Mark Delaney's Reviews
Wolfenstein Youngblood is not Wolfenstein III. It never claimed to be and in many ways it proves to have unique goals separate from what we’ve seen of the series so far. If you’re worried the true finale will play like Youngblood, a co-op loot shooter-lite, don’t fret. We expect this is just an offshoot. But even with that said, Youngblood does tread this new ground with confidence and charisma, and that comes through with every step you take as the resistance’s dorkiest killing machines.
Between May and July of this year, we played three kart racers: Team Sonic Racing, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, and Meow Motors. Though all three are enjoyable, perhaps surprisingly given each game's budget, we like Meow Motors the most. It doesn't try coloring outside the lines of the kart racer, but what it lacks in originality it earns back with the most accessible genre game of the summer.
Stranger things have happened, but they're rarely as scary or as fun as The Blackout Club, a dynamic co-op adventure that beckons with its bellowing song of hypnosis.
While Zelda and Mario rightfully sell Switches all on their own, for baseball fans, Super Mega Baseball 2 is a supreme mix of arcade and sim, and makes for an understated killer app for Nintendo's console.
Stranger Things 3 has taken over the pop culture world like it always does when a new season hits Netflix. If you've binged it already and need more, the console game is a fun adaptation worth any fan's time.
Sea of Solitude is a deeply personal experience, but it carries the nervousness of a studio desperate not to be misunderstood, delivering this allegory via spoon-feeding.
Crash Team Racing has long been remembered fondly by players and Beenox's Nitro-Fueled remaster proves, for the most part, we haven't been blinded by nostalgia.
Lousy combat and a low-res, buggy, lifeless land are blemishes for sure, but overall while this may not be the best of the bunch, The Sinking City is certainly the most ambitious of all recent Lovecraftian horror games.
Team Sonic Racing is Sumo's third race around the track with SEGA's flagship characters. It's not their best effort of the trio but because of the intriguing teamplay focus, it stands up as a worthy game for fans of the genre and families alike.
Across the board, Void Bastards is unforgettable.
Layers of Fear 2 ups the ante from the original game's haunted house simulator style of horror, but that still leaves it all feeling too scripted to instill any real sense of dread.
The amazing gunplay and combat of RAGE 2 shouldn't easily get so stale, but because of an open world all too familiar and a story that hardly gets going before it ends, players are left to rule over a kingdom of dirt.
All of this makes it hard to argue that anyone new to the series should try V2 Remastered. It offers too many 2012 issues in a prettier 2019 package. However, if you're already a fan, these poorly aged issues are more forgiving, making Sniper Elite V2 Remastered worth aiming for.
If you don't know the name Asobo Studio, you will after A Plague Tale. It clearly had a vision for what it wanted this game to be and despite the presumably lower budget than similar games, it rarely feels hamstrung by financial constraints. It's a game that looks, sounds, and plays great, and is all wrapped up in a story that unfolds irresistibly. For anyone who still longs for single-player games they can just sink their teeth into and enjoy, A Plague Tale should shoot to the top of your list. It's one of the year's best games.
Fade to Silence is nothing if not interesting, which helps keep the game afloat even with several short- and long-term issues. From a studio that has never done this sort of thing and comprised of just a few dozen developers, it’s clear its downfall is its own ambition as virtually all of Fade to Silence’s many systems need refinement. A lack of good tutorials will scare off genre newcomers, while half-baked elements like poor combat and controls will upset the veterans too. Still, the story drips out irresistibly and base-building is deep and engaging, which makes surviving the storm of problems worthwhile. Black Forest Games bit off more than they could chew with Fade to Silence, but they deserve some credit for taking the bite.
Before launch, World War Z seemed to be spoken of with skepticism, perhaps due to its curious choice of IP.
My Time at Portia tries to do so much at once and impressively gets most of it right anyway.
Generation Zero isn't the game I wanted it to be today, but in a world where games are alive and changing all the time, I'm hoping the singularity is still near.
Thankfully, the final episode delivers a sendoff worthy of Clementine's arduous and emotional journey. Beautiful and tragic often at once, and thematically tight, "Take Us Back" is a finale the team can be proud of as they move to whatever is next, and the fans can cherish as the story comes to its end.
The Occupation brilliantly blends elaborate levels, breadcrumb-chasing, gotcha journalism, and a politically-charged drama to become one of 2019's most interesting games.