Shawn Zipay's Reviews
This underwhelming remaster of the cult classic action title keeps the crude humor and pockets of fun but retains the original's blemishes while adding in all new warts.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred isn't just the best that Diablo 4 has ever been, it feels like it could be the best Diablo as a whole has ever been.
The base game still holds up wonderfully and the expansion offers what is essentially much more of the same sort of experience with a few caveats. Performance woes and overly difficult boss encounters aside, Shadow of the Erdtree should be a must-buy for anybody that enjoyed the base game experience who craves more.
Crime Boss makes a very compelling argument in its favor. Is the game perfect now? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. The single player may as well not even exist and is good for maybe a brief look out of morbid curiosity. The online multiplayer, on the other hand, is very fun.
The Outlast Trials is a great multiplayer horror game that retains the thrills and chills of previous Outlast games while adding some light-heartedness when playing with friends.
Foamstars, when functioning, presents a refreshing and lively twist on traditional competitive multiplayer experiences available in the market. It's bright and cheerful, offering a lively soundtrack, positive vibes, and good, clean fun. It is exceptionally family-friendly in numerous aspects, which I genuinely believe is wonderful and significantly contributes to Foamstar's appeal. Nonetheless, the aggressive monetization strategies and baffling decisions regarding basic matchmaking detract from what could otherwise be a straightforward endorsement of the game.
From start to finish, Alan Wake 2 just kept delivering. It is modern horror done right. This is the game for horror fans, for Remedy fans, or simply for fans of the original Alan Wake. It is the game for those looking for something fresh that will delight and thrill in unexpected ways.
Starfield emerges as a familiar addition to Bethesda's repertoire, offering an expansive but ultimately safe journey through the cosmos. While the game does attempt to delve into profound themes and presents an open-ended narrative structure, it still adheres to Bethesda's tried-and-true formula, failing to break new ground in the action-RPG genre.
The new release of Diablo 4 has exceeded expectations by providing an engaging and dark experience that fans of the franchise have been eagerly waiting for. With its improved gameplay mechanics, often stunning visuals, a wide range of multiplayer options, and extensive endgame content, Diablo 4 has cemented its position as one of the best action RPGs currently available.
Frictional should be commended for at least trying something a bit different when compared to their previous offerings. As the studio continued to evolve and iterate on their linear experiences, there is a hope that they will continue to learn and iterate on this idea of a semi-open world horror experience. Perhaps in a few years' time we will see Frictional create a title that again hits the highs of Soma but with the added freedom to explore and experiment in the game world. It would be nice to look back in a few years at The Bunker as being a steppingstone to something greater, but right now it's hard to see it as anything other than a short, "merely ok" game from a studio that has crafted much more compelling releases in the past.
After Us manages to deliver an experience that is largely enjoyable despite its flaws. Loose gameplay mechanics, framerate hiccups, and superfluous combat encounters are mostly offset by solid environmental storytelling, a poignant message, fantastic soundtrack work, and almost rock-solid performance and visuals.
Redfall is the worst AAA game release in years. Bugs, glitches, poor performance, terrible mission design, broken AI, and everything in between are here in spades. There is no saving this one and there is no excuse for how this game was released in this state.
The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition offers plenty of new, next-gen visual eye candy with a substantial hit to performance. The small upgrade cost is an easy choice for console players coming from last-gen hardware, but PC owners may find it a tougher pill to swallow. Note: The extended issues with the PC version were not known to us during the review process of the PS5 version.
Though a little unpolished in places, High on Life surprises with its fast-paced combat, enhanced traversal upgrades, and yes, even its humor. This game from Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland won't be for everyone, but it's an easy recommend for anybody that enjoys a vulgar, humorous romp infused with DOOM-style combat.
IllFonic showed a great deal of love and attention to the Ghostbusters franchise with this one. Though it won't consume your life, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a ton of fun to play every so often with a group of like-minded friends.
I would rank it right up there next to Borderlands 2 in terms of quality. The writing is fantastic, and the gameplay improvements, many of which were brought over from Borderlands 3, often put it a step beyond Borderlands 2. If you are at all a fan of the previous Borderlands games and their satisfying gameplay loops, you really cannot go wrong with this game.
FromSoftware's largest and most ambitious title is also its best yet.
Despite a healthy dose of jank, Dying Light 2 Stay Human manages to come out as a worthy follow-up to one of the most popular open-world zombie slaying games out there. Fans of the original won't want to pass this one up.
Battlefield 2042 is a shallow, feature-lacking mess of a game that appeals to neither long-time franchise fans nor newcomers. Go back to Battlefield V, or Battlefield 1, or Battlefield 4. Just don't play this.
Bend Studio really went above and beyond on this one and I appreciate the hell out of them for the extra care and attention they gave this PC release. They included features that even most PC-first developers often overlook and have set the bar high on other potential PlayStation to PC releases in the future.