Shawn Zipay Avatar Image

Shawn Zipay

SZips
DigitalZips
Zips

Favorite Games:
  • Yakuza 0
  • A Plague Tale: Innocence
  • Resident Evil 2

82 games reviewed
74.0 average score
80 median score
65.9% of games recommended

Shawn Zipay's Reviews

Editor, Community Manager, and lone journalist working at Total Gaming Network.
Jun 5, 2016

Quite possibly the best "Souls" game to date, even surpassing the original, and much beloved, Dark Souls.

Read full review

Coming off of the phenomenal Layers of Fear, the Inheritance DLC lacks the charm and the atmosphere that the original offered in spades. The scares came across as forced and weak. Bundled with the original game, it's not a bad value proposition, but as a stand-alone purchase it can safely be avoided.

Read full review

- Abzu
Aug 7, 2016

Abzu is a game that is better experienced than explained. Featuring gorgeous visuals and a story that leaves the door open enough for your own personal interpretations. The only real drawback to the game is that it may be a bit too short for those overly concerned about cost per hour.

Read full review

Aug 29, 2016

The Turing Test isn't just another "dime a dozen" puzzle game. It is a thoroughly enjoyable experience that does a tremendous job of separating itself from the herd. It is a game that compliments and neatly expands upon some of the best that the puzzle genre has to offer, games that you have come to know and love over the years.

Read full review

Oct 9, 2016

Forza Horizon 3 is, without a doubt, the best open-world racing game on the market. Its looks are stunning. Its sounds are rich and impressive. Its driving and handling can be tailor fitted for novice arcade racers up to veteran sim drivers. It's full of content that could, theoretically, never dry up. It's just flat out fun to play! The only problem is that the PC version has some significant issues when it comes to stability and smooth performance.

Read full review

Oct 16, 2016

Repetitive, bland, broken, and disappointing. It's so difficult to recommend this game to anybody, even to fans of the previous games. The game feels more like a poor attempt at the first entry in a new open-world series rather than the third main entry in a series that has now been around for 14 years.

Read full review

Nov 6, 2016

Through the Woods is a terrific atmospheric adventure title held back from true greatness by some disappointing character work and voice acting. I quite enjoyed my journey through the unquestionably unique environments and I would like to think that I learned a few things about Norse mythology along the way. This game took a chance with its focus on combining an atmospheric horror game with Norse mythology and it paid off for the most part. The price point and lack of "in your face" scares may push away many consumers, but the style and gameplay scored some high marks for my personal gaming tastes. For their first offering, Antagonist shows off a ton of promise and I would love to see what they bring to the table in the future.

Read full review

Jan 22, 2017

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.

Read full review

Apr 6, 2017

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.

Read full review

May 1, 2017

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.

Read full review

May 22, 2017

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.

Read full review

Jul 3, 2017

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.

Read full review

Aug 9, 2017

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.

Read full review

Aug 15, 2017

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.

Read full review

Aug 28, 2017

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.

Read full review

Oct 1, 2017

Windjammers is a blast from the past, for both better and for worse.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

Oct 30, 2017

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.

Read full review

Nov 14, 2017

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.

Read full review

Feb 19, 2018

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.

Read full review