Dustin Bailey
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Metal Gear Solid 3
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Dustin Bailey's Reviews
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
Confidently serves as both a vindication for the magic VR can bring to gaming, and a satisfying new entry in the beloved Half-Life series.Dustin Bailey
A rare sequel that improves on the original in every meaningful way. It's packed to the brim with beautiful worlds and surprising interactions, and its colourful cast is equal parts funny, believable, and sympathetic. Double Fine is rarely wide of the mark, but this time it hit the bullseye.
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.
Lara's greatest adventure yet
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.
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.
As Dusk Falls blends Netflix-style prestige drama with Telltale-style game storytelling to great results
It's maybe the most Mario has ever felt like a psychedelic dream sequence
A year of updates has helped fill out its light content, but the real magic was there from the start. Rare's take on cartoon piracy encourages you to behave as a cartoon pirate should: a little bloodthirsty, a little silly, and almost always drunk.Dustin Bailey
Robust tactics and elegant design ensure Artifact's often sublime strategy isn't complex. But a lack of long-term goals and a risky monetisation strategy leaves the game's future feeling uncertain.
Resident Evil Village pulls the best bits from the series' past and recombines them into something fresh and surprising. It can't maintain that momentum for its entire run, but Village's heights are among the best in Resident Evil's illustrious history.
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.
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.
While lackluster combat and simplistic puzzles would prove a damning criticism for most games of this type, Headlander’s tone and aesthetic is so fully-realized that the whole package manages to be a groovy, retro delight.
Episode 4 is another terrific addition to Agent 47’s latest. After a less spectacular stay in Marrakesh and a fairly limited detour in the Summer Bonus Episode, Bangkok provides another terrific level for further murderous possibilities, and one I can’t wait to revisit as more targets make their unfortunate lodgings at the resort.
Pirate Pop Plus is a simple arcade-style action game with tight controls and a fully realized 8-bit aesthetic.
Stop, infiltrate, and listen. 47's back with a great new invention
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.