Pedro Cooray
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Writing For
Checkpoint GamingLatest Reviews
I am not well versed in the kart racing genre, but I did spend most of the recent holiday period playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with my nephew. With 4-player splitscreen, the whole family got in on it, and with dozens of characters and tracks, we never got bored. So...
I miss scratching dogs on their butts. My German Shepherd Rudy used to pry my legs apart with his nose so he could walk halfway between them and wait patiently for me to put down whatever I was holding and scratch his big fluffy posterior. After the Rude Dude crossed...
I’ve been looking forward to playing Unpacking since I first played the demo at PAX Australia 2019, what feels like a thousand years ago. I loved its simple premise: you take things out of boxes and place them around a home. After playing its 2-level demo a few times, I...
Astria Ascending is an RPG with a distinguished pedigree behind it. The story was written by Kazushige Nojima, a veteran of the Final Fantasy series, and the music was composed by the legendary Hitoshi Sakimoto. With names like these, and a unique take on turn-based combat, French-Canadian developer Artisan Games...
I didn’t grow up playing Psychonauts. The original game came out in 2005, but I didn’t play it until 2021, a few months before I knew I’d be writing this very review. I thought the original game was fine: an interesting platformer with some great ideas, but with controls and...
Samurai Warriors 5 is an excellent musou game for newcomers like me. It’s got the 1-vs-500 action gameplay that these titles (and their sister series Dynasty Warriors) are known for. It’s a self-proclaimed “new beginning” for the series, with streamlined gameplay, a gorgeous cel-shaded art style, and a story shining...
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is the sequel to one of the best action RPGs I have ever played. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was a small triumph for developer Nihon Falcom, updating the series’ strategic button-mashing gameplay into its best version yet, giving players a huge deserted island to explore,...
Persona 5 Strikers is the confluence of two separate developers who love to experiment with their own work. Atlus will release a 100-hour turn-based Persona game, then put out a music game or 1-on-1 fighting game as canonical sequels. Omega Force is best known for the Dynasty Warriors series. Lately...
If I had to describe Chronos: Before the Ashes in three words, they would be “eh, it’s fine.” It’s the prequel to last year’s Remnant: From the Ashes, a game we liked quite a bit. Like Remnant, Chronos is also a take on the Souls-borne-kiro genre. But whereas Remnant was...
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a musical romp set across the Disney-inspired universe of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It’s a rhythm action game, reminiscent of titles like Guitar Hero or Beat Saber. Gameplay involves smacking monsters and dodging obstacles to the beat of the music. It serves as a...
I’m disappointed to say I couldn’t finish Yakuza: Like a Dragon in time for this review. I am currently 55 hours in, stuck on an outrageously tough boss at the end of a dungeon with no save points. This particular dungeon is far shorter than the others I’ve encountered (the...
Projection: First Light is the kind of game the world needs more of. It’s a puzzle platformer with a handcrafted shadow puppet aesthetic. Shadows are platforms, so you need to cast shadows in specific directions in order to solve puzzles and get through each level. The game is a visual...
