Paulmichael Contreras's Reviews
If you've been looking for an official story set place in the Minecraft universe, this is as official as it's going to get. There's no denying the charm of the world that Story Mode takes place in, especially with the number of in-jokes that are thrown fans' ways. The story may not be particularly deep, but it is age-appropriate and will make for a great time to be shared with the younger Minecraft fans out there (and there are millions of them!). However, even for young, attention-deficit minds, The Order of the Stone feels like it ends a bit prematurely. If you or your child are fans of Minecraft, then this is an easy buy.
The Talos Principle may be one of the best puzzle games of the year. Sure, it starts out pretty slowly, the first dozen or so of the game's 120+ puzzles are laughably easy, and the controls may be a little awkward, but these are minor flaws in the bigger scheme of things. There's an entertaining and thoughtful story about not just humanity, but what it means to be alive. If you want to flex your brain and start thinking about time in a Echoshift/Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time way, as well as wax philosophical with a computer terminal, The Talos Principle will keep you entertained for quite some time.
Samurai Warriors 4-II is a fun game for those who skipped out on the previous entry, as well as for those who can't get enough Musou-fueled carnage. With an emphasis on more characters and an intuitive new upgrade system, alongside the robust Free mode and Endless Castle mode, and there is a lot of new content to go around multiple times.
Despite the issues outlined above, most horror fans will have a good time with SOMA. Frictional Games have shown us time and time again that they are masters of telling a scary story; this time, without the crutch of plentiful jump scares. SOMA is a game that can cause you to question your humanity, if only for a few moments. It's just a shame that the HPL Engine 3 was not up-to-snuff for the PlayStation 4.
Knock-Knock is a game with great sound work, a nice, unsettling art style, but several flaws. Its mechanics are never explained. You can expect to replay the entire thing over again to see its "best" and "good" endings. With no real way to see if you've made decent progress other than to play until the end. Since there is no traditional save system, this can turn into quite the gamble, and if you make it through the game a second or third time only to find out that you didn't "earn" the best ending, you may kind of feel like you wasted your time.
The graphics aren't exactly pretty, battles can be cumbersome, and even the tutorial is brutally unforgiving. But underneath the rough edges lies an undeniably competent game, one that will challenge you first and foremost, but also a game that will reward you for putting in the hours that it requires.
Incredibly, unbelievably, what we have here is a nearly perfect finale to the Metal Gear franchise. I truly believe that The Phantom Pain is where Kojima always envisioned he would take the franchise. This is personalized, open-world infiltration at its finest.
Zombi would be a tough sell at anything higher than its current asking price of $20. With a playtime of 6-8 hours including modest exploration, and three barely disparate endings that don't feel like much of an emotional payoff, I can only recommend Zombi to hardcore zombie game fans.
[I]f you're looking for an interesting method of storytelling full of drama, then you will want to check out Everybody's Gone To The Rapture. This is a video game as a piece of literature. Some may call it art, but I like to think gaming has evolved beyond such a contemporary definition. The Chinese Room had a story to tell, and they have done so in such a unique fashion that I eagerly await their next adventure.
If you were a fan of N+, then you've probably already bought N++. If you're a fan of challenging but rewarding platformers, then you should buy this game. If you think you might like a game that rewards perseverance, then you should also buy this game. If you don't like a challenge, or have terrible reflexes, then you probably should still buy N++ to improve your skills.
From out of nowhere, Game Freak has surprised everyone with a fun platformer that is not only inspired from the classics such as Sonic, Mario, Yoshi, and more, but manages to combine them in new and refreshing ways. Tembo has attitude, but unlike Sonic, he doesn't speak. He can jump and stomp enemies, but unlike Mario, Tembo doesn't die in a measly one or two hits. Tembo can also hover for a few moments and ground pound, but unlike Yoshi, he doesn't look like a child's play toy while doing so. These things and more make Tembo one badass elephant indeed.
With no real major upgrades to what was already a great game when originally released, this would be a tough sell at full price. Thankfully, God of War III Remastered is only $40, and that price point is quite a bit easier to swallow. If you've never played a God of War game before, and you either don't have a PS3 or don't want to play the previous games, you won't really know what's going on as it picks up towards the end of the anthology, but the story plays a secondary role to the gory action anyway. This still remains the best entry in the series to date. Pick it up if you want to see Kratos at his greatest.
If you liked the original Devil May Cry 4, then you'll enjoy this re-release. If you haven't tried the series before, then this is a good entry point. It still has the occasional poorly-placed camera, and the graphics have not aged too well, but overall it's a high-octane mix of platforming and combat interspersed with the occasional puzzle. Pick it up if you want your action fix.
What more can be said about Ultra Street Fighter IV? If by some act of (insert deity here) you've never played a Street Fighter game, this is a great place to start. It's the best fighter you can get on the new generation of consoles. With the PS4 in its second year, it's about time the series showed up! For $25, you can nab the most definitive version of Street Fighter IV released to date, including all DLC. If you're a fighting game fan, this is a no-brainer. Just be sure you update.
Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark is a good start to what Italic Pig has promised to be a series of games. There's decent dialog and adequate (if slightly boring) platforming. Quantum Physics nerds are sure to get some nice laughs out of the jokes tossed into the story, while the rest of us will still laugh at Schrödinger's Cat's antics. Using the quarks in the proper order and combining their abilities to solve puzzles and move forward in an area is also pretty rewarding. If the platforming can be made more exciting, Italic Pig could have a hit on their hands.
If you're looking for a game that will test your reflexes, Lost Orbit is your game. Developer PixelNAUTS has brought together a fine group of programmers, story tellers, and musicians to craft a genuinely enjoyable, challenging, and even uplifting adventure that you'll want to replay in order to perfect each level.
Shovel Knight is just what any veteran gamer's inner child needs. Between the tight platforming, nostalgia-inducing graphics, and pitch-perfect sound design, old-school gamers need look no further for their fix. Younger gamers will appreciate the modern additions of checkpoints and Cross-save functionality, while hardcore gamers can simply smash those checkpoints and reap the rewards. It's incredible to see a game that doesn't just imitate the 8-bit era, but perfectly embodies it.
So Infinity Runner isn't without its issues. The graphics and presentation feel like you're playing a mobile game, yet this is a PC port. Multiplayer has been removed. Some sections don't make it clear what you're supposed to do. The story is mediocre. Yet, the basic premise of the game remains fun. Infinity Runner doesn't really do much that you haven't seen before, but indeed it's the first game of its kind on the PS4. But it kind of feels like the ship has long since sailed for any new endless runner game to make any sort of traction against the likes of Temple Run 2. At a price of $6.99/€6.99/£4.99, however, this is worth the cash if you're a major fan of the genre, because it gets the core of the gameplay correct.
R.B.I. Baseball 2015 isn't a bad game. It's not a genre-defining game, either. At $20, there are certainly worse things you can throw your money at (I'm looking at you, Yorbie). If you need a quick arcade baseball fix, then R.B.I. Baseball 2015 can hit the spot. However, when last year's MLB 14 The Show can be had for a mere $5 more at this point, you may want to save up a little bit to experience a more complete package.
The PlayStation 4 finally has its exclusive killer RPG. Bloodborne is punishingly hard, but like the Souls series, not unfairly so. If you go into this game accepting of death and the lessons that it imparts on you, then you will have a much better time than if you were to approach the game thinking you were the next Kratos. With a light touch of thankfully, gratefully optional multiplayer options, Bloodborne will be played for years to come. If you see someone with a Platinum trophy for this game, you will know that you are in the presence of a badass gamer. Bloodborne cannot come any more highly recommended for RPG gamers looking for a true challenge.