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Steven Scaife

Steven Nguyen Scaife’s writing has appeared in Buzzfeed News, Fanbyte, Polygon, The Awl, Rock Paper Shotgun, EGM, and elsewhere.

The Better Sister

‘The Better Sister’ Review: A Charmingly Silly Murder Mystery Adaptation

by Steven Scaife
May 28, 2025

For all its storytelling sins, the series skirts the most damning one of them all: It’s not boring.

To a T

‘To a T’ Review: Takahashi Keita’s Lovingly Esoteric Tribute to Growing Pains

by Steven Scaife
May 28, 2025

The game lavishes idiosyncratic detail on its ground-level view of the world.

Muderbot

‘Murderbot’ Review: An Endearing but Mostly Clumsy Sci-Fi Comedy

by Steven Scaife
May 13, 2025

The rogue security cyborg at the show’s center is less a vengeful killer than a quiet quitter.

Poker Face

‘Poker Face’ Season Two Review: Peacock’s Crime Caper Leans Further into Comedy

by Steven Scaife
May 2, 2025

In its second season, the series leans into sillier characters and more heightened predicaments.

Despelote

‘Despelote’ Review: In the Summer of 2001, Soccer Fever Is in the Ecuadorian Air

by Steven Scaife
May 1, 2025

Despelote is transportive in its vision of a messy childhood.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2

‘Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2’ Review: Sequel Undercuts Its Slice-of-Life Drama

by Steven Scaife
April 21, 2025

It’s disappointing how “Tape 2” casts the construction of the first installment in a different light.

Commandos: Origins

‘Commandos: Origins’ Review: Come for the RTS Fun, Leave Angry for the Fiddly Controls

by Steven Scaife
April 9, 2025

Commandos: Origins hasn’t been polished to a mirror shine.

Promise Mascot Agency

‘Promise Mascot Agency’ Review: An Esoteric, If Aimless, Japanese Business Sim

by Steven Scaife
April 7, 2025

There’s scant complexity to the practice of running the central mascot agency.

Ash

‘Ash’ Review: Flying Lotus’s Sci-Fi Horror Thriller Coasts on Hypnotic Atmosphere

by Steven Scaife
March 17, 2025

Ash is a solid delivery mechanism for genre thrills.

Dope Thief

‘Dope Thief’ Review: An Often Kinetic Yet Bloated Crime Novel Adaptation

by Steven Scaife
March 14, 2025

The series is bracingly chaotic, but it’s another unfortunate example of streaming bloat.

Wanderstop

‘Wanderstop’ Review: A Tea Shop Sim That Puts the Healing Power of Brewing in Your Hands

by Steven Scaife
March 10, 2025

The game’s narrative doesn’t support the 10 hours that it takes to complete.

In the Lost Lands

‘In the Lost Lands’ Review: Paul W.S. Anderson’s Arrestingly Trashy George R.R. Martin Adaptation

by Steven Scaife
March 5, 2025

The film provides Anderson with a sturdy canvas for his unique brand of gaudy, campy cool.

The Rule of Jenny Pen

‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’ Review: John Lithgow Slays in James Ashcroft’s Dubious Thriller

by Steven Scaife
March 3, 2025

After a while, the film’s bleak atmosphere becomes more grating than unsettling.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII

‘Sid Meier’s Civilization VII’ Review: The Unfinished Chaos of Human History

by Steven Scaife
February 25, 2025

Civilization VII too often feels like a game that’s engaging in spite of itself.

Zero Day

‘Zero Day’ Review: Netflix’s Political Thriller Gives Audiences the Equivalent of Dead Air

by Steven Scaife
February 20, 2025

This anodyne series works awfully hard to drain itself of context and specificity.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1

‘Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1’ Review: A Summer Full of Dramas Big and Small

by Steven Scaife
February 18, 2025

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a bold assertion of trust in the audience.

Rounding

‘Rounding’ Review: The Horror Doesn’t Stick in Alex Thompson’s Hospital-Set Drama

by Steven Scaife
February 10, 2025

Would that Rounding’s story were as memorable as its sense of detail.

Armand

‘Armand’ Review: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s Needlessly Convoluted Classroom Drama

by Steven Scaife
February 2, 2025

From the start, the film stokes tension with its peculiar sense of atmosphere.

The Stone of Madness

‘The Stone of Madness’ Review: An Isometric Stealth Adventure in a Memorable Setting

by Steven Scaife
January 28, 2025

The Stone of Madness is cleverly attuned to perseverance through incremental progress.

The Colors Within

‘The Colors Within’ Review: Yamada Naoko’s Luminous Anime About Finding Oneself

by Steven Scaife
January 20, 2025

Yamada’s animated film suggests great depths through withholding.

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