UMass Lowell Connector Logo

Tag Archives: video games

The importance of soundtracks in film and more

The importance of soundtracks in film and more

(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. “Shigeru Miyamoto thanks the Nintendo Orchestra for their performance at E3 2011.”) Jesse Nguyen Connector Editor When the discussion of music comes up, rarely does film, TV, and video game music become the first talking point. Despite that, the songs that fill the background of beloved movies and games can

“Super Mario Odyssey” is a modern Nintendo classic

(Image courtesy of IGDB. “‘Super Mario Odyssey’ sees the titular plumber go on an all-new globetrotting 3D adventure.) Jake Messer Connector Editor The Nintendo Switch is home to many outstanding games like “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” “Super Smash Bros Ultimate” and even “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.” However, one game has stood

“Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition” defies limitations

(Image courtesy of Nintendo. “Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition fully realizes itself on the Switch’s superior hardware.”) Jesse Nguyen Connector Editor Massive open-world games are somewhat of a regularity in modern video games, with what feels like dozens being released each year with bigger ideas and worlds. Nearly 10 years ago today, “Xenoblade Chronicles X,”

Xbox “Copilot for Gaming” met with resentment

(Image courtesy of Xbox Wire. “Microsoft’s upcoming ‘Copilot for Gaming’ has not been received well by gamers.”) Aaron Preziosi Connector Editor On March 13, 2025, on the Official Xbox Podcast, Microsoft announced Copilot for Gaming, an implementation of its flagship GPT-4o system into the Xbox family of systems. Intended to aid struggling players and increase

Visit dreams, paintings, and nightmares in “Ib”

(Image courtesy of SteamDB. “‘Ib’ follows the titular young girl through a surreal art gallery.”) Carolina Tavares Connector Contributor “Ib” is a singleplayer pixel JRPG game originally released by Japanese developer kouri in 2012 and remastered in 2022 on Steam. The game is set in a fictional art gallery, wherein the titular character, Ib, steps

“Lethal Company” is a must-play with friends

(Image courtesy of SteamDB. “Lethal Company pits players against a horrifying wage grind.”) Hayden Plumb Connector Contributor “Lethal Company” is an indie light horror game made by a single developer named ‘Zeekers,’ produced in October of 2023. Currently only available on PC for $10.99, the game may be enjoyed alone or with up to four

“Buckshot Roulette” shines through deceptively simple gameplay

(Image courtesy of SteamDB. “Buckshot Roulette wraps games of chance and risk into one fun package.”) Enzo Levati Connector Contributor “Buckshot Roulette” is an indie strategy game developed by Mike Klubnika and originally released on itch.io in 2023. The game then got a Steam release through the publisher CRITICAL REFLEX on April 4, 2024. The

“Elden Ring” modernizes FromSoftware’s RPGs

(Image courtesy of SteamDB. “Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s magnum opus.”) Andrew Warofsky Connector Contributor Fire, Magic, and Steel. “Elden Ring” is the latest release in FromSoftware’s line of hard-but-fair fantasy games. Having been released on Feb. 25, 2022, it is the first truly open-world FromSoftware game. “Elden Ring,” much like the “Dark Souls” games, is