About Kirk Hiner

Vector graphics don’t lend themselves to all types of gameplay; arcade action is pretty much your only option. That makes these visuals a perfect fit for Ellipsis, but are they (and some puzzle elements) enough to keep this throwback interesting?
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Unrailed! lets you become a virtual John Henry. It’s a multiplayer arcade game about laying track in the wild west, building a rail line a few blocks at a time. It’s also about the futility (and fun) of trying to do so.
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If ever a wrestling game accurately reflected the current state of the WWE, it’s WWE 2K Battlegrounds. So much talent, so much waste. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if WWE creative got their hands in this game, forcing 2K to make some dubious decisions.
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Paradise Killer is one of the oddest games I’ve ever played. It’s as if Phoenix Wright was thrust into a Shin Megami Tensei game and forced to solve a demonic crime. Unfortunately, the overall bizarreness can’t keep things interesting during the game’s slower moments.
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In the twin-stick shooter We Are Doomed, your enemies are shapes, not aliens or robots or alien-robots. The backgrounds are trippy, not gritty. The music is almost new-age, not hyper-kinetic. If we truly are doomed, it’s a pretty relaxing way to go.
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WWE 2K Battlegrounds looks to find a balance between its arcade and sports sim roots, albeit with decidedly arcade leanings. The game will certainly provide over-the-top action—giving you access to weapons such as alligators and electricity—but it’s based on a system that gives players plenty of options to learn and master myriad moves.
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Tennis World Tour 2—a realistic sports sim that features the biggest tennis starts competing in world-famous competitions—is scheduled to open for Nintendo Switch on October 15th. And as we approach the release date, we’re learning a bit more about what tennis fans can expect expect from the game.
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Available for purchase on September 15th, The Oriental Pirate will introduce a new character named Mu Zhiyun. She serves under Ching Shih—a real-life prostitute turned dreaded pirate leader turned business woman—and arrives in Europe with a secret agenda (as one would expect).
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Full disclosure, I’ve never seen a single episode of Peaky Blinders. But that’s precisely why I took this review. Can an adventure/puzzle game work when it’s based on a TV show I’ve never seen?
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If you were wondering what the teased Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is going to be about, you can cross “prequel” off the list. Instead, that story is going to be told Mosou-style when Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is released for Nintendo Switch on November 20th.
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I have no interest in swimming. Never really understood the point of it. I thought perhaps this indifference might have carried over to the multiplayer action game Swimsanity. But after I braved the different game modes, things started to make a little more sense.
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KOEI TECMO and developer Kou Shibusawa have announced that Nintendo Switch compatibility will accompany the release of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack that’s heading to North American gamers in early 2021.
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Two things go into making a good adventure game: story and puzzles. You can lean in one direction or the other, but effective use of both can create a truly timeless experience. Darkestville Castle may not fully reach those heights, but it’ll have you fondly recalling those that did.
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If you haven’t yet filled up the microSD card on your Switch, Nintendo is giving you plenty of fun, socially inclusive ways to do so. The company has announced the Share the Fun sale, allowing gamers to save up to 75% on select multiplayer titles through the Nintendo eShop.
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Banner of the Maid is a highly unique entry in the shoulder-to-shoulder “thin red line” of turn-based JRPGs. Its alternate take on the French Revolution provides a wonderful backdrop for some of the best strategic gameplay I’ve experienced since Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
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I suppose if you’re going to turn a medieval French castle into a hotel, you have to expect some supernatural shenanigans. You expect priceless necklaces to go missing. You expect guests to fall into comas. You expect ghosts to haunt the wine cellar. What you don’t expect is for all of this to be so…dull.
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A Switch release of Pikmin 3 has been rumored for a couple of the months. Nintendo has now made it official, complete with a release date. Pikmin 3 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch will be available physically and digitally on October 30, 2020. Looks like you’ll be collecting juice for trick-or-treat since going door-to-door for candy will obviously not be a good idea.
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Cris Tales, from developer Dreams Uncorporated, was one of the more intriguing demos I received back at E3 2019. This is why I was so eager to finally try out the demo that’s now available from the Nintendo eShop. It’s pretty short, but it’s enough to indicate that Cris Tales could be special.
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