Justin Celani's Reviews
[I]f you like point and click adventure games with mystery, good puzzles, humor, and a little bit of history, Broken Sword 5 is exactly what you're looking for. It stays consistent with the genre it helped invent and does so almost flawlessly, coming highly recommended to fans of the franchise.
Mad Max the game isn't only a fantastic time, it's a great addition to the franchise, and one of the few games that completely destroys the expectations that a movie based game has to be bad. Mad Max is bad to the bone… but in all the right ways.
I judged Dropsy thinking it was going to be a kid's game with little no challenge, randomly hugging people, and grow tiring. Instead I got a really interesting yet odd and colorful world to explore, a huge smile on my face, and a game that ultimately made me happy to see Dropsy love so many. I won't soon forget you Dropsy. Hugs for everyone!
Super Mario Maker sets out to give back to the players, to create their own Mario levels, and to share with the world, and it does exactly that. This is a dream come true for Mario fans and anyone with a penchant for designing their own platformers.
STAIRS is filled with some really awesome moments and ideas, it just doesn't end well and is rather short. If you can look past those issues though, you're going to have a scary time.
While I still think Amnesia takes the cake for scare factor, everything else in Soma is done better here Story, visuals, and the soundtrack are superb and top tier from Frictional at this point. One of the best sci-fi stories I've ever experienced in a videogame and one that can get under your skin.
Newcomers to the genre will have the biggest disadvantage in how difficulty this game can be in comparison to other more recently released titles. Stick with it though, as it's one of the longer and better done point and click games this year and it's nice to see it have a home on consoles now. It might take the game a bit to get going as it introduces the characters one by one, but it's a point and click fantasy adventure worth taking, warts and all.
It might not be the hardest, longest, or most in-depth platforming game, but Tearaway is one world I can't help but want to revisit repeatedly, each time with a smile on my face.
It's moody, dark, creative, and an adventure game that just left me feeling dreadful. It's not the most original sci-fi horror experience, but it's one that absolutely nails what the setting is about, and that's most important.
There are a few performance issues here on console but that aside Talos Principal is an excellent puzzle based game that keeps players engaged and perplexed, a winning combination all around in my book.
Wasteland 2 is for players looking to get lost in world that seems perfectly comfortable in giving the players all the options at their fingertips. The wasteland is a host to deadly enemies, characters, and vile world, one in which I take my very own created desert rangers, with their own personal stories, my stories, and try to live… to see another day.
[I]t's got an interesting story. It's got some really wicked visuals. The ghosts are creepy as shit. Some of the jump scares are pretty bad. And it just has this sense of creepiness that all the Fatal Frame games have had. So if you're familiar with this franchise, you're gonna be right at home. If you've never played 'um before, it's okay. The games kindof connect via some of the characters, but it's usually a completely new story, so you can jump right in this and still have a great time with it.
It's still Assassin's Creed to its core, and won't bring in any new people or those that completely have tired from the franchise. Yet I can proudly say Syndicate sits right behind Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Black Flag as my favorites out of the franchise.
Bedlam is an interesting experience, and one that older gamers can probably appreciate a bit more than the younger generation today. Even with my experience of older games, this is an experience that reminds me how much gaming has evolved over the last few years, and for the better. It's a nice idea, and in a world where gaming could use more inventive narratives, it succeeds. It just isn't a very fun game to play, and that's honestly missing half the point. If the idea behind the game interests you enough, read the book it's based off of instead.
Upon the light has a nice visual look and some interesting, if typical mechanics. The idea of light and darkness playing reverse roles is something I find interesting, but the puzzles and gameplay are what will bring people in to play. There is a slim story here but it's just a serviceable means to get to the end of the levels, nothing really more. Its feels more suitable to be a game you'd play on your phone or on a tablet versus consoles, but it's still enjoyable while it lasts. I'd like to see a bigger game with a broader scope from the team in the future, as the idea behind it is one that can be expanded in the future. Puzzle fans might want to take a look, just be sure to stay out of the light.
It's not the smartest, prettiest, or smoothest point and click game ever made, but it's the best faithful iteration of the Adventure Time franchise brought to gaming consoles. Fans surely won't be disappointed and even folks that like the genre might find some fun moments in the land of Oooo, WHOA Algebraic!
Rodea the Sky Solider has an interesting story and cast, with a colorful world that is fun to fly around in. Yet that flying around should feel even better, and it just lacks that polished feeling. It's a unique game and one that reminds me of early era games I played back the Playstation or Nintendo 64. It's 2015 though, and I can't overlook all the various issues that bring the experience down, making it feel like more of a relic then a new game released today. It's tries to do new things and soar high, but it ends up staying rather grounded and is only recommended to folks looking for a unique but flawed experience.
I had my doubts about Chibi Robo, and was this close to not even trying it out. The video game player in me gave it a chance though like it tends to do, and I was really surprised. It has issues, but ones that I can easily overlook, not just to throw caution to the wind but because it just didn't affect my overall thoughts and feelings while playing the game. I was having a good time the majority of the time, and it strikes me as a unique platforming experience at the end of the day. It's cute, charming, and very Chibi, and that's just how I like it.
Hearts of Stone is a fantastic addition to the Witcher 3 world that feels as if it was always a part of the game. It keeps up with the quality that one would expect. It's refreshing in dialog, hilarious at times, inventive in its quests, and even after 70 plus hours in the core story, coming back to this world was extremely easy and welcomed.
Yo-Kai Watch is another game to add to 2015 that surprised the heck out of me. I've tried countless times to get into the Pokémon games before and they just never pulled me in, even though I appreciate what they offer players. Here, the idea of spirits, the charm, the writing, the battles, and the style just immediately sucked me in. I wanted to explore the world, find the spirits, and help people. It's a great start to a new franchise, one of the best looking 3DS games I've ever played, and if you're looking for a RPG with heart and spirit, Yo-Kai Watch is the right choice and a great start to a new franchise.