Keri Honea's Reviews
Come to Hyrule Warriors with a Dynasty Warriors mind, or with a fast-paced hack-n-slash mind. Then realize that deep down, you've always wanted to play a Zelda game like this just once. Don't worry, this is just a fun little diversion before the next "real" Zelda game drops on the Wii U.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor definitely isn't for everyone, but I can almost guarantee that everyone who gives it a shot will find something enjoyable about it, regardless of whether you are a Tolkien fan or not. It perfects the gameplay it emulates, and it opens up an incredible world of forced strategy with the action-adventure genre. I'm sure I don't need to point out how infrequently this happens.
Skylanders Trap Team may break the bank a little, but it's still a great game for kids, little and big alike. Just don't let the bright colors, sappy dialogue, and kid-friendly fighting fool you; it's only as easy as you want it to be, and sometimes, it's fun to sit back and play a light-hearted game, even if it is one made for kids.
At least what they did copy, they did very well, and it wasn't so overpowering it marred any experience I had. The game never stopped surprising me with its parody and humor, and its insane combat never stopped being fun. Annoyances aside, this is the game for anyone itching for something that not only refuses to be taken seriously, it embraces its ridiculosity with open arms.
Bayonetta 2 is one of the best action games of this generation, and close to one of the best overall. It's a downright shame that not many will play this game due to the small install base of the Wii U, but here's hoping that Bayonetta 2 will be a system seller to get the appreciation it definitely deserves.
That said, though, the visual glitches did not ruin any of my game experience. Sure, some of the severe texture problems were jarring, and the hair never once looked real on everyone, as though they're all wearing shiny wigs, but it never once hindered gameplay or made my sessions less fun. In this day and age when graphical expectations and perfection demands are rather high, I realize that it may be difficult for many to look past these issues, but those who do will have a rewarding experience awaiting them. Stabbing Templars with a hidden blade has never been more fun.
This is a vast game and as such definitely worth your time and money.
Lara Croft and The Temple of Osiris has a lot of great ideas running behind it, but the execution fell a little short.
Instead of capitalizing on it, 343 Industries failed both Halo fans and potential new fans with this collection. As a huge Halo fangirl myself, it absolutely breaks my heart to see Halo tarnished in this fashion. This should have been a solid slam dunk for 343, not an utter disappointment.
As such, Gat Out of Hell is strictly for fans of Saints Row IV, those who have been wanting to play more of exactly that.
While Saints Row IV: Re-elected does include all of the DLC released over the last year, consisting of a ton of costume and weapon packs and two campaign missions, if you already played SRIV the first time, there's little to really entice you to play it once more. The game hardly lent itself to replayability the first time around, save for a small desire to perhaps finish all of those side quests and activities even after completing the main campaign. If you've never played the fourth installment of Saints Row and you have a new generation console, then perhaps Re-elected will be worth your time and money, as long as you do not expect new generation-quality graphics. However, I cannot iterate enough that your time and money should only be invested if you like games that make fun of themselves, other games, pop culture, and never once takes itself seriously. Or, you should buy it if you loved it so much the first time, you can't wait to play it again on the new consoles. But if that was the case, I doubt you'd be reading this anyway.
Overall, Citizens of Earth has a good balance of humor, old-school RPG, and solid turn-based mechanics. I originally started my review with a PC copy of the game, but I had to switch to the PlayStation 4 because my copy crashed numerous times during the auto-saving. I can assure you that the checkpoints are numerous and generous, so none of my progress was lost between crashes. A few updates have been patched in since I received my PC code, so hopefully the game is no longer plagued with that one problem. It's definitely a worthwhile trip to the realm of retro RPGs, no matter if you go PC or console.
The second episode will not release until March, and neither DONTNOD or Square Enix have announced exactly when. I'm personally climbing the walls in anticipation, eager to not only see what happens next, but also how my decisions will impact Max and her friends. I rewound most of my choices to see how things would go differently and then made my decision from there, and I have this deep, dark feeling that even though I think I chose well at the time, I chose poorly overall.
The end result is something good, with zero glitches, texture pops, or mechanical problems with gameplay, but nothing about it is great.
I can appreciate what Ubisoft Reflections was trying to attempt with Grow Home, but perhaps it should have been left as an experiment or a demo instead of as a game. Its appearance is intriguing, I'll give it that, but appearance doesn't make it any less tedious or frustrating. I noticed on Metacritic that several people have loved it, but for me, it was absolute torture.
Cities: Skylines definitely scratches that city-building itch that has been left in a void for too long. If you decide that being a mayor of a city is the path for you, be prepared to have the hours zing by as you delve into a deep experience that will reward you for your efforts. If SimCity 2013 disappointed you, look into Cities: Skylines for that band-aid.
I enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, but this is most certainly not a FF game suitable for newcomers to the Final Fantasy universe.
Pillars of Eternity is a welcome return to the CRPGs of old, and it's a definite must-play for any CRPG fan or RPG fan, period. It has so many moving parts that work so incredibly well together with an unbelievably rich history and mythology. Pillars of Eternity will gladly eat up several hours of your time, and you will gladly give them.
Out of Time may not be as captivating as the first episode, but it leaves plenty to look forward to and answers just enough questions to ask a few more. Coupled with the painting art style, DONTNOD has created a rather lovely and intriguing picture. It's going to be hard to wait for May for the third episode.
Solo developer Thomas Happ definitely achieved what he set out to do, create a retro, Metroid-inspired game that would emphasize exploration above most else. I can't say that his Axiom Verge game has made me rethink my stance on retro/retro-inspired games or platformers, but I had more fun than I thought was possible with this type of game. I can only imagine the enthusiasm a platforming fan (or really, anyone with slightly warmer feelings than I toward the genre) would have running through Sudra.