ed smith
Why ‘Driver: San Francisco' Is Gaming's Most Fabulous Joyride
Ubisoft's race-around-an-open-world game of 2011 was so much more fun than its stuffier series predecessors.
Why Video Games Should Hurt Us More
Gaming representations of physical and mental suffering are regularly reductive. But by really making us hurt, these experiences could become unnerving and exciting.
‘The Magic Circle’ Explores the Dangers of a Life Lived Through Video Games
By examining an unfinished epic in development hell, this indie game exposes the human frailty at the heart of development and fandom.
This Is Why ‘Max Payne 3’ Is Rockstar’s Best Game Ever
The small details in Rockstar's 2012 shooter add up to make it the studio's most impressively visceral title to date.
Why I Adore the Legendarily Crass, Violent Video Game ‘Manhunt’
For me, Rockstar is better when it goes linear, and 'Manhunt' is one of the GTA studio's very best.
‘Resident Evil,' 20 Years Later: Flawed, Formulaic, but Still a Fearsome Horror Original
Capcom's survival horror followed video gaming logic, but it also subverted expectations, keeping the player thinking anything could happen.
'Battlefield Hardline' Is Still a Political Game Even When It Tries Not to Be
Visceral's 2015 shooter tried hard to say nothing, but in that process became not just highly political, but politically dubious.
How ‘Hitman: Contracts’ and ‘Blood Money’ Had Players Loving the Alien Agent 47
IO's stealth series was never better than during its mid-noughties highs, where people became creatures, just targets to "switch off."
‘Far Cry Primal’ Is a Stone Age Setback for Open-World Gaming
Ubisoft's first-person series arguably peaked with 2008's 'Far Cry 2,' and a dip into prehistory can't shake up its tiring formula.
‘Superhot’ Is the Shooter Game for People Who Hate Shooter Games
When time moves only when you do, you're always in control of your fate, making this unique game as much a puzzler as it is a first-person shooter.
The Real Horror of ‘Firewatch’ Makes It More Terrifying Than Most So-Called Scary Games
Strange things do happen in America's national parks, which is why Campo Santo's new game is so full of dread.
What a 16-Year-Old First-Person Shooter Can Teach Us About Sexism and Feminism
"No One Lives Forever" tells a compelling and frustrating story about a female secret agent trapped in a world of treacherous and undermining men.