At this point, the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series has become the gaming equivalent of One Piece as this ongoing franchise that’s becoming more and more impenetrable for players to actually make a start on. There’s currently 8 mainline games in the Like A Dragon franchise alone, along with two Judgment games, a separate story set in the same universe, a samurai spin-off and more Like A Dragon titles coming in the pipeline, and that’s without getting into Yakuza: Dead Souls, […]

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At a certain point, we’re more than likely preaching to the converted when saying you should probably play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as it’s considered to be one of the most successful Nintendo Switch games of all time. Regardless of whether or not you own Smash Ultimate, or even a Nintendo Switch in the first place, the chances are you’ve played it at some point, probably at a party or social gathering where the host thinks it’d be fun to […]

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Being a detective and solving mysteries is a fantasy that games have catered to for a long time now, but there’s so many versions of that premise where the case only has one logical conclusion. Part of being a detective is using your own deductive reasoning and instincts to form your own theories and possibilities, but it’s hard to do that when a game just shouts “they did it” at the top of its lungs. It’s why Paradise Killer is […]

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Super Mario RPG was a wonderful surprise in the dying days of the SNES. The N64 and Super Mario 64 were both due out in September 1996, mere months after the release of this collaboration between Square and Nintendo. For me personally, it was one of the three RPGs that finally made me a fan of the genre, paving the way for Final Fantasy VII to become one of those defining pieces of media from my childhood. Super Mario RPG […]

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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the closest thing the mainline series has to a black sheep. The first three Solid titles need no defense, each one a gaming landmark worth playing today. MGSV’s shortcomings in story are offset by the best stealth gameplay in the series — potentially of all time — and Peace Walker is a sleeper favorite in the fanbase. But MGS4 languishes under the reputation of “that” game: the one that ends with […]

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Mario platformers have been an integral part of video gaming for decades now, to the point where pretty much everyone who has a passing interest in games has likely played at least one or two Mario titles over the years. While some might prefer the older entries in the franchise, such as Super Mario World and the like, or underappreciated 3D titles like Super Mario Sunshine on the also underappreciated GameCube, there’s one game in the whole franchise that deserves […]

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The 1990s were the golden age of point and click narrative adventures, and it’s easy to see why the genre has remained in the imagination of gamers all these years later. Back when the genre rose to prominence, there were precious few genres that offered comprehensive storytelling. RPGs of the time could deliver on the story front, but were all too often fantasy driven adventures. Other than that, strong narratives could be rarely found in platformers, or even a first […]

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“…if you want the best Max Payne game in the series, you’ll want Rockstar’s Max Payne 3.” The Matrix’s effect on the video game industry cannot be overstated, as the movie franchise ushered in a whole genre of games where people look cool shooting guns in slow motion. Colloquially referred to as “bullet time” games, titles like Wet, Total Overdose and the upcoming El Paso, Elsewhere all owe a debt of gratitude to The Matrix. Even slo-mo connoisseur John Woo […]

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“The game might not cover its mistakes, but it certainly makes up for them in charm.” Games To Play Before You Die is meant to chronicle the pinnacles of the video gaming medium, from the top-selling behemoths to the strongest indie gems that never got their due. With this set up, you might assume that that meant all games highlighted are good, or fun to play. But just like a balanced meal, a balanced gamer has to eat their vegetables. […]

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“…you owe it to yourself to try Yakuza 0, and if you enjoy it, you’ve got like ten other games to play afterwards.” If you’re reading this, we can pretty much guarantee that you’ve had someone in your life, either close to you or randomly on the internet, try to convince you to play Yakuza 0. That, or you’ve been the person trying to convince everyone else in your life to play it. If you belong in the former category, […]

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“….Sayonara Wild Hearts has refused to leave my brain in the four years since its release.” As far as previous games we’ve featured in this little series of ours go, Sayonara Wild Hearts is the easiest sell of all when it comes to games you should play before you die, based solely on the fact that you can complete it in an hour and a half. If you’re worried about adding to your already bloated backlog with yet another game, […]

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The bargain bins of gaming history are filled with any number of stat-crunching, loot-grinding, turn-basing JRPGs. Many of them are a part of some long-running series, from Final Fantasy to Shin Megami Tensei/Persona to the long-running Tales series. But every now and then, a bold new title will emerge, fully formed, not tied down to any existing IP, presenting a fresh, original view of what a video game adventure can be. In 2000, one such miracle of game design, Skies […]

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Like many people who were around and playing video games in the 90s, I remember the marketing campaign for a strange new SNES title called EarthBound in 1994. Also like many of you, I didn’t bother to play a game whose marketing simply said, “This game stinks.” It also didn’t help things that EarthBound cost more than the average Super Nintendo title, owing to the fact that it came with a full strategy guide. EarthBound sold poorly, received few positive […]

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When we put together these “Games to Play Before You Die” features, we realize that some games just don’t hold up. Instead, they may be historically significant, and so worth playing just to see how they influenced other titles. But that doesn’t mean they’re fun to play compared to the games that came after. Just look at Grand Theft Auto III or the original Metroid. That brings us to Shenmue. Shenmue is one of the first games to put players […]

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Character action games are a bit of a niche genre at the best of times. Trying to convince someone who only plays shooters, sports games and GTA to play something like Devil May Cry can feel like pulling teeth, so trying to convince someone that God Hand is one of the games you should play before you die? That’s going to take some doing. Still, if you have the means to do so, you should give it God Hand a […]

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