Joseph Pugh's Reviews
It’s fun and unique, it’s most certainly has replay value but is also a little bit shallow without any kind of progression to speak of. Yet the reality TV show aspect is so incredibly charming and well done that I’d say it is worth the price of admission.
WarParty is a solid real-time strategy game in a market that’s dearly lacking them. Yet at the same time, I feel like I’ve played it before in years gone by, several times in fact. It does have a few things that make it stand out, the Dinosaur theme for one. It also has a lot of content between survival, the campaign, skirmish and multiplayer.
The Division 2 is pretty to look at, detailed and mechanically strong. It's extremely content heavy to the end and more importantly beyond the end. It is the top of the line looter shooter of choice right now and it raises the bar for the genre. Its story and voice acting are disappointing and it has a couple of small design flaws, but they hardly make a dent in an otherwise brilliant game.
The missions are ho-hum, but the combat more than makes up for it and the fact that all four Javelins play so differently is fantastic. Yet the games loading screen and bugs can put a serious damper on the enjoyment. It’s a decent foundation that will likely improve over time. But the latest patch that removed the respawn restrictions is a serious low blow for the hardcore crowd, and it has dampened my enthusiasm a great deal for it.
Attack of The Earthlings is a great turn-based tactics game. Its gameplay, barring that one stage is very well done and it makes you think hard and plan to accomplish your goals. While it lacks any replay value, I enjoyed the time I spent with it and do not regret the experience at all. If you are fine with a somewhat shorter tactical game, buy it now. Otherwise, wait for a small sale.
The game is wonderfully self-aware and melds that awareness together with well thought out and fun retro brawling. It's replayable, has several challenging secret bosses and local co-op. I can't recommend the game enough as long as you don't mind a challenge.
In the end, New Dawn is still fun, it’s pretty to look at and the guns for hire system is still great. It just doesn’t do much with its new setting and the main story is a tad bit short. It feels like an expansion to Five instead of a sequel, but its price point reflects that fact. If you enjoyed FarCry 5, New Dawn will give you more to love. But if you didn’t, New Dawn isn’t going to win you over.
The puzzles themselves are well designed, thought provoking and require teamwork, and the various mechanics are cleverly implemented. It's beautiful to look at and the narrator Kira Buckland does a stellar job. But it is a game of patience and easy-going temperament
If you like card and board games, physically or digitally. You would be doing yourself a disservice by passing up Evolution. Its mechanics are tight and fun and the digital version brings it some additional charm and the ability to play whenever you want against well-crafted AI players, or folk from around the world online. Well worth the price.
Worbital has a polish that isn't common in indie games. Everything about the game's design is so tightly knit, I'm not sure it could be easily added on to without breaking its porcelain frame. Its a game where every piece has a purpose and its difficult to imagine how it could be better.
It still has the heart and Disney magic that I've come to love from the series. However, it also didn't mature in anyway alongside me. The combat while fluid and flashy feels like a downgrade from past games due to its lack of challenge, even on the hardest difficulty. Then the story has highs and lows. Some worlds were woven wonderfully into the plot. Others felt like an ad placement for their respective movies.
Genesis Alpha One is still a good game and it hybrids a mix of genres in excellent ways. Its flaws cant be ignored, however. I really hope the developers continue refining this title after release. They have a gem on their hands, they just have to sand down its rough patches.
It's take on managing clans, professions, and resources very clearly distinguish it from similar titles such Civilization. It has a couple of weak points I'd like to see improved, the AI in particular. But If you like titles that make you think and plan. You will probably enjoy At The Gates.
The amount of content between cards, relics, potions, events, and enemies is staggering and the replay value is through the roof. I believe Slay the Spire has some of the tightest mechanics of any game I’ve played, where everything just works and pieces of its design fit together perfectly. I can’t recommend the game enough for card game or roguelike fans.
From top to the bottom the game is well crafted and designed. The graphics and audio are top-notch and the game's platforming is fun and clever. But it is extremely difficult. I really can't emphasize that point enough. If you like challenging platformers, you're going to adore Chrono Ghost. If you are impatient or get frustrated easily, you're going to hate it.
The game is solid and invokes everything you loved about old school shooters. The co-op is great, the weapons are varied and the game is very challenging, even on the lowest difficulty. The unique death mechanic is a lot of fun and it really affects how you approach the game.
Overall I did enjoy Override, but I think it has a place it excels and it falls a little short outside that place. The game looks good, the combat is fun and the mechs feel like they have weight to them. It's a great game to kick back, order some food and drinks and play with friends.
The game has an old-school arcade addictiveness to it. Every time you die, you tell yourself, one more try and play again, attempting to beat your old high score. It's not packed with carrot-on-stick incentives, slowly feeding you endorphin boosts until the next piece of candy. It's just pure, simple, and fun. It is extremely challenging but fair in its difficulty and keeps you coming back for more.
Sundered is a platformer that I feel will ruin a lot of other platforming games for me. While it's not perfect, it does a lot of things nearly perfect and its visuals keep your eyes entertained while your brain engages with the rest of it. It had some of the repetition fallbacks of other Metroidvania games but is otherwise extremely solid.
Earth Defense Force 5 isn't winning any awards for narrative. It doesn't have a large open world with lots to do, stunning graphics or meticulous details. But it doesn't want those things. It wants to be a shooter with epic battles against goliath sized enemies and make those battles fun. And in that, it passes with flying colors.