Adam Beck's Reviews
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is one of the most cinematic superhero games ever created.
Stellar Blade delivers masterclass gameplay, spectacular visuals and a compelling universe. It no doubt will draw comparisons to Nier and its successor, but what Shift Up has done is improved upon the formula greatly in creating one of the best action games of the year. The combat will have you engaged from start to finish, and while the story is overly predictable, the beautiful visuals and mesmerizing soundtrack will have you immersed. It does have fatigue when it comes to the open areas and side quests, and there’s a lost opportunity with the location choices, but the main story has been finely crafted into a wondrous adventure that will last over fifty hours. It helps that the side quests help establish the lore of the world and the characters are compelling enough to keep your interest. In the end, Stellar Blade is a must-play.
Resident Evil Revelations 2 is an absolute surprise. While the first game was arguably the best spinoff the series has seen, Revelations 2 steps it up by offering a perfectly suited episodic format.
Despite the lopsided breakup between the two campaigns, the conclusion of Revelations 2 will leave players satisfied with the hope of more bite-sized spin-offs in the series' future.
Most of what made DmC Devil May Cry so enjoyable has been altered; some of it for the better, some for the worse. While the fluid and highly enjoyable combat remain intact, the restructuring of collectibles and scenarios such as the final boss tarnish the experience.
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Judgment is, at least thus far, the best episode Capcom has offered. While Barry's campaign starts off a little mundane, breaking Natalia off to do tedious button mashing tasks, the rest of the episode makes up for it.
For those who missed out on Sleeping Dogs two years ago, the title is correct: this is the definitive version. Unfortunately, those who already visited the compressed streets of Hong Kong will have almost no incentive to go back.
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is purely for the hardcore fans of the series, or newcomers wanting to finally jump in. There's little incentive to upgrade, especially if you played the the Hyper version in late 2012, but if you're looking for a fix of one of the best Warriors games available, then this is best solution.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a nice bite-sized piece of content that will help players get a good grasp on what to expect when The Phantom Pain is released sometime next year. It retains the stealth features hardcore fans have come to enjoy, while at the same time implementing various modern mechanics that will appeal to an even greater audience.
It has been over a decade since the masked hero has graced his own game, but Strider is back and better than ever. Double Helix has done a phenomenal job in bringing the futuristic ninja into the modern day by not only upgrading the visuals while maintaining the two-dimension plane, but adding an addictive and well-constructed progression structure to keep the campaign interesting.
If for some reason you don't have a PC or a Wii U, then the PlayStation 4 version is going to be the best you can get. There's a strong variety of unique puzzles, and with the gorgeous world that can be taken-in, Trine 2 ends up being a luscious adventure.
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King is arguably the best of the Lost Crown Trilogy, but it's not without its faults. The main complaint revolves around the conclusion not having a big pay off, despite sinking ten to fifteen hours into the entire set of quests.
Don't expect Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King to match up to Artorias of the Abyss, but it still offers a surprisingly deep and gratifying experience. While the boss selection is somewhat disappointing and context to why we're in the ancient land of Shulva seems to be missing, the inhabitants and hidden story behind Sinh and Yorgh will keep fans occupied until the rest of the Lost Crowns Trilogy is released.
It feels like a dream seeing Bayonetta on PC, and thankfully, it's no nightmare.
There are few games like Sunset Overdrive. It's a comical, highly diverse shooter that has a strong focus on being fun rather than realistic.
Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition is a beefy port of a great Xbox One game and its decent post-release content. It may come with its own set of issues that could be fixed in future updates, but they matter little if you have the gaming rig to back up.
The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 3 – In Harm's Way is another strong addition into an already compelling universe. While the new setting is shallow and lacks much exploration, it's the phenomenal storytelling and new characters introduced that help compel the player to move forward.
While the season two debut failed to capitalize on the suspenseful tactics Telltale Games was able to integrate in the first season, Episode 2 has fixed that. It's still a bit shorter than what we've grown accustomed to and the zombies feel tacked on rather than an actual story driven threat, but the hour and a half long episode is able to convince us that the drama within the group of survivors is much deeper than first expected.
The PC port of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has its share of issues, but it still gets the nod over its console counterparts. While there are only six different resolutions, it does support native 1080p along with various graphical options that should have fans joyful just how sharp Raiden can look.
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition is a good game wrapped in a great remastered package. Capcom could have just slapped together something with a higher resolution and called it an HD remaster like many are doing, but they elected to actually build upon their seven year old game by adding meaningful content.