Dustin Bailey's Reviews
Obsidian's RPG fulfills its potential, but only in fits and starts. Sure, its worst moments are only ever as bad as workmanlike RPG-making, but they make the stretches between some instances of genuine greatness a little more disappointing.Dustin Bailey
Princess Peach: Showtime fills its short runtime with a tremendous variety of levels and transformations, elevating each with charming details and a surprising amount of spectacle. Its only real limitation is its own lack of ambition, leaving this a memorable adventure, but not one for the ages.
Darksiders II has satisfying combat, a terrific variety of puzzles, and great, consistent art design. It starts to wear out its welcome deep into its lengthy runtime, and its story fails to deliver on the original game's promises, but it's still an exciting adventure well worth embarking on. Unfortunately, this edition on PC is full of minor technical issues that prevent it from realizing its full potential. Darksiders II is worth playing, but Deathinitive Edition is not worth the upgrade.
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.
No Man’s Sky has very clear problems. Its mechanics are insubstantial, with the crafting and inventory management systems being a particular exercise in tedium. Yet its scale and beauty is unmatched by any other game I’ve ever seen. It does things no other game ever has. It’s tempting to call No Man’s Sky “decent, but not great,” but that undersells both the game’s successes and its failures. No Man’s Sky is incredible, awe-inspiring, and profoundly disappointing.
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.
Rebel Galaxy has a ton of style and an incredible atmosphere that captures the weird little subgenre of space western to wonderful effect. But its repetitive combat and focus on trucking across the galaxy means that it's not as exciting as it could be. There's a lot to like, but you've got to work for it.
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.
Stop, infiltrate, and listen. 47's back with a great new invention
Pirate Pop Plus is a simple arcade-style action game with tight controls and a fully realized 8-bit aesthetic.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
It's maybe the most Mario has ever felt like a psychedelic dream sequence
As Dusk Falls blends Netflix-style prestige drama with Telltale-style game storytelling to great results
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.