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
It takes many hours for Age of Imprisonment to get to its inciting moment, and by then I think players might be bored. xander51.medium.com/hyrule-warri...
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Takes Too Long To Get Good
A slow lore-filled experience
xander51.medium.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:40 PM
It takes many hours for Age of Imprisonment to get to its inciting moment, and by then I think players might be bored. xander51.medium.com/hyrule-warri...
I was planning to write about the Fallout 4 update today, but it is so thoroughly nothing that instead I'm finishing up a Hyrule Warriors piece.
November 11, 2025 at 5:17 PM
I was planning to write about the Fallout 4 update today, but it is so thoroughly nothing that instead I'm finishing up a Hyrule Warriors piece.
I resubbed to Humble Choice last month. I might use their discounts to “de-game-pass” myself now that Xbox is a mess. I don‘t want to pay thirty dollars a month to access modern Bethesda games. Humble didn’t ask me to post this. I literally forget about them all the time.
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
I resubbed to Humble Choice last month. I might use their discounts to “de-game-pass” myself now that Xbox is a mess. I don‘t want to pay thirty dollars a month to access modern Bethesda games. Humble didn’t ask me to post this. I literally forget about them all the time.
Razer made a big dumb mistake, and I'm not going to support their products going forward. xander51.medium.com/razer-detest...
Razer Detests Women Now, I Guess?
Well, I no longer feel comfortable supporting or talking about Razer products. I’ve gone from a fan of almost twenty years to feeling super…
xander51.medium.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Razer made a big dumb mistake, and I'm not going to support their products going forward. xander51.medium.com/razer-detest...
I'm reasonably far into The Outer Worlds 2...and I'm bouncing off of it hard. xander51.medium.com/the-outer-wo...
The Outer Worlds 2 Is Entirely for Game Mechanics Nerds
Do you like to make different “builds” in video games? Do you like to dig into RPG systems all the way down to the bottom just to see what…
xander51.medium.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:10 PM
I'm reasonably far into The Outer Worlds 2...and I'm bouncing off of it hard. xander51.medium.com/the-outer-wo...
I've got a new piece up on Medium about my early days with my new PC. This is a friend link, so a free click/read for all! xander51.medium.com/how-was-this...
How Was THIS the First Game I Finished on My New PC?
Allow me to explain myself
xander51.medium.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I've got a new piece up on Medium about my early days with my new PC. This is a friend link, so a free click/read for all! xander51.medium.com/how-was-this...
My fun time with the Logitech Superlight 2C got slowly eroded by a bunch of little issues. xander51.medium.com/logitechs-ne...
Logitech’s New Gaming Mouse Is Full of Bees
Imagine you’re on a nice walk in your favorite park on a beautiful sunny day. Maybe you’ve even got a delicious hot beverage in your hand…
xander51.medium.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:12 PM
My fun time with the Logitech Superlight 2C got slowly eroded by a bunch of little issues. xander51.medium.com/logitechs-ne...
I checked out Ball X Pit. I'm happy I did! xander51.medium.com/you-should-p...
You Should Probably Try Ball X Pit
“This is the best fantasy-themed Breakout-inspired game since the glory days of Wizorb” is a thought I never expected to rattle around in…
xander51.medium.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:47 AM
I checked out Ball X Pit. I'm happy I did! xander51.medium.com/you-should-p...
I've struggled to build much here, and I get more story clicks/attention on the Meta-owned platforms even though I don't have huge follower counts there. Ghastly, I know! I don't love it! I might step slowly away from here in the future since writing for my Medium following is my main focus.
October 20, 2025 at 12:47 AM
I've struggled to build much here, and I get more story clicks/attention on the Meta-owned platforms even though I don't have huge follower counts there. Ghastly, I know! I don't love it! I might step slowly away from here in the future since writing for my Medium following is my main focus.
I spent some time with Logitech's new and slightly smaller gaming mouse, and my thoughts about it ballooned into whatever this is. xander51.medium.com/the-sneakies...
The Sneakiest Little Design Trick in Gaming Mice
The endless march of computer game technology demands new products and peripherals year after year, even when the underlying components…
xander51.medium.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:54 AM
I spent some time with Logitech's new and slightly smaller gaming mouse, and my thoughts about it ballooned into whatever this is. xander51.medium.com/the-sneakies...
Lego Horizon Adventures on PC has some impressively long end credits. i always like to watch these, but I’m coming really close to hitting the “exit” button. I think this has been scrolling for well over ten minutes.
October 13, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Lego Horizon Adventures on PC has some impressively long end credits. i always like to watch these, but I’m coming really close to hitting the “exit” button. I think this has been scrolling for well over ten minutes.
It's late on a Saturday night, so it's time for a keyboard article I guess? xander51.medium.com/the-gaming-k...
The Gaming Keyboard Market Relies on Your Ignorance
If you’ve ever strolled into an electronics retailer with a PC gaming keyboard section, you’ve probably seen someone there tapping away at…
xander51.medium.com
October 12, 2025 at 5:38 AM
It's late on a Saturday night, so it's time for a keyboard article I guess? xander51.medium.com/the-gaming-k...
I think Lego Horizon Adventures might be my favorite use of Unreal Engine 5 so far? Followed by Hellblade II, and then maybe Avowed? I’m talking about technical/engine competence here and not necessarily game quality though I think they’re all fun.
October 10, 2025 at 12:54 AM
I think Lego Horizon Adventures might be my favorite use of Unreal Engine 5 so far? Followed by Hellblade II, and then maybe Avowed? I’m talking about technical/engine competence here and not necessarily game quality though I think they’re all fun.
I'm almost impressed at how badly Microsoft continues to handle their Xbox division. Their distaste for building a gaming community around their brand has never been more apparent. xander51.medium.com/xbox-has-not...
Xbox Has Nothing Left To Burn
Last week, Microsoft announced a fifty percent price increase for their once legendary Game Pass subscription service. Any semblance of…
xander51.medium.com
October 9, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I'm almost impressed at how badly Microsoft continues to handle their Xbox division. Their distaste for building a gaming community around their brand has never been more apparent. xander51.medium.com/xbox-has-not...
I resisted the urge to call Razer's mid-range DeathAdder mouse "mid." It was hard! xander51.medium.com/razers-death...
Razer’s DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed Mouse Is Almost Incredible
Thoughts after one month with their mid-range option
xander51.medium.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:46 PM
I resisted the urge to call Razer's mid-range DeathAdder mouse "mid." It was hard! xander51.medium.com/razers-death...
I'm loving all the DualSense controller features in Ghost of Yotei. It feels like it fell in out of an alternate universe where everyone loves haptics as much as I do. xander51.medium.com/ghost-of-yot...
Ghost of Yotei Made Me Love the DualSense Again
What if we just applied haptics to everything?
xander51.medium.com
October 3, 2025 at 7:38 PM
I'm loving all the DualSense controller features in Ghost of Yotei. It feels like it fell in out of an alternate universe where everyone loves haptics as much as I do. xander51.medium.com/ghost-of-yot...
Borderlands 4 has some cool stuff in it...buried under a mess of fundamental design issues. I'll be truly impressed if the delayed Switch 2 release actually functions. xander51.medium.com/borderlands-...
Borderlands 4 Is a Fascinating Mess
I’m not at all shocked the Switch 2 version was delayed
xander51.medium.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Borderlands 4 has some cool stuff in it...buried under a mess of fundamental design issues. I'll be truly impressed if the delayed Switch 2 release actually functions. xander51.medium.com/borderlands-...
I’m finally playing the PC version of Ghost of Tsushima, and aside from some motion blur glitches on background foliage when Nvidia Reflex is on(!), it’s great.
September 30, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I’m finally playing the PC version of Ghost of Tsushima, and aside from some motion blur glitches on background foliage when Nvidia Reflex is on(!), it’s great.
PowerWash Simulator 2 is already losing me. But I'm also the one weird guy that *loved* the VR version of the game. xander51.medium.com/oh-no-powerw...
Oh No, PowerWash Simulator 2 Is Super Underwhelming
I’m happy that game developer FuturLab found enough success with their breakout 2021 hit PowerWash Simulator and its roughly eight thousand…
xander51.medium.com
September 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM
PowerWash Simulator 2 is already losing me. But I'm also the one weird guy that *loved* the VR version of the game. xander51.medium.com/oh-no-powerw...
I tried a HyperX product for the first time in very long while, and I enjoyed it. xander51.medium.com/the-best-bud...
The Best Budget Gaming Mouse I Almost Skipped
Another random grocery store tech find
xander51.medium.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:10 PM
I tried a HyperX product for the first time in very long while, and I enjoyed it. xander51.medium.com/the-best-bud...
I put up some thoughts on the Wolverine trailer. It felt like it was made for a "me" that hasn't existed for twenty years. xander51.medium.com/sonys-new-wo...
Sony’s New Wolverine Game Is a Weird Violent Echo of the Past
This week, years after first announcing their high-budget Wolverine game (and also a long while after a studio leak of some development…
xander51.medium.com
September 26, 2025 at 11:18 PM
I put up some thoughts on the Wolverine trailer. It felt like it was made for a "me" that hasn't existed for twenty years. xander51.medium.com/sonys-new-wo...
I'm pretty sure this was the worst possible week to release a Hades clone, and yet that didn't stop Sworn. xander51.medium.com/sworn-is-the...
Sworn Is the Most Blatant Clone Game I’ve Played in Decades
And its release date gambit will probably backfire
xander51.medium.com
September 25, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I'm pretty sure this was the worst possible week to release a Hades clone, and yet that didn't stop Sworn. xander51.medium.com/sworn-is-the...
I no longer believe in the PS5 Pro. xander51.medium.com/was-the-ps5-...
Was the PS5 Pro a Mistake?
Game studios sure seem to think so
xander51.medium.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I no longer believe in the PS5 Pro. xander51.medium.com/was-the-ps5-...
Sony often feels to me like a company that's fighting against itself. xander51.medium.com/the-two-side...
The Two Sides of Sony Gaming Audio
Hey, did you guys ever think about talking to each other?
xander51.medium.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Sony often feels to me like a company that's fighting against itself. xander51.medium.com/the-two-side...
If Intel goes down, so too will my entire town. That's not great! xander51.medium.com/amds-incredi...
AMD’s Incredible Gaming Processors Threaten the Future of My Hometown
You’ve almost certainly heard of Intel. They’ve been in the news just as much for their failures and struggles as their successes over the…
xander51.medium.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:13 PM
If Intel goes down, so too will my entire town. That's not great! xander51.medium.com/amds-incredi...