Jeff Marchiafava
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Game InformerLatest Reviews
Dreams
More than any developer, Media Molecule has been driven by a singular goal: to empower players to make and share their own games. LittleBigPlanet focused this concept on the 2D platformer, but clever players spent years devising ways to stretch and twist their creations beyond the genre’s confines. With the...
Zen Studios is best known for its plethora of pinball-based projects, but the eccentric interests of the Hungary-based developer don’t end there. Its newest title, Operencia: The Stolen Sun, is a first-person, grid-based dungeon crawler – a style of RPG established decades ago by games like Wizardry and Dungeon Master....
Turn-based strategy games have enjoyed a healthy amount of experimentation the past few years, including the enemy-stomping zaniness of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and the stealthy espionage angle of The Phantom Doctrine. With a focus on world-building and exploration, Mutant Year Zero also carves out its own niche in...
With 2016’s episodic experiment firmly in the rearview mirror, Agent 47 is back with another full itinerary of places to go and people to execute. While Hitman 2’s globetrotting adventure suffers from the same shortcomings as its predecessor, the new locations and clever assassination opportunities remind me why I’ve remained...
Despite the inherent focus on exotic locales, high-stakes plot twists, and stealth-driven action, spy video games are mysteriously few and far between. Phantom Doctrine tackles the underappreciated genre from a cerebral perspective, distilling its core concepts through the XCOM filter of turn-based tactical encounters and menu-driven base management. The abundance...
In the realm of incredibly niche sim games, House Flipper certainly feels like a no-brainer. The concept of buying run-down houses, improving them, and then selling for a tidy profit has spawned countless television series, and makes for an enticing gameplay loop. Unfortunately, House Flipper has its own list of...
Despite offering an endless tapestry of intriguing tales to draw from, the events of history remain criminally ignored by video games. Sure, exotic locations like ancient Egypt and decades-old wars occasionally serve as flashy backdrops for modern action, but too few games try to convey what life was really like...
Horizon Zero Dawn is already one of the best games of 2017 thanks to a gorgeous open world, pitch-perfect combat (against robot dinosaurs!), and an enticing mystery. Even though Horizon's ending answered all the questions surrounding Aloy's past, players still want more of the intriguing post-apocalyptic world she inhabits – and Guerrilla is all too...
After years of plunking down change for Zen Studios' endless stream of licensed and original DLC table packs, pinball fans finally have a proper sequel to get excited about. Not only does Pinball FX 3 unify all of Zen's platforms under one umbrella, it offers a host of new modes and progression systems to...
Few games are harder to design and implement than those focused on competitive multiplayer. Developers must contend with all of the normal trials and tribulations, but they also have a host of multiplayer-specific headaches to worry about, including online infrastructures, gameplay balancing, thwarting would-be cheaters, and managing player retention. From a player's perspective, Friday the 13th...
Tetris and Puyo Puyo have both seen countless sequels and spin-offs over the years, but none have been as experimental as Sonic Team's stylish new mash-up. Instead of just bundling the two classic puzzle series with a handful of separate modes, Puyo Puyo Tetris tries to blend the multicolored brick and blob action in...
In a time where virtually everyone has had their fill of internet trolls and inflammatory comments, Drawn To Death stands out as the sterling answer to a question no one has ever asked: How can we make online gaming even more obnoxious and offensive than it already is?
