Leif Johnson's Reviews
Trove generally mixes elements of Minecraft and traditional MMOGs well, but it grows tedious in the late game.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue is a collection of three experiences that range from tantalizing to forgettable.
I saw from a mile away from what was coming, and even so, in the story's final moments, I could only sit there in stunned, thoughtful silence.
Steep is an enjoyable open-world game that excels in exploration but suffers from finicky controls and repetitive challenges.
The wackiest bits of Trials Fusion's Awesome Level Max DLC end too soon, but there's plenty of other content to savor.
Although slow and complicated at times, Elite: Dangerous nevertheless provides a rewarding open-world experience on Xbox One.
Blackguards is a grueling tactical role-playing game that thrives on brutal challenges.
A beautiful JRPG that captures the spirit of the genre's early hits while playing things a tad too safely.
With the Dead Island Definitive Edition, Dead Island and Dead Island Riptide have never looked so good. The use of Dying Light's graphics engine means almost every setting looks better and more realistic than it did at the start of the decade, but it unfortunately doesn’t run any better now than it did then. With around 35 hours of gameplay packed in and a fun little retro beat 'em up to complement it all, though, it's the best way to play if you missed these zombie-smashers.
It's light on features for an expansion, but Mercenaries adds some welcome volatility to the 4X sandbox.
Both land and space combat lack punch, but there's a fun if predictable 4X game waiting underneath.
The first half of Jazzpunk is a non-stop deluge of gags and entertaining minigames, but it can't keep up that pace.
Hand of Fate delivers a fun, atypical RPG experience that lets you act out the scenarios of a trading card game.
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.
Voodoo Vince's action doesn't deviate much from the standard conventions of early 21st-century platformers, but its jazzy music and bizarre New Orleans look render it a memorable experience. With modernized textures, resolution, aspect ratio, and frame rate, this remastered version updates Vince for a new generation, and hopefully ensures he won't get buried like he was in his former incarnation as an Xbox exclusive.
Styx gets its hardcore stealth right, but its controls and platform elements fall short.
A fun, serviceable update to the 4X legend that brings little memorable to the genre aside from its personality.
Though much too easy, Dead Rising 4 is sandboxy zombie-killing adventure that recaptures the series' 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.
Might and Magic X: Legacy delivers tough, but fair turn-based fantasy combat that largely works.