Alex Rowe
@xander51.bsky.social
I write about gaming, tech, music, and their industries. I have a background in video production, and I used to review games for a computer magazine. Find my work at xander51.medium.com
Sega has once again paid homage to their weird battery-eating handheld, and I'm here for it. xander51.medium.com/segas-yakuza...
Sega’s Yakuza Series Taps Directly Into My Childhood
The Sega Game Gear was the first handheld game system that my dad thought didn’t suck.
xander51.medium.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Sega has once again paid homage to their weird battery-eating handheld, and I'm here for it. xander51.medium.com/segas-yakuza...
I wrote up some thoughts on my five months using Corsair's tiny ultralight mouse. It didn't go the way I expected it would. xander51.medium.com/five-months-...
Five Months With a Corsair Sabre V2 Sent Me Crawling Back to Logitech
Oh no, I’ve become a horrible click latency guy
xander51.medium.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:48 PM
I wrote up some thoughts on my five months using Corsair's tiny ultralight mouse. It didn't go the way I expected it would. xander51.medium.com/five-months-...
I think the Internet might have overstated the badness of the recent Yakuza/Like a Dragon English dubs. The Internet never gets anything wrong so this is very surprising to me.
February 12, 2026 at 4:41 PM
I think the Internet might have overstated the badness of the recent Yakuza/Like a Dragon English dubs. The Internet never gets anything wrong so this is very surprising to me.
My favorite "little" Switch 2 feature started its life on the Switch 1, and it's a key part of how I manage to finish games and still be busy with other stuff. xander51.medium.com/my-favorite-...
My Favorite Little Switch 2 Feature
The ultimate pause button
xander51.medium.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:31 AM
My favorite "little" Switch 2 feature started its life on the Switch 1, and it's a key part of how I manage to finish games and still be busy with other stuff. xander51.medium.com/my-favorite-...
The more packed and small a game world is, the more likely I am to see all of it. xander51.medium.com/density-is-a...
Density Is Always Better Than Scope
A huge open video game world is so enticing on paper, and its magic spell often extends into a few play sessions. Big worlds sell more…
xander51.medium.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:26 PM
The more packed and small a game world is, the more likely I am to see all of it. xander51.medium.com/density-is-a...
I’m having one of those “write stuff I think is pretty decent and watch it flop miserably” sort of weeks.
February 5, 2026 at 1:31 AM
I’m having one of those “write stuff I think is pretty decent and watch it flop miserably” sort of weeks.
HyperX's latest flagship headset is good now. But also, it should have been good last year. xander51.medium.com/im-so-tired-...
I’m So Tired of the “Early Adopter Tax”
Did HyperX finally fix their flagship headset?
xander51.medium.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:04 PM
HyperX's latest flagship headset is good now. But also, it should have been good last year. xander51.medium.com/im-so-tired-...
Ubisoft is in a bit of a mess, right? xander51.medium.com/ubisoft-migh...
Ubisoft Might Be Out of Luck
Not so long ago, Ubisoft was one of the main titans of the video game software industry, selling millions of copies across a diverse…
xander51.medium.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Ubisoft is in a bit of a mess, right? xander51.medium.com/ubisoft-migh...
Yakuza Kiwami 3 seems like it's very much my sort of game. xander51.medium.com/the-single-g...
The Single Greatest Sentence I’ve Ever Read in a Video Game
A vocal audience of gamers thinks that the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise has somehow become too silly…but I don’t at all count myself…
xander51.medium.com
February 2, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Yakuza Kiwami 3 seems like it's very much my sort of game. xander51.medium.com/the-single-g...
I wrote up my thoughts after two days playing the Nioh 3 demo! It's very good, and it also got me to reinstall Rise of the Ronin. xander51.medium.com/nioh-3-alrea...
Nioh 3 Already Surprised Me
I never fully dove into the first two Nioh games, but after spending two days playing the extensive new free sample of the upcoming third…
xander51.medium.com
January 31, 2026 at 1:17 AM
I wrote up my thoughts after two days playing the Nioh 3 demo! It's very good, and it also got me to reinstall Rise of the Ronin. xander51.medium.com/nioh-3-alrea...
Whenever Hammerwatch II re-emerges in my brain, I simply must think about it. I know it wasn't the most popular game in the series, but I absolutely love it for what it tried to do. xander51.medium.com/the-coolest-...
The Coolest Forgotten Indie RPG
About once every three or four months, I remember that Hammerwatch II exists, and then I go on a little brain odyssey thinking about both…
xander51.medium.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Whenever Hammerwatch II re-emerges in my brain, I simply must think about it. I know it wasn't the most popular game in the series, but I absolutely love it for what it tried to do. xander51.medium.com/the-coolest-...
Yesterday I told my girlfriend that I thought that Koei might delay the Dynasty Warriors 3 Remake. Today they delayed it. It was an easy guess since they hadn't had a big marketing push yet and it was supposed to be out in March. They've still got Nioh 3 next month!
January 26, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Yesterday I told my girlfriend that I thought that Koei might delay the Dynasty Warriors 3 Remake. Today they delayed it. It was an easy guess since they hadn't had a big marketing push yet and it was supposed to be out in March. They've still got Nioh 3 next month!
I've got some new thoughts about game design now live on Medium! It's also a sneaky first impressions piece about the Visions of Four Heroes Dynasty Warriors DLC. xander51.medium.com/good-game-de...
Good Game Design Pushes On My Boundaries
I think one of the main reasons that Elden Ring connected so strongly with so many people is that its world design is a beautiful…
xander51.medium.com
January 26, 2026 at 6:50 PM
I've got some new thoughts about game design now live on Medium! It's also a sneaky first impressions piece about the Visions of Four Heroes Dynasty Warriors DLC. xander51.medium.com/good-game-de...
I wrote up some of my thoughts on the Fable "gameplay overview." It didn't really connect with me. xander51.medium.com/i-refuse-to-...
I Refuse To Be Excited About Fable
Microsoft finally showed some real gameplay footage from their upcoming Fable reboot earlier today, and to me it looks super rough for a…
xander51.medium.com
January 23, 2026 at 1:29 AM
I wrote up some of my thoughts on the Fable "gameplay overview." It didn't really connect with me. xander51.medium.com/i-refuse-to-...
Some new Dynasty Warriors Origins content launches later this week, so it's the perfect time to explain why I love the game so much. xander51.medium.com/my-second-fa...
My Second-Favorite Game of 2025
It’s about to get a shiny new version and a big expansion!
xander51.medium.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Some new Dynasty Warriors Origins content launches later this week, so it's the perfect time to explain why I love the game so much. xander51.medium.com/my-second-fa...
I somehow got *way into* using the PlayStation Portal every single day. xander51.medium.com/oh-no-ive-be...
Oh No, I’ve Become A PlayStation Portal Dad
And I don’t even have kids!
xander51.medium.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:42 AM
I somehow got *way into* using the PlayStation Portal every single day. xander51.medium.com/oh-no-ive-be...
The @turtlebeach.bsky.social Atlas 200 is so good that it screwed up a review of a different headset I was working on. So, now I’m starting over and writing a head-to-head style piece instead!
January 13, 2026 at 11:48 PM
The @turtlebeach.bsky.social Atlas 200 is so good that it screwed up a review of a different headset I was working on. So, now I’m starting over and writing a head-to-head style piece instead!
I am very excited to play Crimson Desert in March. It seems like a game I will put hundreds of hours into across years without hesitation.
January 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM
I am very excited to play Crimson Desert in March. It seems like a game I will put hundreds of hours into across years without hesitation.
Oops, I spent the whole week playing Diablo IV! xander51.medium.com/how-diablo-i...
How Diablo IV Won Me Back Over
A bouncing shield and some awesome design changes
xander51.medium.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Oops, I spent the whole week playing Diablo IV! xander51.medium.com/how-diablo-i...
Just spent some time browsing @jeremycoatney.com's profile as I noticed my feed was no longer showing me any posts from that portion of the internet and I found that unacceptable!
January 9, 2026 at 12:37 AM
Just spent some time browsing @jeremycoatney.com's profile as I noticed my feed was no longer showing me any posts from that portion of the internet and I found that unacceptable!
I'm finally checking out Dying Light: The Beast.
January 6, 2026 at 12:34 AM
I'm finally checking out Dying Light: The Beast.
I spend a lot of time thinking about video game skill trees. xander51.medium.com/are-skill-tr...
Are Skill Trees Ever Actually Fun?
If you’ve played any sort of video game in the last two decades, the chances are super high it had a skill tree in it.
xander51.medium.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:33 PM
I spend a lot of time thinking about video game skill trees. xander51.medium.com/are-skill-tr...
The best surprise release of 2025 was kind of a rumor for years, but then it turned out great anyway. xander51.medium.com/the-best-gam...
The Best Game “Remaster” of 2025
The gaming industry loves to take an old product, put a fresh coat of paint on it, and sell it again. It’s a business tale as old as time.
xander51.medium.com
December 30, 2025 at 8:08 PM
The best surprise release of 2025 was kind of a rumor for years, but then it turned out great anyway. xander51.medium.com/the-best-gam...
My PS5 Pro is still just barely holding on as a part of my gaming life. xander51.medium.com/i-almost-put...
I Almost Put My PS5 Pro In The Closet
Two key features kept it hooked up
xander51.medium.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:38 PM
My PS5 Pro is still just barely holding on as a part of my gaming life. xander51.medium.com/i-almost-put...
My game of the year content begins! I've pivoted from doing a list to doing individual highlight articles, and I've bucked all other trends to start with my number one game. xander51.medium.com/avowed-is-be...
Avowed Is Better Than Every Elder Scrolls Game
It’s still my favorite new release of 2025
xander51.medium.com
December 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
My game of the year content begins! I've pivoted from doing a list to doing individual highlight articles, and I've bucked all other trends to start with my number one game. xander51.medium.com/avowed-is-be...