Scott Ellison II's Reviews
It’s a different kind of EARTH DEFENSE FORCE, but not necessarily a bad one. IRON RAIN carries on the B-movie schlock in a new series, all in good fun. It’s like the newer Starship Troopers movies, they have newer CGI but it’s still not that great, and it has changed many things about it that you’re used to. You still watch of course, because it’s a good time. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN is bug-squashing fun at its finest, with some changes to core systems you may or may not like.
The formula of this game is excellent for so many other applications in game that just isn’t John Wick. Slowing down a film series known for violence, speed, and momentum to thoughtful violence doesn’t work. John Wick Hex is far from a bad game, it’s just not as well… executed. Dissonance aside, the game offers a challenge through to the end, and isn’t insurmountable. The replay mode should be the highlight of John Wick Hex, but the stilted movement makes it a gag reel instead. So, if you can get past its issues and oddness, you’ll find an engrossing game of strategy and tactics where every bullet counts, and actually matters.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is absolutely worth the play, even though there systems and mechanics in it that are dated, and the remastered updates on PC aren’t as significant as I would have thought. For the moment, this is the closest we’re going to get to Ghostbusters III, and it’s just really fun experience. There’s some genuinely spooky moments sprinkled throughout that make the comedy the perfect mix the films were. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is a rare kind of game that should be played, owned, and experienced despite its flaws.
GRID (2019) is a game where you have to play both defensively and offensively, more so than in any other racing game. Races feel rather aggressive, especially from other drivers. Attacking drivers has consequences, like spinning you out. When these systems are fully in play, it makes each race feel like it matters. GRID doesn’t take too many risks this time, but the racing is intense, beautiful, and a lot of fun.
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a fantastic adventure top to bottom. There’s collectibles to find, a prince to save, and a lot of puzzles to solve. While combat is the biggest damper, it does break up the puzzle-solving enough to warrant its own existence. This has been the case for the combat in every entry so far, but it’s always been the weakest element. If you can get past that, you’ll find a really great game that surpasses all of Frozenbyte’s games before it. Do not sleep on Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince.
This expansion uses many retired philosophies about adding landmasses that wasn’t there before. The expansion feels too isolated from the main game in a lot of ways. It doesn’t really add anything to the experience, and the time away has not done the game good, despite its updates. With Borderlands 3 now out, and DOOM Eternal around the corner, RAGE 2 doesn’t quite fit anymore. It’s still a really fun game, but it’s starting to feel like it has worn out its welcome. I wouldn’t recommend you go out of your way to pick this up, but if you bought the Deluxe Edition or have the RAGE coins, Rise of the Ghosts is an okay way to spend your time.
The massive amount of guns, quality of life improvements, planets you travel to, and proper endgame are all a recipe for satisfying even the hungriest among us. But the performance issues are a detriment to the enjoyment that should be had. Due to it being so much fun (especially in coop), that you can look past some of the issues. Borderlands 3 represents the best of the genre by again offering ‘Diablo with guns’ to such a satisfying degree that’s been so sorely missed.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is the first good Power Rangers game in so long. While I’ve enjoyed the mobile-only Power Rangers: Legacy Wars for some time, I was really only wanting a story and more offline modes, and this has that in full. I recommend this game to any Power Rangers fan past or present, but let it be known that at this time the story mode is the best thing on offer, and its roster is rather lacking for such a rich and established history to draw from. That said, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a love letter to the franchise, and just needs time to mature to be something great with more additions.
I like what Invader Studios is trying to do here, but if the actual Resident Evil 2 remaster didn’t exist, this could’ve filled that gap more substantially. But Resident Evil 2 this is not, no matter how hard it tries. There’s a fundamental and unacceptable lack of polish here. Daymare: 1998 is mostly just unimaginative and unfun, and for a game that is primarily a shooter, it doesn’t even do that well enough. I’m trying to think of a place for Daymare: 1998, and while it certainly has one in survival-horror, it’s going to be mostly at the bottom.
The Coalition have changed what it means to be Gears of War. The ambition, drive, and execution on all fronts is to be applauded, this is a Hollywood blockbuster at its finest. Gears 5 has an exceptional campaign that needs to be played. Once you factor in its versus and cooperative modes, this is a package of quality above its value. Gears 5 is absolutely best and most important game in the series across all modes. Do not miss this one.
As a fan of the Cold War era, there’s little to love here. Men of War: Assault Squad 2 – Cold War just doesn’t do enough to warrant its own existence. It’s a game that’s rewarding in its own right, but frustrating for too many reasons to recommend. Men of War: Assault Squad 2 – Cold War is a disappointing effort that’s elevated by its core real-time strategy features that you don’t see in other RTS’. Among the crashes, lackluster presentation, and disappointing execution, there’s almost no reason to play this.
KT Racing paid special attention to authenticity while allowing you to play how you want. If management and driving is your thing, then Career is for you. If not, then Season mode will more than satisfy. WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship feels the best it’s ever felt, and the weather effects look so good. WRC 8 takes such great strides forward for the series, offering a true reflection of the motorsport.
Hunt: Showdown is Crytek’s finest work to-date. The gameplay loop is equal parts exciting and dangerous, never feeling at ease in any given match. This is the best the CryEngine has ever looked. Hunt: Showdown is an evolved multiplayer shooter where the horror elements permeate throughout. Hunt: Showdown is an absolute gem for all the genres it plays a role in.
MXGP 2019 sees a lot of improvements over prior installments, mainly showing signs of the series developing a personality. The history of motocross and supercross has yet to be explored in this series, which has many stories to tell. The graphics and physics lead the game, but the audio takes an unfortunate backseat. MXGP 2019 – The Official Motocross Videogame is backed by a fantastic simulation engine making it all the reason you should play it.
RAD is stylish, quirky, and above all else, a Double Fine game. What that means, is that it’s really enjoyable, funny, but not without its rough edges. It’s a game where you literally have to adapt and overcome. The game is either too punishing early on or too short that makes either end of the experience feel shallow. RAD is “another one of those” with a cool aesthetic, a great soundtrack, and has enough going on to keep you coming back after each unceremonious death.
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is very much its own thing, taking the best parts of the prior game and putting it in a new perspective. It evokes Privateer and Freelancer vibes, with the look of X-Wing spectacularly. It’s an accessible arcade game that has a lot of repetition in its loop, but that gameplay is really fun. There’s so many secrets to discover, and places to explore, that even dozens upon dozens of hours I haven’t seen it all. Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is one of better games I’ve played this year.
Metal Wolf Chaos finds new life on PC, PS4, and Xbox One with Metal Wolf Chaos XD. And while it’s not a full remaster, it does more than enough to become accessible for the first time in its existence. The work done to bring this to modern systems and give people a chance to finally play it by removing the complications of obtaining the original Japanese game and hardware, is so appreciated. Metal Wolf Chaos XD is bonkers from start to finish, only getting crazier by game’s end. It very much feels like an unearthed time capsule, but Metal Wolf Chaos XD offers much in the way of replayability and absurdity that I couldn’t help but love its zaniness.
It's been a long time since Age of Wonders III was released back in 2014, and Age of Wonders: Planetfall reminds me what makes this series so great. This is a strategy game that feels like classic Age of Wonders in every respect, but thrust into the future with a renewed energy. There's essentially two games here that work in concert with one another, and Age of Wonders: Planetfall demonstrates how to do this flawlessly. The missions feel handcrafted, rather than "make your own fun"; the planets are colorful and vibrant, teeming with life, and the factions are unique, silly, and fascinating. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better strategy game than Age of Wonders: Planetfall this year, or in the past few years.
While I complain about Wolfenstein: Youngblood, the issues I have with it center around the inclusion of RPG mechanics that don’t really find their place in this game, and hurt it in the long-run. Arkane’s influence to level design makes these places feeling more lived in, and more interesting than any of the locations in The New Blood, The Old Blood, or even The New Colossus despite the populace having been displaced due to the occupation. As a primer for the events of Wolfenstein III, it’s well worth the price of admission. You can still be a turbo killer as one of the Terror Twins, by murdering Nazis with reckless abandon with a shitload of heavy weaponry — and that’s more than enough for me.
After thousands and thousands of bugs killed, the infestation is seemingly never-ending. Rebooting the series with EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 is likely for the best, making it an excellent entry point, but also a familiar place to return to. It feels right out of a Syfy movie, but its lack of gravitas is what makes it all work. Sure it’s a little unbalanced, a little uneven, but it’s a whole lot of fun. Whether EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 is your first or fifth time with the series, you’re in for a great time.