Lee Mehr's Reviews
Uppercut Games’ first foray into the post-apocalypse exhibits two rare qualities: a vibrant world and strict adherence to non-combative exploration. What that – unfortunately – translates to is pretty vistas lacking substance and intrigue. Rather ironic for a title named Submerged to have the depth of a wading pool.
The worst quality of North isn’t its obtuse game design, rough visuals, or jumbled storytelling, but rather the self-aggrandisement encompassing it all. Outlands saw an interesting real-world topic and settled on exploring it through a vacuous, insincere art-house demo.
Battlefield Hardline feels like a quintessential example on the pitfalls of spin-offs. Whether between new personnel, tighter schedules, or misaligned goals, what’s left is a mechanically and thematically confused shooter that only sporadically finds a satisfying purpose within the confines of its multiplayer; the campaign, by contrast, just robs the player’s time. No amount of genuine intent can dismiss such inconsistent results. Turn in your badge and your weapon, Visceral Games!
Beethoven & Dinosaur's latest is better at musically capturing perfect moments than narratively or mechanically, which means those highs dissipate when the track stops.
Though Ingame Studios' post-launch support deserves some recognition, Auction House sure as hell isn't worth its opening bid.
Out of the Blue's sequel has a bigger canvas and more colors to play with, but new mistakes diminish the magic such eldritch adventures promise.
As if frostbitten of any nuance, intrigue, or genuine character, Aphelion may just be Don't Nod's most boring title of all time.
Quality presentation can only take a visual novel so far when both its script and choices feel so false.
Iridium Studios' latest album is a conflicting one: a list of solid and middling tracks that does enough to earn considered appreciation, but not stardom.
Wishfully's sequel may top the original in specific respects, but scattershot vision & execution translates to something less than the sum of its parts.
Despite unfortunate launch-window technical issues, Spiders' ambitious shift towards turn-based combat results in a commendable prequel.
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.