Rob Larkin


94 games reviewed
77.9 average score
80 median score
61.7% of games recommended
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10 / 10.0 - Hades
Aug 18, 2021

Action roguelikes is a genre seeing a bit of a surge of new entires lately, and Hades is as good or better as anything you will find in that field. It offers an overall experience in storytelling and gameplay that is top-notch regardless of genre. It's this incredibly unique type of game and play loop that turns your every failure and death into a reward of unlocking more story, injecting more humor, and inviting you to take a stab at one more run. It's won numerous game of the year awards on PC, and there is no reason for those accolades to stop with the port to consoles. Just don't forget to give Cerebus a pet on your way to the next run.

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Feb 14, 2022

Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the best games of the last console generation. I'm not sure I see any reason why Horizon Forbidden West won't go down as one of the best of this generation.

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Jun 12, 2020

The scope and ambition of this game are a level above the previous one. Even if its execution is only slightly more askew this go round, it's no failure to bullseye a much more lofty goal, a shot that still hits the target for an excellent gaming and storytelling experience.

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Mar 22, 2022

Destiny 2 has tried to be many things over its four and a half years, and while it seemed there has always been a step back for every two steps forward the game would make, The Witch Queen is one giant leap ahead. With this expansion, Destiny 2 is quite simply at the best game state it has ever been, and offers so much to do and reason to do it that every player that ever loved this game should give it a shot to rekindle exactly what it was that sparked that passion in the first place.

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Jun 9, 2016

Total War has been striving to capture this feeling of Epic iteration after iteration and looking to a historical context for inspiration. But it's the realm of fantasy, the Warhammer universe and its wonderful storytelling, where I think the formula has found its true home. This is probably the best Total War game to date, and certainly the best Warhammer game. Put together the two make wonderful companions. Some of the minutiae of the campaign can be a bit of a slog, but the real artistic genius of this game is when the lore of Warhammer becomes the brush to paint broad strokes across the canvas of the Total War foundation. The end result is Epic. Fantastic battles that can be enjoyed alone, or that become the spearhead of a richer narrative in the Campaign.

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Oct 10, 2016

Destiny has evolved in so many ways since it's release. It still boasts some of the best combat mechanics around in a game that moves both horizontal and vertically across engagement ranges. With two years worth of content behind it already there is a wealth of gaming for the uninitiated; and with a decent endgame, variety in play styles, and a dynamic and active community, there's still enough in the Rise of Iron expansion to keep year one diehards happy. Shame about the story though. I really hope Bungie can figure out that crucial element before Destiny 2. But until that day comes, Rise of Iron does set the scene to keep a massive community playing through this next stage until what will likely be the reboot into the inevitable sequel.

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As far as turn-based 4x games, the Civilization series remains the best in the business, and Civilization Vi is no slouch in the lineup.

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Mar 22, 2021

Curse of the Dead Gods is a finely polished roguelike that embodies the best elements of the genre. It has a battle scheme that is simple to grasp but requires skill to master. It balances the progression of each run with penalties to maintain a steady, yet shifting, challenge. It brings a few elements over that a roguelike purist might scoff at, but does so purely to the benefit of the game, and aids a progression system that feels meaningful while not demeaning the overall challenge. It nails that hallmark of the roguelike where you always feel like maybe dipping in for one more run.

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9 / 10.0 - Trials of Fire
Apr 16, 2021

Trials of Fire is a fantastic deck-building game. It is enhanced by also acting like a rouguelike for endless replayability, and it crafts a rich world around its characters. Trials of Fire only disappoints on one front: that the story it actually tells seems more like a teaser than an epic. While I can't complain in that it is priced like a single episode in a longer saga, I am left wanting for the rest of the saga. Maybe that's altogether not the worst thing...

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9 / 10.0 - Roguebook
Jun 23, 2021

I am a sucker for this very type roguelike deck building game, and in RogueBook I have found a worthy successor to my favorite in the space, Slay the Spire. While I might think Slay the Spire has that edge on the given mechanics and strategies of a single run, I believe RogueBook excels at world building, game progression, and re-playablity as new power-ups, characters, cards, map items, and challenges are unlocked not just on every run but especially after successfully completing the core game. Each is excellent, each game deserves to be enjoyed. To prefer one over the other is to prefer chocolate syrup over caramel, but in both you are treated to a delicious dessert of fun and strategic gaming.

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May 12, 2022

I really enjoyed Dungeons of Dreadrock, because it's a game that knows exactly the experience it is trying to deliver and does so expertly. There are 100 levels of puzzles, all unique, with mechanics and solutions that ramp as your character progresses deeper and deeper into the mountain, while delivering on a cute storyline with clever 32-bit animation. There is an action element, but that is mostly a timing component to drive the mental aspect of solving the puzzles. It's hard to put down, but each level gives ample opportunity to do just that, so you can binge through as many as you like, then leave it to pick right back up again easily enough. The only drawback is once you're traversed all 100 levels, your time is done - but it was time well spent.

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May 27, 2022

This War of Mine is a triumph of organic storytelling. It can be frustrating to get started and there is much about the game and how it operates that is not introduced well, but make it past that first hurdle and there is a compelling and emotional investment that pays large dividends. Spend a bit of time reading a play guide or two before you get started, because there are no spoilers to accidentally trip over. The narrative you will eventually craft will be one by your own choices made in the game against the desperate circumstances that force them. If you've never experienced this game there is not a better time than right now.

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Oct 4, 2022

There is a simplicity to the core gameplay of Hardspace: Shipbreaker. Movement and momentum add an element of skill to every action. The difficulty ramps over time but treats you well to ease you into the escalators. Combining the strategy of breaking the ship with the skill of positioning yourself in place to do so, Shipbreaker wraps it up well with a clever main story to maximize - well, reduction of debt. But most of all, it's calming and fun, set in a world that feels similar to the many wonderful other sci-fi stories that have captured us over the years. Hardspace: Shipbreaker nets you a unique opportunity to inhabit a small corner of those worlds a shift at a time, for a job well done. "Live, Laugh, Salvage."

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8.8 / 10.0 - Total War: Attila
May 21, 2015

For the uninitiated, Total War: Attila does a good enough job introducing a very detailed world and mechanics. What it does best is allow a player to get right into the meat of combat and enjoy orchestrating campaigns across gorgeous battlefields. While micromanaging the war effort and empire can be detracting, there are enough game modes and variety in the campaign to ween someone into the thick of it. At the end of the day, the battles are satisfying and the AI is good enough. It is not without it's problems, but it's as good a strategy game as you'll likely to find.

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8.8 / 10.0 - Ronin
Aug 7, 2015

Ronin is fun to play and its strengths more than overcome its weaknesses. It lacks much by way of plot but sets a mood that creates the atmosphere it needs. It offers enough strategy and variety in its combat to overcome a somewhat short length, and invites players to playthrough again with its unscripted encounters. It has a fantastic little twist to the gameplay mechanic at the end that leads to a satisfying payoff in the final battle.

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8.8 / 10.0 - Blackguards 2
Feb 27, 2015

Top notch presentation and a compelling main character really set Blackguards 2 up to deliver a solid tactical strategy RPG. Everything about the game, the weapons, abilities, characters, and options are varied enough to keep things interesting but simple enough not to get lost in the tedium of micromanaging a party. It is not without its flaws and the battles can sometimes bog down, but it is a good experience to play and uses a wide cast of allies and enemies well. If you're interested in experiencing a story that isn't just the standard fantasy lore, then Blackguards 2 is worth a try.

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8.8 / 10.0 - Destiny 2
Oct 4, 2017

I think for most of the hardcore Destiny 1 players, this is simply not the game we were expecting. This one is built for the casuals. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I played more D1 over the past two years than probably all other games combined, but Destiny 2 is just going to be another game in my library. It won't consume me, but I will enjoy it every time I load it up.

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8.8 / 10.0 - Destiny 2: Forsaken
Oct 3, 2018

There is still work to be done, but the core of the experience is fixed. And what we have is a new version of that original game I poured hundreds of hours into. A version I am looking forward to pouring in hundreds more.

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Apr 4, 2019

The Division 2 takes a step forward on the original in just about every area.

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8.8 / 10.0 - John Wick Hex
Oct 14, 2019

John Wick Hex is a fantastic game. It combines real strategy in a gameplay that feels truly unique in the RTS genre. It really captures the world of John Wick and brings the character from the silver screen faithfully onto the PC. There is a fluidity to the combat, but one that falls ever so slightly short of the effortless slickness that we've come to love about the title character. Missing that trick takes a near perfect game to just a notch below, but puts it squarely in good company as a top game of the year.

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