Ken McKown's Reviews
Roundabout is a weird game. I found myself struggling to play it at times, but always willing to go back. The cut scenes are truly worth the price of admission, but the game play left me a bit cold at times.
Screamride is unlike anything else I have played, and certainly packs a ton of fun.
Whatever reason you haven't played this, it is time to finally dive in, and for those like me who already beat it to death on previous consoles, it is more than worth jumping back into. It really is one of the best releases and the ideal way to craft a remaster.
Ori and the Blind Forest is a beautiful, punishing game that harkens back to the classic side-scrolling titles of the SNES. It will beat you down and test every ounce of patience, but not without reward. This is one of those games people will be talking about down the road, not unlike Shadow Complex or Geometry Wars. It once again showcases that there are so many games and so many ways to deliver and experience them; and this is one experience you can't afford to miss.
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires feels about as much of an afterthought as you can get. Nothing about this game feels evolutionary. I have recently become more invested in the Musou-style games, but Empires feels like a lot of half-baked ideas that don't form a cohesive experience.
Shiftlings is a decent puzzler that relies too heavily on having a second player, and not getting tired of the simple mechanic.
LA Cops is a neat diversion with some fantastic style. I had a blast in the short time I played it, but feel like it grows stale far too fast. This is the perfect game to snag during a sale, it is fun for the time it lasts, I just wish there was more to come back to once the raiding was over.
[I]ssues aside, this is one of the most pulse-pounding experiences I have had in a while. The Evil Within did a fantastic job of bringing the true terror and stress of the genre back into light, and this first DLC pack offers up some new spin on the game itself.
Just be prepared for what you are going into, this was a PSP game, and there is only so much a remaster can change.
Battlefield: Hardline may seem like simply an expansion to the fourth entry in the game, but after diving in I enjoy it a lot more than the previous effort. The campaign is a breath of fresh air, and the multiplayer adds enough to make it stand out.
Bloodborne is the next step in the Souls series, and the new, faster combat system opens up some new ideas and scenarios. For those that never could grasp the series, this new entry is not going to change your mind. It still represents all the previous games with the same difficulty and non hand-holding it has come to be known for. Still for those with patience and dedication, Bloodborne is the first truly must-own title for the PlayStation 4.
Ziggurat is an interesting game. I really enjoyed the fast-paced combat and incremental progression, but the technical issues stick out like a sore thumb. Still, if you can get past those there is a neat experience waiting here. Although the price tag feels a little steep, it never felt like I didn't get my money's worth of enjoyment out of it.
Mario Party 10 strips so much of what I loved about past games and fills those voids with hoops to jump through to get that same satisfaction. . . . I am not sure if the MP franchise is an internal joke at Nintendo, but it feels like they have been trying to slowly destroy my memories of it for almost two decades.
Goat Simulator is the definition of dumb fun. It serves no purpose other than to entertain. I have derived far too many hours of enjoyment out of a game with little purpose.
Mortal Kombat X is the next step in the series. While not quite as impressive as 2011's reboot, this is easily my favorite game of 2015 so far, and I have a hard time believing it will be topped.
Assassin's Creed Chronices: China is a nice change of pace for the series, and a great way to spend $10. I had a great time with the experience, and am on board for the next two whenever they release. If you like bite-sized stealth adventures like Mark of the Ninja, this is definitely one to check out.
Project Root delivers on its promise of a bullet-hell style game with twin stick controls, but the mixture comes with plenty of issues. Those looking for a grindy-challenging affair that is mechanically sound will not find their money wasted, but I still wish it was fine-tuned for a more enjoyable experience.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a fantastic follow-up to last year's rebirth of the series. I hope a full-fledged sequel is in the works, but for now this definitely satisfies my hunger for more Blazkowicz. The campaign will run a little over five hours to complete, and for $20 that is certainly worth the price of admission.
Project Cars is a massive package that can be tailored to anyone who enjoys racing games. Some may find issue with the lack of unlockables, but there is so much to see and do that I never grew bored of enjoying what was already there.
Splatoon is a novel title that is a blast to play. My biggest concern is longevity. With certain modes and features locked behind players reaching a certain level, I wonder how long its legs truly are. I want it to catch on, but with the paltry Wii U user base, and a quirky new IP at the helm, my fears are that no one will care about Splatoon in a month's time.