As a first-party Nintendo game, it's entirely possible my expectations were a little too high going into the game. That said, it didn't feel worth the storage space it took up on my SD card, even though I got it for free. The game aims for surreal and surprising, but just feels shallow. Desperate to find something nice to say about WarioWare Gold, I even tried the "kid test" and ran it by my young niece.
A good horror game can make rifling through old postcards and personal letters a compelling experience. But The Medium seems entitled, in that it expects me to be titillated by its character design and atmosphere but won't give me enough context to actually care about them. Between that and its tired puzzle-based progression barriers and dull character powers, The Medium fails to justify its existence.
Rise & Shine has all the markers of a hit indie game. The gun’s add-ons, a series of upgrades that include a special curve-the-bullet ability, give the game an individualistic “hook”, and the art style is funky and appealing. If you approach it with the expectation of being entertained, you probably will be. But if you’re looking for a game that will reinvigorate your passion for the innovation of the indie game scene, look elsewhere.
Between the lack of marketing leading up to its release, its poor pacing, and the thin writing and investigation mechanics, Twin Mirror smacks of a game that just wasn't given enough time. With some polish on the game's earlier moments and more thoughtful dialogue, it could have stood a real chance. Unfortunately, between the stilted narrative development, cheerless puzzles, and wooden, small-town cliches, there's less here than whatever remains of Sam's journalistic career.
Detective Pikachu may be for elementary school kids (my dear Watson) but it's still a welcome addition to the extended Pokémon spin-off universe.
With the suffocating burden of rehabilitating the Wastelands, the unique weapons and armor now cheapened to random drops (not to mention the removal of Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez Le Femme) I no longer feel myself in a universe I once called home.
SOMA will scare you, no doubt, but it won't be the memory of a gnarled, disfigured mass clumsily ambling towards you in a corridor that leaves you awake and unable to sleep at night. It will be the question of what makes us human.
It's also not a bad time to get all caught up, what with Dishonored 2 on the horizon (which is what I'm sure Bethesda intended by re-releasing the original). You may want to take a pass if frame rate is an issue for you, as the game is locked at 30 fps, but overall it's a decent game with a great price on its polished new look.
The game might be enchanting to those who don't normally play the sort of rough fan-made horror PC mystery games that dominate Desura, as I do. I strongly recommend waiting until the "real" version, the fully remade Pathologic that promises to improve the game systems, NPC AI, and graphics, comes out next year. I will give the game another chance upon the remake's release.
There's more to Layers of Fear than initially meets the eye, and I'm pleasantly surprised at its quality. Playing the preview version was a nice way to get my Halloween horror fill. I highly recommend it.