It is not an unforgivable sin that Immortals Fenyx Rising does not live up to Breath of the Wild, a tall task that its upcoming sequel might not even be capable of doing. But it is quite disappointing that it only plays dress up with the hero’s tunic and misses what that green garment stands for. Puzzles sometimes have inventive solutions yet the good ones are drowned out by how often they repeat and how few tools Fenyx has. And the game’s colorful world isn’t a sandbox that needs exploring, but is more akin to a typical open-world map littered with repeatable, obviously marked activities. These shortcomings make it less of Ubisoft’s take on Breath of the Wild and more of a Ubisoft-branded “Breath of the Mild” that could have been so much more.
Saints Row: The Third Remastered can coast on some its nostalgic value. Its multitude of upgrade systems provide the necessary carrots to fulfill a true Saints-like power fantasy and its visuals do look better than ever. And while its humor just barely gets out alive, the other parts of the game — like the incessant, anger-inducing ragdolling, banal side mission design, and lack of new content — aren’t as funny.
Modern Warfare 2 is a dated game due to the archaic framework that surrounds its gunplay and primitive storytelling, showing that the “modern” part of Modern Warfare 2 is no longer as applicable.
Lackluster cosmetics are the least of Bleeding Edge’s problems. Ninja Theory may have succeeded in creating a cast of distinct, well-crafted characters that are full of personality, but it stumbled in making an engrossing game around that diverse roster.
Witnessing its wholesome, nearly childlike view of the world through a bunch of nonsequiteurs is pleasant even if playing through them isn’t always quite as enjoyable. And while Wattam seems to want to avoid descriptors and can get away with it at times, that playability is important for a video game.
Hellish bugs might significantly diminish the experience but Afterparty still gives players a convincing enough argument to take an express elevator down to the fiery pits of torment.
After the huge whiff last time around, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is undoubtedly an improvement — a small one, but an improvement nonetheless. But an improvement doesn’t guarantee greatness and this game makes that clear.
While it’s a bummer for those without VR, the game’s commitment to virtual reality is something the medium could always use more of, even if it comes alongside a foul-mouthed Eyehole Monster who once fucked shrinkle when he thought it was a dinkle.
As a singular episode, it’s fine. But in the grander scheme of wrapping up a six-year storyline and four-episode arc, it’s also just fine and that middle of the road result is a bit of a disappointment.
Far Cry New Dawn is fine, functional, and sometimes fun, but it mostly just hovers around the middle, neither touching greatness nor mediocrity but occupying the safe, boring plateau in between.
Castlevania: Requiem is a good reminder of the best parts of the series but the collection also makes it more evident that Konami is maybe currently not adept enough to create thrilling new experiences and is only capable of haphazardly bundling together old ones in hopes that we won't notice the difference.
The skating dry spell may not have been completely lifted but it's not as dry anymore, thanks to this modest splat of paint.
While Anamorphine's story is still worth seeing through, it's a shame that its shoddy optimization tries to actively thwart its touching message at every turn.
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit captures the awkward nostalgia of being a child quite well even if it falters in other areas.
But instead of realizing its potential, Survivor squandered it by repeating many of the same problems and introducing new ones.
It still has an enjoyable enough narrative with likable characters and a decent mystery, but the ways in which it tells that tale are limited by the restrictive, overly familiar choice systems and inconsistent animation.
House of Ashes has a distinct setting with themes and twists that give it more meaning and style when compared to its other Dark Pictures brethren. It is unequivocally the best thing Supermassive has made since Until Dawn. But that bar is pathetically low as the five console horror games following that unexpected 2015 hit have been all mediocre or downright terrible. House of Ashes is getting close enough to the surface to see sunlight beaming through the cracked bits of earth above, but it’s still stuck underground.
What started out as a humble new series has expanded into something much more ambitious. But while that ambition is admirable and sometimes extraordinary, it’s also the root cause of many of its problems since it lacks focus and seems like Asobo spread itself thin going this much larger.
Prodeus travels down well-worn territory but does so covered in substantially more red (and blue) goo. Its mix of modern effects and retro visuals coalesce well and give it enough of its own identity that’s bolstered by its buckets of blood.
Much like its cursed chibi protagonist, Cursed to Golf is stuck in a sort of purgatory. Its unique mix of golf and roguelike mechanics, sublime soundtrack, and charming style ram up against its brutal difficulty and handful of questionable design decisions.