Mark Delaney's Reviews
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.
Degrees of Separation opens like a touching fairy tale complete with well-written narration and a soft tone of lovers determined to find one another. Sadly, the game betrays them and the player alike by structuring progression exclusively around collectibles.
Yonder is the type of game I wish we had a lot more of on Xbox.
Puzzles and controls leave a lot to be desired, but Conarium does much else well, making it an easy recommendation for any fans of the author.
It survived the purge where Fable Legends and Scalebound did not, but even in its best moments, Crackdown 3's campaign feels like it was born too late.
Neither the premise nor the execution of the setting and story ever justify the project, but for fans who haven't tired of the series' formula yet, you can't really go wrong with more of the same when it's well done. It's mechanically tight and often engaging while it lasts.
Away: Journey to the Unexpected tries to do a lot at once, which is a tall task for a game mostly built by just a pair of people. Ultimately, its strange direction lends to the charm of it all, but it's also clear the game is lacking in a few key areas — namely, shoddy combat and inconsistent level randomization. Still, it was billed as a "feel-good" indie and I'd have to agree. Despite its faults, I'm happy to have played this weird game.
Telltale's final season was presumed dead a few months ago, but just like the titular zombies, The Walking Dead: The Final Season has risen from the grave to live again. It's a good thing too, because "Broken Toys" is the best episode of the season by far.
The pairing of Blood Money and Absolution ends up being a flawed but interesting Hitman history lesson. It's as though each game's deficiencies are the other game's strengths.
Ashen is a soulslike, but to call it a clone would be a betrayal of the awesome job A44 have with their debut project.
In some ways that's definitely still true, and with any luck we will see this series inspire other studios to go deeper. Sadly, those developers will also come away with a clear example of how not to close out a storyline.
Despite issues in several areas, Just Cause is ultimately about the scale of its action moments over which players have complete control, and the freeform sandbox in which players run amok, and to these ends Just Cause 4 is the best in the series.
For any audience, adults or children, Bendy offers nothing but some cool visuals. It's most enjoyed by looking at screenshots and ending your experience there.
At best this is the new reality of game service models. At worst EA rushed the game out in time for the holidays. Thankfully, even as some features are conspicuously absent, nothing else in Battlefield V feels rushed. It's a smooth experience, offering yet another audiovisual master class, and regularly delivers a true sense of spectacle in a way that other console shooters simply can't match.
It's clear Dynasty should be and even still is the best way to play Mutant Football League, but it's a patch or two away from being what fans would really want it to be. Currently, it's a great idea dragged down by poor implementation.
It's the most accessible Hitman to date thanks to improved information sharing, but it also runs deeper than anything before it, making it a game truly built for the fans that know Agent 47 best. No other stealth game plays like Hitman, and Hitman 2 is the best this unique series has ever been.