Welcome to the latest edition of Punished Notes! In this piece, I cover the intriguing universe of The Outer Worlds, the familiar but phenomenal Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, Death Stranding, and more. Also, a few words on a recent Netflix film you ought to watch.

Last year, I decried the overuse of gaming terms like “metroidvania,” as often such words and phrases do little to actually describe the experience any game presents. While I understand why someone might lean on a certain vernacular when describing various works, the time has come for us to rethink how we talk about games in order to describe them in a more accurate manner. I’m not calling for the obliteration of such terms, either; I just believe we should know what we’re saying when utilizing these words.

Here are five particularly notable examples.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will not only entertain its audience in the immediate aftermath of its launch, but promises to keep players coming back to team up and take on any challenges thrown at them. Read on for our extended impressions.

I’m sure we’ve all been “addicted” to a game before — playing the newest gaming release into the waking hours of the morning. Maybe you’ve even taken the day (or week) off work to grind out levels or get to the end of your playthrough. Yet, while depictions of gaming addiction may seem exaggerated, the disease is not a fantasy: It is a life-ruining curse, and can also be a sign of deteriorating mental health.

Koei Tecmo’s GUST Studios is back with a new spin on its Atelier franchise, in the form of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. As a total newcomer to the series, I decided to share my thoughts on Atelier Ryza ahead of its October 29 release.

Mortal Kombat is known for its brutal, over-the-top violence. Despite my familiarity with the series, I’ve never stopped and thought, Wow, they staggered away from that? That looked costly. That is, until today. Armed with little more than a selection of YouTube videos, a really shady-looking Google Search history, and a passable knowledge of human anatomy, I hope to uncover the medical costs, or “Kosts,” of Mortal Kombat 11’s Fatal Blow mechanic, ranked by character from least to most damage dealt.

It’s been over half a year since I visited the busy halls of PAX East 2019. Despite some extensive coverage across all four days of the trade show, there’s one game I just can’t stop thinking about, months later: the upcoming action-adventure indie Sparklite.

It’s no secret that anime game adaptations tend to be mediocre, but fear not! Here are some of the finest “traditional” video games that, with an open mind and a little ingenuity, you can find for your favorite anime.