Mathew Kumar

@mathewkumar
114 Followers
52 Following
984 Posts

Writer of exp. magazine (expzine.com). Game developer for hire. He/They.

Every Game I've Finished 14>24 is OUT NOW: amazon.com/dp/B0DJPFPVFT Patreon: patreon.com/expzine

From the exp. archive in 2015: I really struggled to write about Far Cry 2, because it hadn't lived up to the hype: https://expzine.com/2015/01/07/far-cry-2-ubisoft-2008/
From the exp. archive: I reach the end of 2014 and consider that I might be wasting my life after playing all the way through Rygar: The Battle of Argus. https://expzine.com/2014/12/19/rygar-the-battle-of-argus-tecmo-2008/

Unlocked! Nintendo published a Konami ping pong game that was a couple of years old on the Famicom Disk System. Just filler? Maybe. But it's genuinely great. On Smash Ping Pong. https://expzine.com/2026/03/10/smash-ping-pong-konami-1987/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/smash-ping-pong-152645491

Smash Ping Pong (Konami, 1987) – exp.

There are revealing, subtle moments in Louis Theroux's latest doc, but they drown under a thick layer of Netflixification, unfortunately: https://letterboxd.com/mathewkumar/film/louis-theroux-inside-the-manosphere/
A review of Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere (2026)

Hmm. I really don't feel like the Netflix sheen does Louis Theroux's work any favours. There are too many fancy graphics, too much glorifying b-roll for his usual bread and butter, revealingly awkward moments, to stand out. It's a shame really, because there are some wonderfully exposing moments in this documentary, they just come across as too subtle in context. The look of terror in Myron Gaines' eyes as Louis Theroux says things he's just said to his partner—and how quickly he backs down. HS calling Theroux a "puppet" while literally being puppeted by his stream chat (and then seeing

New exp. for subscribers! Consume Me is a solid, engaging life sim with immaculate vibes... that ultimately bites off more than it can chew. https://expzine.com/2026/03/17/consume-me-hsia-thompson-2025/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/consume-me-hsia-153198061

A review of No Other Choice (2025)

I’m not really a Park Chan-wook guy because I find his work pretty cold; when I watched The Sympathizer recently it was more because I was interested in what a collaboration between Park and Don McKellar looked like, which turned out to be, well, perfectly watchable, if not to damn it with faint praise. Interestingly, No Other Choice has very much the same preoccupations as The Sympathizer: that the people in charge are greedy and stupid; that if you want to survive, you’re going to have to step on the people you should be in solidarity with; and that you’re

From the exp. archive: Crossy Road (Hipster Whale, 2014): https://expzine.com/2014/12/15/crossy-road-hipster-whale-2014/
Crossy Road (Hipster Whale, 2014) – exp.

I was surprised to see that F1 was a best picture nominee, so I stuck it on. Now I'm not surprised; I find it laughable. Sometimes it's just nice to let loose and give a movie a kicking: https://expzine.com/2026/03/12/f1-2025/
F1 (2025) – exp.

New exp. for subscribers! Nintendo published a Konami ping pong game that was a couple of years old on the Famicom Disk System. Just filler? Maybe. But it's genuinely great. On Smash Ping Pong: https://expzine.com/2026/03/10/smash-ping-pong-konami-1987/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/smash-ping-pong-152645491

Almost forgot to do an post from the archive this week. Well, here it is. From the exp. archive: Kirby's Epic Yawn. I mean Yarn. https://expzine.com/2014/12/10/kirbys-epic-yarn-good-feel-2010/
Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Good-Feel, 2010) – exp.