Erik Kain's Reviews
Still, mileage will vary and fans of roguelikes will certainly find much to enjoy in Sifu. Hopefully further balancing and updates will help as well. The combat really is slick and fun and gives you lots of options to kick ass and take names, and the graphics and art-style are terrific. I just wish it wasn’t a roguelike.
I'm in no hurry to be done with the world of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It's the best game I've played since Bloodborne.
For all its color and all its life, No Man’s Sky is still little more than dead space.
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.
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.
There's a lot to love in XCOM 2, and hopefully patches and mods will shore up its weakest elements. Even though I think it misses what ought to have been a super easy shot in many ways, it's still among the funnest and most rewarding games I've played in months.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ARMS is a unique, fresh take on the fighting genre that's simple to learn but tough to master. It's not going to be for everyone, but it's fun to see Nintendo try something so new.
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition is a lot of fun, but there's no way a remaster should cost this much without substantially more new content.
Dishonored 2 doesn’t live up to the original, but it still provides great gameplay mechanics and a sense of freedom you can’t find anywhere else.
The Nintendo Labo Variety Kit is a great interactive model/science kit to put together with your kids. If you like building or tinkering with stuff, you'll like this. If that's not your thing, you might find it tedious. Not a ton of replay value, but the construction seems sturdy. Overall, a very unique new 'game' for the Nintendo Switch.
If you've waited this long to play Skyrim you can wait a little bit longer. Then again, if this is your first time with the game, well, maybe it's worth it after all.
While it's fantastic to have a shooter out on the Switch at last, I still prefer my PC version.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a great follow-up to The New Order, though it falls short in level design and stealth. It's well worth your time and money if you love single-player games, but it wouldn't kill you to wait for a sale.
All told, Infinite Warfare is a good game. I’m going to keep using the word “solid” to describe it, even though it takes place in outer-space, often above solid ground. It’s formulaic and straightforward, but what it lacks in imagination it makes up for in tight gameplay and gorgeous visuals.
There’s plenty of mystery and betrayal and a good, fun, and fairly brisk story that will leave you wanting more—even if the end isn’t really a massive cliff-hanger or anything (like some Telltale episodes are.)
Suffice to say, I was utterly absorbed by this game. I didn’t even think I’d like it at first, but now it’s easily one of my very favorite Oculus Rift titles, and one of the best games I’ve played all year.