Dylan Blight's Reviews
If you're like me the hunt for a complete Pokédex and the excitement of even the worst shiny Pokémon provides enough fun to keep Pokémon Quest around for sometime.
Hand of Fate 2 attempts to combine the fun of tabletop games with video games, but its commitment to that pitch is its downfall. The portals to combat filled me with nothing but grunts of exhaustion everytime as I drew my weapon. If you are able to look past the dreaded combat, there is a fun tabletop RPG here with interesting stories to tell, but I personally can't stand to do another one of those combat scenarios. Sorry, The Dealer wins.
The premiere of The Walking Dead: The Final Season is a slow burn to set up new relationships and help you decide what kind of maternal figure you want to be for AJ. The last thirty minutes does pick up into a thunderous and gloomy ending that sets into motion the next three episodes fantastically though, and I can’t wait to see Clementine and AJ’s journey through to the finish.
Destination Primus Vita is a real mix-bag of doing some things really well and uniquely, as well as doing a lot very bland and boring. I hope Episode Two can improve the weaker elements and explain why players should look forward to the next episode and not leave you wondering why you should care. Playing this though, I did go read the two comics released so far -- so I am onboard for the adventure to get our water back -- but why does the game feel like the spin-off story, not the other way around?
I appreciated having Read Only Memories on my Switch to play it as a portable. The pixel art looks great on the screen and you're not losing any detail not playing docked. The INTEGRAL version doesn't add much to separate it from the many other versions you can pick up, but of the portable versions available (Vita, iOS, Android) I'd much prefer it on my Switch and the game is best experienced as a portable book to pick-up as you wish.
I like to refer to my time with Donut County as ‘the time I was held hostage by interesting mechanics and played an asshole racoon.’ Have a garbage day.
Although it feels like it has released a little too early and you’re buying a work in progress at the moment, Megaquarium is still a lot of fun. Maybe a month from now it’ll be even better as the constant updates are being published to fix issues and follow up on feedback.
Even if the nostalgia of the objects littered throughout the islands is before your time the emotional resonance of The Gardens Between should work for everyone in some regard. Memories from being younger, simpler times. The ending is bittersweet, but the journey there is every bit rewarding through interesting mechanics and subtle story-telling.
At its price point, it's well worth it and swinging back into the campaign on a higher difficulty as I have, it'll not only keep you practising your punches for some time, but could be a workout for the foreseeable future. Just make sure you stretch before playing and have water at the ready. Don't get dehydrated kids!
Forza Horizon 4 is a stunningly beautiful tour through the UK with a roster of cars that all control and sound unique with superb detail. The season’s system will keep Horizon 4 feeling constantly new and exciting, like a living world that is now populated with real players. This is the racing game to pick up in 2018 and one of the best games of the year.
Life is Strange 2 is a brave choice for DontNod who had a hit with the first season. They could have done much of the same again here but chose to do something very different with the story of Sean & Daniel. I applaud it. Judging from the premiere episode their story is going be an interesting, hard and emotional one in ways I may not be prepared for and yet, I can't wait for the next episode.
STONE is a quick two-hour dip into the fair dinkum world of Stone, a bloke with a good heart, but needing a right knock on the noggin as he can be a bit of a drongo. A bit more hard yakka could have pushed STONE into something bigger, but it's still a bit of a larrikin and possibly best enjoyed with a cold one or two.
It'll take you less than four hours to finish The Midnight Sanctuary and at times it is a struggle to see it through, especially that first chapter, but when it gets into the plot there is something interesting here using Japan's history with Christianity as the backbone of a supernatural thriller.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is simply, amazing — a pure joy and a wonder that is a must play for all PSVR owners.
Evasion is fun when you have someone beside you blasting away, communicating, having a laugh. Playing by yourself shows the repetitive nature and structure of the campaign though and that's why is really hard for me to recommend picking Evasion up, unless you know you'll primarily have someone to play the game with.
Infliction is better than the majority of games you can find like it, featuring much better writing, but its problems standout frustrating tall. Still, it's hard to not give the one person team of Clinton McCleary at Caustic Reality many props for pulling off what is here basically all by himself, and I look forward to seeing what he does next.
Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game had me engrossed start to finish, even if it's ending was predictable. Unfortunately it is held back by not having a unique story direction or a commitment to more consistent and fulfilling gameplay mechanics. It's undercooked but an easily digestible Cthulhu adventure for fans of the genre. A fun Saturday afternoon in a psychological horror show.
I like Storm Boy. I'm Australian. I have a semi-attachment to the story from being a kid, so for me personally, this was an experience I was looking forward to diving into and I enjoyed the ride. If anything, it made me want to watch the 70's film again, but this is a comfort food variation of Colin Thiele's story, not a good place to experience it for the first time.
Crackdown 3 is a mindless collectathon that may tickle the right spot for fans of the franchise or those seeking a game stripped of everything but side-missions; those seeking a Terry Crews simulator, like I was, will be left sorely disappointed.
A shorter, tighter experience may have been able to use the tedium and slow tone it delivers for a more consistent experience and resonance with the player, but The Stillness of the Wind was too long a chore for me to enjoy enduring.