Zack Hage's Reviews
Mech Land Assault is an acceptable, but not substantial addition to Just Cause 3’s DLC vault. It goes nicely with the previous chunks, but time will have to tell if it completely changes the landscape compared to what else the game will provide in the future. Otherwise, the mechs are the true and only standout.
Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator is the best fighter of 2016, and with Injustice 2 being released not even in the next six months, I'm pretty certain it will keep that title. It's attention to detail is refreshing, it's models inventive, and it's gameplay hooking and enormous in depth. It's hard to think that fighters can get any better than this, but Guilty Gear continuously sets the bar.
It didn't seem this way at first, but ImageForm proved Steamworld Heist to be the next logical step after Steamworld Dig. On top of fabulous gameplay and overall intuitiveness, it grasps a personality some other indie games could only dream of. Just get ready for a fun space challenge.
Grand Kingdom is the best non-traditional role playing game I've played this year, and may even take a place on my end of the year list once I fully take in how outstanding it is. But right now, I'm doing things I couldn't have dreamed of being fun yet are, a common trademark of Grand Kingdom's incredible design.
Robot Arena 3 is a special kind of poor game, mostly because it’s premise is so outstanding. It could easily be the next Rocket League with enough polishing and balancing, but playing the game in practice wipes statements like that from my head. While some of it is salvageable in it’s current form, I hope things can be done better next time.
Fallout 4: Contraptions Workshop could have been an acceptable DLC if the work wasn’t so strenuous. It’s great to see everything in motion, but simply not worth the effort. I understand that Bethesda can’t crack out great story DLC every second and have to cater to every players needs, but this is an insignificant step in making settlements great again.
Drawful 2 is an excellent, although mechanically unsubstantial sequel to a hit party game. A small portion of gamers might be disappointed at the lack of true changes, but the hilarity outweighs the innovation, and for good reason. Drawful 2 is a comedic masterpiece.
Lost Sea is a game that could have been better with a bigger workforce or a better focus. While there was some passion poured in, so much feels cheap and or forceful. It’s a real shame, because you only get a game with a great premise like this so often.
Full Mojo Rampage is another excellent game from Nicalis, that carries the torch for roguelike shooter mashups into the coming years. It's smart and creative, and holds challenge that is tough to overcome, but never insurmountable. If you need a great summer indie game, you may have just found your choice.
Coming off of Ziggurat, it seemed like Milkstone Studios could rule the world, but with every studio, there’s some missteps along the way to the next lauded achievement. Pharaonic is unexciting as it is uninspired, and doesn’t give a good future to the space it’s so willingly trying to occupy. In other words, Egypt fell.
Tumblestone is the corner stone of what an eighth generation Match 3 game should be, even with one or two glaring flaws. It’s central ideas feel so invigorating in a more and more mobile generation, and Tumblestone takes the outsider path, to devastating effect for it’s competition.
Steredenn is my contender for the best twinstick shooter of 2016, and I hope it stays this way. While it doesn’t necessarily carve it’s own niche, it does so many things right that it’s rightfully hard to complain. Instead, I’m just having too much fun to worry about specific nitpicks, and let the great gameplay seep back in.
After having to commit myself to going through the unfortunate things 7 Days to Die offers, I looked up more to see why it was in this seemingly unfinished state. Turns out, the developers who ported this also worked on the PC version of Arkham Knight. If this really is the case, I’m surprised there isn’t more controversial traction about refunds or store removals. 7 Days to Die simply does everything wrong in nearly every way.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XII is a great way to get back into strategy games from a different perspective, if any players have been burned out after the disappointments of Civilization: Beyond Earth and Total War: Rome II. It may lack the grand production values, but it makes up for this with some exquisitely rich ideas and a tight gameplay structure that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.
Energy Hook is a mess, but not the type of one that’s fun to play around with for a couple of hours. More or less, it’s the type of game that is depressingly bare. So much could have been done with the concept, but so little was done in the end.
Hawken is a competent mech shooter, and not much else. If you put enough downtime on it, there will be room to grow. However, with more engaging mech titles already entering the market, I’m worried that not much will last. The lack at something truly new at the heart of Hawken is it’s biggest downside.
Resident Evil 5 is an acceptable, compelling, but not immediately outstanding addition to the franchise. The remaster certainly doesn’t give it that underrated feel, but if you happen to come across it in a sale or packed with another RE game, it’s definitely worth a shot. And if you’re bored during the summer, why not give zombie-killing another shot?
ADIOS is far from an accurate description of space, but it's another game that proves that you don't need to yield from any topic to make an intriguing interactive property. In-game additions like game references and secret levels make the trip even merrier, making space feel like that one true home.
Super Mutant Alien Assault may not have an excellent title, but it makes up for this with it’s fantastic and furiously frantic gameplay. I can’t wait to go back and experiment with the weapon library, which I hope gets expanded in the future. At the end of the day, this alien killing masterpiece is not a lesson in anger, just good passionate fun.
Daydreamer: Awakened Edition is a thrilling, albeit compressed sidescrolling venture. It’s good ideas don’t screw around and make a game that could have been written off as creepy and clumsy, so much more. It’s not perfect, but it’s a game we need in this otherwise disappointing summer lineup.