Steven Ruygrok's Reviews
Life is Strange Episode 4 Dark Room is terrific, once again delivering a magnificent blend of reality, authenticity, danger and twists. The uncalled for cork board investigation scene is not enough to derail Dark Room entirely, and the ending more than makes up for it. Life is Strange continues to be one of my favorite games of the entire year and I hope DONTNOD can finish off the story with the same impact in episode five, as they have delivered in the first four episodes.
It's always hard for fans when a new studio takes over an existing, legendary series like Halo, but 343 Industries has done a masterful job of living up to what Halo has been, while progressing it further in their own vision. Halo 5 Guardians is a beautiful, challenging and entertaining step forward for the series both on the multiplayer and campaign front, even despite the decreased role of Master Chief. Trust in 343 Industries, Halo fans.
When I step back and take a look at Rainbow Six Siege, I see a game that does so many things extremely well; better than any other shooter, in fact. It compels players to be tactical and work as a team better than any other shooter, and there is still so much to learn and uncover in this world. Despite a lack of depth in the game's multiplayer objectives, Rainbow Six Siege is a my favorite shooter of the year and truly feels like this is how online multiplayer should be.
What Hitman is now won't necessarily be what it is when the game's seven episodes have all been released, but a strong foundation is there. This game is the most authentic Hitman experience and it will ask you to become intimately familiar with each level. It is something that will test your patience, intelligence and skills, and when you put it all together will reward you greatly for it.
LEGO Marvel's Avengers provides a game that I will not be walking away from anytime soon, as there is still so much to discover and experience, even after the main campaign has been completed. It's a game any Marvel, LEGO or gaming fan will thoroughly enjoy, and I am still laughing at many of the excellent touches TT Games has put into this game.
Despite an obligatory narrative, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India is an excellent continuation of this unique spinoff and I can't wait to get my hands on the third game next month.
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 has a massive amount of rich, entertaining and wacky content for players to enjoy. I know I'll be spending another 30 hours on Garden Ops alone, but EA has managed to bring some interesting, new ingredients that help make this series as fun and addicting, as it was the first time around.
When I look at the big picture, Assassin's Creed Syndicate is one of the best installments in years. It does nearly everything perfect, save the bug I mentioned and establishing a bit more gameplay contrast between Evie and Jacob. I think fans of the series will be quite pleased with what they find. Assassin's Creed Syndicate puts the franchise back on track, proving that it does not need a year off.
When I step back and think about This War of Mine: The Little Ones, I am left with thoughts of a profound and meaningful experience, in spite of its limiting structure, and one that will make you feel like you never had before. This War of Mine: The Little Ones provides an essential illustration of what is the inescapable fact of our existence: we are all human.
Madden NFL 16 is the best iteration in the franchise this generation, presenting gamers with the most in-depth Connected Franchise yet and an interesting Draft Champions mode that has great potential to grow. Madden NFL 16 is a fantastic step forward for the series and is one players will thoroughly enjoy.
Firewatch has a funny, surprisingly intelligent narrative all captured within a spectacular and grand setting that worth a picture or two. Even though there were some obvious performance issues with the PS4 version of the game, Firewatch is still more than worth playing, multiple times.
Taking a step back and looking at the entire experience of Sapienza and Episode 2, this location is absolutely brilliant and beautiful. From the level design to the amount of depth found in each section of Sapienza, Hitman has yet another fine episode, even despite its once again thin narrative.
Marrakesh provides the most complexity to the Hitman formula yet, and its design and setting make players work harder for success now more than ever before. Overall, Hitman Episode 3 is yet another amazing addition to the series this year and I can't wait to get lost in its fourth episode.
It's an extremely entertaining time knocking around some goblins, and this game will even serve as a nice alternative to the typical shooters we saw at launch.
If you are more interested in Quantum Break for its gameplay, you may want to hold off until a sale or rental fits your budget, but if you are looking for something that takes a daring step forward with how a video game can be made, Quantum Break is perfect for you.
Overall, for gamers who are thirsty for an experience that focuses on the story it is telling, Beyond: Two Souls has a tale worthy of your time. On the other hand, if you are someone who is looking for challenging a gameplay experience, all you'll find is a very basic set of gameplay mechanics that leave a lot to be desired.
Homefront: The Revolution can be a great game, and maybe a few months from now Dambuster Studios will have fixed everything that's wrong with it. However, with the current state it is in now it's extremely difficult to recommend this game, even to the most ardent fans of Homefront.
If reviews of Battleborn were conducted maybe six months from now, this experience might be more fleshed out, particularly on the competitive multiplayer side of things, and I hope it is. However, as this game stands now, Battleborn is a brief game that largely stumbles at the hands of a thin competitive multiplayer and grindy progression systems.
While Stories: The Path of Destinies certainly has some unique elements and beautiful levels for people to enjoy, unfortunately it turns out to be a mediocre RPG that truly struggles to provide any meat. This is a hard game to recommend, though if the price is right or is on PS Plus, it's worth a look.
Over the course of my seven hours with the game, it was an enjoyable, simple and easy experience. Unravel doesn't do anything special with its gameplay or narrative, though it does have a magnificent soundtrack and stunning visuals. If you're a person who is a hardcore platforming fan, you will most likely be very underwhelmed with Unravel, but if you're looking for a fun, easy and light experience, then maybe this game is for you.