Review by Matt S. “The people in noir fiction are dark and doomed—they are losers, they are pessimistic, they are hopeless. If you have a private eye, the private eye is a hero; and he’s going to solve the crime and the bad guy will be caught. That’s a happy…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Why did no one tell me about Dry Drowning before? It is very much my kind of experience. It’s thought-provoking, has a solid grounding in literary tradition, and weaves a gripping narrative. Looking through some of the other reviews that have popped up since the game…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Legal Dungeon is a fascinating little game, and something entirely unique. We don’t often get to say this these days, but you really haven’t played anything like this before. That comes with some issues that hamper the overall experience, but nonetheless I doubt I’m going to…
Read MoreReview by Matt S Deadly Premonition was released ten years ago now, and you’d think that in that time people would have learned. But, nope. Ten years ago people fixated on technical issues of that game at the expense of the greater point, only for Deadly Premonition to eventually become…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Note: I’m writing this upfront and in advance; there are spoilers in this review. The game itself has a little clip at the start asking that people don’t spoil the experience, but it’s absolutely impossible to talk about this game without discussing plot points. And let’s…
Read MoreBook review by Matt S. Have you heard of Higashino Keigo? If not, you’ve not delved deeply enough into Japanese crime fiction writing. Higashino has published something like 66 novels (and that doesn’t count his many short story collections), and of those, some 20 have been turned into television series’…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Given that AI: The Somnium Files comes from the same mind that brought us the Zero Escape series (Uchikoshi Kotaro), you should go in expecting two things: firstly, an incredible narrative. Secondly, a laboured effort at throwing “gameplay” into the storytelling. Uchikoshi has never appeared to…
Read MoreBook review by Matt S. Nakamura Fuminori rocketed to international literary superstardom with The Thief, and with very good reason. This book is a masterpiece. In general terms, it’s a crime thriller, but that’s underselling and simplifying it. Combining the dense reflection on the human condition of something with a…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Judgment is not really a “new Yakuza title”. Nor is it any form of sequel. It shares elements of what came before, and the comparisons are there at the superficial level. The narrative does take place in the same universe, and the setting – Kamurocho –…
Read MorePreview by Trent P. It is now approaching winter, and that means driving home from work as night falls; the lights flicker and illuminate the city in an almost foreign way. During the day the city seems busier and brighter. The night brings an odd contrast, it is quiet, and…
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