Ken McKown's Reviews
Giga Wrecker Alt. is a game that teeters on the brink of a great experience. It has some wonderful ideas that are hampered by the lackluster controls and frustrating execution. The world and its surroundings are great, the ideas are fantastic, but it just never hits that sweet spot of being something I felt compelled to keep coming back to. I struggled to get past some parts while others were a pure joy to play. It is the definition of mixed emotions.
It is the kind of game I shut my brain off and just go into a zone and lay waste to all enemies in front of me. The combat feels great, the powers are incredibly fun, and so much of the game just made me feel like a total badass. I can finally forgive the end of the first game, Rage 2 is simply put, a blast.
While some will tout Falcon Age as the next great VR game, it is much more than that. I recommend it even for those without a PSVR headset. It is charming, compelling, and most of all enjoyable. I loved my time in this world and I look forward to whatever the team at Outerloop does next. This is a showpiece for many reason, but let’s be fair, it is mostly for the falcon. Now I want one in real life.
If for some reason you have never experienced these games, get this collection. It is more than worth your time to see a genuine piece of JRPG history.
Yoshi’s Crafted World is exactly what I needed, when I needed it. I could turn off my brain and just have a good time. Nintendo excels at that. While it can get repetitive after a while, it never wears out its welcome. I loved collecting everything in the game and the hours I spent with it were joy-infused. The entry price might be a bit steep, but the Nintendo quality never fails to deliver.
Mortal Kombat 11 is a tale of two games- the one where everything just feels fantastic, the fighting, the story, the visuals. They combine to create one of the best fighting games ever crafted. Then there is the other side where grinding for all the cool stuff the game has is a real chore. I
Dangerous Driving feels like the little engine that could. When it works, it is a fantastic experience. It felt like Burnout never left. The lack of music and compromised original consoles though really drags it down a notch. I wanted to love this game a lot more than I did, but as it stands it is an incredible throwback to the glory days of Burnout racing.
I felt like Xenon was love at first sight. My first 4-5 races were absolutely a blast. Then the warts start showing up and really ruined the experience.
One Piece: World Seeker is by far the best the series has been in game form. Combat feels good even if it is one note. The world is simply stunning to traverse through and the story and characters really carried me through to the end. I wish it was more fleshed out in terms of variety. One Piece continues to be a series I have an affinity for even without ever having experienced the anime, which means I will most likely be on-board for whatever comes next.
Bringing the game to Xbox comes with no real upgrades. Sure it supports 4K resolution, but it would have benefitted from HDR for sure. The colors in the world are so vibrant and varied. There is no additional content, but at least Xbox gamers can now discover this incredible title. Do not pass it up, do not sleep on this one, Stories is one of the best games I have played this generation, indie or not.
DiRT Rally 2.0 nails everything it sets out to do.
Devil May Cry 5 is a return to the series in its truest form. Capcom has been a massive hot streak lately and I cannot wait to see what they do next. I loved DmC and thought it was a solid reboot, but I feel like continuing the original series was the right move. The combat feels great, the game looks oustanding, and the nostalgia is strong with this one.
Trials Rising is a great package for a small price.
Crackdown 3 is exactly what I wanted. That is most glowing praise I can give it.
Exodus is a proper entry in the series and should be experienced by everyone who enjoys it. I wish they had touched more on some of the earlier threads of the series, but this is still one of the most engrossing games I have ever played.
All this said though there is a decent romp buried (no pun intended) within the confines of this experience. Sure it isn’t going to go down in history as a great platformer, but I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting it.
I was excited for the return of Gungrave. Especially since PlayStation VR had been so impressive for me recently diving into the technology. Sadly this experience is just not worth dropping the cash for. There are a ton of better VR experiences for Sony’s headset.
As far as Switch ports from the Wii U go, this is right up there with the best. Nintendo has done just enough to make it look and feel better than I remember on the Wii U.
It was neat to revisit these older games, but $60 for both without the option to purchase them separately feels a bit much. T
I adored the second game, dealt with the third one, but this fourth entry just lost its appeal far too quickly. It might be time to rethink and restructure the series, or perhaps move on to a new idea.