Matt Karoglou-Contributor

Editorial Team

Contributor

March, 2023
Indie Games, RPG, Resident Evil
  • 420
    articles
  • 19
    News
  • 463
    Features
  • 30
    Reviews

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About Matt Karoglou

Matt Karoglou is a freelance writer and musician who has been playing video games for 36 years and writing about them for almost as long. When he's not editorializing about the intricacies and brilliance of the Shmup genre or playing Resident Evil for the thousandth time, he can be found most days listening to metal and hardcore records while enjoying indie titles on his Steam Deck.

Industry Focus

Primarily writes about RPGs, indie titles, Metroidvanias, Soulslikes, and the Resident Evil series. Interested in all things Square Enix and Capcom, and occasionally dabble in the industry-focused hardware piece here and there.

Favorite Games

As a massive Resident Evil fan, the original, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 4 all rank among some of my all-time favorite games (both their initial releases and remakes). I'm also a huge fan of Metroidvanias and try to play as many as I can get my hands on. While my all-time favorites will always be the portmanteau's origins (Super Metroid and Castlvania: Symphony of the Night), Hollow Knight, both Ori games, and both Blasphemous games also rank high as some of my favorites in the genre. Special shout out to Chrono Trigger and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past as quite possibly my first and second favorite games of all-time, as well as Final Fantasy IV ranking somewhere in the top 5.

Favorite Console

I cut my teeth on the NES just in time for the SNES to arrive right as I was 6 years old, and the Super Nintendo will always have a special place as one of my all-time favorite consoles. Right behind it, though, is the PlayStation. Some of my favorite franchises have either their series highlights (Castlevania, Final Fantasy) or origins (Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil) on the PS1, cementing it as an all-timer for me. Picking between the SNES and PS1 would be nearly impossible, as both have some of the most impressive libraries in the history of gaming.

Latest

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Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Review

The Game Kitchen has outdone itself on the Ninja Gaiden series' glorious return to 2D with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a near-perfect action-platformer.

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Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy Set Created a Bubble That May Be About to Burst

The unprecedented success of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set in Magic: The Gathering is already causing some inflation that could backfire.

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5 Open-World Games to Play This Weekend (July 25-July 27)

Some recent patches and updates, along with some surging player counts, tee up a handful of open-world games that players should try to get lost in.

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Final Fantasy 17's Turn-Based Debate Misses the Forest for the Trees

No matter what Final Fantasy 17's combat model ends up looking like, there are some bigger fish for the next entry in the long-running series to fry.

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RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business: A Thrilling Standalone Expansion

RoboCop: Rogue City's Unfinished Business is a semi-sequel that primarily focuses on combat to deliver a short but sweet FPS thrill ride.

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Why Some Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities Cards Are Surging In Value Ahead of the Set’s Launch

Pre-orders of singles for Magic: The Gathering's Edge of Eternities have begun, and several noteworthy cards are highly valued for their utility.

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Ready or Not Review

VOID Interactive's Ready or Not makes a mostly seamless transition to consoles while remaining one of the best modern tactical shooters.

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Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a Win for Game Preservation, But Not Much Else

The Final Fantasy Tactics remaster has been a long time coming, but there are aspects of it that feel like a missed opportunity on Square Enix's part.

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Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy Crossover Got Many Into the Game, But This Set Will Make Them Love It

The Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set has been a great gateway for new players to Magic: The Gathering, and there's another set they shouldn't miss.

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Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy Set is Proof of Its Unwritten Rules

The success of the Final Fantasy set as part of Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond has some important lessons to teach future crossovers.

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Chronicles of the Wolf Review

Chronicles of the Wolf is an unabashedly old-school Metroidvania that's sure to please a specific contingent of the genre's fanbase.

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Fallen Tear: The Ascension is a Metroidvania Ticking All the Right Boxes

Winter Crew Studios' Fallen Tear: The Ascension has a new demo that goes a long way toward positioning it as the next great Metroidvania.

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RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business Hands-On Preview

Teyon has taken its great RoboCop FPS power fantasy and melded it with Alex Garland's Dredd and The Raid in its new experience.

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25 Years Ago, Deus Ex Taught a Lesson About Player Agency That's Still Paying Dividends

Deus Ex's innovations were groundbreaking for more than just FPS titles, spilling over into multiple other genres and creating its own in the process.

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Stellar Blade PC Review

ShiftUp's Stellar Blade is finally available on PC, and it's a spectacular port that's well-optimized and in an ideal technical state.

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Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is an action roguelike follow-up to the original that balances its narrative pull with some phenomenal combat.

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XFX Swift AMD Radeon 9060 XT GPU Review

XFX Swift's dual-fan AMD Radeon 9060 XT GPU boasts some incredible performance at a consumer-friendly price and low power demand.

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Holstin is an Old-School Survival Horror Experience That Toys With Perception

Ahead of its expected release later in 2025, The Best War Games got to go hands-on with the latest build of the retro-inspired survival horror game Holstin.

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Elden Ring Nightreign Review

A near-perfect merging of FromSoftware game design and roguelike structure, Elden Ring Nightreign is a bold experiment and one of 2025's highlights.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is a short but very sweet turn-based tactics experience that makes the most of its iconic license.