Gaming - Campus Circle

Recent Gaming Articles

Inventiveness and humor given royal treatment in ‘Paper Mario: The Origami King’

Mario comes in all different shapes and sizes. Originally known as Jumpman, he battled Donkey Kong to rescue a woman named Pauline....

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Game On

How to maximize 3 additional hours of Pokemon Go Fest 2020 during makeup day

Just when you thought you were done with Pokemon Go Fest 2020, Niantic springs one last surprise. Because of technical issues...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

What worked and what didn’t at Pokemon Go Fest 2020

My neck feels like burnt toast. My body is sore and I limp around the house, but strangely, I feel great. That’s the sign...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Crossy Road Castle’ distills essence of ‘Mario’ games into pure fun

Hipster Whale knows how to refresh a classic formula. The team’s best-known work is “Crossy Road,” a new spin...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ is about sharing and annoying your loved ones

My wife and I don’t play many games together, but when we do, a grudging rivalry develops. She becomes the Goku to my Vegeta...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming News

Video game industry rocked by outpouring of sexual misconduct allegations

Dozens of women took to social media over the past few days to outline explosive allegations against prominent men in the world...

Jason Schreier - Bloomberg News (TNS)

Gaming Previews

PlayStation 5 reveal: Top 5 intriguing games for the upcoming console

Although E3 has been canceled, it’s not stopping video game makers from unleashing big announcements. Sony led the way...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Previews

‘Watch Dogs: Legion’ surprisingly has a bit of ‘Pokemon’ in it

At first blush, I hated the concept of “Watch Dogs: Legion.” Everything about an open-world hacking game where players...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Previews

Preview: ‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ shows violent and merry sides to Viking life

When Ubisoft revealed “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,” the publisher presented two visions of Vikings. One showed...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics’ brings diversity of fun to family game night

If there’s one consistent message in the year 2020, it’s this: People should stay inside. The coronavirus has left...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘The Last of Us Part II’ details physics of human relationships

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Newton’s third law describes bodies in motion, but it can also be applied...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Previews

‘Ghost of Tsushima’ details, new ‘Paper Mario’ and Evo Online

Mark July 17 on your calendars because it’s going to be busy. It will feel a little like Christmas in the summer with two...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Streets of Rage 4' does justice to cult beat-’em-up series

A childhood hatred of Sega kept me away from “Streets of Rage.” It’s a franchise that I know vaguely but never...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Resident Evil 3’ remake shows the entry still needs work

The test of a remake is how well it can improve on the source material. It has to bring a different interpretation while staying...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Special Features

Amid coronavirus fears, here are 5 simple, social games that can restore your faith in humanity

There are many ways to communicate, and arguably one of the oldest is play. Before “Fortnite,” “Minecraft,”...

Todd Martens - Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Gaming Special Features

The wildest, wackiest and most-fun mobile game to play with friends is now online

One of the reasons we play games is to bond, a shortcut to understanding one another and building trust. See, for instance, any...

Todd Martens - Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Gaming Commentary

From my coronavirus quarantine, a love letter to video games

My favorite childhood bedtime stories were not “Charlotte’s Web” or “The Hobbit.” No, my most treasured...

Todd Martens - Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Gaming Special Features

From ‘1917’ to, yes, ‘Parasite,’ video games are even influencing prestige movies

A video game has yet to win an Academy Award, but that doesn’t mean the influence of the interactive medium wasn’t...

Todd Martens - Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Gaming Previews

‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ shows franchise is in good hands with Larian Studios

Mention “Baldur’s Gate” to gamers and it’s spoken about in hushed and awed tones. BioWare’s PC...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Previews

Rise of New Champions follows title character’s career from middle school to the pros

Not many Americans may know about “Captain Tsubasa.” That’s understandable because the manga and anime, which...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Special Features

Games of the decade 2010 to 2019: A personal list of favorites

Picking the best games of the decade is an increasingly tough task. The number of titles keeps expanding while the number of...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

Hard-hitting ‘Life is Strange 2’ veers far away from original

“Life is Strange” was never supposed to have a sequel. When Dontnod created the game, the developers imagined it...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’ succeeds by going back to basics

“Call of Duty” has seesawed between different eras. It’s been to the future. It went back to World War II....

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Outer Worlds’ offers a compelling satire for corporate times

Some of the best sci-fi works like a funhouse mirror. It reflects reality in a twisted way. The exaggeration paints the world...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Code Vein’ is a gentler version of ‘Dark Souls’

Difficulty has always been a barrier for “Dark Souls.” The franchise’s intimidating reputation is a turn-off...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Link’s Awakening’ revamp makes a classic even better

“The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening” has always been a blind spot when it comes to the franchise. I’ve...

Gieson Cacho - Contra Costa Times (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Astral Chain’ challenges players by pushing boundaries of action game

PlatinumGames has built its reputation on action titles. The studio behind “Bayonetta” and “NieR: Automata”...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Previews

‘Ghost Recon Breakpoint’ refines co-op experience with the right group

This is how you ruin a co-op experience in “Ghost Recon Breakpoint.” My teammates are running around like an unbridled...

Gieson Cacho - The Mercury News (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ is Nintendo at its most flirtatious

The drama comes quickly in “Fire Emblem: Three Houses,” the latest in Nintendo’s wonderfully weird, soap opera-worthy...

Todd Martens - Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Gaming Reviews

‘Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night,’ old-school cool

It’s been over two decades since I first played “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night,” and my love for it has...

Kevin Tucker - Shacknews.com (TNS)