Chad Johnson's Reviews
Deadliest Catch: The Game is easily one of the worst games I have played this year, or any year for that matter. There is literally no redeeming feature here - fans of the show will likely be outraged at how badly the license has been handled, and simulation fans will be let down by the downright broken state this game was released in.
This is the video game equivalent of dipping crackers into milk.
Since a sledgehammer runs about $100 and destruction of property charges can vary depending on your location, Demolish & Build Classic is an affordable way to experience demolition work, but it’s much less entertaining than the real deal. This almost falls into the “so bad it’s good” territory, but the issues severely outweigh the positives. If you’re really looking for a demo sim, I would recommend the 2017 entry over this one, or you could just apply to work on a construction crew and get money in exchange for your time.
35mm is a game that shows promise, but largely feels rushed or unfinished. I can easily see something hidden behind the poor controls, dated visuals, and questionable design choices, but sadly, the cons severely outweigh the positives here.
Despite having one of the more interesting premises in the past couple years, Mr. Prepper feels like a failure on almost every level due to the plague of bugs that result in this feeling like one of the most broken games I have ever played, at least on the Xbox family.
Submerged: Hidden Depths is a hard game for me to score, or recommend for that matter. It’s extremely short, clocking in around two hours and change, with little to offer in that time span. If you find combat or platforming to be difficult, this is the title for you. If you like a little more challenge, I would leave this dead in the water.
In the Silent Hill fan community, most of the post Team Silent games are shit on regularly and looked at like bastard children. I personally loved most of the entries, even if they lacked that spark that made the originals so damn satisfying. Initially, this felt like one of the best Western developed games in the series without the name attached, but by the time the credits rolled, I would say Stray Souls is only beaten out by how bad Shattered Memories was.
Since my experience is limited to the Xbox version of Anthology of Fear I would have to say this game is a pass for me, mostly due to the horrendous teeth extraction and complete inability to finish the game; however, I would recommend picking up the PC version if you have a machine that will run it since it does seem to be in working order. I wouldn’t put it up there with my own short list of indie-horror greats, but it’s worth a weekend viewing.
The one thing that the game has going for it is its narrative, despite the main character being intolerable.
About as much fun as an anal probe without consent or anesthesia.
At the end of the day, Hero Survival reminds me of all the times growing up when I’d ask my mom for McDonald’s on the way home and got that stereotypical response we all heard, “we have food at home.” In this instance, Vampire Survivors is the McDonald’s and Hero Survival is the ramen at home, but it’s from that discounted bulk pack that our family got because they forgot to include the flavor packets.
I may be in the minority on this one, but Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition was a big miss for me. I couldn't get into the repetitive level design, fighting the same small pool of enemies, and dealing with one of the worst arsenals in first-person gaming. The only redeeming feature for me was the ability to play as a dog, which was something that was short-lived as the novelty wore off within a few levels.
I easily spent more time sitting in lobbies and loading screens than in the actual game. In one instance I cycled through lobby after lobby for more than an hour failing time and time again due to either a disconnect, not enough players, or when I was holding my ground in an attempt to try out the last of the characters I hadn’t got to in my other sessions. The success of the game will likely hinge on how the online community runs with it, and since there isn’t an offline component, there’s a good possibility this will be dead on arrival and will shred your money like a chainsaw to the gut.
I was someone who missed out on Gynoug the first time around, and while I am glad I got to experience a “new” Sega game, I wouldn’t say this is a must-have unless this was something from your childhood you’d like to revisit.
Transient: Extended Edition is a hard game to recommend. It doesn’t really succeed at anything other than looking great, like the shell of an amazing horror experience that is completely hollow on the inside.
I was expecting some smarter jokes, not the same dick jokes I’ve heard since sixth grade.
The most terrifying aspect of The Chant is how broken the end result really is. As a freshman release, it’s a strong one, but it definitely needed some additional polish to be something even remotely playable.
El Paso, Elsewhere is a game that has a solid foundation that is plagued by so much bloat and glitches that I wouldn’t feel right recommending it in its current state. Unless you really want to experience the narrative and solid soundtrack, there isn’t much to see here after the first 20 or so levels, and it just gets worse from there.
By the time the credits rolled, I was exhausted. Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle presents a passable throwback narrative with some key flourishes that showcase the love for the genre that the developers have, but sadly, most of this game misses the mark. It is an action title hiding behind the inkling of survival horror. There really isn’t much here in terms of horror – just some random jump scares here and there that are usually nothing more than a lightbulb exploding or a thud emitting from the room around the corner. Clocking in at just under eight hours (with at least a third of that time being cinematics), with unlimited ammo being the only alternate mode or bonus feature, there isn’t much to do once you’ve finished it.
Source of Madness is a roguelike that has some interesting ideas and a design that mostly works but is bogged down by uninspired combat that isn’t consistent enough to make it stand out among the mountain of options available in this genre.