Mark Steighner

1 week ago | cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner

Days Gone Remastered ReviewI enjoyed 2019’s open world zombie-apocalypse Days Gone for a very specific reason. It’s set in my literal back yard. Fictionalized or not, Bend, Crater Lake and Lost Lake are all at most a couple of hours drive away. The game’s environments and graphics really nailed the Pacific Northwest vibe. Like many folks, I bounced off certain elements of Days Gone, like aspects of the narrative and leading characters.

2 weeks ago | cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered ReviewFor myself and probably an entire generation of gamers, stepping out of the sewers into the bright open landscape of Cyrodiil was a breakthrough moment not soon forgotten. A major technical advance from Morrowind, those opening moments in Oblivion were full of promise. Dozens of hours later, those promises were fulfilled. Interesting characters and quests, strangeness and jank and surprises were all part of the Oblivion experience.

2 weeks ago | cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree ReviewMandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a 2D action RPG slash Metroidvania side-scroller slash Soulslike, which is about as common a description as you can imagine in 2025. But let’s face it, mechanics like stamina management, dodging, rolling, amped up difficulty and healing bonfires are now the norm. Which, to be clear, is not a bad thing for fans of the genre. Knowing what we’re in for means we can focus on important questions, like is it fun?

3 weeks ago | cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ReviewClair Obscur: Expedition 33 aspires to be many things. First and foremost, it’s a love letter to the mechanics of Final Fantasy and classic JRPGs. At the same time, it’s a character-driven fantasy with echoes of Gulliver’s Travels or Alice in Wonderland. It wants to wow players with slick production values and make them think about the power of art and artists.

3 weeks ago | cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner

Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy ReviewThe labels of remake and remaster are tossed around so frequently and interchangeably in the game world they’ve kind of lost their meaning. They used to mean very specific things. A remaster was a way of cleaning up outdated or buggy code and maybe adding some graphical polish. A remake was a more substantial project. Remakes usually strip an old game down to the basic concepts and build them back up.