Gaming NPR explores the latest in games and gaming culture — from the latest digital titles to what's on our tabletops.

Gaming

Thursday November 26, 2020

'Genshin Impact' Is Free-To-Play Fun — If You Can Resist Opening Your Wallet

Genshin Impact has a huge world to explore, and a surprising amount of content for a free-to-play game. Screenshot by Kaity Kline/MiHoYo hide caption

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Screenshot by Kaity Kline/MiHoYo

Games

'Genshin Impact' Is Free-To-Play Fun — If You Can Resist Opening Your Wallet

November 26, 2020 • The exploration and combat game Genshin Impact has earned some favorable comparisons to Nintendo's Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but like many free-to-play games, it's good at getting you to spend money.

Thursday November 19, 2020

It's Not Easy Porting Games To The Nintendo Switch — But Developers Do It Anyhow

Nintendo's Switch console is less powerful than competing consoles, but offers a more interesting gameplay experience. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Games

It's Not Easy Porting Games To The Nintendo Switch — But Developers Do It Anyhow

November 19, 2020 • Nintendo has long prioritized interesting gaming experiences over graphical firepower, but the popularity of its consoles means developers are willing to make the effort to rework games for them.

Sunday November 15, 2020

Life Is Hellish Enough — That's Why I Had To Stop Playing 'Hades'

In Hades, you play as the son of the titular deity, battling to escape the underworld. Supergiant Games hide caption

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Supergiant Games

Games

Life Is Hellish Enough — That's Why I Had To Stop Playing 'Hades'

November 15, 2020 • The hit video game about escaping the underworld is immensely popular and irresistibly well-crafted — but despite its promise of infinite content, the replay value begins to fade eventually.

Thursday November 12, 2020

'Among Us,' It's Every Little Space Sausage For Themselves

InnerSloth/screenshot by Jason Sheehan

Games

'Among Us,' It's Every Little Space Sausage For Themselves

November 12, 2020 • The social deduction game. where you play a froup of funny-shaped little spaceman trying to uncover murderous impostors among you, originally came out in 2018 — but it's having a real moment now.

Thursday October 29, 2020

'If Found...' Brings A Sincere Story — And Brilliant Visuals — To The Nintendo Switch

The eraser mechanic adds another layer of visual payoff to the game's art direction. Annapurna Interactive hide caption

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Annapurna Interactive

Games

'If Found...' Brings A Sincere Story — And Brilliant Visuals — To The Nintendo Switch

October 29, 2020 • An excellent new visual novel, about a transgender woman returning to her hometown in Ireland, is out now on the Nintendo Switch.

Friday October 23, 2020

15 Years On, The Lonely Legacy Of 'Shadow Of The Colossus'

This image from the 2018 remake of Shadow of the Colossus emphasizes the lonely nature of its landscape. Soin Interactive Entertainment hide caption

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Soin Interactive Entertainment

Games

15 Years On, The Lonely Legacy Of 'Shadow Of The Colossus'

October 23, 2020 • Fumito Ueda's moody video game about a young hero wandering a landscape empty of everything except for 16 towering giants originally came out in 2005 — but its loneliness speaks to today's gamers.

Saturday October 17, 2020

Make Love, Not War: Five Years Of 'Undertale'

Fan favorite Sans the Skeleton pops up to tell you about all the terrible things you've done. Toby Fox/Fangamer hide caption

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Toby Fox/Fangamer

Games

Make Love, Not War: Five Years Of 'Undertale'

October 17, 2020 • Undertale, the quirky, pixelated adventure game, became a smash hit when it came out because of its unique mechanism: You can talk to its monsters and show them mercy, rather than killing them.

Monday October 5, 2020

'Super Mario Bros. 35' Evokes Nintendo's Strained Relationship With Fan Developers

Super Mario Bros. 35 once again brings to mind the influence of Nintendo's fan community. Nintendo hide caption

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Nintendo

Games

'Super Mario Bros. 35' Evokes Nintendo's Strained Relationship With Fan Developers

October 5, 2020 • A new battle royale Super Mario Bros. game — released on October 1st — has re-ignited a conversation about Nintendo's relationship with its most passionate fans.

Thursday September 24, 2020

You Think Your Favorite Video Game Is Hard? Try Speedrunning It

Chris Tomkinson — known online as ShinyZeni — streaming a speedrun of Super Metroid. Courtesy of Chris Tomkinson hide caption

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Courtesy of Chris Tomkinson

Games

You Think Your Favorite Video Game Is Hard? Try Speedrunning It

September 24, 2020 • Speedrunning is the quirky subculture dedicated to playing through video games as fast as is humanly possible, exploiting glitches in game code and advanced techniques to barrel ahead.

Monday September 14, 2020

Music Heals In 'Sayonara Wild Hearts,' A Pop Album As Video Game

Sayonara Wild Hearts' protagonist assumes her heroic form as masked avenger The Fool. Simogo hide caption

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Simogo

Music Features

Music Heals In 'Sayonara Wild Hearts,' A Pop Album As Video Game

September 14, 2020 • Sayonara is a dazzling indie game powered by synth-pop and emotional catharsis. In a year of bitter loss and isolation, its existence is a gift.

Thursday September 10, 2020

Remastered 'Tony Hawk' Games Land A High-Scoring Trick

Japanese Olympian Aori Nishimura is one of the new playable characters in Pro Skater 1+2. Courtesy of Activision hide caption

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Courtesy of Activision

Games

Remastered 'Tony Hawk' Games Land A High-Scoring Trick

September 10, 2020 • The very first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games came out two decades ago, for the original PlayStation. Their blocky, flat graphics haven't aged well, but now a remastered version restores their shine.

Monday August 17, 2020

I Thought A Zoo: Simulated Games For Isolated Times

Your animals will demand your attention in Planet Zoo, just one of several simulation games that might distract you from quarantine. Frontier hide caption

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Frontier

Pop Culture Happy Hour

I Thought A Zoo: Simulated Games For Isolated Times

August 17, 2020 • Whether you want to take a break from reality with a zoo, a city, an amusement park, or a hospital full of angry clowns, a simulation game can be just the ticket.

Thursday August 13, 2020

'Fall Guys' Is Candy-Colored Party Battle Fun

The fun of Fall Guys comes in watching its little jelly bean-shaped characters getting whacked around goofy obstacle courses. Mediatonic hide caption

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Mediatonic

Games

'Fall Guys' Is Candy-Colored Party Battle Fun

August 13, 2020 • If you're stressed out by battle royale shooter games like Fortnite, you and your friends may enjoy steering the jelly-bean-esque characters of Fall Guys around an array of goofy obstacle courses.

Thursday July 30, 2020

In The Pandemic Era, This 'Gathering' Has Lost Some Of Its Magic

Players compete in a Magic: The Gathering tournament at Hasbro's HASCON in 2017. Josh Reynolds/AP hide caption

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Josh Reynolds/AP

The Coronavirus Crisis

In The Pandemic Era, This 'Gathering' Has Lost Some Of Its Magic

July 30, 2020 • Magic: The Gathering is a popular collectible card game that's been around for years. But it can be an expensive hobby, and it thrives on in-person play. The pandemic has knocked players for a loop.

Friday July 17, 2020

Saving The World — But First, A Haiku — In 'Ghost Of Tsushima'

Ghost of Tsushima gives players a gorgeous world to explore, but the game's story is dragged down by flat characters. Sony Entertainment/Sucker Punch hide caption

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Sony Entertainment/Sucker Punch

Games

Saving The World — But First, A Haiku — In 'Ghost Of Tsushima'

July 17, 2020 • Sucker Punch's new samurai combat game gives players a gorgeous open world to explore, haikus to write and enemies to defeat — but the characters can be flat, leading to moments of dull gameplay.