Justin McElroy
Code Name: STEAM is misguided and horrifically dull
The Old Blood mostly nailed the components that made New Order good, but it doesn't quite manage to capture what made it great.
Chroma Squad's faults don't detract from its charm
Arkham Knight is Batman perfected
'A Knight to Remember' is hampered by some significant issues, but shows promise
Superfans, roll out! Everyone else, on the other hand ...
Battlefront trades complexity for accessibility
The Witness is uplifting and frustrating
Far Cry Primal's lack of distractions keeps it exciting
[F]or players with a strong stomach and a sense of adventure — not to mention large wallets — though, this is likely the best way to play the game.
As a simulation of being marooned in space, Adrift is peerless. The sense of weightlessness, the sense of scale, just being in the world are all astonishing. But it's impossible to divorce the immersion from its mechanical failures, which sours what otherwise could have been a new high bar for narrative-centric games.
Severed's terrific mechanics are as universal as its moving story
Kathy Rain's story is strong enough, but slow to take hold
Shadow of the Beast's recreation leaves no room for modern ideas
this is the longest short game I've ever played
Ghostbusters (2016) is a cynical bit of licensed drivel
Quadrilateral Cowboy teaches you to use its toys, but doesn't give a lot of room to use them
Abzu is gorgeous and calming but a little shallow
Night in the Woods isn't perfect. I'm not perfect. You're not perfect. Life isn't perfect. But as the game itself tries to espouse, if you've got the patience, you may find that there is true beauty in that revelation.
Rime's sweeping presentation fails to leave a lasting impression