Joseph Bradford Avatar Image

Joseph Bradford


36 games reviewed
77.1 average score
80 median score
58.3% of games recommended
8 / 10.0 - Judgment
Jun 21, 2019

If you like previous Yakuza games, Judgment is right up your alley. A spin off that holds its own in the fictional Kamurocho, Judgment is a worthy entry in the world of Ryu ga Gotoku's Yakuza world. And while I found the story to be sluggish and in its own way at times, it's excellent combat and unique detective mechanics kept me engaged in my more than 20+ hour playthrough. Judgment is outrageous fun at times, relaxing at others and above all else tells a great story. It's definitely one I'll be coming back to over the next few months, uncovering more of Kamurocho's secrets with its favorite detective.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Elite: Dangerous
Jul 7, 2017

Whether you're soaking in the cosmos around you, banking large sums of credits from a well-planned trading haul, or surviving a harrowing encounter with space pirates in dazzling ship-to-ship combat, Elite Dangerous has plenty to keep me excited to come back. And when those long-haul sessions become too much, Arena mode is there to inject some much-needed action at a moment's notice.

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Jun 29, 2022

The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle brings with it many great moments, and the landscape of the Systres is a joy to explore, especially the jungle prison of Amenos. While its story is predictable, I’m not uninterested as I look forward to the rest of the year’s content drops. In the end, it's this formulaic malaise that keeps The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle from being truly great.

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Oct 17, 2022

At the end of the day, the story is the one thing - the only thing - that differentiates The Last Hero of Nostalgaia from the rest of the pack. Everything else lacks any innovation. The names of certain elements (memory, beacons, etc.) may have been changed to match the theme of the storyline, and although character creation, progression, and combat are all done very well, they are all extremely by the book Souls-like.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Halo Wars 2
Feb 27, 2017

Captivating, yet not without its issues

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Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory does something that Paradox has been known for: adds compelling new content to an already brilliant title. The new Commonwealth mechanics give you a reason to explore this time period from a different lens, while the combat improvements make planning and executing battle plans easier than ever. However, the performance issues marring the experience, as well as frustrating AI, make Together for Victory one of the most poorly performing game in Paradox’s library.

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Dec 3, 2018

For any Persona fan, Dancing in Starlight is a solid entry. It gives you a chance to go back and experience more stories with the main characters, and it's a nice change of pace from the RPGs and shooters releasing this fall. But it's main gameplay mechanic - the actual rhythm gameplay - does get in its own way. But if you're just wanting to experience more stories and groove to the amazing soundtrack, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight is definitely a good place to do so.

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May 14, 2021

At its very core, Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a good game, it just requires good people around you to make it so.

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7 / 10.0 - Madden NFL 19
Jun 12, 2018

At the end of the day, Madden 19 is much like Madden 18 before it. The formula works, so I don't blame EA for not wanting to drastically change it up each year. However, as a result, I'm left wondering whether it's a waste for someone who really doesn't play most of Madden's modes to upgrade to 19 this year - and I would say that answer is no. If all you play are a few exhibition games with friends, last year's installment is perfectly fine. However, if you're invested in the Longshot story and want to latest installment of MUT, Madden 19 isn't a bad pick up.

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6.7 / 10.0 - Conan Exiles
May 18, 2018

Conan Exiles is often slow and arduous, but even after 70 hours – 40 since launch – the idea of returning to the Exiled Lands still holds some allure. Crafting is largely a tedious grind, especially the higher up you get in the crafting tiers, and it's surprising that in a world about brutal combat, Conan Exiles falls flat there. However, the beautifully realized world is a joy to explore and it nails the atmosphere of the source material.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Forspoken
Jan 23, 2023

In the end, Forspoken is okay, with its world, parkour, and combat as its high points.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Madden NFL 18
Aug 24, 2017

Madden NFL 18 isn’t the giant leap of the series, but I’m not entirely sure anyone really expects it to be. It is noticeably different than its predecessor, namely because of the Longshot mode. And while I didn’t walk away from the Longshot story a huge fan – it’s definitely worth a shot if you’re looking for something different in your Madden experience. However, if you just wanted more of the same, this isn’t necessarily a bad year to skip the game and save your money. That’s not to say the game is bad – it’s not. However, I’m not sure it does enough differently than it’s predecessor – and the things it does differently I’m not sure they do them well enough – to warrant a purchase day one.

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6 / 10.0 - New World
Nov 11, 2021

New World is off to a rocky start, but if Amazon can right the ship and address real player concerns, it has the chance to be something really special. But right now, it’s an okay experience overall that leaves me wanting more in order to stick around.

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5 / 10.0 - Dual Universe
Nov 14, 2022

I really wanted to enjoy Dual Universe, and at first I was. I truly did enjoy the grind early on, until I realized that, for the most part, the grind was all there was. The ambitious systems that define Dual Universe also doom it, and as a result there just isn’t much to do aside from harvest, sell and rinse and repeat, even if you add layer and layer of industrial complexity to the loop. While player ingenuity and artistry will make some of these systems more and more interesting, especially with LUA scripting and more, for me, it just doesn’t make for a compelling experience I can recommend.

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5 / 10.0 - Unravel Two
Jun 13, 2018

Unravel Two looks to expand and improve upon the critical success of its predecessor. Charming and beautiful, Unravel Two does have some bright spots. However, those spots are few and far between thanks to some clunky platforming and dull puzzles throughout.

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4 / 10.0 - Sea of Thieves
Mar 30, 2018

At the end of the day, Rare promised a grand pirate adventure, but missed the mark on so much they could have done.

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