Brent Felsing's Reviews
Despite its shortcomings in regards to the puzzles, combat, and overall length, I still walked away from Pinstripe moved by the emotional tale surrounding Teddy and why he is headed down this dreary path. The art style is excellent and appealing, and each area is unique in its own way and littered with cynical characters who clue you in on Teddy’s haunted past. Coupled with a fantastic score and solid voice acting, Pinstripe manages to overcome its imperfections with an excellent presentation and a touching story that makes it worth a look.
At the end of the day, Innerspace hit just enough of a chord with me to walk away appreciative of PolyKnight Games’ effort. As I made my way through the wonderfully detailed levels, I was in awe of just how many hidden secrets there were to discover. Figuring out the puzzles needed to progress through the different area was a nice challenge, and the boss battles were just as complex to figure out. For some, the controls may take some getting used to, but by the time the credits roll, you should have a firm grasp on the flying mechanics. I would’ve liked a much more impactful soundtrack to complement the game’s unique visual aesthetic, but that’s not the case here. I feel it would have enhanced the experience even more. That said, if you’re in the mood for an exploration game that will reward you for searching every inch of the map and offers up some challenging puzzles along the way, Innerspace will provide you with just such an experience.
I had high hopes for Perception, which made this experience all the more unfortunate. Clearly The Deep End Games had a unique idea for a video game here, but it just doesn’t translate well to the medium. It’s evident by the care that went into researching the hardships that blind folks must deal with daily — like how Cassie uses her mind and technology to survive — that The Deep End Games is very passionate about the subject matter. However, in the end, this is a video game, and when the main gameplay mechanic becomes a hindrance during the first hour, there’s not much that can be done from a presentation perspective to help alleviate it. The whole game-breaking bug that forces you to start over from the very beginning doesn’t help either.
I really wanted to like Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 considering how CI Games made the bold choice to change the series formula up completely in an attempt move the franchise forward and away from its awful predecessor. Early on, the story hinted at a tale much deeper than any Sniper Ghost Warrior game deserves, but it ultimately loses focus about halfway through and ends up nosediving in the final act. While the sniping mechanics are solid and the mission variety is admirable, the technical issues are a distraction, to the point where you may not even be able to finish a mission. With games like Sniper Elite 4 out there, as well as the much better Far Cry games that Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 models itself after, it’s hard to recommend a game where the only memorable thing about it are its horrific load times.
I really enjoyed my time with Sniper Elite 4. The sniping mechanics, well-designed maps, and incredibly fun co-op play won me over. The less-than-thrilling narrative and minor bugs aside, this is a package that is more than worthy of your time and attention. Sniper Elite 4 is bigger and better than Sniper Elite 3 in every way, and I can't wait to see where the franchise goes from here.