Mpopovich16's Reviews

By Mpopovich16

DOOM: The Dark Ages ended up being a really enjoyable return to the series for me. I liked it quite a bit more than DOOM Eternal, although it still doesn’t quit

By Mpopovich16

After putting a ton of time into Elden Ring, going back to Dark Souls III feels both familiar and surprisingly restrictive. The combat, atmosphere, and difficul

By Mpopovich16

In our house, Minecraft and LEGO games have always seemed like the obvious choices for the kids. They're creative. They're easy to understand. They give kids a world where they can mess around without necessarily having to accomplish anything. Then we started playing Pokétopia. And somewhat unexpectedly, my kids would rather play this than Minecraft or a LEGO game. Not because it's faster. Not because there's more action. Actually, it's almost the opposite. They love Pokétopia because they can slow down, explore, build a house, craft things, complete Pokémon-related tasks and constantly discover something new. As a dad watching them play, that's also what I've come to appreciate most about it. It keeps them engaged without constantly needing to overwhelm them.

By Mpopovich16

Elden Ring — A 40-Year-Old Dad's Review Score: 9.7/10 — Possibly My Favorite Game of All Time I'm 40 years old. I have kids. I have a job. I have responsibilities. My videogame schedule doesn't begin at 3:00 in the afternoon anymore with absolutely nothing planned for the next eight hours. It begins at about 9:30 PM. The kids are finally asleep. Everything that needed to get done around the house is mostly done. I know I should probably go to bed. Instead, I turn on Elden Ring. "I'll play for an hour." Three hours later I'm fighting the same boss for the 37th time, I've lost 80,000 runes somewhere I absolutely should not have been, and tomorrow morning is rapidly approaching. And somehow... This might be my favorite videogame of all time.

By Mpopovich16

It is colorful, funny, incredibly polished and constantly introducing some new idea. More importantly for our house, it's one of those rare games where my kids can genuinely play it themselves while there's still enough creativity and challenge that I actually want to play too. That's a difficult balance. Astro Bot absolutely nails it.

By Mpopovich16

There are probably better people to review Pokémon Legends: Arceus from the perspective of a hardcore Pokémon fan. I’m definitely not one of them. The last time I seriously played a Pokémon game was more than 20 years ago. My memories of Pokémon are basically a Game Boy, a tiny pixelated screen, choosing a starter, wandering through tall grass, and wondering whether my batteries were going to survive long enough to reach the next town. Fast-forward a couple of decades and I’m now a dad with two kids who had never played a Pokémon game before. Pokémon Legends: Arceus became their introduction to Pokémon—and my introduction to what the series had become after being away from it for more than half my life. And that ended up being a pretty great combination.