Taking a Chance With Loot Boxes

This week the Skirmisher investigates how loot boxes in gaming can cause some problems for certain players, especially younger ones. There is nothing inherently wrong with a loot box, but players need to know how they work and some of the negative effects they can have.
Riding Guns Blazing While Getting A Farmers Tan

This week the Save State goes to war in Blaster Master II and building a greener world in Stardew Valley.
Big Brother is Always Watching Us Play?

The Skirmisher rages against single player games that force their players to always be online and actively connected in order to play, which is an especially boneheaded move for a mobile platform like the Nintendo Switch.
Honoring The Call and Sailing The Stars

The Save State takes a deep look at the Call of Duty Cold War beta and goes back to play a beloved entry in the Star Ocean series.
Skirmisher Going for the Slam Dunk with NBA 2K21

Our Skirmisher columnist has not played a basketball game since 2009. But the pandemic has really made him want to play sports. So he gave NBA 2K21 a try on the Nintendo Switch. It wasn’t quite the slam dunk he was hoping for, but it wasn’t a washout either.
Save State: Golden Suns and Mario All Stars

In what is becoming normal for our intrepid Save State columnist, he goes way back to consider an older game that literally fell out of his closet and clunked his head, and a very modern title that we all know and, maybe, love. This week he tackles Golden Sun and Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
Chicago Gaming United Team Up for Epic High School NBA2K Tournament

TGS Esports has teamed up with Chicago Gaming United to produce an epic NBA2K tournament for Chicagoland high school students, with the winner of each division receiving educational scholarships.
Super Contempt 3D All-Stars

The Skirmisher talks about how the Super Mario 3D All-Stars release has been a slap in the face to fans of the series. Not only is this being put out in limited release to artificially inflate interest, but used copies are being sold for hundreds of dollars. Come on Nintendo. There is a pandemic and gamers deserve better than this.
Save State: Tracking Monsters And Fighting Fire With Swords

Save State takes a look back at older combat games that served as the foundations for incredible sequels in later generations. This includes older Monster Hunter and the first English language Fire Emblem.
Entering The Diskless Age

The Skirmisher is concerned that the new diskless consoles will become the norm one day, leading to inflated prices for games and an elimination of the secondary market that many less wealthy players rely on.
