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2 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Nioh 3 PreviewFor fans of Soulslikes and action RPGS, this past week has been like Christmas in June. First, an unexpected Alpha demo of Team Ninja’s Nioh 3 shadow dropped, followed by the highly-anticipated DLC for Lies of P. Whew. Talk about a windfall. We’ll cover Lies of P’s Overture DLC a little later. Not Surprising and Very SurprisingTeam Ninja has been a busy studio, releasing action-RPGs at a surprisingly rapid clip.
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2 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Another Stellar Day of the DevsOne of the most anticipated events of the annual Summer Games Fest is the Day of the Devs. I’m always excited to attend the preview because I know that at least one of the indie games being showcased is guaranteed to be a breakout hit. As always, there’s an astounding amount of passion and creativity on display. These qualities are sometimes lacking in behemoth AAA titles. No concept is too odd, as long as the resulting game is fun.
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3 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
New and Shiny and Still FamiliarOnce upon a time, I was consumed by MMORPGs. World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, and the Elder Scrolls Online were in constant rotation. While hundreds of MMOs have come and gone, these — and a few others — have remained vital and viable. This is because those games constantly reassess and reinvent themselves. They try things to entice new players and hold on to faithful, long-term fans.
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3 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Dragon is Dead ReviewI enjoy reviewing games of just about every genre, but I’ll happily admit a soft spot for action RPGs, roguelikes, Soulslikes, Metroidvanias and their kin. The only downside is that there are so many of them that after a while, they start to blur together. It’s always a pleasure and a bit of a relief when a new game tries to break memorably free of the template. There are a lot of ways to do it, too, like art direction, narrative and mechanics.
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3 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Master Crafted Edition ReviewAnyone who is a fan of third-person action games is certainly aware of 2024’s Space Marine 2. It was a huge success with fans and critics, iterating on the 2011 original in lots of great ways. Amazing graphics, epic battles, and an engaging campaign were all part of the fun.
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3 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
MIO: Memories in Orbit PreviewLet me ask you a question. Given a particular genre, what makes a game stand out? Of course, the answer depends on lots of factors, like the art, graphics, sound, story, and especially, mechanics and gameplay. I pondered this question as I played the demo for MIO: Memories in Orbit. It’s a 2.5D Metroidvania that ticks all the boxes associated with the genre. Developed by indie studio Douze Dixièmes and published by Focus Entertainment, MIO looks pretty promising.
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3 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
to a T ReviewWe’re all different in one way or another. Some of us, more obviously so. Like Teen, the protagonist of to a T, which springs from the imagination of Katamari Damacy developer Keita Takahashi. Teen — or whatever you chose to name them — is apparently permanently stuck in a T pose. Of course, why and how Teen is in that scarecrow-like posture is the stuff of the narrative. No spoilers. Coming of Ageto a T begins on Teen’s 13th birthday, but it’s a pretty normal day all in all.
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1 month ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Elden Ring Nightreign ReviewI have played thousands of hours of Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and other FromSoftware games. I have spent a fair amount of time in Fortnite and other battle royale games as well. Never once did I wonder what it would be like if FromSoft bioengineered Elden Ring as a roguelike battle royale. Elden Ring Nightreign is the somewhat glorious answer to my unasked question. It’s the unexpected Elden Ring spinoff we didn’t know we wanted or needed.
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1 month ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon ReviewI am a huge fan of anything Arthurian. I’ve even taken multiple pilgrimages to Great Britain to scope out the legendary sites. I’ve also followed Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon’s long development as it made its way to full release. The final product is still a work in progress with more than its share of flaws, but they’re worth at least tolerating for the ambitious game underneath.
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1 month ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
RIG 400 Gen 2 Headset ReviewI think it’s pretty safe to say that for most gamers, a comfortable headset is right up there with a responsive controller, keyboard, or mouse when it comes to essential gear. Aside from enveloping you in sound and bringing the action to sonic life, headsets isolate all the explosions and epic music from easily perturbed family members. Communicating with others in multiplayer is another huge bullet point.
