Charl den Dulk's Reviews
The puzzles in Uncharted 4 are far less challenging than some of the other entries in the franchise, and I had far less trouble solving them. And last but not least your companions AI can "clutch out" at times and start acting severely retarded by not shooting at enemies or just running around and getting in your way while you are trying to take cover from enemies firing on you. These hardly detract from what I can consider the best Playstation 4 title and video game I have played to date and right next to The Last of Us. And when it is all said and done, Uncharted 4 delivers the fan service franchise fans will absolutely love and enjoy. And in the process giving us one of the best send-offs we could have ever asked for Nathan Drake and his crew.
Abzu is an artistic triumph in every single way. In most of the different areas in the game, you can rest on a particular rock and meditate. And I found myself just sitting on these rocks and switching between the different views and the different species of fish and watching how they move and interact with each other. And I found this to be oddly relaxing, almost like I was watching a David Attenborough documentary. The only thing I can fault Abzu for is the length of the game, which if you take it slowly and get all the trophies is a 4-6 hour experience. But in my personal opinion, I would rather have a short amazing experience than a long drawn out mediocre one. If you haven’t played any of Matt Nava’s game before I highly recommend you pick up Abzu and then Journey.
Deus Ex has one of the most intelligently thought out, and well-executed themes in the gaming industry today. It actually made me think about racism and segregation and all those other kinds of social constructs that have restricted our society in the past. Which is a nice take on a serious and rather an uncomfortable topic. Add into the mix a Hollywood-style conspiracy thriller, the only real complaint I have with the game is that the storytelling could have been more fleshed out and elaborated on towards the end of the game. Mankind Divided may not be a revolutionary game in the franchise, but it is a tightly polished experience. One that would easily satisfy fans of the franchise or someone who is itching for a stealthy action adventure game. And if the above sounds appealing to you, then you will enjoy Mankind Divided immensely.
Guerrilla Games have struck the perfect balance of exploration, dungeon crawling, and combat in Horizon: Zero Dawn in one of the most visually stunning games of this console generation. It really took some balls to develop a new IP in a genre they almost have no experience in, but their gamble has paid off. Which allows me to wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone out there.
Resident Evil 7 was an absolutely incredible and terrifying experience especially for a horror fan like myself, and a horror survival game I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. And honestly, I think the last time I was this terrified of a game was Silent Hill 2 or the original Resident Evil game. The Resident Evil franchise has finally returned to its true survival/psychological roots, Resident Evil 7 perfectly captures what it would feel like to be put into the same situation as Ethan. And just like Resident Evil 4 reinvented the franchise, Resident Evil 7 has done the some once again. And all I can say at this point in my review is welcome back Resident Evil, you have been missed!
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy had a lot to live up to given the pedigree of the Uncharted franchise, but I can gladly say it lives up to and in some aspects even surpasses the franchise in some aspects. The Lost Legacy takes all of the positives aspects of the franchise rolls them into one and creates a whole new entry into the franchise. The writing is as sharp and on point as ever, and Claudia Black and Laura Bailey do incredible jobs as Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, respectively. With Usman Ally as Asav getting a special mention, Ally’s performance is extremely frightening at times, but he never goes over the top with it. Add to that some of the most amazing action set pieces I have ever seen in a game, leaving one to only hope that this isn’t the end of Chloe’s and Nadine’s adventures.
The game also dials back the gore aspect of the game the original had you literally swimming on blood most of the time. Instead, they went for the subtle approach and it worked. There were times when I was genuinely afraid to continue with the game. You would fight 4-5 creatures and move onto the next part of town where you would be met with a dark empty street that felt way too ominous and empty. It is extremely rare these days to play a sequel to a game which improved itself in every aspect graphics, sound, gameplay, story, and presentation. Every single aspect of the game was reworked to provide a better player experience. And with everything said and done I can say without a doubt that Evil Within 2 is easily one of the best survival horror games I played this year easily surpassing Resident Evil 7 and the best 25 hours I spent in recent memory.
God of War is an epic reboot of an epic franchise and shows you how a reboot of a franchise should be handled. And in rebooting the franchise Santa Monica Studio’s possibly created one of the best games the PlayStation 4 has to offer in this console generation. The plot, combat, graphics, and sound all come together perfectly to create one of the best gaming experiences of 2018. And it proves that the single-player experience is still alive and well in the year of battle royal and multiplayer only games. There were so many aspects of the game and story I had to leave out due to spoilers and not wanting to make the review too lengthy, so hopefully, this review didn’t come out too disjointed.
If you are like me, who absolutely loves the franchise, loves the world, and loves the setting of the game. Then you can expect 50+ hours of video game entertainment, which is money well spent in my books. Mad Max isn't only a fantastic game, it is a great addition to the franchise, and one of the few games that completely destroyed my expectations that a movie based game is always bad. In the end, despite what some mainstream reviewer might have you believe. Mad Max is a great addition to the open-world action adventure genre that is as slick and memorable and would make the creators of Mad Max Fury Road proud. So if you are on the fence about this game, I recommend you go get it now as I can't recommend it enough.
There are also side missions scattered throughout the different locations, but they aren't all that extraordinary, to begin with. They will have you shooting down drones, fetching supplies, exploring certain locations and bringing back items. So while the games story is lacking and acts only as window dressing for the games set pieces and Lara has no real character to speak of not to mention the lack of memorable supporting cast members in the game. I can still highly recommend the game as it is an excellent polished port and the DLC will keep you busy for hours. Thoroughly enjoyable, with a surprisingly long campaign which vastly improves on every single aspect that we got in the first game. If you haven't already, go pick it up and play it now!
Despite some of its problems, The Last Guardian has some of the most emotionally gripping and powerful gaming moments in a video game I have ever had the privilege to have experienced and have played. Some reviewers have described it as a flop 10 years in the making, I view it as a flawed masterpiece. So if you have between 8-10 hours to spend I can highly recommend The Last Guardian as it is a video game experience you won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
The comparably minor plot holes and story execution and direction in Beyond Two Souls can be ignored, when viewing the game as a whole and does not detract form the overall experience. If you like a rich deep story line along the same lines as games like The Walking Dead and Life is Strange and don't care about a lack of "agency" which has always been illusory in video games (There are always incredibly restrictive rules on game play) then you will most definitively enjoy this game as much as I have. So if you missed the game the first time around on the PS3, most definitely give it a go on the PS4 you won't regret the experience.
There are minor nit-picks about the combat initiation leaving you exposed to attacks and the RNG being frustrating at times, but it does not impact or hamper the combat too much. Not something a quick reload can fix anyway. Wasteland 2 is a pleasant mix of genres when you combine a game like Baldur's Gate feel for adventure and XCOM's combat it goes together surprisingly well. If you are a fan of the old school genre of RPG games and you miss the intricacies of classic RPG's and you are in the market for a bit more depth in your game than the more contemporary RPGs released today then you should definitely check out Wasteland 2 Director's Cut on Playstation 4. With more than 80 hours of gameplay, Wastelands 2: The Director's cut is a challenging but ultimately rewarding adventure you don't want to miss out on.
I expected Until Dawn to be a silly horror game due to its long development time, it was originally slated to be a PS3 move title. But this was not the case, I quickly got pulled into the game's story thanks to the sheer idiocy of the eight teenagers actions and the over the top nature of the horror story. In terms of gameplay mechanics, it's incredibly simple, but that works in the game's favor. Leaving you to become fully engrossed in the story and narratives that the writers were trying to create. If you fancy a gory slasher style game that hits plenty of high notes, then I can highly recommend Until Dawn.
Without spoiling too much sufficed to say her one last big score involves Rhys from Hyperion and the vault key, as the story takes a turn for the worst and hilarity ensues. The story gets told from both Fiona and Rhys perspective as you get a chance to play with both of them during the course of the first episode. The entire story plays off like a Hollywood crime caper, sometimes a bit predictable but always thoroughly enjoyable. There were two or three plot twists I definitely did not see coming left of center field that really surprised me. Overall it is a solid first episode and entry into the Borderlands franchise if you are a fan of the series I can highly recommend it, as the first episode laid a nice solid foundation for the rest of the series. And even if you are not a fan of Borderlands it is still a highly enjoyable Telltale game.
Alienation is all about the gameplay, and holy crap, does it play well. It does not take the game very long to throw you straight into the action, and I love really loved that aspect of the game. Alienation is without a doubt a very well-crafted and solid twin stick shooter, outstanding graphics and physics, with lots attentions to details makes this a must own game for the PlayStation 4. And even if indie games aren't your cup of tea, I truly believe if you do not play this you are missing out on a truly addictive twin stick shooter. I only have one big complaint with Alienation. With the inclusion of internet, co-op play why not also have included in local co-op? It really is a no-brainer in my opinion, but for some obscure unknown reason, it is completely missing. Which begs the question. Why?! It would have been an excellent edition to an already amazing game.
The game really caught me off guard as I did not expect much of it when I started playing it , other than the positive feedback I got from other gamers. And it definitely falls into the top 5 games I have played in 2016 so far. Valkyria Chronicles is definitely a one of a kind video game experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who has not played the game yet. Even if you don’t enjoy tactical shooters you will never find another gaming experience like this ever again. So give it half a chance and who know you might actually enjoy it. I do hope the game does well this time around because I would love for SEGA to bring Valkyria Azure Revolution here to the west so that we can get a localized release for it.
While Titanfall 2’s campaign is a tad short for my liking and as previously stated can be finished in a single sitting of between 5-8 hours this does not detract from the brilliant campaign, the characters are amazing, voice acting is great and the level design is amazing. Plus there’s loads of variety in the missions, which is always great for an FPS game. It’s very refreshing in that context. I really wanted more of the spectacular campaign designs and story but unfortunately, you don’t always get what you want. Titanfall 2 is not just a worthy sequel to the original game, but one that improves upon the original while keeping everything that was fun in the original intact. There isn’t a shooter on the market currently that can compare to the spectacle that is Titanfall 2 even though it was released in 2016. I highly recommend picking it up even if it is only for the short campaign.
Dishonored 2 is an excellent sequel to an excellent game, and improves on the weaknesses of the first game and polishes its strengths even more. It retains everything that was good about the first game and used it as a foundation to build which I can safely say is a better game than the original. Dishonored 2 is a great stealth action game that is filled with tons of replayability, which begs you to dip your toes into the expertly crafted world that Arkane Studios created for us. I can wholeheartedly recommend this game for the Dishonored fans and even the newcomers to the franchise as it is definitely worthy of your attention.
From the first time you set foot in the world of Prey and Talos 1 the space-station where the majority of the game takes place, you get a clear indication that Arkaine Studio's inspiration comes from games like System Shock, Bioshock, Deadspace and Half-Life. And like they say: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". The pacing is solid, the narrative is well crafted coupled with a beautiful atmosphere, makes pray one of the most memorable FPS games I have played in the last couple of years.