Steven Wong
Fortunately, both the original and enhanced version of Metro Exodus looks fantastic – the enhanced lighting just provides more opportunities to better appreciate everything the game has to offer. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s like playing the game for the first time, but it’s pretty close.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that Beyond Earth fully captures the feel of the Earthbound Civilization games yet, but Rising Tide makes for a far better game than the original.
Escape Dead Island disappoints on multiple levels, from its lackluster gameplay, to its awful storytelling. The revelations found in this game are not profound enough to justify the long slog, filled annoying characters and lousy stealth and combat systems. Not to mention the ending is insultingly stupid and lazy. The best way to escape this island is to never visit it.
Godzilla puts you into the destructive feet of the King of Monsters. Unfortunately, being the king is kind of boring.
We can treat the Revelations 2 experiment as a learning experience. This game should be dissected, studied, catalogued and put into storage. I genuiniely hope that there will be another Revelations game--one with better cooperative gameplay and perhaps doing away with episodes altogether.
Although We. The Revolution has the potential to be a deep and challenging political strategy game, its gameplay becomes too shallow to be much of anything.
All taken together, getting through Satellite Reign can be a painful and slow process until you can amass enough tech, skill and firepower to repel waves of soldiers. It wants to be a game that gives you different choices, but the stealth gameplay wears thin so quickly that the game just gets boring.
Even though its puzzle isn't very difficult, minus the falling, it does provide an entertaining experience. Perhaps Grow Home will evolve into something more someday. As it is right now, it's a short and sweet experience with a lot of free falling involved.
Ryse is a decent game, given its length, but it's one that is certainly more fun to look at than it is to play. If you're looking for a game that will push your gaming hardware to the limit, then Ryse certainly fits, especially if you're itching to game on 4K hardware. Otherwise, there are better ways to pass the time.
Wayward Manor is a puzzle game created in collaboration between The Odd Gentleman and Neil Gaiman. That alone is enough to catch some interest, but whatever charm the game has quickly wears thin.
Although the castle-smashing combat and humor remain enjoyable, Castlestorm II is bogged down by half-baked systems that often undermine each other.
Pagan Online's fast-paced action is weighed down by its disappointing lack of depth. If you want the thrill of being trapped in a barrel full of monsters all day, this game is for you. If not, then it's best to look elsewhere.
Although A Plague Tale: Innocence features spectacular artwork and excellent characters, they can't make up for the boring, predictable gameplay.
The Game of Thrones adventure game is really good at piling up bodies, but has trouble finding direction in between the bloodshed.
Quiplash is a new game from the makers of You Don't Know Jack, and it aims to get the party started. But like any party, you need a lot of fun and interesting people to make for a good time. That goes doubly so for this game.
Artifacts of Power hits most of the right marks. . . . At the same time, there's a feeling that the game lost something when it went fully 3D.
Warhammer 40,000: Regicide cleverly combines two different strategy games, but it also loses something along the way. It took me a long while to grow accustomed to the Regicide rules, and I still can't honestly say that I like having my Librarian shot up by a bunch of pawns. Or how a laser toting Loota can kill my Assault Marine in one shot. Sure, Regicide takes strategy to an all new level, but this level is a tad too brutal for me.
Heroes 7 does have that "one more turn" quality that eats away the hours, but the game-breaking bugs, along with cheap cinematics and sound effects, ruin the experience. Also, since the stories take place in the past, there's no sense that players are impacting Ashan's fate until they unlock Ivan's campaign. Perhaps Heroes 7 will meet its potential after a few patches and expansions, but for now, it's tough to look past its flaws.
There's a decent collection of unlockable challenge missions, but game loses some of its charm when a mission forces too many criteria, like time limits and crew selection. Still, this is a game that ended up totally getting under my skin, and I couldn't help coming back to prove myself as a criminal mastermind.
All the stumbling around trades away any sense of suspense. It's hard to feel scared of monsters after you've walked circles around them several times. Not even tricks like suddenly switching off the lights saves the mood. Soma does a great job of making me feel lost and frustrated. Perhaps too good.