Shawn Zipay's Reviews
Call of Cthulhu had promise but the execution just failed to deliver. The setting and the story deserve so much better than what you can find here.
Strange Brigade has managed to scratch the itch that I had for a fanciful, fun, yet challenging and intense action-adventure experience. I especially enjoyed the game's large levels with multiple branching paths and hidden areas. The addition of puzzles offered a nice break from the lengthy combat sequences.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 has proven to be the best entry in the franchise thus far. It manages to deliver on all fronts and is an absolute must play for action-adventure fans and especially for those that are fans of the previous games in the series.
As the hours wore on, my love affair with We Happy Few began to chip away as more and more bugs and gameplay shortcomings popped up. The real saving graces for the game lie in its concept, story, and setting.
Aside from a few technical issues, Vampyr delivers one of the most engaging action-RPGs in recent memory. It is a game where everything and everyone is connected through some fantastic gameplay design and yes, your choices do actually matter here.
Yakuza 6 offers a near perfect farewell to the Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu, complete with the roller coaster of emotions you have come to expect from this franchise. Whether you are a new fan of the franchise or a returning one, this is one swan song you won't want to miss.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is so full of issues that it's hard to sit here and tell you that it's worth the $60 (USD) price they're asking. I would strongly suggest that you wait a few months to see what sort of shape the game is in at that point in time.
From start to finish, The Station had its hooks in me something fierce. Though a bit shorter than I would have liked, I was fully immersed for every single second of it. It managed to deliver a great story that kept me second guessing up until the very end. This was supported with a great presentation, solid visual design, fantastic audio work, and a handful of fun puzzles to solve.
Just like with the release of the original game, Destiny 2 leaves us wanting more: More strikes, more missions, more of everything. This is a strong testament to the fantastic core gameplay even if other aspects of Destiny 2 come up short.
Forza Motorsport 7 is a fantastic racing title. It has a broad appeal that all but the super diehard "I can tell when a screw is a quarter turn too tight" sim fans will love.
This is Guild Wars at its absolute best. ArenaNet has done an absolutely stellar job here. The visuals are fantastic. The already solid graphics and colorful spells complemented by gorgeous vistas throughout a number of varied and richly detailed environments. The story is thoroughly engaging from start to finish. Any reservations about the additions of mounts into the franchise should be tossed aside. Perhaps most importantly, ArenaNet learned from the mistakes in Heart of Thorns and addressed the biggest problem that plagued that previous expansion: the grind.
Windjammers is a blast from the past, for both better and for worse.
Yakuza Kiwami is an exceptional game with exceptional action and exceptional stories. There are so many things to do and experience here that $30 for Yakuza Kiwami feels almost like highway robbery. Throw in Yakuza 0 and you are set for about 100 hours of great gaming.
At its worst, Agents of Mayhem is an extremely watered down Crackdown and at its best it's a moderately watered down Saints Row experience. The game's positives just aren't enough to make up for the rest of the game's shortcomings.(...) With so many better alternatives out there, some of them even made by Volition themselves already, there just isn't much of a reason to choose Agents of Mayhem.
Priced at just $19.99 (USD), Fictorum is a great idea hindered by extremely poor execution on almost every front. Casting and customizing these powerful, sometimes insane looking spells is neat for the first few times but the novelty quickly wears off when you discover the numerous shortcomings that plague the rest of the game.
Nex Machina hits all the right notes with its modern twist on a classic gaming experience. Inspired by games like Robotron 2084 and Smash TV, Nex Machina combines the best elements of prior twin-stick shooters with impressive sci-fi visuals, an adrenaline pumping electronic soundtrack, tough as nails boss encounters, and a perpetual desire to play "just one more level." I dare say that Nex Machina is one of the best twin-stick shooters money can buy and one of 2017's finest games.
Deck13 really stepped up their development game since Lords of the Fallen. They have managed to address most of the complaints consumers had about that game, namely the slow combat mechanics, and delivered an enjoyable experience through and through.
Outlast 2 does next to nothing to advance the survival horror genre in any meaningful way. It did very little to craft a coherent experience. It did very little to be anything more than a series of overused horror tropes. I have no doubt that there are people out there that will find the game to be a thrilling and often times scary experience, but I was not one of them.
As a huge fan of the first three games, the state of this game is honestly depressing. I fully grasp the idea that this is supposedly the first game in a new trilogy and that things are being set up for the next games. I still hope that is the case. There are some decent foundations here that could lead to some really fantastic adventures in the next two games if BioWare plays their cards right and addresses the major issues that plague this game.
There is an awful lot to like with Yakuza 0 and it is hands down an easy purchase for anybody looking for a solid game that is just so much damn fun to play.