Destiny 2 Lightfall was an important expansion for Bungie to get right. Just as faith was being rebuilt with the phenomenal Witch Queen expansion, it’s a shame they couldn’t keep the momentum going. Lightfall feels like a huge step backwards. There is some fun to be had and the changes that have been made to the core formula but it’s not enough and I feel my time with Destiny is about to come to its end unless we see some massive improvements in the coming year.
What a disappointing way to dive in head first into a new series. Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a stain on the history of a franchise that has a pretty solid cult following. While it does feature some decent combat, that alone doesn’t make up for its myriad of issues, such as the lacklustre story, bland world and incredibly poor visuals that look like they are from the PS2 era at the very best. It could have been great if more care had been put into it. As it stands, I just simply cannot recommend it.
DreadOut 2 isn’t necessarily a good game, but it’s got its charms. The combat is clunky and slow, explorations can be needlessly vague, and it’s not graphically impressive to say the least. That being said, it does still have some good ideas that make it somewhat entertaining. If you want to play a low budget horror title, I would highly recommend checking out the original DreadOut first and if you like that give the second one a shot. Otherwise DreadOut 2 doesn’t offer anything terribly interesting.
Godfall is this generation’s very own Ryse: Son of Rome. Beyond the beautiful graphics is a game that has no depth whatsover.
Let me clarify that, whilst Silent Hill: The Short Message wasn’t exactly the kind of game we were all waiting for, it’s not entirely that bad. It’s a mixed bag of a horror experience, with a story which tried to deal with some heavy personal themes (not exactly new ground for the series, mind you), only to fall short in its execution. Regardless, it’s still worth giving a shot. There is stuff to like in here, and let me reiterate the fact that it’s free, and brief. It’s not particularly a risky investment.
The Invincible lacks imagination in its gameplay, which is pretty much walking in a straight line, and fails to capture any potentially interesting mechanics. However, The Invincible‘s compelling narrative, strong themes, and great characters make this an experience well worth playing. If you are a fan of science fiction, this is a must-play, assuming you can get past the lacklustre gameplay.
Payday 3 is a huge step up from the core mechanics of the Payday franchise. The updated gunplay and casing mechanics all come together for a gameplay experience that, as a whole, just feels better. However, it falters at just about everything else. The game is really light on content, progression has been ruined, and the rampant server issues are unacceptable, with the game refusing to work properly even if you want to play by yourself.
Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation is a competent horror title that won’t be for everyone. It’s not traditionally scary, but the engaging premise and structure make it worth seeing. There are quite a few rough edges, but the strong central mystery to unravel makes it worthwhile.
Layers of Fear’s ambition was to bring the whole series into one cohesive package, with some additional content. In concept, the premise was interesting. Unfortunately, as horror titles, they really don’t stand up at all, being completely devoid of any scare factor. Bloober Team just doesn’t make the most of some of the more unique and interesting concepts that pop up throughout.
Once you get over that initial wow factor that Hubris brings in, with one of the most beautiful and detailed worlds in VR to date, it doesn’t offer much else. The combat is shallow, the exploration can be inconsistent, and the story isn’t engaging at all. If all you want is to see what VR is truly capable of on a technical scale, then it might be worth picking up on sale. Or if the updates continue and the game is keeps improving.
It might have a compelling concept, but a good premise just isn’t enough to carry an adventure by itself. The game suffers from really lacklustre visuals and a gameplay loop that just left a lot to be desired by the end of its runtime. A bit disappointing, considering how solid its predecessor was.
Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is a game that shows its age in a ton of different ways: from its rough graphics, janky controls, and bizarre structure. However, it’s a game with charm and it provides a gameplay experience that I don’t think I have ever seen before. It combines action game genres into a fast-paced, janky stealth experience. If you can overlook a lot of its flaws, then I would actually recommend checking it out if it goes on sale.
As a whole, Twilight Zone VR provides three distinctively different experiences that all thematically work together within the same game. However, the game mechanics are far too simple to recommend and VR only barely elevates it into something a bit more playable. Without VR, this simply wouldn’t be a game worth anyone’s time.
Winter Ember is a game I am heavily conflicted on. On one hand it’s an immersive Thief inspired game with tense stealth aspects. On the other hand it’s frustrating to play, thanks to its zoomed in camera and lack of consistency. There’s a lot of potential that was unfortunately wasted in here. If you really want to satiate your Thief hunger, it pains me to say this isn’t the solution. Just play the original and its sequel for the upteenth time…
Godstrike is a passable attempt at a boss rush game. It is certainly a brutal challenge that will take dozens of attempts to get through, but it’s just not a very fun experience. There’s some potential here with the time mechanic not only being your health but also a resource that you need to manage. The problem lies on the lacklustre boss battles, which comprise the entirety of the game’s runtime, however.
Pathfinder Kingmaker isn’t for everyone, and that shows. The complex and deep RPG mechanics mimic those of pen and paper RPGs of old, and the lack of meaningful direction the game gives new players can be off-putting. But if you are familiar with the genre or are willing to put in the time to truly learn this game, it can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Just bear in mind that it’s hard to recommend to console players in its current state.
Hellpoint is a Souls-like game that is actually really close to being good. The black hole mechanic was a noble attempt at adding something unique to this subgenre of games, but it’s not enough to make up for the uninspired level design, framerate issues, boring story and dull combat.
Demon’s Tier + at its best is a decent enough twin stick roguelike to play, as it performs well enough, but doesn’t add anything new to the genre. Its overly repetitive gameplay, uninspired level designs, and lack of interesting mechanics makes it one I’m not going to return to.
Despite some issues, Ereban Shadow Legacy is an entertaining stealth experience that takes a novel concept and pushes it throughout the entire game. Sneaking around in the shadows is always a good time for stealth fans, and this one will certainly satisfy that itch.
Phantom Abyss is an interesting temple runner game that provides fast paced platformer gameplay and an ever escalating level of traps as you move from biome to biome. Despite having interesting ideas that should have spoken to me and my tastes, I didn’t find myself hooked into the game as much as I thought I would. Nothing about it, from its online systems to some of its later levels, did enough to make it worthwhile.