Michael Hicks sees no reason to separate his values from his video games. The world is a challenging place, and it will take every opportunity to discourage you, but perseverance and wit will help you not only conquer your biggest…
SCUM is a Survival Shooter For the Dungeons and Dragons Crowd
It would be very easy to look at Gamepires SCUM, a prison riot survival shooter, and brush it off as just another fledgling entry in the “games that are basically DayZ” subgenre. The once-king of PC shooters’ influences on the…
Outrun Evil with Big Guns and Blast Beats in Double Kick Heroes
Metal music is known for painting an alternative/futuristic/ancient world as a blasted, brutal environment of warriors and glorious fatalism. Fiction inspired by it shares these characterizing codes. Double Kick Heroes might crystallize all that is metal better than most games…
Trap Adventure 2 is Super Mario Brothers in the Black Lodge
Hiroyoshi Oshiba is a terrorist. We should be meeting in non-descript rooms and drawing up plans to raid the Japanese developer, take him into custody, and answer for the pain and suffering he’s been causing iOS users. Hiro takes glee…
Jarrett Green’s Top 10 Games of 2017
I played a lot of goddamn games this year. Partially because I’ve been ushered to for work, but also because this was a great year for the medium in entries big and small. 2017 is gonna be like 2014, and…
Input Ep. 24: Tyler1 Returns, AGDQ Faces Hitches, Steve Butts Gone from IGN
An unbanning makes waves, Twitch chats are cesspools, and Steve Butts is out as EIC of IGN. Discussion Topics: Tyler1 returns to League after Riot lifts his ban. AGDQ (and basically any broadcast via Twitch) was bombarded by aggressive chat…
Game of the Year Roundtable: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
Our Game of the Year Roundtable podcast series is a series of 10 shows with a member of IrrationalPassions.com hosting a roundtable discussion with a variety of guests from independent outlets, blogs, and channels having a conversation about 10 games…
Input Ep. 22: Steam’s Unchecked Regulatory Power, and Women in Games Development
Valve makes a questionable decision to take down an indie game with not explanation. Lucy “The Lion” O’Brien produces an opus-level editorial. Discussion Topics: Steam removes You Must Be 18 to Enter for no explained reason, and the internet speculates..…
Input Ep. 21: CryTek Sues Star Citizen Devs, Patreon Reverses Controversial Decision, and TGA
Some last minute news fills the docket for this week’s Input. Jarrett, Jurge, and Logan untangle the Crytek/CIG litigation, and try to put The Game Awards in context. Discussion Topics: Crytek sues CIG (of Star Citizen infamy) for breach of…
Housemarque in The Myth of Sysiphus
About Best Ofs This article is one of the “Best of Irrational Passions”, meaning it’s featured on our Best Of page. Along with it, we have both a full read-through of the article and a conversation about the article, the writing…
Input Ep. 16: EA Acquisitions, Telltale Layoffs, Motigo and Runic Closing
EA buys Respawn for upwards of $455 million, changing the outlook on the Titanfall franchise. Discussion Topics: EA purchases Respawn Telltale Lays off a significant portion of its staff Perfect World closes Motigo and Runic Works Mentioned: EA to Acquire…
Hob Review
In the early scenes, a terrible misfortune falls on a nameless, silent humanoid adventurer. In an attempt to open a pathway, he is poisoned after touching a semi-organic and very hostile blight. His silent and stoic golem companion rushes to…