Leif Johnson's Reviews
You could call Salt and Sanctuary a 2D mashup of Dark Souls and Castlevania, and you'd be right. But such a simple pronouncement would be a disservice to the tremendous amount of thought that's gone into Salt and Sanctuary, whether it's in the graphic style that evokes horror through the style of comic strips or in the intricate web of dungeons and castles serves as it map.
The Banner Saga 2 doesn't change much of the experience that made the original such a well-loved surprise two years ago, and that's a good thing. The improvements may be small, but they're also substantial: the new combat units, the introduction of a second caravan story to follow, and the obstacles in the battlefield add up nicely. While beautifully written and populated with memorable characters and twists, the story does slightly suffer from a case of the "middle episodes" that may leave you eager for more. On the bright side, we know that more is on the way in a third and final installment.
Dead Star has the basics of combat and ship balance right, to the point that even losses have their fun moments. Its primary shortcoming is that it allows too great an advantage for pre-made groups, which is especially a problem considering the wonky matchmaker.
Ashes of the Singularity delivers thoughtful real-time strategy with tons of units in play, but drab maps and a poor story.
It's a little hobbled by old-school stylings and the story could be better, but few modern hack-and-slash RPGs are quite so fun.
The Flame in the Flood is a beautiful procedurally generated survival sim that gains a welcome sense of momentum from the need to stay on the move. Its unwieldy menus and tendency to crash ruins some of the fun, unfortunately, but not enough to diminish the strength of the hopeful, riverbound journey at its core.
It's light on features for an expansion, but Mercenaries adds some welcome volatility to the 4X sandbox.
The White March: Part II expansion for Pillars of Eternity boasts better pacing and lore than its humdrum predecessor, but at the cost of a running time that feels somewhat inadequate. A welcome new Story Time mode helps dull the force of the brutal combat though, and memorable settings and enemies make this an expansion to savor.
Blade & Soul's phenomenal combat isn't enough to make up for its dated quests.
Gemini: Heroes Reborn is short, drab, and derivative, but it nevertheless generally remains fun throughout its five-hour running time. In its best moments, it mixes familiar elements from beloved platformers and puzzlers to create an experience that, at least for brief moments, captures the essence of the show.
The PC port doesn't introduce much new and certain elements could be stronger, but Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen still shines as a uniquely enjoyable RPG.
Shorter and far less focused on exploration than its preceding episode, King's Quest: Rubble Without a Cause still usually manages to deliver smaller doses of the art style and writing that made the series premiere so appealing. There are plenty of fun puzzles in store along with a timer mechanic, but the cramped, dark setting and lack of visual variety tends to rob these elements of the charm they could have.
An attractive medieval survival sandbox that unfortunately gets bogged down in too many demands for time.
Knights of the Fallen Empire represents the pinnacle of this troubled MMORPG's storytelling prowess, but unfortunately its other elements fall short. The overly easy combat is a sad shadow of what Star Wars: The Old Republic has offered in the past, and the endgame leans too much on recycled content and samey instances.
Game of Thrones gets the feel of Martin's universe right, but it relies too heavily on familiar themes to form a memorable identity of its own.
Heart of Thorns expands Guild Wars 2 in meaningful ways, but hasn't yet mastered its own masteries system.
Poor creation tools and an aversion to genuine, interesting decision-making keep Sword Coast Legends from succeeding.
While echoes of the original release pacing problems remain, the Director's Cut does much to add variety to the experience with new features such as perks, quirks, and precision aiming. It's likely not enough to warrant a replay if you've already finished it, but if this is your first foray into inXile's bleak vision of the future, this is the best place to start off.
Although slow and complicated at times, Elite: Dangerous nevertheless provides a rewarding open-world experience on Xbox One.
Might and Magic Heroes 7 is a loyal but buggy sequel that manages to scratch a very old PC gaming itch.