Zack Hage's Reviews
Raiden V is packed to the brim with content, but I couldn’t imagine finishing all of it, unless I was a true fan of the series. It’s still fun to play with an appreciative birds eye view, but the high asking price lessens the experience to something only a professional would ask for. In that scenario, it’s the head of it’s game.
Anima: Gate of Memories is a somewhat memorable, competent action platformer. It’s best strengths are pulled down by some noticeable flaws, but it’s nothing to criminal to bring the whole game toppling down. So as it stands, when you got some money in your digital wallet and have bustled through every AAA role player with general fatigue, you can do a lot worse than Anima to alleviate these feelings.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
The Sun and The Moon isn't a bad game, but it's far from spectacular. It's an example of how one design aspect can simply not carry a game to new heights, as imaginative or entertaining it might be. Other problems will always arise, and without a proper panacea, everything can quickly seem shortsighted.
Dead Island barely faded away from it’s initial reveal in 2011 with good marketing and a clear-cut emphasis on zombie killing, but all Definitive Edition does is stall the franchise from becoming infected into obscurity. It’s a game that’s partly pleasant with a companion, but not attentively tenacious alone, leading to a strong disconnect if you’re buddies are away. An added game Retro Revenge could have helped matters, but it’s just as half-baked and soulless as what’s come before it.
Hitman’s third episode would have been barely acceptable in non-episodic fashion, but the value both in replay-ability and price starts to diminish when placed elsewhere. I still appreciate the detail in all the locales, but it’s clear the game needs to mature beyond another point.
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.
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.
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.
For some hardcore stealth fans, Shadwen’s gameplay might be the kick they need to enjoy the genre’s true constraints once again. But to anyone else, it’s losses weigh more than the high points. There’s substance, but no flavor, scope, but no size. To everyone else, the game will likely feel like a case of lost ambition.
I’ll give Trials of the Blood Dragon props for being creative, but most of the time, that’s all it can manage. Mechanics are disjointed, and gameplay is a general slog, with spiking points of interest. In summary, it’s like the previously released Awesome Level Max on spiked hallucinogenics.
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.
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.
If you were eyeing Soul Axiom, I'd say buy Master Reboot or stay clearly away. Wales Interactive has done much greater things in the past, which makes this all the more jarring. Now, I just hope their critical and commercial pinnacle isn't faded away due to a failure like this.
Cast of The Seven Godsends is one of the weaker titles I've played this year, which is even sadder considering it's also a remaster. The few redeeming qualities are buried by poor design, resoundingly clunky mechanics, and rough controls. Retro games always had some rough spots, but this is inexcusable.
After playing a handful of badly designed stages, VEV: Viva Ex Vevo is the type of game I’d expect at a cheapo tech show. Among the vaporware and broken reveals, it’s shown as a barely functioning tech demo. In fact, watching something as poor as that, would be far more lively than sitting through this interactive sludge.