Mark Delaney's Reviews
With better options for sale even in its own genre, it's more likely that SDB will sit in your digital library without a chance of ever actually taking up hard drive space.
"New World Order" is a slower episode that promises a lot of worthwhile story moments soon, but fails to provide many of its own. Character interactions are the best that they've been so far, but everything else is missing the drama that it needs to deliver a worthwhile standalone episode. If you've made it this far, you're likely in it for the long haul anyways, so if you just forgive Telltale for once again taking its foot off the gas pedal for its middle episode, it stands to reason that what's ahead will be both the Batman that players deserve and the Batman that players need right now.
One Hundred Ways is a stark reminder that in this new age of consoles, not all indies are darlings and not all games on the Xbox marketplace are worthy of such a home. It's a game that might have been fun in waiting rooms or in transit someplace, but in a home setting on an Xbox One, I can't think of one good reason why anybody would want to play this. It's a boring, aesthetically nauseating slog through puzzles that more often annoy than challenge.
Like all of the best first-person adventure games, or "walking sims", Virginia works better than its movie inspirations because of the inherent interactivity that comes with telling a story in this medium. It goes all in on delivering a surreal, Lynchian narrative and hits that nail of unreality on the head, all the way down to leaving you wondering what exactly you just witnessed.
In traditional Telltale fashion, "Children of Arkham" ends on a high note and I'm already anxiously awaiting the next episode.
The Turing Test delivers not just a worthwhile game but an amazing story that will sit with you long after the credits.
Anode is a highly replayable falling block puzzler whose only major flaw comes in its indifference toward advancing the genre in any way. It's a mostly been-there-done-that offering that manages to change up just enough to merit playing alongside similar titles. The limited but excellent soundtrack and local competitive modes make the overall package well worth playing if you're a fan of this type of game. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking -- pun intended, again.
There's plenty to look forward to with Batman - The Telltale Series and fans of the studio, and especially fans of the character, can rightfully get excited for the next few months ahead. Under the cowl, and just as often not, "Episode One: Realm of Shadows" is a worthy introduction to comics' greatest hero.
Rivalries will form and bonds will be tested, but in the end, Videoball does more good than harm and exists as something unlike anything else that you've played.
If you're a fan of the genre and new to the series, The Banner Saga 2 is absolutely worth your time, just make time for its predecessor first.
Prison Architect is a deep offering of gameplay elements, interconnected systems, and emergent storytelling, all of which remain addictive for fans of such micromanagement. If all this sounds like more work than fun, you're probably right; this game just isn't for you. There were times when I looked at the game in my library and became stressed at the idea of playing it some more. Controlling a population of inmates who, by the basic nature of prison, don't want to be there, can feel like a second job. More often, though, I was amazed by the game's intense level of detail to the human element of being behind bars, and I walked away from the experience with an appreciation for such a stellar genre title. If you're a fan of simulations, Prison Architect is one of the best there is.
Soda Drinker Pro, gaming's equivalent to carbonated sugar water, might be enjoyable in very strict moderation, but it's hard to forget that one would be better off to consume nearly anything else.
Not without missteps, Quantum Break is still an exceptional title that takes chances and looks like the makings of a successful new franchise. In short, it's a hell of a time.
Action Henk isn't a new and unseen type of game. Its total package exhibits shades of similar titles, like the precision of Trials HD, the colorful and fun imagery of Joe Danger, and the speed of Sonic The Hedgehog. The fact that it does all of these things so well, in one go, is what makes the game a must-play for genre fans. Thanks to great original mechanics like buttsliding and the grappling hook, it won't feel entirely familiar either. Some moments will frustrate players to the point of rage quitting, but they'll return soon to try again because when success in Action Henk eludes you, it often seems only slightly out of reach. It's without doubt a toy story worth experiencing.
Whatever today's equivalent is to Q*bert's quarter-eating arcade competitors would be time better spent for all but those that speak fluent Qbertese.
ZHEROS is a 2016 title that too closely adheres to 1990 game design, and doesn't even do some things as well as its quarter-century old predecessors.
Like a lot of licensed games, there are very distinct levels of enjoyment to be had. If you're a fan of adventure gaming, pointing and clicking through puzzles and looking for clues, Investigations is a respectable callback to that era and whose fault might be in leaving the IP's younger fans behind. If you're a fan of the series, it's an inelegant trip into the peculiar land of Ooo that saves itself by adoring the series as much as the fans who might play it. Surely the folks in the middle of that Venn Diagram will get the most out of Finn and Jake Investigations and those who fall completely outside of it can save their dosh and skip the game entirely.
Naysayers of their formula won't be quieted with another game in Telltale's library that has especially little to offer for major player choices, but fans who have so far enjoyed their style of video game will absolutely enjoy this one, even if they aren't a Borderlands fan. It's the best Borderlands story told so far. More startlingly, it's the best Telltale story told so far, and should, with any luck, provoke a rise in the ripe genre of comedy video games.
Crimsonland is what people who don't play video games think video games are. It's full of combat that is bloody, violent, and lacking any motive or reason. You can't really call it mindless, though, because it does take a lot of strategy to get through the more difficult levels. Before games tried taking on Hollywood like they do now, there were many more titles like Crimsonland, games that exist simply as games, and there's nothing wrong with that if that's what appeals to you. The mechanics and gameplay hold up over time, it's very challenging, and the couch co-op and survival modes give it longevity. Just understand that Crimsonland often feels more at home on the first Xbox rather than the Xbox One.
With just two hours of content and gameplay that never challenges you, plenty of people will dismiss Whispering Willows and never think twice about it. That's maybe not such a bad thing as it definitely isn't for everybody. It acts as an example as to why the Ouya didn't last. This was one of the better received games in the console's short lifespan and it fails to stand up to a lot of games within its own genre on the major consoles and PC. I do genuinely love the game's message overall, however. It gives a voice to a people so rarely represented in video games and does so within a story that's worth seeing. Despite its dark tone and serious subject matter, one word keeps returning to me when I think back on Whispering Willows, and that's 'charming'. It's flawed, and brief, and unchallenging, but so too is it engaging, and mysterious, and charming. Among so many other lost souls in the Willows Mansion, the ghost of the Ouya lives on.