Keith Mitchell's Reviews
I've been a fan of Killing Floor 2 for quite some time and played more than a fair share of it via my early access copy on PC. So, I was really excited to get a chance to try out the PlayStation 4 version, to see how it fared to what I played. I'm happy to report that Killing Floor 2 on the PS4 is easily as good as the PC version, both in the gameplay and visuals. Fantastic controls, a decent online multiplayer system and easily of the fastest paced shooters available on any platform. It's no surprise that this title has replaced my old stable of Left 4 Dead 2 and for good reason. On all seriousness, you don't have to take my word for it and I'd rather you didn't. Instead, go play it for yourself, I'll be here when you play a few rounds to tell me what you think about it.
This is like if you took Earth Defense Force, Starship Troopers and Guardian Heroes and tossed them into a blender. A wonderfully action packaged game, tons of fun combat and a vast customization system, Earth's Dawn is well worth the price of admission.
Xanadu Next is a fun romp and a nice eye opener to games that were created years or even decades ago. It shows that they can still stand the test of time and remain enjoyable. I was hard pressed to put down the game until I finished it and while I wished it was a bit easier on the eyes, there's no denying the charm that Xanadu Next generates.
I really have to give credit where credit is due - Owlboy is an amazing title from D-pad Studios. Full of charm and wonder, this is easily one of the best indie developed games I've played this year. I'm a huge fan of 2D platforming / puzzle games and have been since the days of the Super Nintendo. So being able to play a title such as Owlboy was a treat. The only sad thing about this game is when it ends as the game really doesn't have much in the terms of replaying the title. Unless you're a perfectionist and want to go back and find all the secrets and collectibles, there's little to encourage a reply of this gem. Finally, I'm holding out hope that D-pad Studio's has plans to port Owlboy to other platforms, especially the 3DS and PS Vita, as I feel that the title would be right at home on both platforms - but of course bring it to every platform as humanly possible.
Flying Wild Hog takes everything that made the original remake of Shadow Warrior so much fun, and amps it up. Combat is fun, there's plenty of action to be found and Wang is a riot. Sure the quests get repetitive, but with so much action going in throughout the stages, it's hard to get mad. If I could change one thing, however, it would be the constant use of Lo Wang's witty one-liners. They're funny, but they repeat so often I found myself getting tired of them.
Thankfully all my fears were disproved with the release of Gears of War 4. And even though the game still plays things close to the hip, instead of going balls deep into a new territory, make no mistake that this is a Gears of War title that does exactly what it was meant to do - Get you excited and have you smiling from ear to ear.
I have to hand it to Playground Games. They took everything that made Forza Horizon 2 great and refined it. There's basically nothing in Forza Horizon 3 that doesn't say perfection. From the moment you press start, the game throws everything it has at you, from flawless execution on or off the track, its presentation, and fun online session / matchmaking. This is, at least for the time being, the pinnacle of racing games for the Xbox One. Forza Horizon 3 has my vote as Game of the Year and if not that, easily the best title on the Xbox One by far.
If Two Tribes' plan was to go out with a loud and glorious bang, they have succeeded in doing just that.
If you liked Wipeout or F-Zero, you're going to be right at home with Redout. Fast, sleek, pretty and has just about the right amount of challenge. If you can overlook the rubber banding issue and desktop resolution configuration, Redout, is your best bet if you're the market for racing title that you can pass the time with.
To my surprise, Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom turned out to be perhaps the best anime adaption to ever make its way over to a video game. There's always a concern when a game is created around an existing license. Especially since those few games of recent that featured either an anime or cartoon didn't fare too well. Thankfully, this isn't the case with Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom. It may be a bit too restrictive as it doesn't really stray from the anime or manga. In its defense, it really didn't need to as the world that was created is full of over the top action and a really odd-ball story, both of which are just fine for a video game.
Though shallow in its execution, the plane-switching mechanics of Poncho contain enough cleverness to prove intriguing. With a pleasingly melancholy atmosphere and beautiful pixellated visuals, the titular robot seems destined for a truly memorable side-scrolling puzzle platformer. Unfortunately, this is not it.
As someone who used to enjoy the Riptide games on the Android and iOS platforms, I really can't recommend Riptide GP: Renegade to anyone. The difficulty is ramped up too high to start off which, the story isn't enjoyable and the overall presentation of the game is poor. I wanted to like this game, but it just seems like a half-hearted attempt, which is disappointing. I was excepting perhaps a game similar to the one great Jet Moto, but that didn't happen. It just feels half baked.
Still for all the shortcomings addressed, Headlander is an enjoyable title. It doesn't take itself too seriously, as evident by all of the tongue and cheek humor, nor is it really difficult (Not completely anyway). As a Double Fine Productions game, It's right up there with some of their best, I just wish it was a tad longer and didn't spend too much time focus on slapstick comedy and included more gameplay content. For the asking price for $20, Headlander is a great choice for enjoying 8-10 hours of gaming fun. Perhaps the game would have been a tad better if it didn't stick too close to the tried and true Metroidvania gameplay and swam a bit more in the deep end. Still, at the end of the day, I enjoyed myself and I'm sure you will as well.
If you’re a fan of other action RPG’s such as The Witcher or even Dark Souls, then Techomancer may be just the game for you. Despite some rough edges, Technomancer does more good than harm, it just suffers from doing too much during certain elements and not enough with others. Despite that,the journey is very enjoyable and that’s all that matters in the end. Read more at The Outerhaven: The Technomancer Review (PC) http://www.theouterhaven.net/LHv94
To be perfectly honest, it feels good to get reacquainted with an old friend. The original Odin Sphere was one of my favorite RPGs on the PlayStation 2 and I'm happy to see that not only did the game survive the test of time but still offers just enough challenge and fun for even the most jaded gamer. On a presentation level, the game does so many things right; I wasn't really able to find any major flaw and my entire game-play session was a blur as I forgot what time it was after I started playing.
I can only recommend this for only the hardcore of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans. For everyone else, you may want to think about putting down $40 dollars (PC) or $50 for consoles and instead try to rent or wait until the price drops. Sadly it seems that Platinum Games either doesn't excel when it comes to licensed games and should focus more on their own IPs, or at the very least take a pass when it comes to doing video game adaptions of tv shows.
When people mention shmups on the PC, they don't mention Stardust Galaxy Warriors and after playing this gem I feel that is a crime. Tight controls, catchy music, every game is handled different thanks to the customization and 4 play co-op make this game stand out in a big way. In fact, the only thing that hurts this title is that it's an offline affair only. That said, for $10 you'll have a blast, literally. And if you have 3 people to play with then you're in for one hell of a time. Hopefully, we'll also see some much-needed DLC as the game as it stands if pretty short, that is unless you keep coming back to the gauntlet and challenge modes.
All in all, if Dark Souls III is indeed the final chapter in the Dark Soul series then at the very least the game will go out with a supernova sized bang. Multiple endings, hidden paths for the adventurous, optional bosses and levels, tons of items to find and despite the forward linear progression this is perhaps the game in the Dark Souls series. While this review does cover the Xbox One version, nothing else will be any different on either the PlayStation 4 or PC versions as well. That said you can't do wrong regardless of which system to you decide to play Dark Souls III on, just make sure that you do play it.
All in all, I'm happy that the port came out as well as it did, as to be honestly I wasn't sure what to expect. It also worried me that there wasn't any advertising for this game at all, and while that seems to be the norm for strictly PC games with minor exceptions, I feel that's a missed mark for Microsoft. PC gamers are still gamers and we like to see the full support of the company is pushing this game, so seeing a TV commercial or two, or even on YouTube would have been nice to see. Hopefully, this all has been a test run for the main course, which would be a port of Gears of War 4 for the PC platform as well. At least one can hope that this is exactly what it is.
If this is the first efforts from Awfully Nice Studios, it's a damned good one. While the Bug Butcher won't win any awards for innovation, it definitely will with how much fun you'll have with the same. Simple, frantic, charming and fun are easily the four best words to describe The Bug Butcher. It's also nice to know that Awfully Nice Studios is constantly fixing bugs (No pun intended) that are found in the game, so it's also nice to see that they're committed to making this the best experience it can be.