Reviews | Lollipop Magazine

Noisem – Cease to Exist – Review

March 9, 2019

With this album, the band has sharpened their sound to a razor point and it strikes with precision and efficiency.

The Breeders – All Nerve – Review

December 6, 2018

Kim and Kelley Deal make difficult music. This is tough sledding at first – like much good and great music – but it’s interesting and at times, very good.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy – Review

November 27, 2018

Spyro Reignited Trilogy does a beautiful job of bringing these games to modern consoles.

Soulcalibur VI – Review

November 9, 2018

Soulcalibur VI makes another strong case as to why the series should always be in the conversation when it comes to fighting games.

Bloodbath – The Arrow of Satan is Drawn – Review

October 26, 2018

If only we could all have this much fun at our second jobs.

Komrads – Resistor – Review

July 24, 2018

Resistor is all over the place, but somehow it all works. A fascinating debut.

Vampyr – Review

June 18, 2018

Despite deficiencies in both narrative and gameplay, Vampyr is still compelling because of its all-consuming Gothic atmosphere.

Dragon’s Crown Pro – Review

May 9, 2018

It understands the genre and delivers satisfying, bombastic combat in short bursts, but also finds ways to deliver a full-length adventure that meets modern expectations.

Monster Magnet – Mindfucker – Review

March 31, 2018

They’ve gone from tripped-out, psychedelic fare like Spine of God and Dopes to Infinity to a more straightforward rock ‘n’ roll sound on Mindfucker, their 11th album.

Shadow of the Colossus – Review

March 9, 2018

Shadow of the Colossus is an all-time classic, and this excellent remaster provides a vital opportunity to play it again or discover it for the first time.

Celeste – Review

February 23, 2018

The star of Celeste is definitely the palm-sweating finger acrobatics required by the devious level designs.

Hooded Menace – Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed – Review

February 1, 2018

Rest assured that by the closing notes of “Black Moss” you’ll feel suitably torn asunder and buried alive, with the grime under your fingernails to prove it.

Like Moths to Flames – Dark Divine – Review

November 3, 2017

Metalcore stalwarts Like Moths to Flames make a huge step forward on Dark Divine, their fourth record.

For The Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records – Review

October 27, 2017

Seeing the Metal Blade name associated with a band is as good as a guarantee that it’s the real deal, and this book shows what it took to make that a reality.

Cuphead – Review

October 3, 2017

The detail and charm in Cuphead means it was made with a lot of love, but that would just be window dressing if it wasn’t a solid action game.

36 Crazyfists – Lanterns – Review

September 25, 2017

As bleak as things can get on Lanterns, ultimately it ends up sounding hopeful.

Comeback Kid – Outsider – Review

September 1, 2017

Comeback Kid manages to outdo their previous work yet again.

Yakuza Kiwami – Review

August 29, 2017

Yakuza Kiwami (“Extreme”) lets gamers experience the wacky fun of the original Yakuza in a remake with modern graphics and gameplay polish.

Superhot – Review

August 1, 2017

Rather than run headfirst into a firefight, you’ll think multiple steps ahead and carefully consider where your enemies will intersect with your bullet.

Nex Machina – Review

June 29, 2017

Nex Machina infuses the classic Robotron twin stick formula with breakneck speed, adds in the wild voxel-based visual style of Resogun and sharpens it to a razor edge.

The Surge – Review

May 26, 2017

Developer Deck13 — creators of 2014’s Lords of the Fallen — bring the Souls sensibility to a grim, mechanized future.

Sweat Lodge – Tokens For Hell – Review

April 25, 2017

It’s their swan song, as everyone involved has already decided to put the band on hiatus and go raise kids or pursue other projects.

Snake Pass – Review

April 5, 2017

Charming, accomplished and fun, a quietly ambitious puzzle platformer that nods to a bygone era but exhibits gamemaking acumen that is distinctly modern day.

Nier: Automata – Review

March 30, 2017

The fascinating semi-open world structure has been fleshed out and augmented with the combat know-how of developer Platinum Games: It looks and plays great.

Monster Movie – Keep The Voices Distant – Review

March 24, 2017

Everything here is just as long as it needs to be, from the beautifully somber title track to the engrossing, multi-part closer “Dead in the Water.”