Ryan Meitzler's Reviews
Aside from some slight tonal inconsistencies and story deviations, "Amid the Ruins" does still maintain the great quality of The Walking Dead with a number of tense scenes and overall building toward the final outcomes of the season. With some action setpieces that put the group into peril in the face of looming threats like the imminent snow, and leading up to a conclusion with an enormous and devastating cliffhanger, it still manages to put many pieces into play, despite some noticeable shortcomings in terms of its character development.
It's another wacky, wonderful adventure in the world of Borderlands, and though this title may take us to somewhere new and unseen, there are still a few sights that may be a bit familiar to fans — though don't let that stop you from taking a trip to the moon.
While some parts of Luigi's Mansion may be beginning to show their wear, by and large the game is still just as much of a quirky, experimental romp as it was 17 years ago and a completely fun experience for players new and old to enjoy. Releasing just in time for Halloween, Luigi's Mansion captures the essence of the season in a delightfully creepy way that will make it enjoyable for younger players, while also giving older players a chance at rediscovering the GameCube cult classic. With Luigi's Mansion 3 on the way for Nintendo Switch next year, 3DS owners now have the ability to play the series' first two titles in one place, and even though it has a few blemishes, Luigi's Mansion is still worth a return trip…just don't mind some of the residents while you visit.
As an installment that mostly revolves around setting up Clementine and her group for a dramatic confrontation that would have unfolded in the next two episodes, Episode 2 of The Final Season doesn't quite deliver the same thrills that the first episode of the season provided, but is still an entirely worthy entry in the story so far. However, the question now is what “the story so far” really looks like.
While ten years later it's not a shining example of open-world design, Red Faction: Guerrilla on Nintendo Switch is still a blast to play.
I enjoy catching hundreds of Pokémon and collecting gym badges as the next person, but I wouldn't mind more diversions from the main Pokémon series if they come packed with as much hilarity and oddball humor that Detective Pikachu provided me at my side.
Though some of the series' weaker aspects are unlikely to go away any time soon like some of its technical and visual shortcomings, the deeper focus on characterization and the relationships that players will build between Star-Lord and the rest of the Guardians is one I deeply look forward to exploring in the coming episodes. Telltale nailed the look of Guardians of the Galaxy in the first two installments, and with Episode 2 they're finally getting a little closer to nailing the heart of it.
Telltale took a big risk when it comes to setting players inside a fresh season of The Walking Dead with a new protagonist and different focus. And the developer has, for the most part, succeeded in providing an interesting new roster of characters but without losing The Walking Dead's strong writing and characterization. However, "Above the Law's" weakness in terms of moving the narrative forward is noticeable, especially with only two episodes left in the season. Hopefully we'll get a satisfying sense of where the season is heading before it's over.
While it may mark a slight bump in the road, Episode 4 nonetheless still offers plenty of great action and suspense that builds on what has been offered so far, and with only episode to go I’m still looking forward (more than ever) to see where the path leads in the finale to Bruce and Batman’s story.
With one more episode in the Adventure Pass to go, “Access Denied” marks another solid entry for Minecraft: Story Mode. While there’s not much of an indication of where the story will head off next, hopefully the events of Episode 7 will allow Minecraft: Story Mode to build towards a satisfying, thrilling finale.
As a sidestory in the matter of all things The Walking Dead, “Something to Fear” brings some needed improvements to the series’ pace while also adding some truly action-packed decisions needing to be made, bolstered by the continually strong presence of Michonne as the miniseries’ main character. However, The Walking Dead: Michonne continues to suffer in other ways with a supporting cast that doesn’t quite measure up to the same level or quality as Michonne, and a story that cuts deep with tension, but still feels like it could use a little bit more heft in its impact.
Yoshi’s New Island may bring a more relatively easy experience to more hard-pressed Nintendo fans, but its pastel charms and colorful spirit shouldn’t be off-putting to anyone. What it may lack in technical and gameplay innovation, it more than makes up for in creativity and charm – it would be hard for even the most sour-faced Nintendo fan to not crack a smile and want the best for Yoshi and Baby Mario to make it to safety. Yoshi may not be Mario, but he stills gives plenty a reason for gamers to take a trip to his own little paradise in Yoshi’s New Island, even if it’s just for a day-trip.
Down to the 8-bit music and classic themes from each title, Ultimate NES Remix brings you back to the good old days (either in a good or bad way), its frantic mini games and love of Nintendo new and old absolutely being worth the blast from the past.
As a crossover between two of the more beloved alternative Mario adventures coming together as one, it truly feels like the paper mâché of the spin-off Mario RPG titles. Not all of its elements stick together entirely or fit nicely, but Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam still gets by with a lot of heart and humor to boot.
Even if we don't know quite where all the pieces will be falling in to place for Jesse, Petra, and the other crew members we have been following as they assemble the Order of the Stone. The blueprint for their journey is at least becoming a little clearer, and seeing how everything comes together may just be the most exciting part of the puzzle.
There's a clear set-up for more stories to be told with Faith and the runners of Glass with Mirror's Edge Catalyst, and while it isn't quite as shiny and perfect as the city of Glass, hopefully in due time we'll get to see more from Mirror's Edge and experience the series at its full, untapped potential. Though it trips itself up occasionally with combat and a lackluster story, at a full run few games can catch up to Mirror's Edge for pure exhilaration and Catalyst is more than ready for the race.
While Jurassic World Evolution sometimes can be a bit unwieldy from the number of systems it is balancing at once, Frontier Developments mostly finds a nice middle ground in Evolution between depth and accessibility. As long as I get a few moments to zoom down in and marvel at the wonder of dinosaurs now and then, I'd give careful consideration to endorsing this park.
In the same way that Counter-Strike‘s early days led to it dominating the competitive scene and Minecraft‘s years of beta access led to it becoming a game that defined a generation, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds isn't necessarily the first “battle royale” game out there, but it is the one that's leading the charge on making players fight to survive, and it's thrilling in every way.
Coming into its release, it would have been easy to give The Evil Within 2 a pass based on the reception of the previous game, and I don't necessarily blame those that might have been let down by The Evil Within for not entirely living up to its lofty expectations. And yet, though The Evil Within 2 might be a different flavor of survival horror this time around, I hope that those willing to give it a chance will be more likely to enjoy its taste.
Telltale has noticeably struggled in the past with the episodes leading into their season finales in previous titles, though by-and-large Episode 4 of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier manages to deliver some deep character moments and development while anchored by a tense conclusion that sets up its last episode for a big finish. Though some aspects of the episode may leave fans wanting a bit more, "Thicker Than Water" shows that family is just as much the root of some problems as much as it is the answer for them. Of course, the bigger question is how many of the Garcia clan makes it to the end remains to be seen, but the answers will be devastating either way.