Taylor Bauer

Chicago

Games Industry Journalist at Phenixx Gaming

📍 Chicagoland / games industry and culture journalist @phenixxg / prev. @sbnation, @npr

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Articles

Nintendo Switch Mobile App Adds Key Features

1 week ago | web.phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

If you want to get Nintendo Switch news, you have an app for that. If you want to access things like your favorite in-game soundtracks and sounds, there’s an app for that, too, but it’s separate from the news app. Managing parental controls? It is also possible from a mobile app, but an entirely different one than the News and Music apps. Then, there’s the Nintendo Switch app, focused on online services and a growing number of features for Nintendo’s hit console.
Switch 2 Needs a Pokémon Conquest Sequel

1 week ago | web.phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

Pokémon Conquest isn’t the type of game you name-drop to your friends and begin a deep, long conversation about memorable moments like you would a mainline Pokémon game. Even the Pokémon Snap franchise gets more nostalgia-laced discourse going online than the 2012 tactical RPG.
Sugardew Island (Nintendo Switch) Review

1 week ago | web.phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

The core appeal of games like Harvest Moon has persisted in countless farming and easy-going life sims for decades. Since the release of Stardew Valley, an entire new generation of gamers has fallen in love with the slower, more casual experience of these cozy adventures. Of course, Animal Crossing and the likes borrow quite a bit from one another, making it challenging for any new release in this space to stand out.
PNY Launching microSD Express Card Just In Time for Switch 2

2 weeks ago | web.phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

In an increasingly digital age, storage space to store your digital downloads is less of a luxury and more of a necessity. When the Switch 2 reveal included details about the need for a MicroSD Express card for any external storage, gamers scrambled to figure out two things. First, what is a microSD Express card, and second, who makes them? While a few options were on the market, more are on the way from many companies ahead of the June 5th launch of the Nintendo Switch 2.
Switch 2 User Agreement Isn’t Anything New, But is Telling

3 weeks ago | web.phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

(Editor’s Note: The following article contains mention of ROMs or other legal “grey areas.” Phenixx Gaming is not encouraging such activities.)There’s a lot of chatter online this week about the Nintendo Switch 2 User Agreement. A specific section concerning what the company might exercise in terms of its ability to limit a user’s use of their console if they break the terms of the End User License Agreement (EULA) seems to have really set people off.
Xbox Company Microsoft Lays Off 3% of Workforce

3 weeks ago | web.phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

Tariff uncertainty and prolonged inflation post-COVID are leaving many executives scrambling for solutions to appease shareholders despite continued record profits. There are a lot of things going right for Xbox right now, including finding newfound success selling its games on PlayStation 5. Of course, there’s some not-so-great news, too, including an increase in pricing across all Xbox consoles beyond launch pricing.
Gears of War: Reloaded to Launch this Summer

1 month ago | phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

Gears of War always stuck out to me as a game that defined who Xbox was as a company and brand. Its focus on multiplayer, storytelling, and core game mechanics that do the heavy lifting for the player’s experience makes the franchise one of my favorites of all time. For years, rumors circulated that a Gears of War collection of remasters might be released. However, it appears like Xbox is trying a different approach.
Gothic Roguelite Bloodbreaker: Labyrinth of the Witch Revealed

1 month ago | phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

One of the namesake games for the Metroidvania genre, Castlevania, is not only a great game to play but also oozes aesthetics and style. The art direction, the vampire lore, and the colors of those iconic games stay with you forever. A new, upcoming roguelite seeks to evoke the gameplay and vampiric energy from that iconic series in the gothic Metroidvania, Bloodbreaker: Labyrinth of the Witch.
Switch 2 Price Concerns Highlight a Changing Industry

1 month ago | phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

The Switch 2 debuted to a roller coaster of feedback, hot takes, and mixed emotions. The presentation was generally received well if you judge the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct in a vacuum. Once that press release dropped, indicating the price tag of the console and the increased price of software, the momentum train slowed. Sticker shock and questions about the value proposition presented by Nintendo for their next console generation leave many things uncertain.
Solo MMORPG Erenshor Launches on Steam

1 month ago | phenixxgaming.com | Taylor Bauer

Erenshor will immediately become familiar to fans of the MMORPG genre. Its art style and design are highly similar to World of Warcraft or Runescape in the 2000s. The significant difference here (besides the game releasing in 2025) is that the MMORPG elements are simulated. You are playing a single-player experience where the others around you, designed to look like other player characters, are programmed. For some, that might seem like it defeats the purpose of the MMO aspect of the genre.