For more than a decade, Maxis’ SimCity series was the go-to for a city-building fix. However, the changes in the latest iteration of the series were very unpopular, and begged the question, “Is the city-building simulation genre dead?” Cities: Skylines answers with an emphatic, “No,” and goes beyond what even the venerable SimCity series had to offer.

Underneath the vision of all but the most observant of people lay the secret lives of the animal kingdom. From the meekest field mouse to the mighty lion, each is born into a world of hardship and violence, where merely surviving is the ultimate goal. Humans, with our obsession over the minutiae of modern society, can't fathom the sheer terror and panic that many animals face multiple times per day.

Who knew a PlayStation could do this?

Rodensoft, a Japanese indie developer, has revealed new information regarding a Final Fantasy VII fan game in development as a personal project. Final Fantasy VII: Time Guardian was planned to be an alternate version of the original Final Fantasy VII, deviating at the Temple of the Ancients. In this version of events, after Cait Sith takes the Black Materia, he triggers the Time Guardian, scrambling time and scattering the party.

Although Homeworld Remastered Collection is classified as real-time strategy, there are some elements that set it apart from its brethren. The 3D camera and movement add another whole axis to worry about that some may find disorienting, and the fairly strict strengths and weaknesses of the units may lead to defeat if a cohesive unit strategy isn’t considered.

These tips are geared primarily towards online multiplayer gameplay, but can also be applied to campaign or vs. the A.I.

In 1999, I was 11 years old. It was a time when every video game purchase was a gamble. The best you could do was to read a review or watch a grainy, minute-long Quicktime video that you spent an hour to download on 56k while hoping your $50 wasn't spent in vain. I discovered some of my favorite games with just the blind promises of the back of a box.

As I played Hot Tin Roof: The Cat That Wore a Fedora, I found myself alternately intrigued and absolutely disinterested. Some things were well executed, while others were distracting and annoying. Having such fond memories of exploring Castle Dracula and Zebes, I expected a title that took on their mantle to continue the gaming traditions they established, but what was here was sandpaper compared to those classics’ smooth marble.

I'm not a huge fan of most indie games. There I said it. I find most of them derivative and lacking in quality, and I hate when quantifying a game I have to say, "It's a great indie game," as if that fact gives it an excuse for being less engaging or of lesser quality.

The duality of this is every once in a while an indie title comes around that blows my mind with how fun/clever/unique it is. Enter #IDARB.