Ryan Meitzler's Reviews
I don't think it's overstating it that players should definitely go bananas over the Switch version of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Clementine and her group may face uncertainty and (most certainly) death around every corner in The Walking Dead, but in its newest episode Telltale Games ensures that players will face a tense, thrilling ride for the rest of Season Two that will have us only looking forward, with no chance to look back.
Likewise, the season-long trial for Gared Tuttle to discover the fabled "North Grove" detailed by his family also comes to its conclusion, with its end in particular providing plenty of promise and airs of spectacle. While Gared's storyline was never in particular one of my favorites in the series – given its heavy resemblance to that of Jon Snow's in the television series – the finale provides some great closure in Gared's story, despite his action having been so secluded from the rest of the Forrester clan in comparison. Despite some of the more uneven aspects of the series as a whole – its mixed visual style and its sometimes over reliance on recreating events similar to the original television series – "The Ice Dragon" proves to be a finale as satisfying as much as it is incredibly bloody and heartbreaking in many ways. Though Game of Thrones' experience wasn't always at the level of some of Telltale's previous efforts like The Walking Dead or this year's Tales from the Borderlands, Episode 6 brings the Forrester's tale to a close, but leaves more than a few loose ends to clearly suggest that their tale may be able to continue for additional seasons. Even though winter is coming, it's clear that the Forrester's tale of vengeance and redemption is just beginning.
The prospects of taking on a character with such a varied and diverse range of work like Batman is surely one that is daunt: how do you take a hero like Batman and make him feel new again? For the large part, Telltale Games’ Batman series finds more of a middle-ground (much like the studio’s games) between the old and the new for the Dark Knight. With engine improvements and the episodic gameplay we’ve come to know from Telltale Games, Batman provides a vision of Gotham and the Caped Crusader that’s at once familiar and unexpected (with some big twists I didn’t see coming), and shows that new stories with the Dark Knight of Gotham don’t have to be relegated to the shadows.
Like its name implies, “Ties That Bind” and its two-part premiere serves as an excellent introduction to The Walking Dead: A New Frontier that establishes a world for both longtime players and new players alike. Players bound by their emotional connection to Clementine and several other characters from the first two seasons will find much to enjoy from catching up with them and what their new state in this post-apocalyptic world are like, while the season promises many new experiences – both heartbreaking and otherwise – to explore in this wild new frontier with plenty of new choices to make, decisions to act on, and a whole new world to take in.
Aside from those few stumbles, “City of Light” overall succeeds as an action-packed finale to Batman: The Telltale Series and Telltale’s vision of the Batman universe. Though I’ve known all (or at least most) of these characters for the better part of decades, the fact that Telltale’s finale made me want to continue seeing more of Bruce Wayne/Batman, Catwoman, Harvey Dent, and its numerous familiar faces speaks well on Telltale’s careful mix of the old and new when it comes to Batman. As the episode concludes with a reveal of what may come in a potential second season, the days of crimefighting for Bruce Wayne and Batman are clearly far from over, and based on what Telltale has offered with wrapping up Batman: The Telltale Series, I’ll be waiting for more.
Though the 3DS version falls short in a number of ways from being the definitive way to play Dragon Quest VIII, the newly-portable version of the title is still, nevertheless, an excellent way to experience an excellent RPG despite its few technical shortcomings. More than anything the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to a title that, even after a decade after its release, still plays remarkably well and manages to put a smile on my face. Dragon Quest VIII was charmingly old-school even back when it released in 2005, but like the best and timeless stories, the 3DS version shows that this story has only gotten better with age.
With an expanded world and deeper systems, Metro Exodus breaks out of the tunnels without losing the series' signature survival elements.
In the first episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season since the end of Telltale Games, Clementine's journey picks back up towards an emotional finale.
With the final chapter bringing Telltale and Skybound's series to a close, Clementine's story comes to a bittersweet and emotional finale.
In the series' third chapter, Life is Strange 2 delivers its best episode yet that touches on Sean and Daniel finding themselves in the wild.
With fast-paced, unpredictable gameplay, Killer Queen Black is a must-play multiplayer experience that breaks out from its arcade roots.
In its final chapter, Life is Strange 2 delivers a gripping finale that is unafraid to delve into some deep, politically-relevant issues.
Even though Hotline Miami 2 asks much of what the original title asked of players, specifically if they "liked hurting people," the tough questions and even harsher consequences made me want to keep looking, even if it was unbearable and uncomfortable to do so at times.
Though its long-term ability to survive has yet to be seen, in the short run that this first-person shooter has been out in the wild, it's already proven itself as a beast of a different color, and one that certainly will provide thrills and the joy of the hunt for anyone looking to stare right back at it.
But, by the end of Episode 1 of Life is Strange, the game at the very least also proves that life is filled with rewarding challenges and beautiful moments, even if they fade like a weathered old photograph.
The first episode of the game series is a finely crafted adventure game adaptation — it's a good blade with a few imperfections, but with some polish and sharpening, it will be keen as a blade in the night.
Standing next to titles like Titanfall or Call of Duty in a genre that's even more crowded, it may not be the next "big" shooter to take online multiplayer by storm -– and it probably never will. But, with more than enough fun unique twists than several other shooters by comparison, it's assured that this game easily stands apart from the crowd — whether it's the brain-munching kind or not.
The title is certainly not without its faults with fairly simple gameplay and puzzle-solving, and a sometimes over-reliance on historical facts and pop-up text to describe its WWI-inspired world. Yet, like the greatest feats and tales of the first World War, this tale, though difficult to witness at times, is nonetheless an important and great one for the ages.
As players have been at Clementine's side since the first season, this episode is proof that things for Clementine and the group may be dire, but there's always the chance of a new beginning.