About Kirk Hiner

Sam & Max Save the World—originally released by Telltale Games back in 2006—has received a fresh coat of paint and a few other upgrades. Is it enough to make adventure gamers want to join the Freelance Police nearly 15 years later? Let’s find out.
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Touhou Spell Bubble is the latest Touhou Project spinoff. As it’s my first game from the project, I’m not familiar with its characters or lore. Thankfully, I didn’t have to be to enjoy this frantic, music-based bubble popper.
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There are shmups, and there are bubble poppers, and ne’er the twain shall meet, right? Well, they have, thanks to Puny Human’s Galacide. Whether this mash-up works for you will depend largely upon what you love and hate about shoot ’em ups.
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There’s a solid mystery to be solved in Chicken Police – Paint it RED, and it’s backed up by over eight hours of fully-voiced dialogue. Combine that with the game’s unique visual presentation, and you’ve got a caper that’s certainly worth considering.
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Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin taught me some things. I learned about historical farming methods. I learned why people tend to sing while we work. Most importantly, however, I learned that some games are worth the wait, and that they still have the ability to surprise.
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If you learn nothing else from me, at least understand that you should never launch into the next phase of life with a camping trip amongst friends. As we see in Re:Turn – One Way Trip, you’re bound to end up with ghost trains, missing friends, deadly demons, and pixel graphics.
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If you didn’t play Pikmin 3 on the Wii U, it’s a must-play here. Pikmin 3 Deluxe is as cute, clever and challenging as any game available for the Switch. If you have already played it, however, there’s only one real reason to double-dip. Thankfully, it’s a pretty solid reason.
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Perfectly blending its humorous, touching story with challenging but accessible gameplay, Horace is easily one of the best puzzle/platformers available for the Nintendo Switch. You can certainly read this review, but heading straight to the eShop and buying it now will save you some time.
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Halloween may be a bit of a wash this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have some scary fun. And a good way to do that will be with the release of Clea, a skill-based survival horror game that arrives on Nintendo Switch October 30th.
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At first glance, Kirby Fighters 2 appears rather unnecessary. I can’t imagine gamers have been in the middle of a Smash Bros. bout and thought, “You know what would make this better? Removing everyone except Kirby.” But do you know what? It works.
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Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a side-scrolling action game that’s complemented by a robust crafting/cooking/farming sim. I’ve been able to spend some time playing it ahead of its November 10th release, and here are my early impressions.
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There’s nothing immediately special about Alwa’s Legacy. As a throwback Metroidvania, it works. The graphics are good. The story’s okay. The action is fun. Everything’s fine. The longer you play the game, however, the more you realize it’s special.
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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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