More than anything, it’s left me with a wide grin and itchy fingers, and as soon as I’m done here I’ll be jumping right back into the game.
Starlink is a great outing for folks of all ages. The toys are costly but well-made and great fun both in and out of game. Buy it.
Lots to stuff to do and pretty things to look at, but few fresh ideas. Try it.
Shadow stands as near the best version of what it sets out to be. Luddington's finale is a grand one, and well worth it for fans of the series. Even if it can't quite manage to keep all its balls in the air.
A shining example of what exploration-based games can be, dropping many of its franchise's worst traits even while being sometimes held back by the mundane. Buy it.
RDR II's work cycle creates a forgiving system where, no matter what vocation you pick, you can figure out a way to bring in some cash. But it's also an extremely simplified version of the hardships people actually faced in the American wilderness. Even with the simulated elements to contend with, Arthur seems to have inhuman stamina, and a constitution that strains believability, even as it provides a firm foundation for the playspace.
Instead, there's disaster and disappointment at nearly every turn. With a team that wanted to put the effort in, that had the time or the money to build on this, we might have had an interesting game. Every time I was able to sail to a new island or port, I found myself excited. I wanted to probe around and see what wonders the locale held, but every single time my curiosity was met with tedium and mediocrity. I want to think that my eagerness to explore was a sign that there's something interesting about this setting and this world, but now I think I may have been projecting my own hopes onto a broken, buggy lump.
That distinction between the two doesn't retroactively make SimCity a better game. A failure is still a failure. It does, however distinguish a visionary-but-broken game and one that works enough to please an itch without pushing boundaries. Skylines is a merely competent game that's smart enough to let the community innovate for it. All its problems and all its genuine innovation will come from the creative ambition of its players. It's comforting in a way, because with that you feel that you share your struggles with a larger community, but there's still the nagging feeling Cities: Skylines lacks a magic of its own.
As tired as the series can often seem, these games still shine.
Worlds of Magic is the spiritual successor to the 1994 game Master of Magic, but it disappoints even by 1990s standards.
Shadowrun Chronicles is a bad use of the Shadowrun license, and a bad tactical RPG.
Light should be better than it is, but it was doomed from the start. Very few great stories have come from such an uninspired setting, and hiding all empathy and humanity behind a haughty desire for a slick minimalism doesn't help. Light is admirable insofar as its visuals and music create a sharp world with a brilliant artificiality about it. That works, in a way, with its narrative, but it can't stop the whole thing from being just plain boring. You go where you're told and do what you're told even while you're told that the thing you want most is your own freedom. It doesn't make sense on any level.
The Mage's Tale attempts to bring classic PC dungeon crawling into virtual reality, but disappoints at nearly every turn.
Sanctus Reach pits the hardy Space Marines against the fighty Orks in a massive war that’s plagued with issues.
Ashes of the Singularity is a big and bold 4X strategy game, but if you’re looking for much beyond scale, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
Mercenaries is a disappointing expansion to last year's Galactic Civilizations III that limits your freedom on the battlefield.
As time went on, I didn't get the sense that I was becoming better at the game so much as I was smashing my head into walls until they relented. And that's a shame because Grand Ages has so much potential, and it does one thing--trade--really well. But there's nothing to support that core, and the more you play, the more you run into roadblocks.
Anno 2205 wears a distant future sci-fi aesthetic, but does nothing of substance or import with the premise.
Project CARS 2 offers an incredible drive in spite of technical issues and broken AI.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a classical RPG brought to PC with some exceptional moments, though it's dragged down by a brutal difficulty curve.