Mike Splechta


172 games reviewed
81.9 average score
85 median score
76.9% of games recommended
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Oct 18, 2016

Dragon Quest Builders is an incredibly strong title, both in gameplay and presentation. It might not be pushing the PS4 hardware to its limits by any means, especially since this is also available on the Vita, but its gorgeous color palette and cute character designs make it very pleasing to look at for extended periods of time. For those that like that typical DQ soundtrack, will find a lot to like here as well.

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9.5 / 10.0 - Forza Horizon 3
Sep 20, 2016

Gorgeous, huge, and extremely customizable. This is truly 'your' Horizon Festival

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Sep 4, 2016

Listen, Miku fans are already glued to their screen, and didn't need a review to tell them the game's fantastic. However, rhythm game fans who wanted a truly amazing game in the genre on their PS4 can certainly do no better at the time of this review, than Project Diva X.

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Jul 12, 2016

The Monster Hunter franchise never had a meteoric rise in the United States. Of course, there certainly exists a hardcore and dedicated user base that's been there ever since the PSP titles forced gamers to use the "claw" grip style to play the game effectively, but the series never really took off until quite recently. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate was a great first step, and even though it limited its players strictly to the 3DS and Wii U, it didn't seem to matter. It's follow-up, which I still regard as one of the best Monster Hunter games to date introduced a bunch of new improvements, broadened its appeal, and once again the numbers proved that there is indeed a thriving MonHun community in the States.

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Jun 22, 2016

If you do happen to fall into the specific niche that this game seems to be geared toward, then you certainly have an amazing time ahead of you. It's fun, stylish, fast-paced and extremely well-designed.

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Jun 10, 2016

Despite the price, Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir is a fantastic game, and I almost couldn't believe that one of my favorite games on the PS2 got the treatment it did. If you're unsure, you could always try out the demo, but trust me, this is one 2D Action RPG that's totally worth it.

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Jun 2, 2016

The 1-on-1 battles are intense, and the ability to call in other characters to help you out when you're in need, or simply to hop in to interrupt an opponents combo not only feels fantastic but looks stellar as well.

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May 18, 2016

I really tried to give Homefront: The Revolution a shot. From the very beginning, however, the game has been fighting me, practically begging me to hate it, despite me pushing back, and trying to praise it for some of its truly great concept ideas. Alas, it was a futile attempt. Homefront: The Revolution is indeed, an absolute mess of a game.

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Unscored - Battleborn
May 14, 2016

Ultimately, Battleborn left me with a lot of mixed feelings. I really disliked the cheap-ness of the Single Player campaign, whether it was some of the un-soloable missions, the repetition of the same bosses, or the very, very dumb final boss fight. However, with that said, it is more fun when you do have other players with you. So the moral here is, don't buy the game if you're planning on playing it by yourself.

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Unscored - Alienation
May 1, 2016

I had a blast with Alienation, and if you have friends willing to invest to play it with, you'll have a ton more on top of that. The loot system is appreciated as well as the various ways to progress your character and your gear. Yet another top notch game from Housemarque under their belt. Now we just wait to see whether Matterfall ever see the light of day, whatever that game is.

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9.5 / 10.0 - Dark Souls III
Apr 4, 2016

Dark Souls 3 feels like the proper sequel to the first game. A lot of the odd mechanics from the second title were scrapped; instead, the game manages to update a lot of the core systems from the first game, borrow some from Demon's Souls, and even add a little bit of Bloodborne flavoring. And even though it feels like the true successor, it doesn't completely discount the second game's existence, as there are plenty of references to that game and world as well.

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Mar 26, 2016

The Division is a fantastic game that has presented its core ideas and mechanics extremely well. When comparing the game to Destiny, which might seem somewhat unfair, it's still clear that Massive certainly borrowed some mechanics that made that game so wildly popular. It's the grind; The promise of ever better loot; The potential to kill a boss and see that orange glow from a distance, that's the stuff that makes The Division worthy of time investment. The gameplay loop is fascinating, even if somewhat repetitive.

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Mar 17, 2016

I'm a little confused whether Pokken Tournament is meant for a casual crowd, a hardcore crowd, or perhaps even both. The mechanics are simple enough for anyone to simply pick up and play, and potentially master, but the game does seem to have some slight nuances to give it an edge in the competitive space. Considering Pokken Tournament is already schedule to headline EVO 2016, it seems that both Nintendo and Bandai Namco are considering the game to certainly be competitive enough to appeal to the hardcore fighting game market. However, my time with it didn't really showcase that, at least not on that level.

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Mar 11, 2016

While we've generally strayed from reviewing individual episodes of games here at GameZone, Hitman's approach to the episodic format is quite different. Since there is very little story to tell, and rather a whole lot of experimental gameplay that rewards multiple playthroughs, Hitman gets a pass on this.

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As I've stated before, those looking to get their farming fix will most likely be disappointed with this odd crossover. The PopoloCrois parts certainly outweigh the Story of Seasons ones. And even then the farming is a lot more simplified in this.

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There is no denying that Twilight Princess HD, despite it's new HD moniker, is a dated game. Now whether those dated mechanics are a pro or a con is certainly subjective. Much of the gameplay mechanics we take for granted like waypoints are really nowhere to be found here. On the flipside, those who like the challenge of exploring the world themselves and discovering where to go next, will certainly love to return to this darker Hyrule to get lost in it all over again.

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Unscored - Street Fighter V
Feb 23, 2016

It seems as though Capcom primarily targeted the hardcore, competitive Street Fighter players, rather than casual fans, like myself. While I'll certainly delve online here and there, I'm not nearly good enough to go up against the hardcore SF players that occupy that space on a daily basis. That's why I was really hoping for some other modes to keep me occupied in the meantime. Sure, Survival is the game's single player bread and butter, but without standard modes like Arcade mode, or even something as basic as a Versus CPU option, it seems like Street Fighter V is seriously lacking in content, for a game that retails at full price, with a promise of more content in the future.

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Feb 22, 2016

Six months ago, console and PC fans were treated to a six-game collection of the original NES Mega Man games. You know, the ones you might have played as a kid, that strengthened your resolve and made you the amazing gamer you are today. Or, on the flipside, made you rage at your NES, resulting in thrown controllers and NES carts. Whatever childhood memories you have of Mega Man, there's no denying that it took the platforming world by storm with an intense difficulty, and some kickass music.

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Unscored - Far Cry Primal
Feb 22, 2016

I went in not really wanting to play Far Cry Primal, or at the very least, not enjoying it. However, I was pleased that Ubisoft Montreal didn't simply copy their formula from their other games, and paste it into a Stone Age setting. A lot of the mechanics are updated and refined, and frankly, just make a whole lot more sense given the time period.

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As you could see from the previous page, there isn't a whole lot to dislike about Popcap's latest foray into flora versus the undead. It takes the core foundations from the previous game, such as the tight controls, and great gunplay, and adds a plethora of layers on top of that, with the inclusion of more modes, a solo option for us loners, and even more classes to play as.

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