Reviews 
State of Decay review: Don't stop
Don't stop or you'll die. This is the prevailing theme of State of Decay, Undead Labs' sandbox survival-horror game for Xbox Live Arcade. It's a game focused on the chores of survival in a post-apocalyptic world: scavenging for supplies in vacant buildings; trading with and aiding neighboring ...
Ron Gilbert's Scurvy Scallywags sings a salty sea shanty
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Ron Gilbert's Beep Games has a new game out on iOS called Scurvy Scallywags (subtitle: In the Voyage to Discover the Ultimate Sea Shanty), and it's a match-three puzzle game with light RPG elements and plenty of ...
The Last of Us review: Humans, conditioned
There was a moment in The Last of Us that was so serene I could have watched it forever. Protagonists Joel and Ellie were finally afforded a breath – a stitch of peace – and I hesitated to nudge them forward. The moment was so starkly different from all the violence that preceded it, so ...
Animal Crossing New Leaf review: Beardo's lament
I've developed a hatred for Beardo, a blue bear with a mustache and sideburns that built his house right next to mine in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I had plans to surround my mansion-to-be with flower beds. While the line of cherry trees I planted set me apart from Beardo, it wasn't good enough. ...
Men's Room Mayhem: Please wash hands before playing
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. The PlayStation Vita represents an interesting cross-section between traditional console games and mobile apps. During the time I've spent with the handheld, I've found myself gravitating toward its ...
Remember Me review: You are what you do
Remember Me evokes a strange nostalgia for itself. It's better to recall it with fondness than with accuracy, because the highlights are so much more endearing than the truth. What makes this especially awkward is the game's central sermon: beware of discarding reality in favor of phony memories. ...
Karateka Classic adapts vintage martial artistry
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. It's rare for an iPhone adaptation of a classic game to work out at all; rarer still for said adaptation to be preferable to the original. Jordan Mechner's faithful iOS/Android port of Karateka accomplishes this ...
Richard & Alice review: Happy when skies are gray
I love games that are deeper, shockingly different than they first appear. Richard & Alice, for example, is a sprite-like, indie point-and-click adventure, a style generally reserved for quirky romps and fantastical stories – but Richard & Alice weaves a dark tale of death, ...
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic arrives on the iPad, and the Force is with it
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is the kind of game that's almost too big to be playing on the iPad. It's easily 30 hours long, with extensive attribute, skill, and combat systems, and it has some of the best ...
Fuse review: Shoot first
Fuse is that bad movie your friends like to sit down and slice apart. It's best played with friends, where teamwork and some interesting weaponry help dull the blunt impact of bad game design, awkward animations and a lack of atmosphere. Without friends, Fuse is nearly intolerable, hampered by ...
The Joystiq Podcast
Super Joystiq Podcast 053: The Last of Us, Remember Me, Xbox One concerns, reader E3 2013 questions
Latest episode: Friday, June 7th, 2013