It's the case of a small issue that turned rampant and hindered my play experience, but Shadow Warrior 2 is such a fast-paced, irresponsible, chaotic joy ride, that the mental pain I had to deal with from this annoying decision was well worth it in the end.
The production value isn't as high as I'd hoped, but the game knows what it is and every mechanic and feature works together in tandem.
But those fleeting moments of fun are still fun all the same, and I really don't believe Deformers is a bad game. Frustrated as I was during a few Form Ball matches, I was still invested and focused on them, and prancing through a few opponents to pop the ball into an empty goal is an incredibly satisfying feeling. So is smashing into another Form and sending their soon to be carcass miles into the air will never get old, but these moments are exceptions to the rule. Deformers has a broken and inconsistent core, and I can't fathom how any future patch or update can change that.
More focus on exploration would have set Shock Tactics apart, but what is there is enough to warrant a playthrough.
I would have expected more of the first batch of missions which are also, unsurprisingly, the most fun and best written.
All manner of electronic tunes, that somehow always fit the level and scenario, elevate the experience tremendously.
Using the different sets of tools is a game of tactics as well, with the combination of exploits and hydras, to remove the shields and capture the nodes in large areas really quickly, being used with brutal efficiency.
A Criminal Past is a different kind of Deus Ex, and one that kept me engaged.
In the Rhombus of Ruin is a masterclass of engaging mechanics and brilliant writing, and it’s got me excited for the future of Psychonauts.
The frantic nature of the gameplay coupled with the appropriate difficulty of the game combine to deliver a fresh experience that is best suited for co-op play.
Halo Wars 2 delivers a superb story that ends with a million possibilities on what could happen in future games.
This lead to rampant experimentation on how far I could go and the extent to which I could combine multiple swings without ever stopping.
It doesn’t do anything necessarily bad, but its moments of elation are few and far in between.
I Expect You to Die is able to keep the player engaged throughout and further drills home the point that simplicity in VR is the way to go.
Mekazoo plays it safe in the gameplay department, but what is there can still be frantic and fun.
For those who insist graphics and technology comes over gameplay, The Journey will be a welcome addition as it is hands down the best looking VR title I’ve played.
Although, its ticket based reward system is broken and a good number of games have inconsistent star requirements.
Headmaster runs away with the ‘gameplay is king’ mantra, and in this case, it’s enough to warrant a hearty recommendation.
This is in bold contrast to previous episodes that featured a lot more strangling than pondering, and Hitman’s finale was better for it.
Battlezone seems more suited to this type of co-operation as opposed to its single-player missions that have you fight wave after wave of enemy tanks all alone.