GTA: London 1969 (1999)

This was a fun expansion of the OG Grand Theft Auto. This was top-down GTA with a late-1960s London setting. Yes, the red double buses, bobbies, and phone booths were there.

Also there were enjoyable missions with dialogue fitting these gangs and firms. Yeah, the missions in GTA and GTA 2 weren’t the most involved—things were still 2D—but there’s just something about 2D open world and that lack of fluid motion.

This early Grand Theft Auto approach will appear again in this list.

GTA: Liberty City Stories (2005)

Originally a PSP release, Liberty City Stories is prequel to Grand Theft Auto III, which was released roughly four years earlier. This story focused on low-rank Leone Family mobster Toni Ciprani. Toni has returned to Liberty City after four years in hiding following a situation where he killed a made man. At time, Ciprani wasn’t a made man and the killing wasn’t cleared—meaning he broke one of the tenets and had to go.

Sure, he could’ve faced his fate but fleeing to Sicily and letting things die down worked as well.

While the game played a lot like Vice City, the story was better than GTA III. This is in part because the protagonist speaks and seems more involved with the world than Claude Speed from III and later San Andreas. Another thing it had going for it is just the approach of playing through a previous time in the Grand Theft Auto 3D universe and seeing how things came to be in present day—the 2000s.

I will admit that the game is pretty skippable but for lore fans, if you can find it on PSP or PS2…maybe give it a play. It’s fun but I wouldn’t say essential.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)

Another PSP and PS2 release by the studio duo of Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North, GTA: Vice City Stories is the stronger of the two Stories games. However, with the 3D universe, that was just the case with games released after GTA III. Each game was an improvement over previous titles because Rockstar utilized mechanics from other games in the franchise.

Vice City Stories is centered around Vic Vance, an army corporal who was dishonorably discharged in a double cross for trafficking drugs. Since the game isn’t available to play now, if you’ve played Vice City, Vic is Lance Vance’s brother who was killed at the beginning of the game.

VCS takes place in 1984, two years before Tommy Vercetti’s arrival in the city and allows the player to experience the rise of the short-lived Vance Crime Family.

Again, this plays like an early-2000s 3D universe Grand Theft Auto title but it had a little something extra that really made this a fun time investment. San Andreas featured a couple of features that allowed the player to experience San Andreas through CJ: clothing stores, dates, cheeks, bars, lowriders, clubs, businesses, and gang wars with claimable territory that weakened the opps’ influence in the city.

While GTA: Vice City featured businesses, it was a simple affair of raiding a gang’s front, taking it over and investing money into it. San Andreas typically had more of a story involved in taking over businesses. In Vice City Stories, we have turf wars in the form of a more involved business system. Not only did players take a front over, they also invested in the upkeep and growth of the business both by dropping money into it and doing related missions. Not only that, these businesses had to be defended from opposing gangs.

This mechanic was something I wished returned in future GTA games and is my favorite part of the game. Aside from that, VCS also featured improved combat, with the hand-to-hand stuff taking heavily from San Andreas’ improved combat.

GTA: Chinatown Wars (2009)

This game launched on the popular Nintendo 3DS console. It’s the only game on this list that Rockstar has available for download via app stores. Chinatown Wars uses the GTA and GTA II top-down approach but mixes in some features that weren’t seen in either the 2D or 3D titles.

First, let’s getting a bit into the story. Huang Lee is the nephew of a triad boss living in Liberty City. He is visiting from Hong Kong to hand him a ceremonial sword that belonged to his father. While en route, he is ambushed and the sword stolen.

This results in a lengthy story with some interesting twists and turns along the way. Can’t have a GTA story without some kind of betrayal by perceived allies and/or FIB having the main character by the balls. Maybe Grand Theft Auto VI will break that trope.

Tasked with various jobs to make up for the dishonor of being ambushed, Huang experiences crime the American way. This brings me to a few mechanics I really enjoyed with one being something I wish would return in future titles.

In GTA V, it’s possible to get the cops off of you by making them crash in a chase. Chinatown Wars featured this and while it should’ve been easier because it was top-down, the streets got congested often in this game and could ruin a fun chase. However, the featured did its job well—when players had room to groove.

Another shared feature between the two is hotwiring cars. Being that it was the 3DS and using that stylus was just something developers or Nintendo insisted on, hotwiring in Chinatown Wars could be more involved before players rode off in their in their criminally captured cars.

The featured that impressed me the most and was a feature I loved in GTA-clone Scarface: The World is Yours was the drug trafficking. This was basically Rockstar Games Presents Dope Wars and it was great! Drug prices changed, CCTVs were a problem, suppliers taxed, rivals were salty, drug trucks could be hit—this was the most entertaining part of the game hands down. It was GTA criminal shenanigans and hustling but it was something unique to this game.

Which of the games have you played in the past? Where would you rank them? Are there any gameplay mechanics or characters you’d like to see return?

Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Two strengths for Saints Row included always having fun locations and its turf war approach. We’re going to look at both.

Location, Location, Location

Open-world crime games typically run with a fictional location inspired by a real world city. GTA has Vice City (Miami), Liberty City (New York), and San Andreas (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas) while Mafia has Lost Haven (Chicago), Empire Bay (mostly New York), and New Bordeaux (New Orleans).

Saints Row has its own fictional areas with Steelport and Stillwater being the two main focuses. The 2022 reboot introduced Santo Ileso which is based on Las Vegas. It’s another strong location but there were a few things that didn’t make this a contender for replayability for me. It wasn’t a dismal game but it wasn’t as fun of an adventure as the previous four were.

That’s for another time.

Stilwater in Saints Row 2 and Steelport in SR: The Third were my favorite locations in the franchise. The player spent the first SR game assisting in taking a small gang to the top of the city only to wake up from a coma and find the gang in shambles. Not only that but they’ve lost a lot of turf and parts of the city are changing.

Mind you, between the first and second game—canonically five years apart—the city grew in size. That just meant more room to groove, more space for chaos, and more activities! You could even go on the stroll in SR2. That was very new when you’re used to just picking up sex workers in GTA games and having them drain your money while the car rocks.

In SR: The Third, the gang has gone from a recovered street gang to gangsta celebrities. They’re in a different city away from their power base of Stilwater and the Ultor Corporation isn’t the threat here. Steelport is run by The Syndicate which is made up of three gangs. There’s also the threat of the government’s anti-aging task force which has shown up to drop the hammer.

At the time, there were grumblings about the new location but there will be grumblings about any particular feature or element of a game. I did find the city to be not as active as Stilwater while appearing to be larger—which is always a problem.

That aside, what you were able to do in the city and missions that had you out and about in Steelport were very fun. It also helps that the team you put together in SR2 are better rounded out which is something that would continue in SR4 with the characters having matured while remaining immature and bringing in some new faces.

Turf Wars in Saints Row

Turf wars or gang wars made their debut in open-world crime gangs with GTA: San Andreas. Saints Row, The Godfather, and to a degree Mafia improved on that mechanic. Of the three, Saints Row did the most with it because it was tied closely to the gameplay and story.

Volition got away from that element somewhat in SR4. Sure, there’s still turf to fight for but your main character The Boss is trapped in a simulation and the main opposition comes from an alien controlling things.

No, the first three Saints Row games and to a lesser degree the reboot got turf wars right. Rival gangs were introduced, they were prominent in areas they controlled, and the main missions focused on taking them down and taking over their spots. Success resulted in some perks for the gang, being able to go through a piece of turf without enemies lighting you up, and seeing Saints purple on the map indicating your territory.

Sometimes the battles were pretty spicy, especially if the law showed up or were just passing by. Most of the times, it was your usual slam all the enemies in this mission until you wipe the waves or achieved some objective. In some ways, it was very straight forward but it wasn’t purely “clap the ops to sleep.”

That was the San Andreas approach and sometimes it didn’t work when a stray Balla gang member was stuck somewhere or at the border of the block or turf you were fighting over and you couldn’t find them. It was always that one guy.

If you’ve played the Saints Row franchise, what was your favorite and least favorite title? Also, it was mentioned in passing but have you played The Godfather?

As always, let us know down below!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

It should be noted that the studio had another big project in that decade with the highly acclaimed Red Dead Redemption II. So, Rockstar hasn’t been idly twiddling their thumbs while Online printed money. Work was being done in that time and on the Grand Theft Auto front, a lot has been done.

There Was Another Trailer on GTA VI Day

Although, Rockstar was giving a lot of time to GTA Online—especially during the COVID-era boom for GTA V with FiveM and player servers keeping the game active. It’s just that there were players not on Online doing things they’d like to do in Online. Yes, GTA roleplay.

The GTA VI trailer gave us a cinematic look at the iconic Vice City from the 2002 titular game—40 years into the future. Rockstar has a real talent for capturing American mainstream culture in specific periods of time. The present day seems to be easiest but I recommend a quick jaunt to 1984 Vice City and 1992 Los Santos.

That aside, this trailer was a great drop on a day where the only trailer that I was aware of is the new expansion for Destiny 2. Actually, my brother was considering getting back into Destiny 2–as was I for the summer—when he sent me a text that the GTA VI trailer had dropped…the same day as the trailer for “The Edge of Fate” trailer.

This is Grand Theft Auto VI we’re talking about. There’s going to be about 13 years between the two main series titles. It’s smarter to just move your trailer release date if you want to snap up some more casual players or those not familiar with your game or series. Then again, it was a well-received surprise drop.

Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate Trailer

With that said, Destiny 2’s trailer was also great. Bungie tends to really deliver with their trailers with one important inclusion: combat gameplay. When looking games on the PlayStation Network, you’ll find a lot of trailers are cinematic in nature. That’s fine, that’s a developer choice but if it’s anything but a business or trading sim—show the combat in the first trailer!

Yes, we’re in a time where the writing is more layered and gives more lore but we’re also in a time where developers really want you to see these mini-movies. Not only the reveal trailer but also the follow-up. You can be three or four trailers in before the devs actually focus on gameplay and combat—if available.

Not Bungie. Oh no, they mix cinematic cutscenes and story cues with in-game combat. Oh and they show off the new guns and abilities. The studio knows what we mainly show up for and they whet your whistle for it because to be honest: at a certain point in the season, you can dip out and play something else. It’ll be a bit before the next chapter in the story is released and if you feel you’ve done enough that season, why not?

The main thing about the trailer for “The Edge of Fate” and Destiny 2 in general is it’s a title very much for the hardcores. If you’re a fan of Destiny or maybe even Bungie’s work, the trailer is geared towards you. You’ve likely followed the story actively, you might live in PvP, your sole goal in the game might be to hunt down the best rolls on weapons you enjoy using—but you know your sh** about Destiny. Myself, I exist between casual and hardcore for the series. I’m in it mainly for the gunplay, loot in PvE, and slamming in PvP—the trailer did its job.

From what I see from the two releases, the GTA VI trailer hit harder because of the amount of time between the two games and the release date reveal. That combination will always do it for an acclaimed series. With Destiny 2, it would probably take announcement of Destiny 3 to get a similar—but not exact buzz.

That and Rockstar not announcing a new Bully or Manhunt.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Dead Island 2 Slams

So, getting into Dead Island 2, I had seen streams and was interested. I’d played Dead Island, Riptide, and Dying Light—same developer, same theme, same approach, different gameplay—and enjoy Techland’s work with zombie apocalypse stuff.

The studio found the perfect blend of over the top fun and action with difficulty and danger. The first two Dead Island games feature some base protection—an important part of zombie survival—but Dead Island 2 is more about exploration and action.

Most puzzles can be solved by exploring and finding a key item. There’s little parkour-level climbing as is the case with Dying Light. We’re talking simple mantling, putting stuff in stuff, unlocking doors, and killing zombies.

Simple and straightforward.

Of Course the Chosen Survivor is an Errand Runner

As with any open-world action or action RPG, your character—one who is immune to zombie bites, a walking killing machine—is often sent out to retrieve something or save someone. Unless you’ve got a buddy to play with, it’s all on you with no AI partners for the most part.

There are some situations or areas where humans might fight the zombies but for most of the game, living humans are either huddled together safely somewhere or zombie meal. Because there aren’t that many people willing to brave Hell-A, you’re left to run everyone’s errand and find their loved ones.

It’s honestly no different from Fallout and everyone giving the Lone Survivor work—and mostly mediocre pay. Well, in Dead Island 2, the pay is often some decent weapon for your level but those mission tend to be very involved.

That’s Called “Incentive”

That’s a large part of the fun of Dead Island games: using judgment, being patient and improving your arsenal and abilities. For the time that they come out, the games feature big enough game worlds for you to find something to do and level up.

Normally, I take a “I’ll do it when I do it” approach to achievements and challenges but in games like DI2 and Borderlands—ehh, I put in the effort. I’m actually learning the controls to where I’m better than good with timed dodges and blocking.

Now, that’s a big improvement for me because I build every character in every game like a rogue or assassin: damage and criticals. In this game, I’m actually trying to master moves since effectiveness in combat allows you to beat a challenge and get some bonus.

That’s what challenges should do and you notice more games doing it. This stretches out the game a bit as it encourages exploration and discourages blitzing through it—and Dead Island 2 like the original isn’t a game to blitz through.

Similar to Farcry. Combat makes up a huge part of both games with Farcry featuring a focus on territory claiming but rewarding exploration is a large part as well. Both franchises work within large worlds, after all.

How Can We Not Focus on Crafting?

Crafting is something I will sink minutes into whether it’s to boost the armoring/blacksmithing/crafting skill, to produce gear for adventuring, or to engage in enterprise. It’s a feature that tends to feed into other features in a game such as an economy, exploring or raiding for resources, or even lockpicking and stealing.

Personally, I feel that crafting is the straw that stirs the drink in a game. It keeps players engaged to make the perfect weapon for them or for this build. In DI2, crafting will have you looting anything with a white outline, wondering where the next workbench is—never mind that map—and trying to juice up your weapons with damage and status upgrades.

I dig that, I’ve gotten into a preferred combat style with faster weapons using Jacob and I’m having a blast discovering new mods. It’s making me more conscious of my resources for crafting and consider selling over scrapping.

Overall, this was a great release for 2023 and I’d say that the single player campaign is still worth playing now. All the involved gameplay mechanics work within sync for this fun zombie-slaying experience.

What were your thoughts on Dead Island 2? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

The first time I played the franchise was Borderlands 3 a few years ago. Like Destiny 2, my brother tried to explain the storyline and lore leading up to be BL3. While I’m interested in different franchises’ lore, sometimes there’s so much to get into in one sitting or during gameplay—a lot to explain as well.

I mean, I’m not even a big fan of lore dumping in games with lengthy dialogue. I use the “Skip Scene” button frequently because a character has over extended their dialogue.

In-Game Dialogue is a Strong Point in Borderlands

Then you get to Borderlands. While there is story to explain, characters tend to take the time necessary based on the immediate severity of the situation. Dialogue could be rushed and urgent or more relaxed when there will be something of breather in the story.

Sure, there will be plenty of combat but the pacing of BL is such that you’re not rushed along from one story act to the next. The side missions and multi-part acts encourages players to explore. It helps that the dialogue isn’t trying to hold you so that voice actors can get their sh** off.

Of course, it’s simply how characters are written but some characters in say Destiny 2 speak as if the situation isn’t as serious as they tried to impress upon you. Honestly, wrap it up, we’ve got to protect the Traveler.

Improvements Over Time

So there’s a contrast between the space western and the sci-fi epic. Both do have great gameplay as far as combat is concerned. The gunplay in Borderlands improved with each game starting from a pretty good spot in the first one where the guns were decent depending on what you preferred and how you played.

What also hindered this but I kind of enjoyed was that certain guns were better suited for certain classes in the first game. In the second game that was improved along with explosives being more useful and effective.

The Pre-Sequel introduced new motion mechanics with moon gravity and needing to get oxygen. It added this sliver of survival that wouldn’t dominate the game’s main approach and make it something different.

On that note, a survival game in the BL universe either single player, multiplayer or MMORPG? That could be interesting. After playing games like Destiny 2, Diablo IV, and Ghost Recon, I’d say Borderlands is a game that could do the live service, game lobby approach. The game lends itself to that scale of online play.

Then we get a game like Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a fun, fantasy spin-off. I always like when a studio realizes it has a formula and just applies it to a different setting or genre. Sometimes it’s that simple.

By BL3, everything had been improved, weapons felt unique by manufacturer and firing mode—Dahl and Jakobs guns can be monsters in this game. Also, movement got the biggest improvement in the series thanks to the simple inclusion of mantling or climbing.

It might seem minor but remember that Borderlands was released when mantling and automatic climbing had become standard in first person games. So, this was pretty damn big for the series.

With Borderlands 4 coming out in 2025, what are some features or directions you’re anticipating? What are some of the features or characters you enjoy from the series—I’m a Zer0 fan.

Share your thoughts below!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

The Lack of People Made Me Wonder in Super Mario Games

The Mario games had that even on stages that had no actual backgrounds like the haunted houses in Super Mario World or castles and forts in the OG Super Mario Bros. There was something exciting happening on the screen.

Then you get older and a little critical. You’ve been exposed to better worlds, elaborate game design, and story—so much story that one of the most revolutionary features in gaming is the “Skip Scene” button.

So, the worlds of the Mario games seem super odd. Like sure, it’s a world of fantasy but even worlds of fantasy have some order, right? In SMB, I basically used imagination to figure out where all of the people were. I came to the conclusion that each stage in SMB, SMB3, and SMW are basically battlegrounds to face Bowser and his Koopa Troopas.

There’s no way I, as a villain, would kidnap a princess or the magic scepters of a bunch of kings ruling over barren lands. They would basically be bandit chiefs with ties to the Crown. No, these battles took place away from civilization with Mario and Luigi having to win each time.

I mean, it would at least make it seem like the Mushroom Kingdom and the other kingdoms are fighting back, right? There’s no way any of those castles would be standing in Super Mario Bros. 3 if there was no resisting army. Bowser’s Koopalings all had Flying Fortresses. Those things shots normal-sized and large Bullet Bills. They dropped bombs. If there was no military Mario and Luigi would’ve been running through parking lots.

The Mario RPGs Explained Things Much Better

As always, leave it up to RPGs and the social aspect to breathe life into these worlds. Even in Super Mario 64—a massive step into the late 90s and early 2000s for Nintendo—that world was sparse. It was just Mario, Peach, Bowser, and a bunch of enemies. Toad and someone else might have been there but it wasn’t a populated world.

It would also explain how the warp pipes dropped Mario and Luigi off just where they needed to go. The RPGs games—like the Megaman action RPGs on Game Boy Advance—featured towns and villages with inhabitants, shops, and side quests.

Mario and his party actually seemed like part of the Mushroom Kingdom and not an isekai savior. Because why would you summon a plumber with an unknown background to your world to save you? Mario could’ve had a violent criminal record or been a bloodthirsty maniac. The Mushroom Council or the Stars lucked up and got a kind-hearted, heroic plumber and his brother of questionable courage. Then again, they got a plumber of all people. Two! They got a buy-one-get-one-free on New York plumbers. What rotten RNG.

Of course, there are retellings of how Mario and Luigi were born in that world but even that begs questions. Apparently, there are or were humans wherever they are. What happened to them? All of the kings in SMB3 are human, Peach, Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Wario and so on. What’s up with the humans?

There are plenty of toadstools. We were even introduced to friendly koopas in Paper Mario and peaceful communities of Yoshis in Super Mario World. That question among others I’ve had over the years about one of my favorite franchises calls for an anime and perhaps a manga with continuity.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

While the ending factors into why players were turned off by the game, there were other features and elements that annoyed others and some I actually understand and agree with while others were more nit-picky. We’ll look at three of the standout reasons for the dislike of ACIII.

Linear Open World

I’ve read that some players felt the open world—based in the American Colonies leading into the Revolutionary War—was too linear at times. The high seas action definitely felt somewhat restrictive but I really noticed that running through woods and hunting left something to be desired. This is also the case for AC: Black Flag. In both games, I found the towns and settlements more interesting but some missions definitely restricted your exploration of them.

For me, it was the chase missions—which I hate in any game. They’re just not fun to me at all. There are other side missions in the colonial period that I find enjoyable such as managing the Homestead and the sea trade but again, when you play through the second time—or even after time in the first play-through—you notice that things are a little snug freedom-wise.

The Death of Desmond Miles

Now, I’ve never been a fan of the modern day stuff in Assassin’s Creed. I appreciate it as a means of driving the main storyline but sometimes it could go on and on and the jumps into the past are simply more enjoyable. Hell, I even find the period stories more interesting. It was no different in ACIII. I just wanted to play Connor’s adventures and see his story unfold in the ongoing conflict between the Brotherhood and the Templars.

However, Desmond dying at this point was an exceptionally mid writing decision. I had gotten used to playing Desmond’s story even though I had little interest in the modern day stuff. If the franchise was ending there, fine but there’s several games following ACIII and each one gets better story-wise and mechanically.

It’s to the point that the first two games just feel clunky and stripped down when I go back to play them. The stories themselves still hold up but everything just felt dated gameplay-wise. The original plan was for it to end at ACIII but with future games focusing on Layla Hassan—and Hassan hanging around for several games—I can’t help but think that Desmond didn’t have to go out like at that point.

It would’ve interesting to see how the franchise would’ve panned out with Desmond alive but having played the newer games, Layla is a good protagonist for this stage of the franchise.

Connor Was a Dry Character

This is a view I actually agree with to a degree. Connor had a reason to ally with the Colonists and his story and lineage were interesting but at times it felt like Connor would rather be doing anything else but these missions. Now, I agree with him on some missions like the sneak and follow ones but there could’ve been more enthusiasm or conviction in doing the missions themselves. Hell, even if it was expressed that he was aiding America as a means to an end would’ve helped. Me playing as Connor was similar to me going through Fallout 3 and 4 and not caring about the “finding missing family” storyline. I simply couldn’t be bothered—until the end.

So, he was a pretty wooden character but a good enough character to experience the world through mainly because of his personal story and the twists involved, he simply lacked the appeal of Ezio from ACII and his grandfather Edward Kenway from Black Flag.

What were your gripes towards ACIII, if any? What did you really enjoy in the game? Take a look back and let us know!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Legend of the River King Made Fishing Games Extremely Fun

Prior to playing this, I’d played a few other fishing games such as Sega Bass Fishing but that was more of an arcade-style game. It wasn’t even a fishing sim—which I would later play and found them enjoyable enough. However, it wasn’t something I was going to finish.

Legend of the River King had the appeal of being a Natsume game off the bat. I was playing Harvest Moon 64, a hard game to find at the time when I saw Legend of the River King GBC being mentioned along with Harvest Moon GB 2. I was planning to play that HM game but LRK was intriguing.

Getting into it, I found that it had a sliver of story—just enough to get you started on your adventure. Honestly, Harvest Moon was similar because after a while, the reason for you being there to take over the farm doesn’t really matter and it’s mentioned every now and then.

It drives you to straighten up the farm but its not an ongoing story for the game. That was the same case in Legend of the River King. You just have to retrieve a legendary fish to prevent natural disasters on this island—if I’m remembering correctly—but it won’t be easy at all.

You’ll make a lot of progress in the game with money and you have to catch fish to sell. As the game advances, you run into more methods to make money. The next one is in combat—which is somewhat odd that something that isn’t fishing-related made this one of the most enjoyable fishing games.

Before moving into the next method, the combat in this game is simple and works. Players just have to stop the moving fish on an enemy—usually wildlife—or their weak spot. That’s it! It’s the combat and leveling that move this game into RPG territory.

I mean, otherwise it would’ve been a slog of a fishing game. There’s also diving, a very profitable way to make money and deep-sea fishing. Once you get the hang of the fishing and combat mechanics, this game is pretty self-explanatory.

It’s also a game that came before the lengthy tutorials we find in-game now, so you’re diving right into the mess right after the brief opening. Then again, the mechanics in this game aren’t complex at all. If you’ve visited a store and upgraded your gear in any game, you’ll know to upgrade your stuff here as well.

Worth a Reboot?

The situation with Natsume Inc and Marvelous Inc saw a bit of a licensing situation over the Harvest Moon title resulting in two game franchises. The Legend of the River King series continued into the Nintendo DS era but following Legend of the River King 2, the combat was taken out and it became just a fishing game.

The PlayStation 2 entry was fine but I maintain that LRK2 on the Game Boy Color was the best in the franchise. If anything, I think a reboot going back to the GBC games would be great otherwise let it remain dormant. It’s just not worth it for a light fishing game with no conflict or leveling elements to me. If the combat is gone, perhaps it should be more of a fishing sim.

Have you played any of the Legend of the River King games? If so, did they stand out to you? Is it a game where you could see a reboot happening? Let us know!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

These are elements that tend not to hit it off on a mainstream stage. I don’t want to say those are elements and a genre of gaming for your hardcore gamers but the hardcores tend to hold that corner of gaming down. It’s not a genre that casual gamers set up camp in regularly.

That means long-running series such as XCOM, Shadowrun, Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle, Fire Emblem, and the early Fallout games tend to be loved more by those very familiar with the gameplay and progression.

Hell, Fallout had to evolve and go 3D first-person to get over on a larger stage. Now look at the franchise: several award-winning entries, an MMORPG, a mobile offering, merchandise, and an Amazon series. I’m not saying XCOM should do the same but it’s going to be a crawl before it becomes a runaway phenomenon like Fallout while sticking to its roots.

Enter Marvel’s Midnight Suns

So, we’ve gathered that Firaxis Games is very good at a particular genre of games but they need that something extra to really pop beyond its loyal fanbase. One thing that will do that is work with Marvel. The entertainment powerhouse has enough IPs to work with for many gaming companies to do a variety of games—the same with DC Comics.

It was an interesting project to see what Firaxis would cook up with a Marvel property and they were given a low-risk one to work with in The Midnight Suns. Now, I’ll admit I was very excited about it because I like the gameplay of XCOM 2 although the loading at the time I played it on PS4 was egregious.

Also, in playing Marvel’s Midnight Suns, it was more mobile hero RPG like Star Wars Galaxies when Jr came to combat—and I was good with that. If anything it was basically Firaxis’ tactical RPG approach sped up, something I hope they utilize in another XCOM series. The battles in XCOM can be a grind for even the most seasoned player. Unless you’re marathoning or no-lifing the game, you’re not going to get a ton of battles in a couple of hours sitting.

In Midnight Suns, you could get a couple of battles in because of the smaller stages. Replacing the large stages of XCOM are waves of enemies. However, the core of running an organization or group of fighters and assigning missions are still there. I’d say it’s better done in Midnight Suns but that’s because there’s a focus on the characters with stories as opposed to just leveling up recruits.

One thing that did slow things down was needed to interact with characters regularly because there are bonuses tied to befriending them and giving gifts. Personally, I loved this part but I can see how it would turn off some players who just want to slam. I felt it added to the game a lot. Another thing I enjoyed but I could see being an issue is the whole exploration of the Abbey. Lots of mysteries to unlock but some of it is so lore-heavy that I found myself skipping some journal entries and the like frequently.

Hell, I found myself doing more of the hero-tied missions and collecting artifacts and the like than really getting into the main story missions. It’s just a well-designed experience.

This is the Formula and Firaxis Should Get Another Crack at It

Honestly, I felt this was a breath of fresh air for Marvel games. I love the open-world action games and the exploration that comes with the usually fluid battles and transversal of these well-crafted cities but we’ve been getting those for roughly 20 years via the Spider-Man games.

It’s for good reason because it’s a formula that sells. Unfortunately, Firaxis’ formula didn’t so it but I believe it would be great for a larger group like The Avengers or the X-Men. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t be that much different from Marvel’s Midnight Suns: just larger names and more heroes to play with.

What were your thoughts and experiences with Midnight Suns? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Meanwhile, Blizzard’s mobile offering Diablo Immortal and the previous console/PC offering Diablo III were several seasons in—themed seasons with stories. From following players who had been in since season one, I don’t want to say there was a drought of content—it’s not Outriders or anything—but Diablo IV wasn’t pushing like a games as a service title such as Destiny 2.

I mean, folks were stoked about Diablo IV on launch and they pretty much ate through the campaign quickly. Hell, me and Tardell—my younger brother and AfroGamers writer—went through the campaign quickly just to get to the “Season of Blood” content. A lot of the lore stuff, some of the cut scenes, and the random, wordy journal entries were skipped over.

Listen, I wanted to slam and would read all of that afterwards on dedicated wikis or as a story time from Diablo loremasters on YouTube—shout out to TheBritishRunner for their four-hour documentary on the timeline. I love hearing the lore timeline of a game but the writers for D4 were really in their creative bag with how much dialogue and how long some of this lore was in game. A little too in their bag at times.

It’s Diablo: I want to get loot, boost it, and slam, slam, slam, folks.

Diablo IV Season 4: Loot Reborn

So, season two had stuff I liked in the vampiric powers and just fighting vampires in general. It was a blast and so far, they hold the honors as my favorite seasonal threat. As mentioned before, season 3 “Season of the Construct” introduced a little mechanical buddy that fought alongside you or healed as necessary. It was a cool addition and more importantly, it introduced something that should’ve stayed in season 4.

Nay, it should’ve replaced a Diablo staple or been presented more than said staple: the vaults. The ever-popular vaults were fantastic while presenting this great blend of challenging but not time-consuming and grindy like dungeons. I wouldn’t totally scrap the dungeons because I’m certain many players enjoyed them but there’s no denying that the vaults were it.

My rogue and my brother’s sorcerer would just chain vaults back-to-back and throw in a little Helltide or camp out in the field to just summon frenzied constructs to slam. With vaults, we chained them back-to-back but there was a tedium to doing them after four or five. It was time to throw in back-to-back Helltide runs just to dull what was beginning to feel like work and drudgery.

Unfortunately, the vaults were scrapped for season 4—where did they go? No one knows nor does it matter since each season pretty much takes place after Lilith is clapped. These aren’t continuing adventures your character is having, each seasonal character just came back from beating Lilith. Or perhaps they’re a new hero in town. Interesting.

The point is that the hero of Sanctuary didn’t clap Lilith to sleep, clap the vampires to sleep, then put Malphus in the dirt. It’s a thing. Having heard player suggestions and complaints, Blizzard made some massive improvements. So massive that they proclaimed it was an entirely different game and could’ve “been called Diablo V.” That’s pretty bold but guess what? It’s a very different game.

This Season Is What It Says It Is

Season 4 dropped on May 14, 2024 and presented with it upgrades to loot and how it drops, how stats and skills are presented, and most importantly, a reworking of the crafting. The crafting element introduced tempering and masterworking—the latter being available after completing a level 46 dungeon—which can really open your gear and your build up. These work in tandem with being able to select an Aspect from your library of gained Aspects.

It’s a season that truly lives up to its name and even has an advanced dungeon run where you can gain special resources for masterworking gear. Blizzard really did the dew with this season although I didn’t need the extra month of waiting nor the removal of vaults. Of course, they made up for the wait with all this grease they gave players at just World Tier 2.

Of course, we always start at World Tier 2 and after the fall of Lilith. No one’s playing through that lengthy story again unless they’re new.

You can actually make some of the builds you see online and on YouTube easily if you have the resources. Not only that, Blizzard also moved some crafters around to be closer to each other in towns, added a jeweler to the Tree of Whispers, seasonal potions, new consumables, Helltides for every World Tier, and—you can speed through town on your horse.

If you’re a Diablo IV player, share your impressions on “Loot Reborn”! Is it too easy? Did Blizzard give us too much grease? Or are you enjoying the game more than you did before? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.