Damien Chambers's Reviews
Batman: The TellTale Series is a must-buy for any Batman or TellTale Games fan. If players can get through the first two episodes, the final three episodes reflect exactly what is so great about TellTale's writing, character design, and gameplay innovations. If you received Arkham Knight or Return to Arkham over the holidays and you still need to scratch that Batman-gaming itch, then Batman: The TellTale series is the refreshing remedy you need.
Gamers often speak of how videogames should be viewed as an art form and Detroit: Become Human makes a case for that argument with relevant and topical scenarios. Detroit: Become Human is easily Quantic Dream's best game to date and David Cage's ultimate vision come to life.
Titanfall 2 improves upon the original Titanfall in nearly every way imaginable. Despite a few questionable changes to the multiplayer, Titanfall 2 easily falls into the rankings as one of the best first-person shooters of 2016.
Gears Of War: Ultimate Edition takes everything that made the original games great and improves upon it substantially. However, despite its many improvements, GOW: Ultimate Edition isn't without fault due to inconsistent and laughably bad friendly AI and a few technical glitches. Overall, it is a great entry point for newcomers and returning Gears veterans to dive back in to true, skill-based online multiplayer.
Ratchet & Clank on PS4 is a great point of entry for newcomers to the franchise and a wonderful walk down memory lane for returning fans.
Firewatch is a breath of fresh air in the adventure game genre. While the game is primarily dialogue based like other adventure games, gameplay is more FPS-like as you will climb cliffs, rock faces, rappel, and cross over make shift bridges as you work to solve the mystery of the Shoshone National Forest. While some navigation issues make getting around the environment difficult, the real salt in the wound is the abrupt, and illogical revelation that makes no sense in the context of the events leading up to the finale.
Quantum Break is a fun, thrilling, and astoundingly gorgeous new IP for Microsoft. From Sam Lake, creator of the original Max Payne games and Alan Wake, comes some of Remedy's best work yet as Quantum Break sucks players into the vacuum of time that exists in the world of its main characters and players will want to work just as hard as Jack Joyce to stop time, and their own time with the game, from coming to a catastrophic end.
Every decade or so, a game comes along that sets a new high bar of achievement in the industry. These games stand the test of time and delight audiences for years to come, even if they never receive the sequel they deserve. Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of these games and it has rightly earned its place among the pantheon of some of the greatest games of all time.
Rift Apart stands as culmination of everything possible for the series on next gen hardware, providing a delightful visual and technical showcase held up by top notch writing and a lovable cast of characters.
Horizon: Zero Dawn, and its expansion, The Frozen Wilds, is a game that should not be missed. Whether you are a Sony fan, Nintendo fan, or a Microsoft fan, you owe it to yourself to go and buy a PS4 if you don't already have one, and play this game. It is easily worth the cost to experience once of gaming's increasingly scarce masterpieces.
Despite a few matchmaking glitches and standard multiplayer connection issues, Armello is a fun, tactical, fantasy board game that should be played by all strategy fans. The game will make you ally with, or betray, your friends and family as you work to win the throne of Armello and restore order to the land. Will you control through violence, peace, espionage and deceit, or through winning favor with the king? The choice is up to you as you forge your own path through the fantasy world of Armello.