Shawn Zipay's Reviews
Outside of a very few semi-positive points I think MindsEye just fucking sucks. It's buggy, it's boring, the story is bad, the gameplay is bad, and it runs like garbage. Don't play it. Don't support a studio that is now having their team work "around the clock" to fix a myriad of issues that should have never made it to release. Don't buy it now nor even when it inevitably gets a deep discount.
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.
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.
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.
The Medium is quite offensive to those who suffer depression or trauma. It uses people who suffer as a narrative crutch to tell its story. I expected better.
There just is not very much to praise here. If you enjoyed the colorful sandbox action of the original, you will probably find some enjoyment with Crysis Remastered. If you are like me and thought that the original was lacking, even back in 2007, you will not find any reason to pick this up in the here and now. It is also hard to recommend the game in 2020 when so many other games have come and gone that have better stories, better writing, and better gameplay in every conceivable way. It's a very dated game, but at least the water looks pretty.
There are a few sparks of a great game hidden deep within Disintegration. Sadly, none of those sparks ever manage to catch fire.
Close to the Sun is just not that great of a game. The low price certainly works in the game's favor, but even then, it is difficult to recommend without considerable hesitation. The setting, the concepts, and the ideas presented are all fantastic, but the actual execution, the simplified gameplay, and the lack of resolution on multiple plot points left me very disappointed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Over the course of the lengthy, ill-paced campaign, one thing really stuck out for The Evil Within. It's not really a horror game. Yes, there are areas where you are often subjected to intense imagery and situations but they are more shocking than anything else. To put it simply, the game is more like the Saw film franchise than what we have come to expect from a good survival horror game.
FBC: Firebreak enters a crowded co-op shooter market as a budget-friendly option. While nothing is inherently "bad" about it, the game struggles to differentiate itself. Its connections to Control and the broader Remedy Connected Universe feel underdeveloped. Props to Remedy for avoiding the Games as a Service model and for their continued willingness to experiment. However, FBC: Firebreak feels like a step too far from the studio's core strengths.
Despite presenting itself as an open playground for exploring vibrant alien environments, this game erects numerous unnecessary barriers, hindering the very freedom it seems to promise. Ultimately, the restrictive gameplay clashes significantly with the otherwise lighthearted and adventurous tone.
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.
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.