Dense Pixels

Brad went a little wild during the Steam Winter Sale and came away with a pile of indie games that mostly rule. He breaks down his early impressions of Reus 2, 9 Kings, and Sol Cesto, and explains why these smaller releases continue to outshine big-budget fare. Carrie has been catching up on her backlog with Blue Prince and The Legend of Zelda: Age of Imprisonment, and even dusted off the SNES to revisit Final Fantasy VI (formerly known as Final Fantasy III in the US). Terrence shocks everyone by purchasing an Xbox Series X, while Micah shares the unique challenges of co-op gaming with a kid who has very different priorities than finishing objectives. We also reflect on the passing of Respawn’s Vince Zampella and SEGA’s David Rosen. Elsewhere, a real-life Rainbow Six Siege Robin Hood gifted players millions in in-game currency, and the Indie Game Awards sparked controversy by revoking Expedition 33’s Game of the Year award over its use of generative AI. In the Post Office, we dig into hated gameplay tropes, s