Charl den Dulk's Reviews
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.