Levi van Tine's Reviews
'Oh...Sir!! The Insult Simulator' feels like the kind of party game idea that devs would bandy about at a brainstorming session, briefly reminiscing about Monte Python before tossing it into the bin with the other bad ideas. Instead, Vile Monarch actually went through with making it, and I can say in no uncertain terms that it is not my cup of tea.
'Mafia III' put a high priority on its backstory, immersion, and presentation. That work shows in the quality of the narrative and the tragic characters, but unfortunately left little to flesh out the city of New Bordeaux. It's worth playing for the campaign, but perhaps there isn't a need to rush.
'Adam Wolfe' is a somewhat pretty and ultimately routine HOPA. It differs little from its predecessors in this genre, and as sheer time-wasters go it pales in comparison to so many other casual and, I dare to say it, social media games. The folks over at Madhead are clearly lovers of the HOPA but this a niche field to say the least, and 'Adam Wolfe' has little mainstream appeal.
I had a tough time taking 'The Bunker' seriously. It was an admirable attempt at live-action psychological horror, but the John segments meander on and stumble around like the main character. It's not entirely predictable, but nor is it treading new ground.
'Gears 4' gives me the same sense of wonder and excitement playing through the campaign as I first had with Marcus and Dom a decade ago. It is a 'Gears' for a new generation, and The Coalition has risen to the occasion to give a top notch package with heaps of production and replay value both. The Ultimate Edition specifically is not worth its hefty price tag, but 'Gears of War 4' itself should not be missed.
'Warhammer 40K' is a great franchise on paper but has struggled in video gaming, and 'Eternal Crusade' is on the lower end of the spectrum. It has the trappings of a freemium pvp game but asks for $50 just to get in the door. From the shoddy controls to the inscrutable mysteries of equipment, this is one shooter we cannot recommend, even for the most dire of 'Warhammer' fans.
Despite its low points, the tension that permeates 'Colorado' works tremendously in its favor, leading to a more consistently enjoyable 'Hitman' episode than 'Bangkok', which remains a low point for the game. While there isn't nearly as much personality or humor as there perhaps should have been, there's still plenty of fun and excitement to be found within the militia camp. It's also the biggest leap forward for the story thus far, and builds toward what should be a tremendous climax when the game's final episode hits next month.
'Batman' is gaining steam, a development I hope Telltale can maintain for the rest of the season. I am enjoying the narrative focus on Wayne and the dialogue that, while maintaining a familiar comics camp, can also be genuine when necessary. 'Children of Arkham' easily surpasses 'Realm of Shadow'.
After finishing 'Firewatch', I sat in a kind of stunned silence for awhile, the same way I do after watching a particularly powerful movie. It's the rare game that makes you feel something human, something ethereal and difficult to describe. It's not a long game but I finished it in one sitting, completely spellbound. If you are at all a fan of gaming as a method of storytelling, you should probably play 'Firewatch'.
'ReCore' can be very fun at times, and it can also be very tedious. It has good video game conventions, like the awesome jumping-dashing-grappling bits, but also has some bad ones, like bosses that are made difficult only by virtue of having massive health bars. It isn't helped by the weak technical presentation. It's probably best for only the most ardent of platforming fans, the players who can put up with all of its hangups.
Where 'Lone Survivor' succeeded, 'Claire,' has trouble. It relies too much on being lost, both in terms of interaction and narrative drive. Even if it had a more interesting protagonist, the game's inconsistent ability to remain scary holds it back.
This is not your father's 'Pac-Man'. 'Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2' is faster and busier, and the purity of the original has been sacrificed for variety and a more forgiving difficulty level. That being said, it's still a great score attack game, one that I will be enjoying whenever I'm in need of an hour or so of sparkly, candied arcade goodness.
I am happy to experience 'Event[0]' because what it contains is probably a harbinger of things to come in gaming. As a complete gameplay experience, however, it can be limited and flawed. It has evolved from its beginnings as a student project to become more than a mere tech demo, but it could have gone farther in its Turing test.
'BioShock' is one of the few series that justifies a remaster. It was a watershed moment in gaming in 2007 and the gameplay still holds up after all this time. 'BioShock Infinite' is nearly as good and even the stepchild 'BioShock 2' is a blast to play. There's very little in the way of new content, but these titles are so enjoyable that I still enthusiastically recommend 'BioShock Collection' to old fans and newcomers alike.
It has probably been a decade or more since I played a real board game. It's just not a medium that appeals to me. However, the unique brand of magic that League of Geeks has distilled in 'Armello' is intoxicating, and the Xbox One version has lost very little in the transition. What a wonderful and fun experience.
'Livelock' is a blast when played with friends. It holds its own in solo, but only for so long. The gameplay is sharp and easy to pick up and play for any level of player - I just wish it had longer legs.
This homage to the seminal days of RPGs is quite successful at what it set out to do. The strong points include character advancement, the village, and enemy variety, while I was let down by a slow plot and inconvenient save system. The Xbox One isn't exactly a haven for this genre, but in nostalgia value alone it's a welcome treat.
It is heavily derivative, but 'The Turing Test' is a worthy imitation of the 'Portal' and its ilk. It has fun, quick puzzles and a disquieting, thought-provoking dialogue between two minds whose true nature is unclear. It is a pleasant way to spend a few hours.
'Shiny' is very lightweight, too lightweight for its own good, in fact. It wants to tap into the ongoing retro platform revival that's so popular in the indie scene, but is a clunky, clumsy imitation without many redeeming qualities.
'Nuka-World' is not the perfect swan song for 'Fallout 4', but it is a perfectly playable homage to our favorite post-apocalyptic soft drink and, to a lesser extent, the Commonwealth itself. If you have come looking for something new and fresh, you may be disappointed. If you want another reason to return to the wasteland for shooting, looting, and reading through Nuka-Cola corporate emails, 'Nuka-World' will scratch the itch for a time.