-
1 week 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.
-
1 week 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.
-
1 week 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.
-
2 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Brushes with Death ReviewAdding DLC to a narrative-driven game is a tricky proposition. On one hand, it can’t significantly re-write the story players have already experienced. Nor can the new content change the existing story arc in a meaningful way, because lots of players might skip it. Brushes with Death, the first of three DLCs for this year’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, does as good a job as any in threading the needle.
-
3 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Lost in Random: The Eternal Die PreviewIt’s always fun when a game franchise takes off in an unpredictable direction. It can be a risky move, too, especially if the first game was a success. 2021’s Lost in Random was a third person action adventure RPG, set in a charmingly grotesque world. The setting and art style were attention-grabbing, a dark gothic union of Tim Burton and Alice in Wonderland.
-
3 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Palia ReviewIt might not be entirely true now, but for a long time the public perception of video games was that they were mostly focused on violence. Of course, that tired trope was mostly spread by non-gamers. Actual gamers know that games come in every possible shape, size, genre and approach. There are plenty of so-called cozy games where the biggest source of drama is running out of crafting materials. Palia is one of those games, nearly bereft of violence and drenched in chill.
-
4 weeks ago | 
cogconnected.com | Mark Steighner
Introducing Top ScoreForget the golden age, this is platinum age for video game music. Whether it’s a triple-A blockbuster or smaller indie title, the quality of music has become amazingly consistent. That doesn’t mean it all sounds the same, of course. For every dramatic orchestral score there’s a synth-heavy soundtrack driving the action. The common thread is that developers now put significant resources into their games’ music and the results are usually stellar.
-
1 month 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.
-
1 month 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.
-
1 month 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?
