May 10Member-onlyRango’s Gaming Corner — May 2023It’s been a while since I’ve done this. Lately, I’ve been playing through my backlog titles and then some. This includes some new releases, older games, and remakes. Speaking of remakes… Kirby’s Return to Dream Land DeluxeNintendo4 min readNintendo4 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Jan 18Member-onlyEsports: What Happens to the Competitive Smash Bros. Scene in 2023 and Onward?In 2017, Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo Switch, their latest gaming console. One of the key scenes near the end of the trailer showed a colorful arena with people playing Splatoon 2 on a grand stage. …Esports Market4 min readEsports Market4 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Jan 9Member-onlyWhat’s Next for Tactics Ogre?Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together came to the Super Famicom (SNES in Japan) in 1995. It received a port to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn several years later. The team behind Tactics Ogre — known formerly as Quest Corporation — also created Final Fantasy Tactics. This illustrious title for…Rpg3 min readRpg3 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Dec 20, 2022Member-onlyDevil May Cry 4 Retrospective Review.When DMC4 came out in 2008, for some reason I just never arsed myself to play it. Even though DMC1 and DMC3 are among my favorite games ever, DMC4 was a skip for me. Maybe it was — what I considered at the time to be — underwhelming reviews in…PlayStation7 min readPlayStation7 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Nov 18, 2022Member-onlyYears After Its Release, I Finally Beat Bloodborne!As of this writing, I waited seven years to finally beat Bloodborne. While Elden Ring certainly spurred me on to beat the last From Software title I had yet to beat, even I still can’t believe it’s taken nearly a decade for me to decide to beat this game.PlayStation5 min readPlayStation5 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Nov 6, 2022Member-onlyMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance — Review for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.In 2013, Konami released Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. A spin-off of the illustrious Metal Gear series, it takes place four years after 2008's Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots. …PlayStation6 min readPlayStation6 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Nov 6, 2022Member-onlyElden Ring Review for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.I have seldom played a better game than Elden Ring. While I know I’m supposed to save this kind of statement for the end of a review, I cannot contain my enthusiasm. This is quite possibly the greatest game ever made. Elden Ring is the first experience to truly…Elden Ring7 min readElden Ring7 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Nov 6, 2022Member-onlyWhy I’m More Excited for Pokémon Now Than I Have Been in Years.With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet versions coming to Nintendo Switch later this month, I can’t help but feel excited about the upcoming titles. While I’ve been a Pokémon fan since way back in 1999, the last time I was this excited about Pokémon was when Gen II was coming out…Pokemon5 min readPokemon5 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Nov 6, 2022Member-onlyThe Best Trilogies to Appear on a Single Gaming Console.When you think of the best game to exist on a single console, how often do you think of more than one game in the same series? If you love the N64, chances are your favorite games include both The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.Gaming7 min readGaming7 min read
Published inILLUMINATION Gaming·Oct 26, 2022Member-onlyHow Metroidvania Became a Gaming Genre.Metroidvania is a portmanteau of two legendary gaming franchises; Nintendo’s Metroid and Konami’s Castlevania. Both series started on the NES, in 1986, as side-scrolling titles. Metroid focused more on exploration while Castlevania was a straightforward platformer akin to Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man.Nintendo6 min readNintendo6 min read