Save State Keeps on the Borderlands

As Borderlands 4 hits the shelves, Save State’s Vincent Mahoney takes us on a nostalgic detour through the greatest guns, gags and growing pains that the amazing looter shooter series has offered us over the years.

A Fresh Look at Cross-Promotions in Modern Gaming

Beavis and Butthead in Call of Duty? Vegeta running and gunning with John Wick? Fresh Look's Neal Sayatovich dives into the growing chaos of cross-promotional content in modern gaming, and how it's eroding what makes each title unique.

Save State’s Life Lessons: 5 Things Video Games Can Teach Us

From hoarding virtual items to asking for instructions twice, video games are more than just entertainment. They are surprisingly practical life teachers. In this whimsical Save State column, Vincent Mahoney takes us through five lessons learned from games, county fairs and the occasional horse bite.

Fresh Look: Five Game Studios That Almost Always Get It Right

Everyone has their favorite developers that always seem to deliver the kinds of games they enjoy. For Neal Sayatovich, that means a top five list of studios and publishers, from Hooded Horse to Square Enix, that never miss when it comes to making memorable experiences.

Chaos Emeralds for Everyone: Save State Revisits Sonic Adventure 2

What do busted freezers, Sonic the Hedgehog trading cards and retro Dreamcast adventures have in common? They all collide in this week’s Save State as Vincent Mahoney dives back into Sonic Adventure 2, a title that still delivers speed, style and chaos in 2025.

Fresh Look Explores the Uniqueness of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Fresh Look columnist Neal Sayatovich writes this week about his enjoyment of the unique turn-based RPG with real-time mechanics Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has players leading an action-packed quest to try and save the people of Lumiere.

Save State Investigates a Bright Yellow Challenger to the Switch Pro Controller

This week Save State’s Vincent Mahoney tests out the 8bitdo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth, a Nintendo Switch friendly gamepad with a slick dock, solid performance and just enough differences to stand out from its counterparts.

Fresh Look Dances Through Dungeons in Rift of the NecroDancer

Looking for a rhythm title with personality and depth? Rift of the NecroDancer hits all the right beats. Vincent Mahoney, filling in for Fresh Look this week, breaks down why it’s a must-play for fans of the rhythm genre.

Save State Feasts on Fisticuffs in Punch-Out Inspired Leftovers KO

In this week’s Save State, Vincent Mahoney enters the fridge and comes out swinging in Leftovers KO!, a hand-drawn boxing game where expired food fights back. With a wild Nickelodeon-style art direction and challenging, timing-based combat it’s a slugfest worth digesting.

Game Over Forever: The Industry’s Troubling New Game Killing Norm

The Stop Killing Games movement is pushing back against the troubling trend of publishers shutting off game servers and rendering titles unplayable. Fresh Look columnist Neal Sayatovich has some thoughts about that.