Tom Mc Shea
Creepy atmosphere, fantastic combat, and clever storytelling make Alan Wake's quest thrilling from beginning to end.
Creepy atmosphere, fantastic combat, and clever storytelling make Alan Wake's quest thrilling from beginning to end.
Gris is a beautiful and tranquil platformer that relishes in the simple pleasure of exploring its enchanting world.
Black Bird's irreverent take on shoot-'em-up is fun while it lasts, but there's not enough content to sustain repeat playthroughs.
Child of Light is a singular adventure that embraces sadness in a beautiful, affecting way.
The lovely aesthetics and graceful movement in A King's Bird are undercut by a too steep difficulty and imprecise controls.
Chasm's sharp combat mechanics and rich visual design make it easier to bear the inconsistent difficulty curve.
Bridge Constructor Portal lacks the charm and cleverness that made the original Portal games so enthralling.
The sense of mastery never quite comes, resulting in a game that flashes its potential in one scene only to undermine that thrill soon afterward. Even with its occasional stumbles, though, Dandara offers enough excitement and beauty to push you onward.
Rogue Trooper Redux is a fun game, but after plowing through the campaign I'm left wondering why it exists. Why re-release a game that's perfectly adequate but doesn't do anything particularly noteworthy or special? What's even more puzzling is that it ends on a cliffhanger. Considering there has never been a sequel, I would have rather have seen how Rogue's next chapter played out than tread down a well-worn path once more.
Dragon Quest Heroes looks delightful and is bursting with characters and creatures from the history of the franchise, so anyone who has been glued to each new release since the heyday of Enix will find enough familiar sights to stay invested. However, if you're still puzzling over the differences between Dragon Quest and Dragon Warrior, there are much better fights to seek out.
Shovel Knight recalls, but doesn't rely on, many greats from gaming's past, but lacks the inventive spark that could have elevated it to classic territory.
It's easy to be overwhelmed by the many problems in Murdered: Soul Suspect, but if you dig a little deeper, there's an interesting story to uncover.
Monochroma wastes its gripping premise and eye-catching visual design by having clunky controls and a wealth of inconsistencies.
Mario Kart 8 shifts its focus from chaotic weapons to precise driving, and that makes this one of the most rewarding entries in the series.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is as fun as it is flawed, capturing the snarky joy of the webbed crusader amid the repetition of combat and tedious side quests.
Child of Light is a singular adventure that embraces sadness in a beautiful, affecting way.
Trials Fusion delivers the same exciting racing action from previous games, with a beautiful new aesthetic and enough humor to keep you laughing.