Scott Ellison II's Reviews
Into the Breach is enthralling from the moment you start playing, and doesn’t let go. Every calculated move by the enemy can be countered. Every mistake is your own. And as death will come swift and often, in time, so too will victory. And being victorious has a greater sense of accomplishment because it feels earned with each battle being hard fought. Subset Games have crafted a game that absolutely excellent from the gameplay to the music. Into the Breach is near perfection.
GRAVEL does just enough to keep you interested enough to keep working through each of the episodes and trying to dethrone each of the champions of their respective disciplines. It just doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen before, even with the conceit of a TV show being the driving force. Milestone has the foundation of something great with GRAVEL. It is a solid first entry that needs some more attention to its delivery of the campaign structure to make it more fully realized as a TV show for future installments.
The Station from the developers of the same name have made something gorgeous and engaging. Whether you choose to find every audio log and entry or not, the developers have provided a unique science fiction point of view that usually isn’t given in a game, provoking thought. And while The Station isn’t very long, it is full of clever surprises and fascinating story that absolutely delivers.
With over 40 hours in Subnautica, I have cannot recommend the game more. I enjoyed the crafting, base building, and survival elements based on the difficulty I chose. At no point did I feel like I was ever safe, though, as the underwater tranquility can make you feel that way. Even if you don’t like survival games, playing Subnautica is likely to change your mind, and show you that it is not like others you’ve played before. The narrative threads that string you along Subnautica‘s story are intriguing from moment one as you unravel it so carefully. Unknown Worlds have made an incredible game that subverts expectations of what a crafting and survival game have been, and shows you what they should be.
Mercenary Kings: Reloaded Edition brings additions and fixes that make it more than worth it if you already own the game. if you have yet to play the game for yourself, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and engaged for dozens of hours. The game is also available on the Nintendo Switch, making it such a great portable game as well as a home console experience. Tribute Games continue to put a lot of time and energy into a game that is clearly made with love and care.
SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt is still a great game, but it is undoubtedly a more compact game than what’s come after this game’s original release. SteamWorld Dig offers little exploration for curiosity as it is usually out of necessity to gather as much ore as you can find to sell for cash to then buy upgrades to make Rusty more effective. If nothing else, SteamWorld Dig serves as a reminder at how much Image & Form learned from this game when making SteamWorld Dig 2 – but thankfully there’s so much more to this game to appreciate. Whether you’ve played this before or not, Image & Form make beautiful looking, sounding, and playing games that deserve to have a place in your library.
Joakim ‘konjak’ Sandberg’s Iconoclasts is a one person show that’s a decade in the making. And it pays off so incredibly well in ways you wouldn’t expect. It has its frustrations with certain boss battles, but those can be easily looked over when looking at the larger picture. The game released at a time where in our current climate in the games industry and as a people where Robin is what we all want, and need to be. Iconoclasts is a game that defies expectations and norms, and has been worth that wait.
X-Plane 11 is an extremely detailed and authentic of truly flying an aircraft. The details and lengths that Laminar Research went to is astounding. X-Plane 11 is rich with life both in the air and on the ground. Novice and veteran pilots use this for training, and the game is such that players of all skill levels will find exactly what they are looking for here. X-Plane 11 a successor to Microsoft’s Flight Simulator and is vastly superior, in just about every way.
Sky Force Reloaded is everything Sky Force Anniversary was, but bigger and better in every conceivable way. Infinite Dreams has re-imagined the scrolling shooter in inventive and exciting ways. Sky Force Reloaded is the best the series has looked, played, and felt yet. I wish Infinite Dreams would make something in the vein of their mobile series, but only for modern consoles and PCs to give it more depth rather than grind. Now, the grind is manageable, but something that not everyone will enjoy. That said, Sky Force Reloaded is still a lot of fun no matter how little or much you put into it.
The prison island of Peh is a living and breathing place, and the quests are deep and varied that you get lost in them, whether it be exploring or having a conversation. The game does a lot of different things, and does them really well in a cohesive and coherent manner that I can’t help but applaud. There are only a few issues I had with the game in terms of camera, inventory management, and its combat, but everything else is so well done and entertaining, it’s easy to forgive it. Seven: The Days Long Gone can be relentless, yes, but that’s what the plentiful saves and quicksaves you can make are for.
L.A. Noire is a game that feels better on this current generation of consoles over the last. The ability to replay cases gives plenty of reasons to get perfect ratings on each one. The investigations are deep, and rewarding as you solve each one. L.A. Noire has been given a second chance, and while flawed it is like nothing else out there today. Whether you are returning to 1940s Los Angeles, or starting new, L.A. Noire being remastered for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch is worth every bit of the experience, like a modern day adventure game.
I still enjoyed Call of Duty: WWII, more so the multiplayer over the campaign, but it had its moments that kept me invested throughout. The multiplayer feels "back to basics" like what Modern Warfare Remastered did last year that I really enjoy. It's easier to keep track of people and removes a lot of the verticality the latest entries has introduced, for better or worse. Call of Duty: WWII feels like a much-needed reset for the genre-defining series.
Offering more of the same, but for the better, Hand of Fate 2 is more of what you liked, none of what you didn't over the original. Defiant Development have done exactly what you need to do for a sequel, improve and cut out the fat. The improved missions and importance of character creation and development make it feel more personal and like your story, rather than playing someone else's. Hand of Fate 2 offers a lot of variety you would have to play several other games to get in the quality that's available here.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus has a campaign I highly implore people play. The pacing is all over the place, but its quick emotional shifts are to the game’s benefit – one moment has you seething with what you’ve just witnessed, and others have you laughing at the well-timed humor in contrast to a world so wrought with evil. Bethesda has resurrected the most iconic first-person shooter franchises, and MachineGames have elevated the genre with Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
Raiden V: Director’s Cut is very accessible for those who have yet to play a shoot’em up, and while the series is known to be rather challenging, the many difficulties it offers will ease players of any skill level right in. And those looking for a high level of challenge will still find it here, as the hardcore nature of the game has not been diluted. The story is mostly forgettable, but the way it gets presented during gameplay is a huge step forward for the genre. Raiden V: Director’s Cut is simply a must have.
The Mummy Demastered has small issues that are appropriate for the era it recalls, but they are quickly overshadowed by the excellent gameplay and feel of exploration and discovery amid blasting your way from room to room. The Mummy Demastered is wonderfully executed and full of surprises. WayForward didn't just make " another one of those". There are real and meaningful changes to the formula you wouldn't expect, and flipping them on their head is well worth the price of admission.
Rogue Trooper Redux is a nice throwback to an era that’s long since passed, but despite its updates, is still held back by the limitations of the original design. Though, I can’t discredit the mechanics and systems throughout the campaign, and the updates done to bring it to the modern era. It does not look like a PS2 game by any means. If you haven’t played it before, it is worth seeing the innovations and mechanics that this carved a path for others to follow. Now, I would rather have seen a sequel, but I think the sales of this are likely to justify whether that cliffhanger ending is worth following up on.
Heat Signature is such a surprise to play. It’s freedom, and cycling number of missions allow you to take the tools which you’ve been given and craft and experience all your own. The incredibly smart integration of your Steam friends finding their way into your game adds reference and value to the tasks you’re given. Heat Signature is easily one of my favorite games of the year.
I can't begin to think of the monumental effort that went in to making this game over the past several years. Cuphead is a challenging gameplay experience that is at odds with its whimsical-looking animation. I never found the difficulty to be off-putting, but it rather forced me to be more mindful during each encounter, which then led to every victory being so sublime. Be forewarned at it being a hard game, but know that Cuphead is a masterpiece worth enduring such hardships.
RUINER is absolutely a difficult game, but not one I would call unfair. I did find I found it more enjoyable when I played it in short bursts than longer sessions because of how frustrating it can be. That said, it is so satisfying when you conquer a hard room or a boss, and then you feel energized to continue. The game asks the question, “Are you the Ruiner or the Ruined?” – depending on how things go for you while playing, can be either. The best games challenge us and push us to our limits, and RUINER is among those.