Zack Hage's Reviews
Among the Sleep is one of the better horror titles I've come across in recent memory. It's unique take doesn't take away any of the scares, and the plot doesn't overstay it's welcome and creates a collection of memorable scenarios. The same can't be said for the presentation, which is the one urgent issue of fixing.
You can call #KILLALLZOMBIES inferior in terms of name alone, but everything else it exceeds proficiently at. If anything, it's ambitious and amazing to see this amount of concepts and ideas pressed into something that could have so easily been screwed up. It's not always perfect, but there's a lot of fun to be had.
Bethesda genuinely surprised me with Vault Tec Workshop. While it doesn’t leave a good impression at first the massive amount of tools you can require is anything but constricting. In fact, it’s so good, that it might change the minds of those who originally wrote settlements off.
Headlander isn’t a lost cause, yet Double Fine should have done a couple more reinventions on the drawing board before they let this one loose. The main idea is intriguing and might convince some dedicated players to go all the way through, but to anyone else it will be a drag with some laughter, but mostly tedium.
Around an hour and a half to two hours long, Realm of Shadows is quality vs quantity all around. Besides for some really obvious foreshadowing, minor technical gripes, and uneventful decision making, I’m really looking forward to how Telltale expands this universe, for the better or for worse.
Rising Islands may be appropriate for the small audience craving reflex driven platformers, but it barely fits in this respect. The game is just littered with too many flaws, and players have to dig out the fun. Add this with some marred graphical issues, and you have a playable, but far from fun color adventure.
Quadrilateral Cowboy is an extremely unique game that is only hampered by it’s later innovations and simple story. However, the way the game presents these aspects make up for their shortcomings. The sense of awe with every task is wonderful, and it’s mind-blowing how inserting commands over and over doesn’t feel repetitious, thanks to strong design. It might be a bit unaccesible for those who haven’t played a puzzle game in a long while, but it will definitely cater to the fanatics.
On the surface, ABZÛ is a simple game, but there's an incredible amount of polish, detail, and artistic integrity at hand. The game is beautiful without sacrificing any of its main components, which makes the whole experience better as a whole. There are a couple technical stumbles, but the overall product is nevertheless exceeding.
Chambara is a multiplayer titan and courageously reinvents the wheel without fail. I could complain about the game’s lack of modes, but that goes against the entertainment you really are receiving. After all, nothing I’ve played this year matches this kinetic, effortless, and overall enticing concept.
Blue Rider is a refreshing twin-stick shooter that takes influences and innovates at the same time. It’s the best blend between these ideas I’ve seen in ages, although I do wish it was expanded more and wasn’t so choppy here and there. Besides that, it’s hard not to have fun with such a well-managed shooter.
I won’t go as far to say Dungeon Punks will likely be the best brawler released this generation, but it’s certainly up there. It’s blend of great mechanics, enemies, and a funny story show that the developers knew how to make a brawler great. There is some tedium here and there, but it was nothing that stalled me from playing, because everything else was so strong.
Human Fall Flat has some issues, but it’s one of the few games I’ve played recently where it weaves into the gameplay in rather enjoyable ways. This works even better with other people, making me realize why the game has gotten so much online publicity. It doesn’t thrive off of one gimmick, and is successful and captivating because of that.
Shiren the Wanderer may have a long subtitle, but it’s the smallest nitpick I could provide of this otherwise fantastic rogue-like. It’s the proper way to reintroduce the lesser classics to a new audience, and in a way that everybody’s familiar with. There’s no hardcore pandering here, just good plain fun.
Sword Coast Legends is a worthwhile top down RPG, but is let down by some aspects that would disappoint those it's appealing too. The rest is the confines of your typical RPG, but I think experienced players of the genre will have quite a good time with this. It's not the refreshing kick everybody needs, but it's good enough.
The one good thing I got out of my couple hours with Orc Slayer is the weapon ideas the game provides, but even that was screwed up by how simple and dull the game makes these seem. This is a more than common trait of the game itself really. The lack of variation is so in your face that every simple task feels like a chore.
Neverwinter is one of the better MMO's to release this generation, and especially on console. It's competence is far and wide, and the developers have clearly put in enough effort to give this game a long life-cycle. There will probably be a dip as usual, but with how great it is, I'm expecting much less so.
Coming from someone who followed it for so long, Adr1ft is massively dis-encouraging. However, I feel it might be worth it to a couple of folks who are looking for a more minimal and ambitious gameplay experience. Just keep in mind that it's far from perfect, and that most would be suited elsewhere.
Obliteracers is a top notch game, if you happen to be playing with the right amount of people. Too many, and the game suffers some deeper technical issues, and too little and you're set to gaze at it's hidden but unstable flaws. Thankfully, it's got some personality, so I would recommend it if you are looking for this type of game. In any other case, it should be considered in a cheaper perspective.
Moon Hunters is not only a wonderfully creative game, but it manages to be innovative without getting weighed down by other issues. And, with it’s pick-up-and-play like style, the significance has been added to it’s short rate of completion. The technical prowess isn’t the greatest, but everything else is supremely top-notch.
In terms of retro re-releases, you can do a lot worse than Assault Suit Leynos. I would recommend it to any gamers wanting a change of pace from their normal library, and especially if they’ve been getting a little bit nostalgic lately. It’s not perfectly suited, but it’s hard to think that a better homage wouldn’t come straight off the source.