David McNamara
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Writing For
Checkpoint GamingLatest Reviews
It’s a cold, grey dawn in a dank alley on the East End. Snoring among empty liquor bottles and barrels of rotten herring lies a sprawled, dishevelled minotaur, top hat askew and horns coated in week-old grime. He opens a bleary, bloodshot eye and feverishly winces at the morning sky,...
It’s been 25 years since the first title in the Dragon Quest Monsters series hit the shelves. Taking the core gameplay of Dragon Quest and mixing it up with a monster-collecting twist, at least one of these titles has made its home on every generation of a Nintendo handheld console...
A retro-inspired, quirky absurdist RPG from Melbourne-based developer Andy Brophy, Knuckle Sandwich is a little bit turn-based, a little bit bullet-hell, and a lot of weird and wacky fun. We’ve been spoiled this year with excellent role-playing games, including the recent Earthbound-like In Stars and Time, but Knuckle Sandwich feels...
Glancing at a screenshot of Thirsty Suitors, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s some kind of Jet Set Radio spiritual successor: colourful characters, grinding on skateboards, teen punks. Stylistically, this narrative-focused title borrows some of the visual language of other titles in the “rebellious skaters” genre.
Soccer: live it, love it. It’s estimated that around 3.5 billion people watch soccer worldwide, lending it the nickname the “world’s game”. It’s no surprise, then, that soccer video games like EA Sports FC 24 continue to rate highly in the most watched and most streamed gaming statistics, with each...
Sea of Stars
Bedraggled and beaten, the two heroes are fighting for their last ragged breaths. The Fleshmancer’s minions swarm and heave. These snarling masses of limb, tooth, and blood are desperate abominations thirsting for carnage. As they poise to strike, the cold light of the watchful moon suddenly breaks through the surrounding...
“The problem with immortality is that you think you have all the time in the world.”
The grand city of Salburg is an adventurer’s paradise. Great wars have been won here, demonic villains vanquished, and epic prophecies fulfilled. These, however, have nothing to do with the story of Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg, a reconstruction of the PlayStation classic that established this series of...
Smoke rises across the city, the usual buzzing of delivery drones drowned out by the roars of a long-overdue protest. Trembling, you raise a hand to shield your eyes from the glare of the Mediterranean sun and steal a glance through the fabric of reality. Endless possibilities shimmer across your...
After Us
An ocean of miscellaneous garbage stretches endlessly across the horizon. Hissing industrial flames scorch the sky, as thick acrid rain drizzles lazily into steaming sumps. Lumbering, crimson-eyed ghasts snarl and claw at any sign of life, greedy husks of the beings they once were. Amid the desolation, a glowing being...
A glowing world filled with riches, a satisfyingly dense combat experience, and a whole lot of crafting await in Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, the final adventure in Koei Tecmo’s trilogy focused on plucky alchemist Ryza.
The grass feels wet and cool on your back. Dappled sunlight dances across your closed eyelids as a light breeze sighs gently. You breathe, deeply, inhaling the rich scent of earth and tasting the hint of blossom on the back of your tongue. Exhaling, you make a point of recording...
