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Baz Macdonald

Kaabaz
Baz_Falstaff

Favorite Games:
  • Fallout 3
  • Persona 4 Golden
  • Mass Effect 2

57 games reviewed
78.7 average score
80 median score
64.3% of games recommended

Baz Macdonald's Reviews

I am a freelance games journalist living in Wellington, New Zealand. I contribute news, articles and reviews to several outlets in New Zealand and Australia including Gameplanet and The Wireless. I cover a wide range of titles, but my area pf expertse is in narrative driven experiences.

The first episode of Life Is Strange is a mixed bag – the dialogue grates and inspecting items is a bore, but there is promise elsewhere. With the story's foundations laid down, the next episode could be a standout.

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8 / 10.0 - Sunless Sea
Feb 11, 2015

The static narratives and roguelike gameplay in Sunless Sea don't always gel together harmoniously, but Failbetter Games has succeeded in delivering a tense and engaging experience and a rich and atmospheric setting.

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Feb 24, 2015

Majora's Mask for 3DS represents the best execution of the game, boasting impressive graphics and extraordinary gameplay depth.

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Mar 20, 2015

Ori and the Blind Forest is breathtaking in more ways than one: it's dazzlingly beautiful, cleverly designed, and its demanding platforming will test your patience.

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It's an improvement on episode one, but there's too much inane padding in Out of Time for it to warrant a hearty recommendation.

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8 / 10.0 - I Am Bread
Apr 17, 2015

I Am Bread arrives after a slew of physics-based "comedy" titles, but is nonetheless a winner thanks to compelling play and a shockingly-decent story.

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9 / 10.0 - Convoy
Apr 22, 2015

Convoy name-checks some heavy hitting properties, but manages to be more than the sum of its parts.

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6 / 10.0 - Submerged
Aug 14, 2015

Submerged is underwhelming. It squanders a promising opening, and its slight mechanics will no doubt give ammo to those who question the validity of exploration titles.

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6 / 10.0 - Mad Max
Sep 7, 2015

Mad Max has the basics right and looks great, but beyond the first few hours it's a monotonous grind.

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Hearts of Stone is everything great about The Witcher 3, delivered in a neat little package.

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Oct 26, 2015

Life is Strange got off to a so-so start, but strong storytelling and impressive choice and consequence mechanics boost its first season. Soon the world really gets its hooks in, and you'll enjoy it despite yourself.

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Nov 2, 2015

With interesting characters, refined mechanics, and a few excellent new additions, Assassin's Creed Syndicate reminds us what's great about the series. Even those turned off by the bugfest that was Unity will be won over by this terrific entry. It's the best Assassin's Creed game to come along in a long while.

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Dec 4, 2015

InXile's classical RPG translates beautifully to console, and should be picked up by RPG fans – even those neck deep in that other big post-apocalyptic title.

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9 / 10.0 - The Witness
Feb 4, 2016

The Witness is an expansive and wickedly smart follow-up to Braid, with puzzles to test even the brightest minds. Its mental gymnastics are well worth the occasional frustration, and you'll come out feeling like a genius.

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Feb 15, 2016

Crypt of the Necrodancer evolves the roguelike genre substantially with an exceedingly simple addition. The rhythm mechanics, combined with some really great music and the roguelike experience, create one of the best titles either rhythm games or roguelikes have to offer.

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A textbook multiplayer sequel, Garden Warfare 2 builds upon the solid class-based shooting of its predecessor, while both refining the core mechanics and adding a shedload of new content.

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Feb 25, 2016

The Flame in the Flood is a grim game that challenges players not only with gameplay, but also with subtle ideas about life and humankind. Yet, despite how literary the game can be, it's a deeply enjoyable experience that scratches the primal itch of surviving in the wild.

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9.5 / 10.0 - Quantum Break
Apr 1, 2016

Quantum Break is magnificent, pushing the boundaries of what's possible both technically and from a narrative perspective.

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Apr 28, 2016

The Banner Saga 2 isn't mechanically distinct from the first game and its story suffers second act syndrome, but it's nonetheless a cracking title that will both satisfy and leave players in desperate need of the trilogy's closing act.

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7 / 10.0 - Severed
May 5, 2016

Vita owners thirsty for new titles will rightly give an arm and a leg for this one, but they should know ahead of time that it can be hard on the ol' swipin' appendages.

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