Critical Arcade

This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick leave the bright lights behind and head deep into the humid, industrial, and downright bizarre world of Norco. After the death of her mother, Kay returns to her hometown in the swamps of Louisiana, only to discover that her brother Blake has mysteriously disappeared. What starts as a search for a missing sibling quickly spirals into a strange mystery involving a powerful petrochemical company, religious cults, mysterious robots, surveillance technology, and a town that seems to be hiding more secrets than it has residents.

As they explore the decaying streets, flooded swamps, abandoned buildings, and sprawling industrial facilities of Norco, Dave and Nick will slowly uncover a story about family, grief, corporate greed, environmental destruction, and the strange ways people try to survive in a world that seems determined to leave them behind. With its gorgeous pixel art, unsettling atmosphere, dark humour, and wonderfully weird characters, Norco is equal parts detective story, southern gothic nightmare, and surprisingly heartfelt family drama.

Will Dave manage to piece together the increasingly bizarre mystery surrounding Kay's family? Can Nick keep track of all the strange characters, cults, conspiracies, and robots? And most importantly, how long will it take before they both start questioning whether anything happening in Norco actually makes sense?
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Is RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 really one of the greatest management games ever made, or are we remembering it through rose-tinted glasses?

This week on Critical Arcade, The List sent us back to RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, the legendary 2002 theme park simulator developed by Chris Sawyer and published by Infogrames. More than twenty years later, we revisit one of PC gaming's most influential tycoon games to see whether it still deserves its legendary reputation.

We discuss everything from the complete lack of a narrative, the charming isometric visuals, authentic sound design, and the iconic custom roller coaster builder, to the surprisingly unstable performance we encountered on modern hardware. Along the way we compare it with games like Theme Park World, Planet Zoo, Zoo Tycoon 2, and the modern Two Point series to ask whether management games have simply evolved beyond RollerCoaster Tycoon 2.

Most surprisingly, we couldn't even agree on the final verdict. One of us still sees a timeless classic, while the other would rather revisit Theme Park World.

Do you think RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 still holds up in 2026, or has nostalgia been doing the heavy lifting all these years?

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick leave behind the power fantasies of saving kingdoms and slaying monsters to take on one of gaming's most mundane—and surprisingly stressful—jobs. As the newly appointed immigration inspector at the Grestin border checkpoint in the communist state of Arstotzka, they'll spend their days checking passports, stamping documents, interrogating suspicious travellers, and trying to spot forged paperwork before it slips through the cracks. Every mistake costs money, every fine comes out of their wages, and with a family relying on them back home, the pressure quickly begins to mount.

But as the days pass, the simple routine of checking documents gives way to something far more sinister. Terrorist attacks, political unrest, underground resistance groups, and heartbreaking personal stories force them to question whether following the rules is always the right thing to do. Do they obey the state and protect their livelihood, or risk everything to help those caught in the gears of a brutal bureaucracy? Every decision has consequences, and there are no easy answers.

Will Dave's soft heart bankrupt his family before the end of the month? Can Nick keep track of the ever-growing mountain of rules without accidentally letting a wanted criminal stroll into Arstotzka? And just how many times will they mutter "Papers, please" before they start saying it in real life? Glory to Arstotzka!
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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick descend into one of gaming's most forgotten milestones: Descent. Released in 1995, this groundbreaking shooter dared to ask one simple question: what if "up" didn't exist? Armed with a tiny spacecraft, an ever-growing arsenal of futuristic weapons, and a map that somehow manages to make you more lost, our fearless duo blast their way through twisting mines filled with rogue mining robots and enough laser fire to make any insurance company nervous.

Along the way, they uncover why this little DOS game deserves far more credit than history has given it, from pioneering true 3D environments and six degrees of freedom to positional audio that could literally save your life. Will Dave finally find the exit before the reactor explodes? And will Nick ever figure out which way is actually up?
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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick trade apocalyptic wastelands and alien worlds for zookeeping spreadsheets as they dive into the wonderfully chaotic world of Planet Zoo. Armed with little more than a dream, a limited budget, and an alarming lack of veterinary qualifications, they set out to build the ultimate wildlife park. From designing sprawling habitats for majestic lions and playful otters to dealing with escaped animals, unhappy guests, and the ever-present threat of financial ruin, every decision could mean the difference between conservation success and complete catastrophe.

Join them as they wrestle with the game's incredible attention to detail, marvel at the realistic animal behaviors, and spend far too much time trying to align paths that absolutely refuse to cooperate. Will Dave create a thriving sanctuary worthy of international acclaim, or accidentally build the world's most expensive petting zoo? And can Nick resist spending hours perfecting a single habitat while the rest of the zoo falls apart around him? Tune in to find out!
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