Scott Ellison II's Reviews
While I enjoyed it a great deal, things need to change for WRC 8 next year. As it stands, WRC 7 is a solid game with “to the point” racing that works, but is growing stale. If you’ve been away from the series for a while, this is an excellent entry to get back to. If you liked WRC 6, returning players will find very little that’s new in WRC 7 for the money. The attention to detail is applaudable, and the realism and authenticity Kylotonn brings is unmatched, but is in need of something more to liven this series up for future entries.
SteamWorld Dig 2 permeates with beautiful art, excellent music, and great gameplay. Dorothy is a wonderful character to play is, is in incredibly agile and nimble, and the companion Fen is never annoying. Image & Form have improved on everything to make the game enjoyable. The story is full of mystery, the new tools are exciting to use, and the handcrafted mines are a treasure to explore. SteamWorld Dig 2 is a must-own game for whatever platform you get it on.
Given the three and a half hours it took me to play the game, it feels like a movie or a play. Unfortunately, its emotional impact is undercut by the things that cause June’s death being replayed, but it is no doubt is wracking with guilt as you get it wrong. This is an experience, and its adaptation from short films to an interactive medium carries a bit more weight as you are in control of actions or inactions of the characters. Last Day of June is a sweet, cute, and touching game that nails home the feeling of loss, but the hope of love.
I’m dying for The Darkside Detective 2 already. Now it is worth noting that The Darkside Detective is short, taking about three hours to complete all six cases, but it works so well to its benefit. This is a game that brings the player in on the joke, and lets you laugh along with them – which you will. If you’re looking for an introduction to adventure games, then The Darkside Detective is definitely it. Even those experienced in the genre will find the cases intriguing and the puzzles enough of a mind tease to find enjoyment throughout.
Agents of Mayhem fumbles more than it carries the ball forward for open-world games. There’s fun to be had, but with less frequency than its alternate universe brother, Saints Row. With this, Agents of Mayhem 2 needs to be more focused, and can be the revolution that Saints Row 2 was if they are to amp up the ridiculous and lean in heavier to the comedy that doesn’t rely on cheap jokes and vulgarity to get the point across. For what it is, Agents of Mayhem delivers an action-oriented shooter with lots of playable characters for interesting mix ‘n’ matching that falls short on gameplay and story, but has plenty to do to keep you occupied.
If you gave me the choice between playing Overwatch and playing LawBreakers, I’d choose this. This is a game where any class is helpful and doesn’t have to rely on strict roles to be successful in each match. I do wish the tutorials would acclimate people better into the game, but it isn’t hard to grasp on your own. The modes, classes, and weapons all look and feel the sci-fi part. The biggest crime in LawBreakers is that not enough people are playing it. For what’s here, LawBreakers is a steal at its price, and an absolute blast to play solo or with friends.
F1 2017 has improved considerably and brought the long-missed Classics into the present. Codemasters is now in a good place with the series. Things have changed in the real Motorsport, but there some subtleties you wouldn’t normally notice, like the wider stance that Formula 1 cars now have. The game is full of changes and improvements, like the handling due to that wider stance, and F1 2017 sits as a game that’s balanced all-around. While F1 2017 is the official videogame of the 2017 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, it is also the only one, and more importantly – it is the best one.
Retro City Rampage DX finds another home, perhaps its best, finest, and last on the Nintendo Switch. The game is so clearly a labor of love and it shows, even if it’s a bit manic at times. The humor always lands, and the gameplay feels great. The seemingly endless video options lets you give the game a new look each time you play. Retro City Rampage DX‘s release is rather timely, making a great primer for Vblank Entertainment’s next game, Shakedown: Hawaii which changes locations and enters the 16-bit era. Switch owners are in for a real treat, as Retro City Rampage DX is nostalgia redefined.
Phantom Trigger has some faults, such as some random slowdowns during combat – though it is well worth the time it takes to complete the game and subsequent plays will let you see the multiple endings. The level up system is somewhat misleading and disappointing as it introduces depth, but not damage into its systems. Phantom Trigger has a great story underneath it, it just doesn’t go far enough to tell something more compelling. That said, I still recommend playing Phantom Trigger, because there’s something fascinating in exploring and engaging in combat through this beautiful looking game.
Drifting Lands combines some really great genres into its own thing that works really well. Alkemi does this in an all-around clean and crisp presentation. The game embodies the “one more level” mentality as you try to make another run in an attempt to get better loot to outfit yourself for higher difficulties. This is a game you shouldn’t miss.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find anything like The Shrouded Isle. It’s not meant to question your faith, but be satirical. You can see the three years pass by in about forty-five minutes to an hour if you’re deeply thinking about things, or thirty minutes if you’re hasty. All in all, each successive replay is different that you’ll need to think how you Inquiry, Appoint, Sacrifice, Repeat. I do wish there was more event variety and more to do, but all-in-all, is a carefully devious game where you truly are the monster.
Sine Mora EX is still a strong shmup, and standout title in the genre. It does new and exciting things, and is now released on platforms that handle this game more elegantly and still has a great presentation. It has a few minor bugs and those who’ve already played the game won’t get much out of the new re-release, but it absolutely worth playing even if you’re not a fan of bullet hell style games. Sine Mora EX remains one of my favorite shmups with its complex story and deep gameplay and robust modes.
Kingsway is ingenious, simply put. It has a brilliant attention to detail that is well-thought out. I implore you to play Kingsway to see it for yourself. It doesn’t entirely rely on its nostalgia for it to work. There’s a bit of repetition in its encounters and quests, but that’s really a small issue in what’s a largely enjoyable and highly replayable game. You’ve not played anything like Kingsway before, and it is a game demanding a place on your hard drive that will stay for the foreseeable future.
If not for Overcooked Special Edition's performance issues when solo or in co-op, the game would get a score to that of its original review. Surely the framerate issues are going to be patched out, and as previously mentioned aren't too much of a bother, but they are frequent and can cause missteps in the kitchen. The performance issues are only a word of caution, but not meant to deter you from what this delightfully chaotic game has to offer. The Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform for this game, but needs patching before it gets fully recommended. Once it is, the Switch lets you can bring it anywhere and start cooking up some fun with anyone.
Redeemer is a brawler in the vein of Hotline Miami because of its gore, brutality, and top-down view, but has a melee focus in a 3D space. The story is the least interesting as it is cliché and tacky with its unfolding plot. The gameplay loop of Redeemer stays fresh enough for the six hours it takes to complete the game. It is unfortunate though, that the gameplay suffers from random and frequent framerate dips. With that said, Redeemer is a modern romp through some old-school style stages that doesn’t quite redeem its shortcomings, but satisfies throughout to be a violent brawler worth playing.
Solstice Chronicles: MIA encourages using tactics and forward thinking in a genre that wouldn't normally have it, and the drone is a really neat addition, but it isn't a compelling enough reason to play. The lack of online co-op which made The Red Solstice a standout is curiously absent and supremely disappointing. Solstice Chronicles: MIA is a twin-stick shooter that doesn't leave a lasting impression, either due to its writing or ho-hum gameplay. While it plays better than its predecessor and offers a unique gameplay hooks, Solstice Chronicles: MIA doesn't do enough, and there's better offerings out there that are more fun to play.
The game I played a few years ago is largely in-tact here. But Iron Crypticle is refined, enhanced, and more enjoyable than before. It is a game that begs to be played in co-op, and is now available on systems to allow for that to be done with ease. Playing it solo, it is challenging and rewarding each time you play. I still don’t know what a “Fisticle” is, and I have an idea what a “Crypticle” is, but I do know that Iron Crypticle is a solid game that reminds you of games from your childhood, but freshens up the roguelike genre in exciting ways.
Serial Cleaner is a stealth game where you play a character whose sole purpose is to discretely clean up messes from murders and deals gone bad. And in doing so, must never get caught in the process. You wouldn’t think a stealth game where you have no offensive capabilities or weapons would work, but it totally does. And Serial Cleaner is a reverse Hotline Miami, which is an awesome thing to be.
The Necromancer is a great character, and a wholly exciting class for those who’ve been waiting 6 years for it to come out. I wish it was priced a bit more modestly, but given the fun I’ve had playing this character, I can soon seeing this long forgotten with the countless hours to be played going forward. Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer brings back a classic class to Diablo III, but does so at a high expense, but not at the cost of being an excellent character to start playing.
Nex Machina makes the leaderboard high-score chase fun again. It does so by providing incentives of earning currency to unlock new things, player profile rankings, and encourages trying out new areas out based on your performance. Grab a another controller, and Nex Machina is a neon-filled explosionfest in co-op. Nex Machina caters to solo and co-op players in exciting ways, and near-endless replay. It is all the reason to stick around and play more after the credits have ended. Eugene Jarvis and Housemarque have made something incredibly fun and exciting, making Nex Machina the best twin-stick shooter today.