Dustin Murphy's Reviews
Whatever it was, I really wish they had taken more time with their game; to truly get a feel for what people enjoyed about games like God of War, Dark Souls, and even Jade Empire. Unfortunately, until the game’s shortcomings are taken care of, I just can’t recommend this one and believe me, in the 15 hours I spent playing it, I really wanted to like it, but just couldn’t do so.
Whether it's the fact the game truly feels like a pick-up-and-go title where crafting is left on a timer, the areas of exploration where paywalls feel like they existed, or the really shoddy gearing system, Vampire's Fall: Origins, is one that could have benefited from an overhaul before being ported.
With a lack of tutorials, a rather limited library of craftable items, this is a hard title to recommend, even to the hardcore of survival fans, which is a shame to say, as I had a lot of hope for one such title, which slowly reveals its story through moments of rest in a camp. Sadly, I think Black Forest Games should head to the drawing board, plan something new, and use the shortcomings of Fade to Silence to make a truly memorable title we'll be talking about for years to come.
The only downside to the game should be clear: It’s a budget title. It’s one that’s meant to be a pick-up-and-go experience. It shows with only two tables, a handful of customizations, and a somewhat uninspired story. However, it’s hard not to admit, the game feels right at home on the Switch and it goes to show, perhaps, this is the best place to play a Senran Kagura game.
This isn’t one to just rule out if you decide to go for it, the adventure itself is creepy, unsettling, and truly one I wish I could have enjoyed more than I did. Ultimately, it was let down by performance issues, a lack of variety in gameplay elements, and its overreliance on “search and obtain” mechanics. While there are a few amazingly designed puzzles, this is not one I can say will really pop out and draw you in.
It’s not a game you will want to burn through in a single session, which while it sounds tempting, isn’t near as tempting as it might seem, isn’t beneficial and only will lead to some mildly induced irritation the further in you get.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot to try and take in with a half-baked DLC, which for what it’s worth to someone who loves a challenge, enjoyed because of the challenge. The gear itself has made tremendous improvements to my experience outside the DLC itself, forcing me to reconsider trying out a second playthrough at a later date, but the V.B.S. Krakow is only worth visiting the once, even for those hoping to really tear through its hull a few times over.
In its current state, even as an 8-bit enthusiast who loves a good Contra or Ninja Gaiden Style challenge if its put before me, I can't recommend Oniken: Unstoppable Edition despite the amount of content that it actually has to offer and the fact it's an absolutely beautiful game.
Sadly, Vigor is simply a pick up and go title, one you’ll probably play when you’re waiting on downloads to finish or simply waiting on your train, Uber, Lyft, or mode of transportation to arrive at your stopping point. Even with how intense matches can be, they’re not always guaranteed to be intense and it’s a real damn shame as the game has a lot of potential to really knock things out of the ballpark this time around.
Overall, for its price, World War Z isn’t an unfair package as a title of its kind. With the ability to add more content later, repair its unbalanced multiplayer, and hopefully deliver an experience worth undertaking in the future. In its current state, it’s just a short-lived experience without any longevity to it.
When it comes to wrapping up a title like The Caligula Effect: Overdose, it’s hard not to be left with a sense of mixed feelings about the game. Many of the PlayStation Vita’s fundamental issues remain such as inconsistent storytelling elements, gameplay issues (repetition), and rather stiff character animations. A part of me wonders if it was the fact that it is a PlayStation Vita port, just using a brand new engine to bring it up to speed, or if this was in fact – an intentional design choice at the end of the day.
Poison Control is not a game you’ll be writing home about. It’s instead, a game that you’ll talk to your friends about in passing. It’s silly, it’s goofy, and it should be approached as a light novel that does have its moments of shooter-based gameplay. The biggest change that needs to happen is more depth to the gameplay and more depth to the game’s overall level design.
There’s one thing I have to make clear: This game isn’t trying to break one’s expectations. It’s a profoundly, if not perfectly average game that comes off as one of those very experiences. Fortunately, it’s a great way to approach the game. It’s not going to go over the top, it’s not going to attempt to fight with other games in a competitive stance.
While the small emotional ties to Sadness and Marianne only grow more complex towards the end, and the small performance hiccups and graphical bugs occur from time to time, The Medium is a strong title that – to some – will ultimately be held back due to awkward camera angles and the split duality emphasized by the use of split-screen gameplay to represent both the spirit world and that of the physical world.
For better or for worse, this is what we had hoped the came could have been nine years ago only to re-emerge in modern times in order to give us the experience we wanted while exploring the lands of Dalentarth.
Fatal Fury First Contact is no stranger to the fighting arena as a Neo Geo release. However, in modern times, age does begin to show behind the veil of nostalgia.
There is still room for improvement, which includes a quicksave system in case you have to take off and go. It also leaves room for the want to see more of it such as a Time Attack mode or other little additions to it. If that’s not your cup of tea and you want a truly retro experience, well, here you go.
Overall, GreedFall is a step in the right direction for Spiders and I hope to see them continue delivering the messages that they do, that they don’t stop being as creative as they are, and venture forth once more unto the breeches of astonishingly well done audiovisual designs.
"While our review has seemingly been more about the bad than good, it's because you know what you are getting into with a Borderlands title, and as someone who has struggled with the series in the past, I had certainly hoped that a third try would be the charm, which it has been - once you begin dusting off the New Game+ content, which is where the true meat of the game actually is."
Unfortunately, with a semi-dead multiplayer, very few people to play Cooperative mode with, you'll find that your enjoyability is slim pickings, but if you can enjoy it the way you would any single player game, then Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is right up your alley and remains one of the best sniper-focused games on the market.