David Lovato Avatar Image

David Lovato

crackedthesky
crackedthesky
crackedthesky

Favorite Games:
  • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
  • Fallout 3
  • Resident Evil 4

50 games reviewed
68.2 average score
70 median score
40.0% of games recommended

David Lovato's Reviews

David is a writer and lover of video games currently residing in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.
Are you David Lovato? If so, email [email protected] to claim this critic page.
Dec 15, 2016

Ico and Shadow of the Colossus set the bar ridiculously high, and years of delays didn't help, but The Last Guardian fits into the series and sets itself apart from the rest of the gaming world, rounding out the Ico trilogy as some of the biggest, prettiest, most unforgettable experiences anyone will find in gaming. Technical issues like framerate, glitches, and controls (most or all of which will hopefully be patched out as time goes on) don't stop this from being a gorgeous and highly emotional gaming experience—exactly what fans have come to expect from Fumito Ueda. The development team's vision was clear, if the execution was a little lacking, and the final product doesn't feel like one that should've taken ten years to hit shelves, but The Last Guardian is still an achievement in both storytelling and game development that gamers shouldn't miss out on.

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This is an example of what video games can do that no other medium can; it wouldn't work to see these things happen on a screen or read them on a page—Life is Strange draws its power from putting choices in players' hands, and while it may not amount to a perfect experience, it is one that they are never going to forget.

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Rough horse and camera behaviour, combined with a mostly empty Hyrule Field, aren't enough to bog down what's otherwise one of the best titles in the Zelda series - and arguably in gaming history. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD's story of the worlds of Light and Twilight and their citizens is presented in HD glory, with strong emotional threads running throughout to make sure players want to spend time with these characters and save the worlds, and expertly crafted dungeons and puzzles guide them along that path. Most will likely consider Ocarina of Time to be the high point of the series, but take away the nostalgia factor, hold these two up by their merits, and Twilight Princess gives Ocarina a run for its money, while HD improves upon that in almost every way.

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The Shin Megami Tensei games strive to be cool and quirky, yet philosophical and emotional, and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Record Breaker achieves what it set out to do. It's a strong story with fun characters, clever tactical RPG and choice-based visual novel gameplay, an interesting, apocalyptic setting rich with Japanese culture, and plenty of replay value. It's tough but not impossible, it's long but not repetitive - there's no game quite like it.

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Mar 6, 2017

Shovel Knight became an instant classic for a reason, and the ability to pack it up and take it anywhere makes it a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch. Available as a standalone app or as a collection of all three campaigns, the titular Shovel Knight has dug his way into the hearts of Nintendo fans everywhere, and the ability to take the game anywhere makes the Nintendo Switch the ultimate platform to experience the Shovel Knight phenomenon.

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There's a lot of risk in making an episodic, story-centric game, but Dontnod and Square Enix have pulled out all the stops, as shown in Episode 3 - Chaos Theory. Even if the next two episodes bomb, the first three have already crossed the threshold from "videogame" into "interactive experience," and whatever the future holds, Life is Strange is a title people will remember for a long time.

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The ending is far away, but the journey thus far has been excellent, and so far Life is Strange is proving to be an experience no gamer should miss.

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Mar 20, 2015

It doesn't necessarily offer a lot that won't be found in other city-building games, but what it does offer is an open, friendly play-world where gamers can do what they want and have fun doing it. Cities: Skylines doesn't push its audience around or ask too much of them - where similar games might have forced online connectivity or reliance on fussy AI, Cities: Skylines instead opens its arms and asks players to come in, call the shots, and have a blast.

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From the gate it was clear that Life is Strange was a title to keep an eye on. It's now evolved into an experience over a million players are constantly on the edge of their seats to continue, and is poised to become one they'll likely never forget. Even a seemingly shorter, more linear episode like this one shines in all the right places; it's a visual novel with a choose-your-own-adventure twist in which choices matter, and consequences are finally catching up like the dark cyclone ever hurdling toward Arcadia Bay.

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Oct 7, 2015

Bungie has finally delivered something akin to promises it has made in the past. Destiny is still not the open-world exploration adventure everyone thought it was going to be, but it is carving its own path in the videogame world, and it's getting better and more fun with every step.

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Atlus doesn't reinvent the Etrian Odyssey wheel with 2 Untold, but it does build on what made the first release so much fun, without making any readily apparent sacrifices. It features the original Etrian Odyssey 2, as well as a new story-based campaign, successfully separating itself from both the first Untold and the original sequel. While The Fafnir Knight could benefit from more inspired UI elements (especially in building the city and managing the restaurant) and maybe a little more life regarding the characters and NPCs, it's clear that this is a solid entry in a unique RPG franchise, and fans and newcomers alike are going to have a lot of fun with it.

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Jan 20, 2015

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is at times frustrating, but is mostly a fun, light-hearted, and immediately and consistently enjoyable videogame. The characters are loveable, the music is catchy, the graphics are solid, and the amount of care put into the game's setting is admirable. It successfully blends old and current philosophies of game design and execution, being reminiscent of classics like Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog but also striking out and standing firmly as its own series, and one that will hopefully be around for a long time.

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King's Quest is shaping up to be one of the stronger examples of storytelling in modern gaming, and gives episodic titles a good name. Criticisms are taken into account and polished with each episode, but the writing and presentation aren't suffering at all. Characters are memorable and fun, brought to life by a strong cast and solid writing. The wait between episodes feels long, but The Odd Gentlemen and Sierra have shown that it's well worth it, with each episode improving in quality over the last.

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Jul 13, 2016

Crush Your Enemies takes itself just seriously enough to stand out as a full-fledged title, but isn't afraid to have fun along the way. There isn't a lot to turn the RTS genre on its head, but the gameplay is solid. The developers obviously put a lot of work into laying out and balancing each map, then packing the rest of the game with a sense of humour and a light-heartedness that probably could've carried even a poor game to goodness—and this one was already anything but poor.

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King's Quest isn't a graphical powerhouse, it's not a bastion of good gameplay, and it isn't even a particularly excellent puzzler. What it is is one of the best stories found in gaming; the amount of charm and love put into the game, and subsequently poured out of the game, makes it a unique experience just about anyone can get behind. Here is a story that would put most award-winning animated films to shame, and cleverly binding it to puzzles and gameplay segments helps invest players even more into this unforgettable, emotional journey.

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Natural Disasters is the most interactive, exciting Cities: Skylines expansion yet. With each update, the game feels more alive and more complete, and those who perhaps don't find the content worthy of the price tag can take comfort in how much Colossal Order adds to this game for free alongside the paid content. All of these new features fit right in, and the disaster system adds a layer otherwise entirely missing from the game. The pressure is raised, gamers will have to think and act a little more on their feet, and Cities: Skylines remains one of the best city builders on the market.

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Jan 25, 2019

There are myriad good reasons why Marvel's Spider-Man is the best-selling and highest-rated Spider-Man title in years. While it has a few glaring flaws, they pale in comparison to all of the things the team at Insomniac got right. A well-acted, strong story serves as the backbone for an experience that just plain feels right for Spider-Man, and fans and newcomers alike won't be disappointed by this trip to the Spider-verse.

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May 30, 2018

Colossal Order might be asking a little much for what some would consider a small DLC, but there's no denying that it has created something pretty special here. Focusing the DLC on zooming down to street level and getting into the nitty-gritty of placement of pretty much everything in the park was a stroke of genius, and something it will hopefully implement into future DLC releases. In a genre about building a city, it's interesting to get players to come down from the clouds every now and then and really set up something unique to their town, and serves as just another reason why this game is special among others of its ilk.

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Dec 1, 2021

Curious Expedition 2 offers a customizable gaming experience that can be as casual or as hardcore as players like, with tons of content and options, many of which can be changed on the fly. The game is smooth and solid, and having so much randomly generated content (and so much content to pull from) ensures a different experience on every run-through, even if the gameplay loop gets a little stale sometimes. For a certainly fair price point, players are getting a game they can play a hundred times a hundred different ways. Some of the best games are the ones where developers simply create a space and let players play; Curious Expedition 2 does so wonderfully.

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Girl of Glass: A Summer Bird's Tale draws elements from point-and-click adventures, visual novels, and turn-based RPGS, blending them with a whimsical world and sympathetic characters to make a wonderful story. The battle system, while at times too difficult, adds flavour and action to the point-and-click formula that some might otherwise find slow, and the characters and their stories pique the player's interest and keep them wanting to dig in more and keep the story going. Where a lot of point-and-clicks feel slapped together to make a quick experience, this is a rare gem that feels like it was designed from the ground up to be exactly what it is. It doesn't try too hard, it doesn't cram in aspects from other genres in ways that don't fit. Girl of Glass: A Summer Bird's Tale is a wonderful story, built into a game that tells it wonderfully.

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