Jon Bailes
Jon Bailes is a freelance games critic, author and social theorist. After completing a PhD in European Studies, he first wrote about games in his book Ideology and the Virtual City, and has since gone on to write features, reviews, and analysis for Edge, Washington Post, Wired, The Guardian, and many other publications. His gaming tastes were forged by old arcade games such as R-Type and classic JRPGs like Phantasy Star. These days he’s especially interested in games that tell stories in interesting ways, from Dark Souls to Celeste, or anything that offers something a little different.
Latest articles by Jon Bailes
Animal Well review: "An endlessly inventive Metroidvania with unfathomable depth"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
How voxels, pink laser death and a shred of humanity made this breakneck arcade shooter an all-timer
By Jon Bailes published
Features Opinion | Nex Machina was a bullet-hell haven in every stretch of the genre
How this open-world puzzle game classic helped us come to terms with human extinction by tapping into our thirst for storytelling
By Jon Bailes published
Interview Opinion | Join Edge magazine as it takes a retrospective deep dive into high-brow puzzler The Talos Principle
Broken Roads review: "Systems that sound good on paper don't work as intended"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
Dragon's Dogma 2 review: "Embrace the chaos and there's nothing quite like it"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
Revisiting this 24-year-old JRPG classic from the PS1 era proves there's no smoke without fire
By Jon Bailes published
Features Opinion | Breath of Fire 4 is somehow almost a quarter of a century old – here, Play magazine remembers what made it so great
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden review: "The story is the best reason to see it through"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
In defense of one of PlayStation's most divisive giant cat-bird companions
By Jon Bailes published
Features Opinion | Stubborn, awkward; loveable, hate-able
12 years on, this PS Vita-exclusive action adventure game still one of the very best
By Jon Bailes published
Features Opinion | Remastered in 2015 for the PS4, Gravity Rush's initial handheld-only outing is one to remember
From Call of Cthulhu to Dredge to Bloodborne, why does Lovecraft's influence on games continue to grow?
By Jon Bailes published
Features Interview | Edge magazine explores the video game influence of HP Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos
With Kojima Productions on board, 2010's Castlevania Lords of Shadow remains one of the action adventure dynasty's most intriguing installments
By Jon Bailes published
Features Opinion | 13 years on, it's safe to say Kojima Productions and MercurySteam vamped things up a few notches
American Arcadia review: "Stylish, smart, and highly entertaining"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
How Final Fantasy 15's spoiled royal camping trip was saved by the friends we made on the way
By Jon Bailes published
Opinion Opinion | "What these episodes and other additions in 2018's Royal Edition can't do, however, is complete the game"
Robocop: Rogue City review: "Short on engaging mission design and the film's punchy satire"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
Endless Dungeon review: "An entertaining and finely-tuned roguelike"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
As geeky and delusional as he may be, No More Heroes' antihero is one of the best assassins of all time
By Jon Bailes published
Opinion Opinion | Travis Touchdown isn't perfect, far from it, but that doesn't mean he's not worth celebrating
Sea of Stars review: "A delicious, Michelin-starred tasting menu of an RPG"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
Atlas Fallen review: "A very ordinary execution of very ordinary ideas"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
Over 10 years later, Bayonetta is still one of the best action games
By Jon Bailes published
Opinion Opinion | Bayonetta is the queen of the action game genre
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty review: "Builds on the core quality of the Nioh games"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
Octopath Traveler 2 review: "Seems afraid to escape the limitations of the first game"
By Jon Bailes published
Review
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