Nicholas Leon
This is it, this is the one we've all been waiting for. Here's to hoping that, in the future, whether it's DLC or another installment altogether, that this team from the developers at Respawn can come at this again.
It's refreshing to play a game like this. I don't think I've experienced one since Conker. Although this game is not nearly as complex as that, it works well to send Scrat on his way.
Modern Warfare is the most astounding Call of Duty I've played since World at War. But they haven't gone as far they could, in the campaign especially. The multiplayer is outstanding, as always, with the slightest modifications eking out big results. But in the game's attempt to shock and awe, I don't think they're quite there yet.
Catherine is certainly a fun and challenging game, both in its gameplay and story and character elements. In some of these moments it succeeds, in others, it fumbles, and falls flat on its face. But that doesn't mean it's unimportant, as it is good to learn from mistakes made previously in order to improve at a later point in time.
The Blackout Club is ambitious, but it doesn't have enough variety to make me care for that ambition. Thankfully, there are ways that players can make the game better on their own, filling in what the game lacks, but the game needs to back it up a little more.
Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is a refreshing take on the aggressive kart racing genre. While it’s certainly not perfect, it’s packed with content that can keep the player engaged for a long time.
My Friend Pedro, packing a punch, a kick, and quite a few guns, is a breath of fresh air in the shooter genre. While it runs the risk of becoming samey, though, it always manages to give the player something new.
American Fugitive is good in spots. And those spots are fun. But on the whole, the game just barely keeps up with its own scope of ambition.
Assassin's Creed III Remastered is a mixed bag. It's repetitive combat and lackluster visuals, strung through with a few bright spots of naval combat and exploration, and unique displays of combat. Narratively, the game is as weak as they come. There's no mystery. Just an obligatory plot to finish the fight between the Assassins and Templars. Not to mention the mumbo jumbo with the First Civilization. The game is frustrating and not worth another look.
Devil May Cry 5 is frigging great. I think I'll leave it at that.
Anthem is a competent looter-shooter. It is not an overwhelming, hallelujah-inducing entry into BioWare's storied history, but it's fine. I doubt I'll engage with the game past unlocking the final javelin, even though there is that tease at the end of further content.
Resident Evil 2 is a breath of fresh (or should I say foul and dead?) air into the bloated world of open-ended gameplay mechanics that, instead of leaving the player feeling empty and exhausted for the amount of options, leave them with a constant sense of tension but knowledge and will to push on. Truly an innovation that proves its necessity.
If you haven't already, go get this game, and then tell your friends to get this game, and then go have some fun.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden packs interesting combat, open world exploration and lore, and numerous systems that have the player invested in what their characters, but it ends on too early a note to really have any impact.
Combing rooms for items and gadgets can only get you so far when it comes to actual engagement with both the story and gameplay of Lucid Dream, rather than evolving the genre, like the now-defunct Telltale Games did with its one-off hit The Walking Dead, all this title has done is highlight the so-called Adventure Genre's repetitive flaws in an effort to bask in the imagined fun of the past.
Although inspired in its kingdom management system, Pathfinder: Kingmaker ultimately fails to innovate in any of its presented gameplay functions. Lacking in writing,combat, and even fun, a game that had potential to change things up just becomes a disappointment.
An astounding triumph that will certainly stand above the pack this season, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a unique game about unique people. The writing, visuals, and gameplay combine to make an absolute standout of a title, one that has been well worth the wait.
The ideas of power, giving in to hegemonic cycles just to feel safe, and other gameplay systems are unfortunately overshadowed by the technical hiccups found in the game's software. It's a shame, because this game could have been good.
Red Faction Guerilla: Re-Mars-Tered is, in the end, a terrific, if seriously flawed, open-world game. I do admit that I'm a bit biased against this thing called colonialism, but the writers should have examined the wider ramifications when trying to inject even a semblance of emotional connection into the game. Overall, it's a fun jaunt through the past, and although I'm sure I'll get tired by the eventual repetitiveness, just like all open-world games, it's a great experience for what the gameplay provides.
This is a good collection that runs the gauntlet of arcade fighting games of the '80s and '90s. Whether or not you are a fan, this is a good entry point in the series, and there is something here for everyone.