Erik Kain's Reviews
From exploration to puzzle-solving to the charming story and lovely graphics, King's Quest: A Knight To Remember is a delightful game. It takes some of the Telltale formula, then adds in a lot more action and problem-solving and combines that with a story that isn't grim or terrible, but instead remains fun, funny and engaging. Old fans and new will find something to enjoy here, in a genre that's all but disappeared from gaming. As the saying goes, "The really don't make games like this anymore." But they should. I can't wait for Episode 2.
Firing up Journey on PS4 is a delight. It's so gorgeous and fluid in 1080p and 60 frames-per-second. Even though that's really the only thing different about it, it's a wonderful experience.
I give it a Buy on my Buy/Sell/Hold rating scale, but only because it's pretty cheap already. You certainly won't miss out too much if you wait for a Steam sale or Humble Bundle or some such and save a few dollars.
For my part, I'm glad to have played it and had quite a fun time doing so, though I think I would be happier if I'd purchased at a discounted rate. I give the game a Hold on my Buy/Sell/Hold rating scale. Even though I do believe the strong story and slick graphics make up for many of the game's problems, the disappointing Batmobile is very nearly a deal-breaker. Certainly it means I will likely not be playing the game a second time.
All told, I give the game a Buy in my Buy/Hold/Sell ranking. For all its flaws—and I realize that I've listed many—it is one of the most sprawling, magnificent solo RPGs ever made. It does too little to fix its mechanical problems, and focuses too much on creating an open world, but the quality of its quest design, world-building, and wonderful (if too large) cast of characters makes it a game that no RPG fan should miss. It may be a flawed masterpiece, but it's a masterpiece nonetheless.
In Sum: If you liked The New Order, you'll like The Old Blood. If you haven't played either, both are more than worth your time and money. I give the game a BUY on my Buy/Hold/Sell rating scale.
It may not do anything spectacularly well, or bring anything too new or innovative to the genre, but what it does it does well, bringing gamers a solid fighting experience that can appeal to relative newbs like me as well as more stalwart fans.
I give Bloodborne a resounding Buy in my Buy/Hold/Sell rating scale. This is the first true system-seller for the PS4, the first game that convinces me that the PS4 is a system worth purchasing. It isn't for everyone, of course. If you don't like hard games you probably won't like this one. But even gamers who didn't like the Souls games have been pleased with Bloodborne, like our own Paul Tassi. So who knows?
Overall, this is a worthy remaster and a nice addition to the slim-pickings on new-gen hardware. If you already own the game on PC I see no reason to get it on console, but if you played it and enjoyed it on last-gen and are looking for a reason to dust off the PS4 or Xbox One, I think it's worth your time. If you missed the game entirely, go pick it up. It's absolutely worth playing for anyone fond of action games.
The game looks great, of course, with an aesthetic right in line with Super Mario World 3D. And everything is polished enough, functional. It just isn't quite enough game to justify the sticker-price, and certainly isn't for anyone hoping to play solo. I don't say this as someone who yearns longingly for the days of Mario Party yore, but rather as someon who comes to the series pretty fresh, and is still left wanting more.
All told, an excellent follow-up to Hotline Miami. Level design isn't as tight as the first game, and certainly some of the novelty has worn off. But nevertheless, it's a thought-provoking, challenging, and well-crafted experience that any fan of the first game should check out.
I give this game a Hold. It's not a bad game, but the inexplicable game design decisions that bog it down, and the relatively short amount of time you actually spend playing, make it a tough sell at $60. It's one of those games I find myself liking, but even more so wishing were something more—more the game it could have been, and less the game it is.
If you're a fan of the series, I'd say this is worth picking up. If you're new to the series, this is a good place to start. On the other hand, if you're not into the competitive multiplayer and are coming for the single-player campaign, I'd say wait for a price-drop. If you prefer open-world shooters rather than action-movie, linear campaigns I'd say hold off entirely. Call of Duty is not for you.
All told, this is a reasonably good first effort and a worthy attempt to imitate and iterate on one of the finest games of the last generation. Lords of the Fallen will hopefully be commercially successful enough to lead to a sequel or, better still, a more ambitious and more unique project from Deck 13/CI Games that builds off this game rather than simply tacks on to it.
[W]hile it may be true that The New Order doesn't really bring that much new to the table, and isn't exactly "retro" either, it does take some of the best of both new and old games and blend them together into a really fun mix. This may not be an instant classic, but it's one of the better first-person shooters I've played in a long time.
Meanwhile, the attempts at humor and being "gritty" come off as juvenile. And in a market saturated by far more interesting fantasy adventures, we need a far less generic story to work with. There's a good game hiding within Bound by Flame. It's just not this one.
Child of Light isn't a terribly deep RPG and it isn't a particularly stand out platformer, but it's a game that blends everything into a really unique, beautiful, and surprising experience. It's particularly impressive coming from a major publisher like Ubisoft, and I hope they continue to let this type of creativity drive their games.
A strong story, excellent writing and voice-acting, and the fact that the game really does look and feel like an episode of the show, makes South Park: The Stick of Truth a truly great video game experience. It's the first game I've played in 2014 that's really kept me glued to the screen from start to finish.
As an audio-visual experience, The Banner Saga is hard to beat. Tough choices and an elegant combat system help make the game fun and engaging right up to the end. With a few tweaks to the resource management system and some real soul-searching on enemy variety, Stoic could have a really terrific game on their hands. They're not there yet, but they're on the right track.
While both the story and the multiplayer will likely be divisive—we're a long, long ways from Modern Warfare or the original Black Ops here—I'm glad to see Treyarch taking risks, trying something different, and impressed that even with all the changes, the core game still feels very much like Call of Duty.