Adam Beck's Reviews
It might be best to put ol' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater out to pasture. It's best to remember what it was, rather than dwell on what it has become.
Onechanbara Z2: Chaos is one of the better entries in the eleven year old series, but that's not saying much. There's a decent level of character customization, relatively fluid swordplay and a ton of fan service to be found.
[W]hile Bound by Flame has heart, it ends up being a forgettable dull experience.
Final Fantasy XIII has its own set of problems, mainly consisting of a mediocre story and incredibly linear progression for the first forty hours, but the poor PC optimization puts it over the top.
There's some fun to be had with LEGO Worlds, but you will need to trudge through a lot of problems to get to it.
I Am Setsuna seems like the perfect game for those missing the Golden Age of Japanese RPGs, but unfortunately it has been painted with a shallow brush.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: Cold Darkness Awakened has a lot of promise, focusing on the strong stealth and puzzle mechanics that made the core game so popular, but unfortunately it fails to leave a lasting impression.
SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow is a visually appealing addition that unfortunately only runs skin-deep. It's an attractive new world that can be developed under your whim, but it doesn't fix any of the core issues SimCity had in the first place, and actually makes them more apparent.
It's hard to follow-up on what Gearbox Software has created over the last two iterations and what The Pre-Sequel brings is nothing short of a letdown. While 2K Australia were able to replicate certain parts of what made the Borderlands series fun, the frequent bugs, dull script, short campaign and repetitive world design will leave fans disappointed.
Risen 3: Titan Lords is a clunky mess of a game that fails to capitalize on the potential it has put forth. While the concept sounds alluring, and it's chock-full of charm, it's weighed down by stodgy design and a lack of polish.
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD contains highly enjoyable combat that's unfortunately limited by its design. The repetitive nature of how the missions are structured damages the overall experience, not to mention it isn't until roughly halfway through the campaign before a meaningful plot is established.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force feels drained of life.
While there were key elements that could be ironed out when it first was released for Nintendo Switch, there's a bevy of underlying issues that has stayed with the core structure.
As Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was the first game I ever reviewed nearly two decades ago, I have had a long and beloved history with Nippon Ichi's franchise, so it breaks my heart to play Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny. The story is bland with few jokes that actually hit, and the cast of characters do not help the cause with uninspired backstories and personalities.
EA Sports UFC 4 is a fun albeit bland fighting game.
Oninaki is a nostalgic throwback to old-school action RPGs such as Secret of Mana and Brave Fencer Musashi that doesn't quite stick the landing.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is an acceptable, albeit dull game that's only held together by the diverse Marvel universe.
State of Decay 2 is an improvement over its predecessor, but it's still held back by a number of technical shortcomings.
Admittedly, I have a soft spot for Star Ocean: The Last Hope, but this is merely a good remaster of a flawed game.
At the end of the day, if you can put up with all of the baggage, and there's a lot of it, you'll find a world worth venturing.