Evergrace, A Forgotten FromSoft Classic

Evergrace, A Forgotten FromSoft Classic

I experienced a strange moment of déjà vu when I first set foot on the Altus Plateau in Elden Ring, the breakaway hit game of 2022. There was something about the way the golden leaves of the trees swayed in the breeze that stirred my memory. I had definitely seen this place before. I had walked through these abandoned ruins. I had gotten lost on these plains, and I had died under these golden leaves. In fact, I had died kind of a lot.

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Nintendo, Zelda, and Me: Finding Refuge in Video Games

Nintendo, Zelda, and Me: Finding Refuge in Video Games

My mom used to read picture books to me, like Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. The whimsical stories transported me to places where fun and magic were as abundant as air. Through her retellings, snuggled in my Minnie Mouse comforter, these worlds influenced my dreams. I looked forward to our nightly adventures to Where the Sidewalk Ends or to see The Lorax. It was the last time I felt safe in my mother’s arms. I longed to find that space of comfort and safety again—eventually, I was able to find that same sense of enchantment and refuge in video games. (more…)

Pokémon Stadium Without Transfers Is Worthless

Pokémon Stadium Without Transfers Is Worthless

If Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are an example of too much corporate meddling to make Pokémon games as good as we know they can be, then Pokémon Stadium‘s re-release for Nintendo Switch Online shows the absence of oversight to stop an incomplete release. (more…)

How Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Navigated Fan Expectations

How Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Navigated Fan Expectations

Four men sit in a dimly lit conference room. Their expressions are impassive as they watch Nintendo’s conference at E3 2003. The next year finds the same four IGN reporters sitting on a couch as they watch a remote broadcast of Nintendo’s presentation. They erupt into motion, their excitement comically evident on their faces. This dramatic pair of photos has become a meme, with the storytelling of the images surviving long past the memory of their original context. (more…)

Let Me Tell You About My OC: Intari

Let Me Tell You About My OC: Intari

Did you ever have a character concept you loved, one that looked great on paper even, yet… nothing ever worked out? That’s Intari Ariabis, my tiefling warlock. When my friend (and Sidequest Editor in Chief) Missy decided a couple of years ago that she would start running a Dungeons & Dragons game for us, and that the game was going to be full of feywild bullshit, the concept for Intari snapped together, crystal clear in my head.

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Get in the Car, Loser! Is an Unflinching Portrait of Anxiety

Get in the Car, Loser! Is an Unflinching Portrait of Anxiety

Get in the Car, Loser!, the latest game from Ladykiller in a Bind and Analogue: A Hate Story studio Love Conquers All Games, is about a lot of things. A fun queer road trip to kill a god. The thrill of fighting fascists and misogynists and transphobes with your hot friends and magic. And, most surprisingly to me, a subplot about anxiety that felt a bit like being read for filth by someone who really gets it. (more…)