For some strange reason, the game hooked me, and I kept playing through. I wanted to see what happened to little Ian and his trusty dog North. I wanted to find out why this all was happening in the town of Wintreal. And I wanted the satisfaction of actually completing this brutally difficult (thanks to the controls) game. Ian's Eyes is definitely not for everyone, and I wouldn't even recommend it to the hardcore crowd. But, there is something to be had here. Clocking in at just over four hours, it isn't a long experience, so if you find yourself on a dark, stormy night with nothing to do.. and you're a glutton for death and punishment.. perhaps you actually might want to give this a try.
Ultimately, Here They Lie is not a particularly great game. It's very average, and if this wasn't taking place in a virtual setting, and wasn't one of the original show pieces for the tech on PlayStation, it'd probably be borderline bad.
In the end, I was left feeling disappointed with Loading Human: Chapter 1. I wanted to like this game, because I felt the idea behind it and the promise it had as a trilogy was strong. But after taking the four or so hours needed to complete the journey, I'm skeptical on the future and for Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. I'm hopeful for a turnaround and for an amazing Chapter 2, whenever that may be.
Rising Islands definitely does not overstay it's welcome though, as my final play time clocked in at just shy of two hours. And at a price of only $9.99, it's worth checking out to see the dimensional and wall running mechanics. I am interested to see what Lone Hero Studios does next. With a bit more polish and slightly better gameplay, they could actually deliver a 3D Platformer that takes us back to the golden era once again.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 has several issues, and because of this, it's hard to recommend anyone to actually go out and play through the game. If you enjoyed the first two games in the franchise, there's a good chance you'll find enjoyment out of this title as well. But for those that are just looking for another first-person shooter to hold them over until the fall, I'd strongly suggest waiting the extra couple months.
In the modern video game industry, so many games have released that have done the formula attempted to be tackled by Devil’s Hunt in a much better way. Look at Devil May Cry. Look at Bayonetta. Look at Prototype. Hell, look at Dante’s Inferno. So many games have released and been really fun to play through while keeping gamers engaged and having strong gameplay mechanics and loops. None of that is found here with Devil’s Hunt. While there are small, very small, amounts of fun to be had, it quickly fades away within the first hour, leaving the remaining four hours to be a bore.
The choices made by SNK to really focus on the visuals of the females and the customization options ultimately ended up hurting the overall game itself. SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy is fun for a short amount of time, but once the story mode is complete for all the characters, there really isn’t much left except to keep jumping into online lobbies.
The Dwarves was a great concept on paper that failed to materialize into something that should have worked naturally when making the jump to a video game. I’d certainly like to see this type of crossover happen again, as I feel it could easily work. The Dwarves is a very hard game to recommend to even the most hardcore of fans, but there are certainly some out there who will find enjoyment out of what it has to offer.
There’s definitely fun to be had with One Piece World Seeker. I know it may not seem that way after reading through the review, but trust me when I say fans of the anime are going to get a lot of enjoyment out of this title, even if it gets dull rather quickly.
Featuring deep puzzle solving mechanics, a unique graphical style, and a tale that will leave you guessing until the very end, it’s definitely a game worth experiencing at some point. The technical issues and bugs currently present at the time of release really do hold Vane back from being a good game to just being mediocre, and that’s unfortunate.
Super Bomberman R could have been the return to glory of a franchise that has been missing for quite some time, especially over here in North America. Not counting small releases that hit platforms such as Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation Store on PlayStation 3, and the eShop on the Nintendo Wii, we haven’t seen an actual Bomberman game since Bomberman Land on the Wii back in 2008. That’s a fairly long time to go without any new releases on a franchise as popular as Bomberman once was. It’s sad to say, but Super Bomberman R is not going to rekindle the love for the series that fans were hoping for. Maybe one day we’ll get lucky, but that day is certainly not today.
Here’s the deal. I have an intense love for all things Japanese, and companies like Nippon Ichi Software tend to release games that speak to my soul. I’ve loved so many things they’re developed as a team and published as a studio, and they’re willing to take risks which I appreciate more than anything. Every now and then, a game comes along that makes me question that, as the disconnect is just too high.
A game where there is fun to be had, but it quickly diminishes and you’re left with an experience that feels as if it should have been preserved in a previous generation.
It’s hard to ignore the flaws and genericness that is present in MUSYNX. While it’s an average rhythm game to pickup on the Nintendo Switch if you’re looking for something to mindlessly pass the time, the average gamer is not going to find any enjoyment out of this whatsoever.
NBA Playgrounds will absolutely fill the void left behind by NBA Jam in regards to a strict 2-on-2 basketball experience. However, there isn't enough here to really keep gamers coming back for more after the initial newness period wears off. It can be fun in extremely short bursts, but the boredom kicks in quick.
I’d like to see Ender Lilies thrive during its Early Access period, and I hope that a lot of these problems and balance issues can be worked out quickly because I do think there’s a promising game to be had here. At this stage of Early Access though and with so many other options available on the market that feel almost identical to this game, it struggles a bit to keep its head above the water. The graphical style and unique presentation will certainly set it apart from the more realistic looking offerings out there, but for now, I think the early consensus can be to wait for some updated and additional content before jumping in.
Mad Rat Dead offers small amounts of rhythmic gameplay fun, but will quickly grow old for even the most dedicated genre fans.
Even though it may sound as if the game is avoidable after reading through this review, there’s still some fun to be had, especially for the hardcore Watch Dogs fans if that is such a thing. Going into this, I was craving another Ubisoft style, check-box frenzy of a game, and this just didn’t do it for me in the slightest. It didn’t help that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla released just a handful of days after this and is exactly the style of game we were looking for. So should you jump in? That largely depends on you. If you played the first two games, I can certainly recommend a go at this one just to stay fresh on story elements and be prepared for the hopeful revitalization of the franchise when we get Watch Dogs: Black Flag. For everyone else, you can probably look away this time, especially with so many things releasing right now in the new generation of console gaming.
If you’ve played any of the previous Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games releases, there isn’t a ton of new content to be had with the Tokyo 2020 version. If you’re looking for something to pass the time and have a couple of good gaming sessions with friends, you’ll find that here. If you’re looking for something with some staying power that will last you until the official Olympic Games happen next Summer, you’re going to be disappointed. I’d be surprised if this lasts anyone until the end of the year, let alone a full 8 months from now.
Don’t expect to come in to this and see an epic mascot-style story or any type of replayability. The story is about as lame as you’d expect, and only exists at the beginning of the experience and then again at the end with very short cutscenes. This is a one-and-done type of game, but during the 8 to 10 hours it’ll take to complete the journey, especially if you stick it out and go for all of the Arnold levels, you’ll easily find some levels of enjoyment out of Accolade’s latest bobcat adventure. Bubsy: Paws on Fire is definitely the best Bubsy experience released in quite some time, and while this isn’t saying a lot, it definitely doesn’t deserve to be completely skipped over.