Philipp Weinbrecht's Reviews
A game for fans of the original who want to experience the classic in a modern way. With many strengths but also very many weaknesses of the original - and some that have been newly added.
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Behind the retro presentation there is a complex, fun and, above all, time-consuming game that cleverly combines familiar game mechanics and turns them on their head. The grind and the hunt for fresh loot is challenging and gripping. The few characters in the game are charming and make you want more, and especially as the game progresses, the complex mechanisms open up and you are caught up in the rush of the loops. However, it's a pity that all this is hidden behind a deliberately minimalistic presentation, which leaves something to be desired in the details.
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Yeah, it looks like Fortnite. Yes, it's based on the same engine as Fortnite. But no, it is not Fortnite: Darwin Project hides exciting new approaches under the familiar look. The reduction of weapons, the low crafting effort and the full focus on surviving in the environment in constant cold are a welcome change. Also the small map and the reduced number of simultaneous players makes for entertaining fun. But the fight for survival can really turn up the heat with its Game Master: With the right person at the lever, who actively participates in the game and makes a real show out of the classic Battle Royale, Darwin Project is unbelievable fun that knows how to entertain round after round. But if the director drops out, then there is "only" one more genre representative among many.
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When it comes to zombies, I MUST have a look - and look, World War Z is a hell of a lot of fun. When you are exposed to this gigantic zombie mass for the first time and desperately try to hold a position, your fingers get sweaty. Especially at the beginning it's these moments that hide many technical shortcomings. But after several hours the "Oh, man!" and "Fuck, really now?" moments accumulate. If the developers diligently polish up here and add new content as planned, then these annoyances gradually disappear and allow an undisturbed look at a surprisingly good and fun co-op game, which could actually be a serious alternative to Valves' aging king on the Undead Throne.
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Cybarian is an entertaining, crisp retro platformer with a loving look, a cool soundtrack and some nice details. The just four varied levels can be solved by experienced players in well under an hour; in the first round of the game it probably takes two to three hours, depending on your skill, to learn and master all the mechanisms and traps. Considering that the game is available for less than 5 Euro, this is okay from my point of view. If you're in the mood for a bit of crunchy pixel art action again, you won't go wrong with Cybarian.
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We're not gonna take it! Bigger, louder, weirder and more political: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus ups the ante compared to its predecessor and delivers an entertaining action-festival, combined with a thrilling story in a crazy "what if"-scenario. It fixes most of Wolfenstein's problems and throws the player from one over-the-top moment into another, while at the same time making him think about real-life politics and actual problems in today's crazy world - as long as you don't play the German version, which alters the alternate history to the point of complete ignorance.
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Yes, the paid Early Access is something that has to be discussed. And yeah, it's another game with a lot of undead people wanting to eat your brain. Despite these two flaws, Fortnite is a damn good, entertaining game with a gameplay that keeps you motivated and makes you want to play "just one more round". The almost unlimited building possibilities to keep your objective secure gives an additional, nice touch to the beloved tower defense formula and if you're ever sick of all this stuff, just get into the entertaining, fast paced Battle Royale mode.
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The Civilization-series has always been a game near to perfection within its own universe and over the past years, every new game made just some slight but useful changes to please the fans and give every round a new, exciting twist. So, it's not a big surprise, that almost nothing changed this year - but the features that have changed almost make it a completely new game. Despite the new, amazing visuals there's this new thing called "districts" and after being uncertain in the beginning, I now can't image how I could ever play a Civilization without this feature. Of course, the new (and old) leaders and nations still are amazing and everytime, I wanted to quit the game, I took "just another, last round". I don't need to tell you, this never worked, right?
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The Coalition had to deal with a heavy burden but they really nailed it: Gears of War 4 takes the right steps in a big, beloved franchise and adds small, but smart new touches to the great predecessors while at the same time expanding the universe with a new story and new heroes. On the other hand, the game lacks those big, epic, rememberable moments, that make the fans talk about the old games even today. Sometimes, it felt to me, The Coalition tried to play it too safe and only unleashing the full potential very close to the end. I hope, they'll unleash the inner beast in the next installment.
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Overwatch is everything I wished for since good ol' Quake & Enemy Territory: a fast-paced, straight forward team shooter with a great, quick gunplay and some objective-based team-action. Every hero has its purpose and should serve every skill-level ranging from shooter veterans to beginners. Thanks to free new heroes, maps, events and game modes, Blizzard also makes sure to keep long time players entertained and excited.
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I have to be honest: After this game nearly vanished in late 2015 and was delayed a couple of times, I was pretty sure, this would gonna be a good, but mediocre Third-Person Shooter with some time-travelling mumbo-jumbo and some sort of a mini-series with real actors included. So, my expectations were down to zero. As I started playing, it took not even half an hour to completely proof me wrong. Remedy delivers a visual masterpiece with some of the most creative and stunning imagery and levels I have ever seen on screen, thanks to objects and lights frozen in time. This adds to some really exciting and interesting characters and a good story about time travelling that stays within its own logic - as far as this genre allows logical explanations. I also liked the concept of the mini-series, that adds a lot to the game's story and has a really good production value with some decent effects and acting. At the same time, I understand people not liking to put the controller away for nearly half an hour and just watch things happen and add to the story.
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Pure insanity and madness, combined with Jet Set Radio - that's what I'd describe this game to my friends. I had so many people watching me play this game and the most common reaction was: "I have no clue what you are doing, but man does this look fun!" This pretty much sums up most part of this game: It feels like Insomniac Games just built a giant sandbox full of colors and added as many "Wouldn't-it-be-totally-crazy-if"-ideas as possible. This is pure anarchy as a game with some of the best punkrock music and a great artstyle seen in a long time. There's so much to do and such great humor that you nearly forget that most parts of the game start to get pretty repetitive at times.
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