Karl Smart's Reviews
Dead Rising 4 is a great game, and this expanded edition only makes it all the more greater. The addition of Capcom Heroes and Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf are just icing on the cake when it comes to this zombie splat fest. Some audio and graphics issues do hurt the game near the end of it all, but overall Frank does have a great Big Package.
Friday The 13th is a game of amazing frame work. For a game that revolves around the slasher killer and victim dynamic, it falls short due to just being about one killer and one movie franchise. If there were more slasher legends and more locations based on other film franchises, then you'd have a truly killer game; but at this time we just have another dud of a reboot.
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite tried so hard to be Marvel vs Capcom 2, one of the best entries into the franchise, but ends up falling short in terms of roster, character depth and gameplay. A lot of interference by Marvel's overlord: The Mouse; leading to a lot of fan favorites and X-Men characters being left out of the line up. The story, for what it is, isn't anything near the depth and interest that other games like Tekken 7 and Injustice 2 have done this year. Capcom was once the innovator and leading name in fighting games. While the Fighting Game Community might get some mileage out of the title, the casual player has already moved onto the game that does the Marvel vs Capcom formula right: Dragon Ball FighterZ
Agents of Mayhem should be a good game, however it seems like Deep Silver wanted to do another Saints Row game and did things that way instead. Unlike when Capcom did this with Resident Evil and created the great Devil May Cry series, Deep Silver just made a Saints Row game with a different label on it. You'd think that after so many games in that series that we would get something different, but we didn't.
Micro Machines World Series is a game that could have been great but squanders it all with bad controls and a push towards modes that aren't as fun as the racing mode should have been. Maybe if there were some gameplay patches and some more Hasbro themed style levels (Where's my G1 Transformers track guys?) that could make the game somewhat more interesting than the cheap cash in that we're left with today.
Injustice 2 is a fine game. It's basic enough for newcomers to pick up and play but still has depth for experienced players to explore. The story mode is the best in the fighting game genre and really warrants more. However the whole experience is crushed by an experiment to bring mobile game style random bullshit into console games and ultimately makes the game forgettable once something else comes along.
Saban's Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Mega Battle is a cheap cash in and the price reflects it. However the game is so bad that it's not worth buying. My recommendation is wait for it to hit one of those PS+ or Games with Gold free game deals and then maybe think about it.
Dragon Ball Fusions is a wish forfilment to some degree. While it gives us the concept of being able to fuse any character we want, the rest of the game doesn't live up to that one mechanic. Personally I blame the release of it on the Nintendo 3DS as it limited the other aspects of the game in order to pull off the main mechanic. The game is still fun to play, if not easy to abuse. Dragon Ball Fusions is a game that is going to cater to the casual Dragon Ball fan and the hardcore alike, but the hardcores might not like the overall package once the thrill of fan service wears off.
While it is nice to see the portable titles make their way to home consoles, you can tell that this was just another distraction from the bigger issue for Kingdom Harts fans. While this game does fill that hole in the collection nicely, it's not really worth a full retail price, or even a slightly lesser discounted price. These side stories aren't going to give us any huge insight into the game series and is completely skippable. While it is an enjoyable romp if you do buy it, this is a game I'd recommended for hardcore fans only.
If you're looking for a Resident Evil title, then go give Resident Evil Revelations 1 or 2 a go. Hell, even Resident Evil 5 & 6 are closer to a Resident Evil game than this game is. However, if you're wanting a scary VR experience, then this is the perfect game for you.
Perfection in remastering. Batman: Return to Arkham is something that I was hoping for since they announced Batman: Arkham Knight on the PS4. I wanted to go back to the beginning of the series without having to go back to finding my PS3 and setting it up. It's good to see that instead of going the cheap code upgrade route that a lot of PS3 remasters have gone through (I'm looking at you Resident Evil), Rocksteady decided to take the care to get the game engine upgraded and used to its potential. This is right up there with Bioshock: The Collection in terms of how to do a remastered game for this generation.
WWE 2K17 tries very hard to innovate itself back into what the game was at the height of the THQ era, but also tries too hard to be a complex simulator. While simulation works for it's other sports titles, 2K didn't need to morph the WWE series into the same thing. 2K continues to try and turn players away with their innovation in everything but DLC practices and graphics. This is what WWE games should have been 3 games ago, now it just feels like stagnation... Like watching WWE RAW.
A near perfect port of a great game series that is worth playing, and paying for, all over again. Bioshock: The Collection is one of those things that should always have a place on a gamer's shelf.
Madden NFL 17 is the perfect blend of technical yet accessible game play that a game like this needs. It's technical enough to keep the die hard players satisfied, yet keeps those same mechanics simple for newer or not so advanced players coming back for more. While I'd still keep away from the random online match ups in things like Madden Ultimate Teams due to that being fore the more hardcore crowd, I'd happily give playing the Franchise mode a go with my friends once again.
Umbrella Corps is the type of game that you would expect to get for free through Steam or Playstation Plus, it's not something that you would pay $30 for. I love Resident Evil and I'm usually willing to forgive CAPCOM for making cash-in titles for the most part, but there is no way I can recommend anyone including hardcore Resident Evil collectors give this game a try. AVOID LIKE THE T-VIRUS!!