Lee Mehr's Reviews
Though seeming inconsequential on its surface, Nomada Studio's first DLC ranks as a commendable example of subtractive design adding to a greater whole.
As Kratos' coming-of-age prequel, it's rather ironic how Sons of Sparta emulates the antithesis of his character: a Metroidvania unsure about its size, its looks, and even its own voice.
Tarsier Studios' greater scope from past works - presentationally & thematically - leads to both unforgettable moments and unfortunate mechanical setbacks.
From minute tweaks to large siege towers, Wildlight's detail-oriented attitude helps lift Highguard above the usual Hero shooter fare.
“A cold-case detective thriller without genuine detecting” sounds more like a strange joke than proper description for this game. Combine that alongside poor storytelling and shoddy presentation, and it’s sad to say John Morley’s final case ends with a pitiful whimper rather than a bang.
Where certain narrative-heavy games strive to be “cinematic” – sometimes to their own detriment – Fort Solis aims lower: being a generic Netflix miniseries. To think of how Fallen Leaf and Black Drakkar Games were afforded a modest production budget, alongside big-name voice talents, and all they could mustre was a shallow walk-a-thon that’s as meandering and stale as its script.
Taxi Chaos 2 is the kind of sequel that flashes a new paint job while forgetting to fix its flat tires.
Beyond aggravating launch-window bugs (on Xbox) that need to be fumigated, The Berlin Apartment is an underwhelming living space managed by a greedy landlord.
Battlefield 6 is like a company's mea culpa in game form: directly combatting past mistakes, yet never striving past the series' green zone.
An origami-themed puzzle-platformer that's a treat for the eyes, but mechanically crumples under any scrutiny.
Past all of the cringe dialogue and turgid gameplay, perhaps Dustborn’s biggest sin is feeling more like vacuous agitprop than an actual story. Whatever fight against fascism Pax – and by extension Red Thread Games – had in mind, it's an unintentionally hilarious one since her words feel as plastic as her bat.
Even after several updates, Star Wars: Hunters can’t capture the verve nor engagement of other Hero shooter/brawler hybrids. The end result is a surplus of characters, modes, and cosmetics that’s swamped by lacklustre design, aesthetics, and mechanics. For this sub-genre, calling it mediocre feels too generous. For a new-ish Star Wars game, it ranks among the weakest efforts since Disney took over.
For a publisher so eager to revitalise its long-dormant franchise, it’s impressive how Konami’s first shot winds up being a miserable own goal. Even with considering its rare positives, The Short Message’s blunt-force sermonising feels anathema to the series’ core identity. Combine this with game design vacillating between bland or annoying and all that’s left is dingy world design. As a free title, it shares an interesting heritage with P.T.; unlike its precursor’s legacy, it's destined to be forgotten once credits roll.
Through its multi-layered combat tempo and sharp design, Wildgate soars among the best extraction shooters.
By interrogating and reincorporating some of its previous tricks without addressing the fundamental issues, this sequel's more likely to extinguish interest rather than revive it.
Many indie titles have a formal understanding of retro pixel-bit graphics, chiptune soundtracks, and Metroidvania design, but few of them successfully build a nuanced and complete template around said formula. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is one of those rare occasions. For whatever design quibbles may lightly diminish the end result, Pocket Trap has nevertheless crafted one of this year’s best games.
With a simple scoring system, Strange Scaffold turns a polished action template into an improvisational ballet of spent rounds, thrown knives, and exploding barrels at a breakneck pace.
Limited launch content aside, Sloclap's mechanical deviations from the status quo successfully distill the beautiful game's essence.
As the descent continues and outside negative pressure multiplies, Siren's Rest's initial intrigue quickly begins to crack and then subsequently crumples like a soda can.
Lumpy pacing and some odd puzzles aside, Daedalic's adventure can compel anyone to venture down this rabbit hole.