Less is more. That's the advice Nintendo's Takashi Tezuka, who's worked on dozens of Super Mario games since 1985's Super Mario Bros., offered when I asked him what makes a good Mario level. "In Mario ...

Half-Life 2 is a bright, action-packed shooter up until you step into Ravenholm, and then it’s suddenly a survival horror game. But despite that, Ravenholm still somehow feels like a Half-Life level, ...