David Lovato's Reviews
House of Wolves doesn't reinvent Destiny and might not appeal to people who aren't fans, but those who haven't picked the game up in a while will find a lot of new activities here, and those who play daily will have a lot more options for their continuous grind toward higher levels and coveted loot. The story is finally coming together, and House of Wolves sets the game up for bigger, better things to come.
Life is Strange Episode 1: Chrysalis is a good introduction to the game world and story. There's a clear direction, setting, and tone Dontnod is going for, but splitting the game into episodes means a lot of waiting to see if it can carry it through to the end. There's a lot of potential here, both for success and failure, but at the very least Episode 1 provides a great experience full of exploration and intrigue. The cliff-hanger ending serves the episodic nature well enough, but separating chapters by several weeks could prove to be the game's downfall.
King's Quest: Chapter 2 - Rubble Without a Cause presents a new environment, one that is attractive, if a little small, along with the same challenges as before, the same lovely graphics, strong morals, and goofy characteristics, along with a voice cast that is very talented, bringing a lot to the table. There have been some much needed improvements brought in for this chapter, thankfully, which bodes well for the next episode, although more emphasis could be put on actual decisions made throughout the adventure.
All in all, Stella Glow is a strong story that puts a clever twist on the tactical RPG format. The pacing could be better; watching the same battle animations can get annoying, but they can be skipped or disabled entirely. There's a lot of text to get through, but much of it is voiced, and the characters are fun and engaging, as well as attractively designed. Hours can tick by with only a handful of actual battles, which might be too slow for those looking for action or a more casual adventure experience, but anyone who wants to dive in will find a lot of quality content. It's not likely to reach Final Fantasy or Xenoblade levels of RPG acclaim, but it does its own thing well, brings originality to the mix, and is sure to catch many an RPG fan's eye.
Automatron doesn't reinvent Fallout 4, but it adds a great, fun feature that fits right in. The main quest has stellar writing, if falling a little short on length, but the ability to create an army of deeply customisable robots is something that permeates the rest of the game.
Snow Place Like Home doesn't do much for King's Quest in the gameplay department, but anyone who has played it this far is probably past caring much on that front. This story and these characters have cemented their place in our hearts, and the game feels like a good book that can't be put down. Lack of per-episode scenery or gameplay variety aside, King's Quest is everything an episodic title should be, as well as a pinnacle of storytelling all game developers should aspire to compete with.
The gameplay isn't overhauled here, but it doesn't need to be. Cities: Skylines - Green Cities adds new content and refreshes current content, making for a more whole and diverse gaming experience, which is just about everything a good add-on needs to do. It might not be a must-have, but it does add to the Cities: Skylines experience, which is one the development team at Colossal Order has kept running strong since launch.
At the end of the day, it's a fun game with pretty visuals, an interesting battle system, enjoyable characters (that are well-acted), and a must-have for fans of classic JRPGs of the SNES era.
Devious Dungeon is a solidly built game with a downright ingenious combat system, where the developer has used the retro-styled limitations to their advantage. It struggles in the RPG department, giving players little-to-no reason to care about any of the events, and offering barebones levelling and equipment.
Rogue Legacy is a unique game that will appeal to a specific set of gamers and probably frustrate the rest. Those who find it fun will enjoy it greatly, with hours of playability, fun aesthetics, and enough variety to ensure no two playthroughs are alike. Rogue Legacy is brutal, punishing even slight mistakes on the player's part, and demanding many, many attempts at getting even one room farther than the previous attempt at conquering the dungeon.
The Division is a solid shooter, but there's nothing compelling about it, either in terms of story or gameplay. Those playing with others will likely have a lot more fun than those playing alone, although it's safe to say anyone who likes a decent shooter will probably want to check it out. Like Destiny, there's sure to be a dedicated following of players for whom the game simply clicks, and the endless grind is reason enough to keep coming back. For the rest, it will probably disappear to their shelves after a few months' time - unless Ubisoft comes up with some compelling post-launch content to keep them holding on.
What replay value it has is dampened by how slow-moving Graham is and how cutscenes and bits of dialogue can't be skipped, but King's Quest begins a story anyone who plays it will want to follow through to the end.
The price might seem high for how subtle or cosmetic these additions are, but many will likely find enough value in the overall strong developer support and thriving modding community to justify the cost, if the new layers of depth aren't enough for them.
Genre clichés and visual glitches aside, this is a solid visual novel. It isn't likely to appeal to a wide audience; fans of BlazBlue (and fans of graphic novels or anime in general) will enjoy it, but it's hard to imagine that anyone else will. Still, there's something to be said about making games specifically for the fans, and Xblaze Code: Embryo performs solidly on that front.
I Am Setsuna is a solid title. The story and gameplay both have their moments, even if they feel a little too reliant on nostalgia, and the wooden battles don't stop this from being something JRPG fans will still enjoy. A gorgeous soundtrack accompanies a beautiful, if not repetitive, snowy landscape, and the game holds its own and should feel right at home to people who like mobile RPGs.
Final Fantasy XII is a good game that broke a lot of ground upon release, as an RPG, as a work of fantasy, and as a Final Fantasy entry. With that said, The Zodiac Age feels like a bare-minimum up-port, with little besides the textures being improved.
Beautiful music and cute, unique visuals aren't enough to save Mushroom Wars 2 from its flaws.
Samsara Is a solid effort and a fun puzzle game.
In the end, Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII is a rock-solid title, but it could have been so much more. Forcing it to fit under the Black Ops moniker was a mistake, and comes across as forced, given its very light relation to the previous three titles. The whole thing smacks of Treyarch wanting to take risks and go in new directions, but stopping just shy and instead tacking older characters or ideas. Longtime fans of the franchise won't want to miss out on this - especially those who love the Zombies experience - but those who checked out of Call of Duty before likely won't find enough here to bring them back.
Little Big Workshop's biggest flaws are its generic character designs and a few control issues, but these are greatly overshadowed by how fun this is.