Author: Vincent Mahoney

Vincent is a game reviewer, graphic designer, illustrator and insurance agent: He wears many hats, but none of them properly cover his bald spot. His long-term goal is to publish a comic of the story he and his wife created together. He grew up playing action-platform games such as Super Mario, Metroid, Mega Man, Contra and Castlevania, but discovered his love for RPGs through Super Mario RPG and Final Fantasy VI, then embarking upon a quest to play every RPG he possibly can. At over 200 RPGs and counting the quest is not going so well, and there are buster swords, giant cats, eight virtues and personae appearing to him in his sleep. Please send help.

A Look at the Stylishly Designed and Streamlined RPG Soul Hackers 2

This week our Save State columnist, Vincent Mahoney, takes a break from all the retro gaming he has done over the past few weeks to play a much more modern game, the visually stunning and unique Soul Hackers 2.

There’s Nothing Soft About Supernatural Western Hard West II

Hard West II is a turn-based strategy game where your band of western heroes and outlaws are almost always outnumbered by bad guys, undead, demons, and everything else. And yet, Hard West II rewards those who forgo cover for run and gun battling.

Three Perspectives on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Beta

Over the past two weekends, Activision opened up a Call of Duty Modern Warfare II beta to the press and other invited guests. GiN had a handful of reviewers, columnists, and podcasters in the thick of the action. This is what three of them found in this thoroughly modern take on shooters.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Takes the Series to the Next Level of RPG Adventuring

This has been a very good year for role-playing games, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 helps to further that trend. Right from the start with its wildly interesting premise to the final climatic battle, role-players will find a lot to enjoy with this adventure.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Breathed New Fire into the Series

Our Save State Columnist Vincent Mahoney has been a fan of the Yakuza series for a while, but last played the series back in the Yakuza 3 days. He picks it up again with Like a Dragon and finds that the series evolved into a true RPG while keeping a high level of its delightful absurdity solidly intact.

RPG Eastern Exorcist Offers a Striking Adventure Filled with Lore and Challenges

Our intrepid Save State columnist Vincent Mahoney had been lost in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for a while, but he came up for air and needed a fast-paced, stylish adventure to play in order to clear his palate. The beautiful, indie Eastern Exorcist title answered that call in a big way and earns his highest recommendations.

Digimon Survive Helps Make for an Amazing August

There are so many new releases this month that our Save State Columnist Vincent Mahoney was having trouble deciding what to play first. He finally landed on Digimon Survive, an anime title that has a lot of great things going for it.

Monster Hunter Series Offers Another Thrilling Expansion with Rise: Sunbreak

The Monster Hunter series is on fire these days, with amazing expansions that keep adding more great content for fans. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak follows that stellar trend, adding new areas, monsters, storylines and equipment for veteran or novice hunters to enjoy.

Experience Amazing Arcade Action with Ex-Zodiac in Early Access

In this week’s Save State, Vincent enjoys some low-poly retro gaming goodness with Ex-Zodiac, a game that is still in early access on Steam but shows worlds of promise as you fight to free the worlds of the Sanzaru Star System from their oppressors in intense early-1990s arcade action.

Vincent Mahoney’s Save State: Eight Bits of Glory Featuring Vampire Survivors and Panzer Paladin

Vincent is taking a break from all of his 16-bit gaming this week, but only because he is going even farther back into the retro tunnel. He breaks out 8-bit masterpieces in Vampire Survivors and Panzer Paladin.