Recent reviews by kendraXmachina

The already (arguably) predatory business model of MTG is exacerbated by the (definitively) predatory mechanics of modern video game microtransactions, which makes Arena feel a little icky to play at times. But if you play casually and/or can ignore the pull of in-game purchases and currencies, Arena is a good way to learn the game. Also paper card starter kits often come with codes to get those decks in-game, which is a good way to start building your digital card collection if you're also building a paper collection IRL.

I wanted Skyrim in Space and that's exactly what I got :)

You know that snack that you love, the one you could eat an entire bag of? The one that's so addicting you crave it, and you just wanted one but now you've made it your whole dinner? Stellaris is like that, but a video game.

A solid expansion on the gameplay and mechanics of the previous game. Sometimes the setpieces get a bit repetitive, especially when falling rocks are involved, but they definitely doubled-down on the satisfying gameplay. The writing and story, however, are BAD. REALLY BAD. Characters are either flat and boring, or they're driven by almost nonsensical motivations (especially Lara), and then get shoved into a plot that reads like a connect-the-dots of the most basic action story tropes. Mostly this just makes the cutscenes bad, allowing the rest of the game to remain pretty dang fun.

This game makes you feel like you have the power of a god. A very sweaty god.

Is there an intravenous version of this game?

A nice throwback to an earlier era of gaming. I got a little stuck at one point, and the ending confrontation is extremely trial-and-error, but on the whole I found the story very compelling for the whole 100-or-so minutes it took me to finish it.