Minecraft: Story Mode has managed to surprise fans of episodic games with every episode released. While the second episode might not have proven that, both Episode 1, Episode 3 and now Episode 4 have not disappointed. Probably the best episode yet in both content and character development, Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 4: A Block and a Hard Place will leave you emotionally defeated. Lasting a little bit over two hours, the episode gives closure to the events that Jessie and his friends are facing in saving the world from the Witherstorm. It begins right where you left off last, either Ellegard or Magnus having died (according to the decision that you make) and Gabriel having been rescued but with no recollection of what has happened (a side effect from having Wither Sickness). You all run from the storm only to find safety in a cave, still within the storm's range.

The lore also does not seem to be empty at all. In some games, you walk away feeling like you could have lived your whole life not needing to know anything about what just happened. This game, and specifically this episode, doesn't feel that way and makes sure to utilize all the time in the episode to prove that. Nothing goes unnoticed and everything is important whether it be information that pertains to this game specifically or the base game. Battles are not too long-winded and conversations don't make you want to skip them. Everything feels as though they are timed just right and you almost forget that you are sitting in front of your television for so long. You don't really think about what could have happened if you did or said something differently and only look forward to seeing what comes of the decision you've just made, which is odd for a game that is meant to be replayed in order to make different decisions. Besides, there are some things that you wouldn't want to see happen again and are better off just forgetting all of the decisions that you didn't make.

The big purpose of this episode is to find Ivor's lair out in The Far Lands to find an enchantment book that has the power to destroy the command block that is still lingering inside of the Witherstorm. In a scene with both Soren and Ivor, Jessie discovers that the storm is following the amulet that Gabriel had given him and with that, Axel takes it upon himself to hold onto the amulet while Jessie retrieves the enchantment book. The group collectively agrees that Axel and another member of the Order of the Stone will return to Soren's lair where the Enderman that Soren has collected can help in disassembling the Witherstorm as they had all witnessed them do in an earlier scene. While they are doing that, the plan is to then forge a weapon and fuse the enchantment book with it but in Jessie's fight to do so, he is separated from Ivor who is helping everyone escape from a few lingering witches. Alone and lost, it is up to Jessie and his friends to pass through to Ivor's lair, which happens to be riddled with booby traps and mazes, and return in time to defeat the storm.

A lot of us remember our very first video game rather fondly. While I’m not going to explain my own life story, I will say that I was first hooked on video games through my older cousins’ Sega Genesis systems, specifically the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Much of my interest in gaming as a whole came from the Yuji Naka-created mascot. It wasn’t the only set of games on the Genesis available to me at enter the gungeon roguelike time, but it was without question the series that hooked me. It began my own journey humbly, but in retrospect, it’s actually quite difficult to articulate why it was so interesting to me. This is a situation that many of us recall, but rarely ever examine deeply. Think about your first video game, the one that convinced you to pick up a controller and keep playing till the end credits, the one that convinced you to try another game afterward. What exactly was it about that first game that hooked you and urged you to keep playing from then till today? In essence, what appealed to you about that game that made you "a gamer"?

Ideally it's the optimal situation for consumers. You buy a system, and you have access to almost every major game, with as few exceptions as possible. To me though, it's a sad thought, as I sometimes long for a time when there were an assortment of games I couldn't play because I could only afford one system. When that one guy in the neighborhood who bought the Xbox would show us all "Halo" and have us regret our PS2 decision (if only for a moment), or when N64 owners could stretch arguments with their Playstation rivals on into the morning by just dropping the name "Goldeneye" every now and then.

Death's Door follows a young crow on its quest to cull the land of a series of "enemies" that plan on living forever. It's a charming game filled with entertaining characters and a story revolving around a mysterious door that a wise old Crow wants to see opened. Those who enjoy fantastical settings should love to visuals for this rele