iRobot, possibly the frontier of consumer robot vacuums, is now just about late in all the robot games imaginable. The company’s lack of direction in developing either hardware or software solution to the average household problems has left the latest iRobot vacuum, Roomba Combo 10 Max, with poorly received reviews. Seeing as iRobot made it to both vacuuming robots and mopping robots early on, I thought to share my two cents on the matter —what made it so late to the game? I think the pattern is the most obvious in how iRobot has dealt with the surge of new…
From Review
Amnesia: Rebirth Spiel
I personally did not like the first Amnesia game when it came out. The Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a game published in 2010 was most popular on the new platform called “YouTube” and played by the up and coming online stars called “YouTubers”. I recall having a stock YouTube app, a social media app I was always confused about. Can you believe it’s been 10 years since?
Silent Hill 2 (2024) Spiel
My first Silent Hill was Silent Hill 4: The Room; though I couldn’t push myself through the end. It might come as a surprise, but by the time I was interested in the franchise, I didn’t have the old consoles to play the OG titles. All old franchises suffer from the similar problem; average modern players simply don’t have the old hardwares, be it may consoles, or a gaming PC running Windows XP, to run the old game. The one I actually played all the way through for the first time was Silent Hill: Origins. Long story short, I simply…
Superliminial Spiel
I don’t know what makes puzzle-solving as a genre so ripe with indie games. The Portal franchise started as an indie project until Valve scooped them up, more recent Baba Is You is a literal indie game filled with programmer jokes. Perhaps it’s the financial limitations that translate into developments, or the metas and homages the indie developers wanted to play with. But ultimately what makes your game independent from its heritage should not be the money nor amount of respects it’s paying.
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred Spiel
Diablo IV has a tall order to meet as a fourth installment in the franchise. Blizzard has added, removed, or changed some bits and that since 1996, but as a sequel to a 28 years old franchise, the game cannot offer new ideas without radical departure. Vessel of Hatred has even taller order, as an expansion to an existing game, the expansion is expected to have something new, perhaps little changes, and nothing removed.
PCalc Spiel
Have you read any iOS, iPadOS, or watchOS rumors for this year? Behind all the ‘throw the pasta on the wall’ schtick, there was one I couldn’t laugh about. It’s the calculator app. Calculator apps on any Apple devices were either too old it was a place holder item for announcement of App Store, or it shouldn’t exist from the start. I suppose someone, or some team, in California wrote bunch of basic apps to show off what a new “smart-phone” is then forgot about it. The default app is finally brushed up for the future, but let’s talk alternatives.
Frostpunk 2 Spiel
For a game set in the ice age, Frostpunk 2 surely is released at a weird time. I would imagine September isn’t particularly hot or cold in either hemisphere. Last installment for the franchise was released during the pandemic, and even for a DLC, the last scenario didn’t sit well with the world it has established. The ice age was coming to an end, and we were told New London fell victim to the problems of old. In Frostpunk 2, we are back in New London, but as the steward of metropolis, not a city.
Astro Bot Spiel
If current generation consoles didn’t have that kicker exclusive, now we have one; and it’s called Astro Bot, and it’s on PS5. The game takes advantage of all the features introduced with the new controller and the console, most notably haptic feedback and seamless loading. It’s quite literally so good it should be illegal to be a first party game.
Romancelvania Spiel
Ever thought of serious Dracula dating sim? I have read some fan fictions, but I certainly did not think of putting dating sim and Metroidvania together. It immediately peaked my interest as Romancelvania encompasses most of Halloween favorites and then some. What I didn’t realize was that this is a crowdfunded game, and just like many other crowdfunding projects, it overpromises and underdelivers.
Silent Hill: The Short Message Spiel
Silent Hill is finally back with a new game after a fumbled P.T.. With Silent Hill 2 Remake on the horizon, The Short Message is a good starter for any players to get back to the series, what it meant to play a Silent Hill game and what that town held for characters. The Short Message does not ask for all prior knowledge of the series as this is free and too short to be a full-priced game to begin with, but fans of the series can find trivia of the town Silent Hill and the game franchise in the…
Still Wakes the Deep Spiel
A lengthy name must be a thing for a horror game this year. Still Wakes the Deep, released only few days prior to the Elden Ring DLC, is set on an oil rig in the North Sea, on the Christmas of 1975. Stars were quite aligned for this moment. Starring Scottish characters in Lovecraftian horror, the game could not be released at better time for gamers in South Korea.
Pacific Drive Spiel
If driving through tense situation is up your alley, Pacific Drive may have been on your radar. Contrary to what many reviews warned, the brutal RNG of rogue-like setting, the touch of survival car maintenance, with the flavor of sci-fi horror, the game slugs through them like a checklist. None of them truly mean anything aside from it exists.
Detroit: Become Human Spiel
Sci-fi has a weird tick. Sci-fis I’ve read, watched, and played usually begin with a genius —a genius who makes the breakthrough. It is a breakthrough none has ever witnessed, and it is a breakthrough that will be a new founding of a future society. And the story arc of the world builder often correlates with the quality of the said sci-fi universe.
Death Stranding Spiel on FMV Games
Death Stranding is, without a doubt, “interactive entertainment”, to quote Bill Gates. Good Bill didn’t say those exact words, but that’s how he viewed a certain FMV game. And I believe his approach to understanding what a video game is in the 90’s had run its course. Being realistic is not a virtue of any games. I came to that conclusion that bad games are often hidden behind the well known Hollywood faces after playing Callisto Protocol. Popular celebrities and hyperrealistic graphics don’t rectify a disaster. It just makes it more expensive disaster, just like Hollywood.
My Depressing Journey with Sonos Roam, the Wannabe Big Speaker
Ever heard of a company called Bose? They get all the smacks from enthusiasts, so you must have. I personally prefer Bose for their reliability; you get what you paid for, and their products are well researched by reviewers. Not the most cost-efficient speaker brand as noted thousands of times, but if you are looking for a niche speaker for a shower room, or for outdoors, the usual “good” speakers go out the window and only the mass-manufactured ones remain with some IPX ratings.