North Suffers From Sloggy Controls and a So-So Story
It’s not hard to sell me on a game where you get to play as an animal, or even get to interact with one a lot. Hell, I spent entire […]
Review: The Loop: The ‘L’ Tracks That Shaped and Saved Chicago, by Patrick T. Reardon
The Loop: The ‘L’ Tracks that Shaped and Saved Chicago by Patrick T. Reardon Southern Illinois University Press Reviewed by Mary Wisniewski There are lovelier and more prestigious symbols of […]
Review: Astro’s Playroom Shows Off DualSense Controller While Being Full of Joy
Pack-in games for new consoles are nothing new to PlayStation, but they haven’t exactly been big hits. Recently, The Playroom on PlayStation 4 and Welcome Park on PlayStation Vita were […]
Review: Neo Noir Chicken Police Is a Delight
It’s New Year’s Eve, and you’re a washed-up detective. You’re 121 days until retirement—but it feels like an eternity slowly ticking away. When you step into your office, you’re met […]
Review: 9 Monkeys of Shaolin Is Brawler Bliss
Brawlers always have a fond place in my heart. I remember spending countless hours with my brother on the couch playing Turtles in Time, Double Dragon, and countless other brawlers. […]
Dispatch: Films to Make Time For (at Home, at the Drive-In) in Chicago International Film Festival’s First Weekend
As the 56th Chicago International Film Festival kicks off, the majority of this year’s film selections are available to stream online for the duration of the event (October 14-25). In […]
Review: A Long-Ago Blaze That Echoes the Pandemic, Chicago’s Great Fire, by Carl Smith
Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City by Carl Smith Atlantic Monthly Press Devastation is devastation, whether brought about by fire or pandemic. The Great […]
Fall Museum Guide: What’s Open, How to Stay Safe, and How to Enjoy Chicago’s Museums From Home
UPDATE: Due to the sharply rising number of COVID-19 cases in Cook County, the city of Chicago is returning to Tier 3 mitigation beginning Friday, November 20th. Details of what […]
Preview: Take Control of a Space Agency in Mars Horizon and Change History
I love games about space—from combat heavy space sims to games that try to recreate real-life space exploration. Science fiction is great, but when a game manages to be about […]
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, A Story of Plague and Dissipation for Our Day
In 1842, Edgar Allan Poe published one of his most famous stories, which turns out to be a parable for 2020. The Masque of the Red Death concerns a prince […]
Preview: Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time Is Gonna Be Great
I played Crash Bandicoot on PlayStation when it originally released, but it’s one of the games of that generation that never clicked. I think I was obsessed with more action-oriented […]
Review: Over the Top Serious Sam 4 Is More of What you Want
I can remember my “git gud” moments in video games pretty clearly. I always think I’m good enough, and then something comes along to challenge that—whether it is insanely good […]