Dustin Bailey's Reviews
Hitman’s latest episode has some impressive moments, but Marrakesh feels limited compared to the sprawling, interconnected layouts of Paris and Sapienza. It’s part of an increasingly great game and still provides some solid stealth action, but don’t be surprised if you’re not coming back to this one for more than a few tries.
Overwatch is a fantastic game from top to bottom. The relatively small map selection does little to detract from a game where every character is fun, unique, and important, and every fight is a dynamic, constantly evolving game of battlefield control.
If this turns out to be Geralt’s last adventure, it’s a worthy end
Despite performance quibbles and a repetitive endgame for the campaign, Total War: Warhammer is an exciting strategy game that stands on its own. The four factions offer unique playstyles with compelling strategic options, and the hero units, fantastic creatures, and monstrous enemies make for spectacular battles that are almost as much fun to watch as they are to command.
Episode Two is better than the first, both because its featured level is a more varied, interesting location, and because it eases the uncertainty of the episodic release and sets a precedent for excellence going forward. The quality of future episodes isn’t a guarantee, but Square and Io Interactive have now delivered excellent releases back to back, and their staggered release has let their best elements shine in a way that might not have otherwise. Hitman is an increasingly appealing package.
Is Dark Souls III great? Yes. Is it better than its predecessors? That's a debate that Souls fans are going to be having for years to come. Everything the previous games did well, this game does well, and the differentiator will be the game with the most varied character options and unique environments. If you're a Souls fan, you should play this game, and if you haven't yet dug into this nightmarish world, Dark Souls III is an excellent place to start.
Villagers is a promising game that doesn’t deliver on any of its potential. Its mechanics don’t provide much strategic depth and its lack of content means that there’s no reason to come back. I can say, in some faint praise, that it’s not broken, but it’s so completely dull and unremarkable that I can’t think of any reason to recommend it.
I can’t give Deponia Doomsday an unequivocal recommendation. Its protagonist is a major drag and a lot of its humor is straight-up lame. But by the same token, I can’t deny that it drew me in and made me care by the end. It’s a totally solid adventure game, and if you prefer a little extra bite in your old-school adventures, then it will be right up your alley.
Stop, infiltrate, and listen. 47's back with a great new invention
Price and player expectations do matter, and that's forcing me to temper my praise just a bit. Superhot is a game with truly excellent, original mechanics and a core experience that is constantly doing exciting things without wasting a second of your time. If price weren't a factor it would easily get a 9.0 or even higher.
The core mechanics of We Are The Dwarves - the actions you can take and the strategies you can employ - are wonderful, well-considered, and fully featured. There's a depth to the lore and world-building that you rarely see at this scale. But the level design is so constrictive and the difficulty so fierce that it's a constant fight to have fun.
Every addition that Snowfall makes is fun and adds a bit of variety to your city-building. But those additions are few, and even the more sweeping systems like road condition and heating don't add any long-term strategic considerations to the game. Even the new winter cities are a mostly visual change. It's tough to recommend dropping money on such an insubstantial expansion.
Fortified is an okay action/tower defense hybrid with neato style but not much depth
Bombshell isn't the worst game I've ever played, but it's among the most dull and uninteresting. From its cheesy, late-90s alien blasting plot to its absolutely repetitive action, it's tough to pull out any redeeming qualities. Even assuming its bevy of technical issues get ironed out, this one still isn't worth your time.
Lara's greatest adventure yet
A great way to play one of the weakest entries in the classic Resident Evil canon
Dragon's Dogma is a great game that feels unique among fantasy RPGs thanks to its blend of mechanics and influences. Its flaws - repetitive quests and a somewhat aimless structure - don't block out its enormous strengths. Its core combat is great, and fighting the game's array of giant beasts is some of the most fun I've ever had in an RPG. And this PC version is absolutely the best way to play it.
Blood and Gold is a mess of ideas that feels half-finished.
FIVE, at its core, is a competent action RPG with fun abilities and some original ideas. But with achingly slow opening hours, limited character progression, loads of meaningless loot, and an utter lack of difficulty, its appeal is limited.
Syndicate is another Assassin's Creed. Its characters and setting are likeable, it's not a technical mess, and it has some fun new features, which certainly puts it in the upper tier of the franchise since Brotherhood. This is another pseudo-historical playground, another set of Templars to stab, and another checklist of collectables to grab. It's a solid entry in a series that's been far too prolific, and while Syndicate is good, it's tough to be excited about it.