I started playing BioShock when it first came out in 2007. I just finished it last week and it took me 10 years to do it. I have previously written about why I think it takes me so long to finish a game so I won’t discuss that here. My only regret is that it took me this long to finally beat it. The story of BioShock is both interesting and terrifying. The city of Rapture was designed to be a utopia for the elites, free from the constraints of human government and society. Its creator, Andrew Ryan is a bit of a megalomaniac and this becomes more apparent as the game goes on.       BioShock has one of the most dramatic opening sequences I have experienced in a game. Without giving too much away, you end up in the middle of the ocean, staring at a large tower protruding out of the waves beckoning you to approach. After entering, you start your mysterious journey into the underwater city of Rapture. Upon entry you quickly discover that something has go...

Of all the games that were released in the first quarter of the year, the one I was the most excited about was Night in the Woods . For some reason the game called to me even though I knew next to nothing about it. I found out I enjoyed the art direction and game concept from a few screen shots, one preview video, and an abstract from the studio’s website. It looked like it contained everything I love about a game: story, deep themes, and action, but I had no idea how personal the story would be to me. NITW is a side scrolling adventure game that takes place in a crumbling blue collar town called Possum Springs. The town is based off the real world rustbelt cities in the U.S. that have seen jobs move overseas, crime rise, and infrastructure decay. Interestingly, the citizens of Possum Springs are not human, but instead animals. You play the game as Mae Borowski, a cat punk rocker, bass playing, college dropout who moved back home. Your friends, Gregg, Bea, and Angus catch you up ...

There have been very few game series that have brought me more enjoyment than the Elder Scrolls series. Oblivion was the first game I got for my Xbox 360 and probably the one I played the most until Skyrim . So when I found out Bethesda was making a remastered edition for the current console generation I was extremely excited. The idea of being able to travel across Skyrim again spoke to the nostalgic side of me. Listening to atmospheric orchestra pieces while admiring the world of has always been great but with updated graphics it would be even better. The remastered edition definitely has noticeable graphic quality improvements. Firstly, the water effects are much better and looks more natural instead of some weird mirror you can fall in an out of. It even appears to flow better along rivers and rapids. Textures on all environmental features are tremendously improved adding to the realism. Lighting effects looks more realistic and so do the shadows it produces. More foliag...