Matt Karoglou-Contributor

Staff Writer

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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Gears of War Creator CliffyB Offers His Thoughts on Xbox Exclusives Going Multiplatform

During a recent The Best War Games interview, Gears of War creator CliffyB comments on Xbox-exclusive games possibly adopting multiplatform models.

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10 Years Later, South Park Games Are Still Catching Up to Stick of Truth

South Park: The Stick of Truth released 10 years ago, and the phenomenal game set a very high bar for all of its follow-ups to clear.

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How CliffyB’s Work on His Comic Scrapper Mirrors Themes from Gears of War

The Best War Games speaks with Cliff 'CliffyB' Bleszinski about the similar themes between his comic Scrapper and the Gears of War franchise.

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How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Open World Design is Leaps Ahead of FF15's

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth learns all the best lessons from a decade of open-world design to craft an experience that far exceeds that of FF15.

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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Massive Open World Makes its Map Menu More Valuable Than Ever

Players could realy on just the mini-map in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but Rebirth's size and exploration make the full map menu a necessity.

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Queen's Blood is to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth What Gwent is to Witcher 3

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's inclusion of a card-battling mini-game that's just as entertaining as the main quest calls to mind Witcher 3's Gwent.

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Why Unicorn Overlord Was in Development for 10 Years

Upcoming strategy and tactical RPG hybrid Unicorn Overlord has been quietly in the works at Vanillaware since 2014 and releases this March.

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The Thaumaturge's Salutors Are A Lot Like Persona's Namesake

Fool's Theory's upcoming CRPG The Thaumaturge features some helpful demonic presences not unlike Atlus' Persona series.

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Unicorn Overlord is to Tactical RPGs What Sea of Stars is to Classic JRPGs

Atlus and Vanillaware's Unicorn Overlord looks to provide the same kind of genre 'comfort food' that Sabotage's Sea of Stars delivered.

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25 Years Since its Launch, Final Fantasy 8 Remains the Most Unique Game in the Series

Final Fantasy 8's willingness to greatly experiment with franchise tradition up to the point of its release helps it still stand out from the pack.

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How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Devs Decided Which Scenes to Change

During a recent interview with The Best War Games, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi outlines the criteria for key scene changes.

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Why Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Ends with the Forgotten Capital

In an interview with The Best War Games, Square Enix's Yoshinori Kitase reveals why the team chose the Forgotten Capital as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's ending.

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Persona 3 Reload Proves Atlus and P Studio Have Mastered One Important RPG Feature

One of Persona 3 Reload's best features is a perfect example of Atlus and P Studio's excellence in designing a crucial aspect of any RPG.

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The Mythological Origins Behind Persona 3 Reload’s Tartarus Explained

Persona 3 Reload's central dungeon Tartarus can trace its thematic inspirations back to one of the most important locations in Greek mythology.

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Pepper Grinder Preview: Classic Platforming With a Satisfying Crunch

The Best War Games goes hands-on with the preview build for Ahr Ech and Devolver Digital's charming indie platformer Pepper Grinder.

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25 Years Later, the Original Silent Hill Still Has the Series' Best Atmosphere

On the 25th anniversary of the release of Silent Hill, it's apparent that no other survival horror game quite matches its oppressive atmosphere.

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How An Unexpected Final Fantasy Remake is Breathing Life into a 35-Year-Old Classic

A high-quality passion project from a dedicated fan is bringing the original Final Fantasy to a brand-new audience with a slew of improvements.

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Every Elden Ring Dragon Explained

Elden Ring features a total of 12 dragons and ancient dragons for players to contend with as they adventure throughout the Lands Between.

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How Lords of the Fallen's Continued Updates are a Blessing and a Curse

Hexworks' continued updates to Lords of the Fallen are unique among Soulslikes, and they've proven to be a bit of a mixed bag.

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Beast Interview: Dev Talks Polish Setting, Game Balance, Early Access, and More

The Best War Games's recent interview with False Prophet game writer Michał Mochocki looks into various elements of Beast's design and its Early Access model.