Ken McKown's Reviews
HyperParasite has a wonderful look and feel, but is marred by its “rogue” elements. It doesn’t do anything to push the genre forward and feels like yet another game that I would likely never finish due to tedium.
For now this is one of the best games of the year, and still gives me chills with its presentation and music.
Code Shifter is a neat idea that simply does not do itself any favors. The game play is fine, just uninspired. I wish it was more fleshed out with more variety in combat and design.
As it stands this is a game that I picked up once and put down without any intention of coming back. Still, I loved the time I spent with it.
Doom Eternal is an outstanding entry in the series marredby a few setbacks.
Do not hesitate, play Yakuza and join me in experiencing one of the most unique and interesting games of the generation. [OpenCritic note: Ken McKown separately reviewed the PS4 (9) and XB1 (8) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
There really isn’t much else included in this package. No special features, just a 4K coat of paint and a steady frame rate. Still, it is hard to believe it has been ten years since these games released. They are good enough to feel like modern games. The art styles have held up, and revisiting them has been nothing but pure joy. The package is worth the $40,and being able to buy them separately just means it is easier to jump into two of Platinum’s finest works. Do not hesitate, grab these games now.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a game I might not have felt we needed, but could not stop playing once I dove in. It retains what made the original special while also adding enough to warrant a sequel.
While there are plenty of games keeping us busy these days, Underhero is one that should be on your radar at some point. The light price tag and unending charm make it a sleeper hit and one I can whole-heartidly recommend.
Zombie Army 4 is a fine end to the series.
Glass Masquerade 2 is a great follow-up and gave me more of what I craved from the first game.
Stone is a game that looks interesting on the surface. Sadly it falls short on delivering just about every step of the way.
Journey to the Savage Planet is a great freshman effort from Typhoon and one of the early surprises of 2020. I will be thinking about this game as the year goes on as one of the best surprises I had literally no interest in upon kicking it off. If you enjoy exploration games like Metroid Prime I highly suggest giving it a go.
In the end Sparklite feels like a game that could have been great, but ended up just being good.
New Super Lucky’s Tale is an extremely polished director’s cut of a solid 3D platformer.
This is something Valfaris lacks, and I wish more indie developers understood when making these games that I very much want to play, I just lose interest in far too soon.
A game that feels like it time travelled to 2019 from the Dreamcast era and I think that is just fine with the fans. They got what they wanted and I am thrilled for them, but anyone coming in to see what all the noise is about is likely going to come away confused as to why it took 18 years to create the game in front of them.
Jedi Fallen Order is one of the best games in the Star Wars franchise and one of the best games of 2019.
They take the time and put so much love and care into these things. Let’s keep that trend going. Game preservation so future generations can experience the classics.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is far and away the best entry in the series.