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Jonathan Bolding


48 games reviewed
77.5 average score
80 median score
68.8% of games recommended

Jonathan Bolding's Reviews

Jon Bolding is a critic, writer, and streamer with a background in literary criticism and theory. This only sometimes enters his work on games. He sidelines in tabletop game reviews, including a specialization in roleplaying games. He currently edits, writes, and streams full time for The Escapist.
Nov 15, 2013

While the story is good fun, and the mechanical conceits awesome, Contrast's puzzles just aren't as hard as they need to be

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Nov 17, 2013

While Crimson Dragon may lack a certain level of polish or depth, it's certainly above average.

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Jan 14, 2014

The hand-drawn visuals, interesting combat, and epic story mean The Banner Saga is crafted from flawless pieces - even if the final product is a little rough.

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Jan 19, 2014

Blackguards has its up and downs, but at $40 for 40 or more hours of good gameplay, it's hard to beat.

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Feb 5, 2014

What's here is undoubtedly high quality, but some may find themselves just wanting more of the game. It's a blessing and a curse.

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Though it fails to innovate in an engaging way, the base on which Tropical Freeze is built is solid as a glacier.

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Apr 23, 2014

If you had fun with the first NES Remix, then consider this one too. It's better.

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May 14, 2014

The core is the same as ever, but this is kart racing at its finest.

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Jun 10, 2014

A solid, accessible city builder, Tropico 5 gets out of the way and lets you have the fun you came for without pissing around in fiddly details.

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Super Smash Bros. for Wii U delivers hour after hour of fun fighting game play, even if you hate fighting games.

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Dec 16, 2014

Endless Legend is a lovely game with deep strategy that's a singular pleasure to play, but can sometimes disappoint you in finer details. Know that if you're never going to play multiplayer, you're not getting the whole experience - so bring a friend.

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Majora's Mask holds up well, and even if it isn't as near-perfect as Ocarina, the comforting improvements make it more than worth your time.

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This game preaches to the choir - the hunting faithful will love it, everyone else, maybe not.

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Mar 9, 2015

The finest city builder in over a decade, Cities: Skylines's few flaws are so minor I only noticed them after hours of enjoyment.

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It innovates from prior games in the series, and is undeniably fun, but Galactic Civilizations III isn't the clear leader in a packed genre.

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May 26, 2015

It shouldn't be as good as it is... but who am I to deny something this inkredible?

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Jun 21, 2015

The core gameplay of Arkham Knight is nearly flawless, and most players won't even notice my problems with story or dialogue.

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To some players it's going to feel like a handful of aesthetic features, but once you use the new mechanics After Dark draws you deeper into making your own little world.

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Oct 12, 2015

If you're in the mood for some N64 era platforming held to modern standards, or have a bad-at-platformers partner to tag along, Woolly World is just what the doctor ordered.

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Nov 30, 2015

An accessible ambassador for its genre, Xenoblade Chronicles X makes good choices building a world, but stumbles on writing you a guidebook to it.

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