Scott Ellison II's Reviews
FutureGrind is incredibly well thought out and designed. It understands what it is, and what it asks of you. The instant restarts are a feature it couldn’t live without, and it’s story mode is more than enough to carry you through. The game is wide open for DLC and expansions to do more of what it does so well. What this all amounts to, is that FutureGrind quickly becomes technically demanding for you to do mental and physical gymnastics with the controls. It never is anything insurmountable, but rather constantly forcing you to reteach your brain what bike you’re using, and what modifiers are on the track. This kind of thinking is necessary to reach the end, and work towards those diamonds. FutureGrind feels familiar and fresh all in the same breath, but it is certainly a standout title from Milkbag Games that’s the first must play of 2019.
Elastic Games gets it right with Last Year: The Nightmare as it easily gets its hooks in you from the start. With a free content road-map outlined for 2019, the future looks bright going forward. It has a few bugs that keep it from greatness, but nothing to keep anyone from playing it right now. As you get paired up with random people and are forced to work together, this is the kind of game you make friends from. If you want to see what the definition of a successful Kickstarter is, look no further than Last Year. Upcoming platforms are in for a treat, as Last Year: The Nightmare is a killer game.
Developer New World Interactive have plans for post-launch support, and possibly a campaign in the future. There’s a limited number of maps and modes here, but there’s a lot of game all the same. Insurgency: Sandstorm is heart-pounding in every match and mode, and there’s little room for error. New World Interactive’s vision is unmatched, though notably niche. You’ll not find another first-person shooter in a hardcore setting than what Insurgency: Sandstorm provides.
Hitman 2 brings in more of what I loved about the first game and then some. The tight gameplay, the serious but comical undertone, and the plethora of challenging bits to accomplish make Hitman 2 an amazing package. It’s unfortunate that IO forces you to connect to a server to actually access the challenge information, let alone be able to save your progression of them. It leaves a nasty stain on such a pristine, near perfect white suit.
DUSK looks, feels, and acts like a classic first-person shooter from the 90s, but doesn't rely on anything but itself to impress you. From the first moment when the ominous voice saying "KILL THE INTRUDER", DUSK sets a tone that it delivers every step of the way. The DUSKWORLD multiplayer is mildly disappointing, but doesn't take away from what an amazing offering the campaign is. DUSK revives the first-person genre with a customizable retro aesthetic, a head-banging soundtrack, and levels that rival modern first-person shooters; DUSK is the FPS dreams are made of.
Just Cause 4‘s villains never have enough screen-time to warrant their position of power or revenge, but this game is the equivalent of a popcorn flick for video games. It’s as ridiculous as the series gets, where the bad guys are trying to control the weather (the weather!), and Rico is the perfect person to remove them from power. Just Cause 4 is at its best when it isn’t too serious, and focuses on the fun and silly – which this game has in spades. Just Cause 4 is a great ride from start to finish.
Battlefield V feels less like an experiment, and more of a refinement for the series to-date. It doesn’t have much in the way of environments that recall World War II. From its War Stories single-player to its robust multiplayer offering, this feels like a World War II movie with how the gameplay feels, the visuals look, and the sound punches. Battlefield V is a game that’s going to evolve over time, and as it stands, has the foundations of something great. I look forward to the improvements DICE will be putting into the game throughout its lifespan.
When I wasn’t about to throw up by its canned animations and jerky movement, I found there’s a decent game in here that could have been handled much better. KURSK did well at showing that these Russians were humans, not monsters – and some of them were basically kids. This is an amazingly looking game that’s an unfortunate, buggy mess. That said, KURSK does respect the lives lost, as well as convey the emotions and thoughts of those aboard. And to that end, KURSK succeeds. It’s a shame then, that this sinks under the weight of its own ambitions.
Tate Multimedia’s wreck and ride platformer is something special, even though it made me mad and wasn’t that memorable. Steel Rats is rather unique on the whole, and stands out against everything else in the genre – whether it be platforming, action, or racing. Steel Rats has replayability, detail, and general cleverness in its world, design, and presentation that’s worth checking out at some point. It’s just a shame that it the controls and navigation become the biggest adversary.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection is such a perfect fit and excellent port. It should be considered the gold standard for ports and Action RPGs going forward. Blizzard is putting everyone on notice. Diablo III: Eternal Collection is a complete and definitive collection of what’s sure to be the final form for Diablo III. It’s a perfect swan song for this game, because it’s Prime Evil how good this release is.
Party Hard 2 does just about everything right. It’s a game of skill, strategy, and patience. It can also be frustrating with its increased difficulty, and can be off-putting, especially when you’ve completed most of the objectives and an ill-timed move spells disaster. Party Hard, a game I absolutely adored, is simply outdone with Party Hard 2. Every aspect and mechanic is improved over the original for the better, making Party Hard 2 a must-play.
As an expansion only, American Wilds fails to impress. As a complete package, this is a better value add to get base game and all DLC included, but it’s still a simulation that’s frustrating to deal with. With MudRunner 2 announced earlier this year, this series is going to need to be more diverse in terrain, detail, and controls. Until then, American Wilds‘ new locations and vehicles don’t provide enough to get you stuck in the mud again.
Treyarch eschewed one of the tent poles of every Call of Duty game since the original, perhaps boldly, with removing the campaign to make the game more omnipresent, accounting for all types of players who enjoy multiplayer gaming. The game now has three powerful modes that offers “something for everybody”. This was previously the case when campaign was a part of it, but there is somewhat of a shift away from single-player experiences, and the direction is shown here. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 almost defiantly makes itself known as the ultimate all-in-one multiplayer experience to play – and does so with incredible confidence and execution.
Klei Entertainment have put some serious work into making sure that the game is updated to today’s standards, and is leaps and bounds better than its predecessor. Mark of the Ninja: Remastered is the definitive version of the previous release by including all DLC, and improving every aspect of what came before. Playing this again was a constant reminder of what makes the game so great. From the way vision and sound are incorporated to the basics of gameplay to how you interact with enemies. Mark of the Ninja: Remastered is unmarred by time, is the quintessential stealth game after all these years, and is a mark of 2D excellence.
Oregon as an expansion and DLC is very much worth the price. This, and all state DLC is modestly priced for what you get you out of it. Being able to expand your trucking empire into the Pacific Northwest now extends your time with the game, and lets you do runs from Portland to Santa Fe are now possible, and incredibly fun as you listen to internet radio along the way. If you're going to buy any state DLC for American Truck Simulator, let it be Oregon.
This is a bizarre game. There’s very little redeeming qualities with V-Rally 4, but there’s still something about it that kept me coming back as quickly as I kept putting it down. V-Rally 4 does well to emulate what came before it, but does nothing to make the resurrection worth it, or the wait. The only thing consistent is the inconsistency. There’s far better rally games out there, but if you’ve played them all, I can see some enjoyment with V-Rally 4 after you take the time to learn its quirks and nuances that are honestly not worth the trouble.
Playground Games have set a standard that other racing games will have a hard time following. Forza Horizon 4 is all about the freedom of choice, and there’s absolutely something for everyone in this game. Forza Horizon 4 caters more to how you play than how the game wants you to play it. This is absolutely the most exciting entry of the series, a feeling I haven’t felt since the first game. It is a fluid game with a lot of moving parts that feels truly alive with the weather and seasons. Leave no cobblestone wall unturned, because Forza Horizon 4 is breathtaking at every turn, and rewarding at every stop. Ralph was right.
The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a wonderful RPG that is immersive and grandiose. inXile Entertainment has done this incredibly well to update the series with modern conveniences while maintaining that classic PC RPG feel. It’s great to see a series return after three decades and be such an entertaining, beautiful, tactical, and strategic RPG that will have players of any skill thinking on their feet. Without having played the prior games to compare it to, its depth and length in every aspect is on par with what you’d expect. The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep will make new fans out of it, and old fans will rejoice in this fourth installment that hearkens back to the original games as if they never left.
The original Frozen Synapse taught us that depth is only measured by the tool that you're using to measure it with. Frozen Synapse 2 shows that depth is only one part, and how that depth can be spread across a surface the size of the city to be bigger and better. Mode 7 calls Frozen Synapse 2 "open world tactics", I call it a freedom gambit – because everything you do is a risk, but has the potential of a reward powered by the freedom of your choices. Frozen Synapse 2 is everything you'd want in a sequel, and more.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is excellent, and so well balanced; from the combat, to exploring, to solving puzzles. It’s rare to have this balance that even the final boss is evenly constructed, and no difficulty spikes are present at any point during the game. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is constantly challenging Lara, forcing her to survive another harsh location. There are so many great moments, but the stealth is fantastic and so satisfying. With more tombs, more ways to explore and connect with the game world, and less of the junk that soiled prior entries, it’s everything you’d want. This final chapter in Lara Croft’s origin story comes to a close with maturity in tune with the character and the series. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the quintessential action adventure, compounded by human emotion tying it all together to be at the top of its class.