Once I'd experienced my first fish explosion and got over how thirsty all of the Final Fantasy XV characters were being, Monster of the Deep just felt like a chore.
With only two episodes left, Telltale needs to raise the stakes and ramp up the urgency of Batman's mission.
It's a stylish game centered around an interesting moral dilemma. However, there just isn't enough world-building to hammer the point home.
The Enemy Within has some great action sequences, but it leans too much on the wider Batman universe as a crutch. It doesn't put in the effort to make you care about the characters or the situations, and because of that, none of the choices feel meaningful.
Unforeseen Incidents has its charms. It looks great, and some of the puzzles are genuine fun. And even though Harper is irritating, he's well-intentioned and a fairly good protagonist. The most serious issue for me is the loading time between screens and how slowly Harper walks.
Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story is out now on PC, Mac, iPhone, and Android. The publisher sent us a code for this review.
I love the idea of Where the Water Tastes Like Wine. It has a lot of personality, and several days after I finished it, I was still humming some of the songs to myself. However, it's impeded by a few gameplay quirks, like how tedious it is to move around.
Even though the story is thin and the puzzles are a bit too simple, it's a game with a lot of heart.
Yakuza 6 has an ambitious narrative, alternating between lighthearted and dramatic. Unfortunately, it doesn't give its characters enough love and care to truly pull off the pathos. But its sense of humor is impeccable. Its protagonist is lovable. And Sega has created a world with plenty to do.
With each episode, John Doe edges ever closer to irredeemable insanity, and the question of whether or not you can save him remains an engaging one.
Assassin's Creed: Origins offers a rich world and a compelling story at first, but it's waylaid in part by the repetitive side quests and a weaker second half. It has secrets to find, but you'll have to go looking for them — and you'll have to do a lot of grinding along the way.
If you're a horror buff, you'll likely be disappointed because there aren't that many unique monsters in the game. It's not even scary, to be honest; most of the tension and fear comes from the lack of ammo. All in all, it's not a bad game, but it's not a great game either. You'll probably have fun shooting the zombies and checking out the occasionally cool surreal locales, but that's it.
It feels like the Gentlebros were having a blast making this game. After beating the boss, there are plenty of other side quests to go on if you'd like, and the generous save system makes it possible to play it for just a little while and then put it down. Cat Quest doesn't reinvent the RPG genre. Instead it just does it well, with some cute cats to boot.
By the end of the series, I'll say that Batman: The Enemy Within has tentatively won me over. That's purely on the strength of the relationship between Batman and The Joker. The rest of the cast is a little wobbly, and I find it hard to care about them at all.
What Ails You is the strongest episode so far, giving Batman: The Enemy Within a much-needed injection of verve as it speeds toward the conclusion of the series.
Whether or not you'll like Far From Noise depends on if you're looking for a contemplative experience, one that asks you to slow down and enjoy the view. One playthrough will probably run you one to two hours, and it has replay value if you want to see where it can go.
High Hell is a fun, fast-paced shooter with a lot of personality. It keeps it simple — you can crouch, jump, and shoot — and it doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's challenging, but there aren't any long load times between death and charging back in again to give it another shot. If you don't mind the short playtime, you'll enjoy the charm and quirky boss battles.
The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor is a lot of fun if you're into rhythm games. I do wish that each of the levels were a bit more different, but what it lacks in variety, it makes up in solid gameplay. I don't think any other game quite like it is out there. I only got a chance to play using a standard controller, but I do know that it's also compatible with Rock Band 4 guitars. Next, I hope they'll consider rigging this up for DDR pads as well.
If you can get past some of its flaws, you'll be in for an experience that's full of wonder with fantastic visuals and an amazing soundtrack. Which I keep looking for online, by the way. But my search queries just keep returning discussions about Fire Emblem.
I wish that we got to know Austin a little more, but this is only the first chapter. It will be interesting to see how she comes across in the other chapters as we get to know her from their perspectives. Overall, this is a strong start to the series that shows a lot of promise depending on how it weaves together all the characters' stories.