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Q*Bert Rebooted isn't without potential; it has a lot of content and some of the new ideas are solid. Unfortunately, any potential is squandered by an overlong campaign and a control scheme that often feels broken. Not being able to reliably move in diagonal directions makes certain levels near impossible. Q*Bert deserves better.
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales simply fails to deliver. It's probably a better experience on PC, but should be generally avoided on console without some updates to the controls and stability of the game. It doesn't take long to finish, at least I don't think so - a handful of hours to the final level. So at least it has that going for it.
XEL looks great on the surface, but unfortunately it has too many bugs and technical issues to warrant recommending it to anyone. The framerate drops and slow-loading zone transitions alone can cause some frustrations, but add in an uncontrollable camera that is overly distant from the action, difficult to detect enemies, and terrain that is easy to get stuck to - forcing you to reload from your last save point, and you have a game that is near unplayable in its current state. Patches may resolve these issues, but as of right now XEL is too frustrating to fully enjoy.
I had a lot of high expectations for Dolmen, considering the premise and gameplay genre. Unfortunately, it botches just about every aspect of being a Souls-like game. There were many concerns that I could look past in the demo, but are inexcusable in a full release. Not only are the technical mechanics poorly implemented with inaccurate hitbox detection and animations, the artificial difficulty and long spans of nothingness make the game frustrating for all the wrong reasons.
I didn't think it was possible but the Resident Evil games have gotten as loud, dumb and tiresome as the Resident Evil movies. Overcomplicated mechanics, a confusing, schizophrenic campaign split four ways and a ridiculous plot that doesn't just break suspension of disbelief but blends it into a smoothie make Resident Evil 6 a real chore to get through.
Make War's bizarre alien interference on historic battlefields gameplay is fun on several levels, but the interface is broken beyond any level of acceptability. With a great concept and super-sticky gameplay, this game is likely incredibly addictive on PC. But due to poor implementation on Switch, you'll get frustrated and quit before you experience the game's many simple pleasures.
The Piano could be a decent noir mystery but for now it needs a lot of work. Clunky gameplay, numerous graphical bugs and extremely poor optimization are holding this game back from telling its intriguing tale of murder and madness.
I almost feel amiss even giving this game a score. But then again I feel the same about even calling it a game. It's an $11 demo. You'll be hard pressed to stretch your total playtime past half an hour. The worst part of it is that it's actually pretty good, but as soon as the story feels like the prologue is over and it's time to take off, you get kicked right to the title screen and it's all over.
Q.U.B.E. 2 is a puzzle solver's dream in a gamer's nightmare. There are dozens upon dozens of simplistic button and jump puzzles to complete over a five-hour time span.
While I celebrate the attempt, The First Class VR suffers from poor design choices, a user interface that will prove difficult for novices, and a disjointed and shallow presentation of one of the most significant technological developments of mankind.
Stifled is a stealth horror game that brings its own flair to the genre by using echolocation to see in the dark. The player has to use their own voice to see, but also must be cautious to avoid attracting the attention of creatures hiding in the void. Stifled has a truly unique core gameplay mechanic that is both interesting and nerve-racking, but it seems underutilized throughout the game. The repetitive design of the levels minimizes the horror impact of the gameplay, and the lack of diversity and AI in the monsters leaves much to be desired. At a $20 price tag, the game felt more like an overpriced proof-of-concept juxtaposed with a completely unrelated story rather than a full-fledged horror experience.
Unless you've already bought this as part of a season pass, don't waste your money on Curse of Osiris until Bungie actually changes direction, and I'm not talking about executing their proposed changes which painfully miss the mark yet again. The base game of Destiny 2 is a great shooter for 50-60 hours of solid content on your first play through of a redemptive story. But there is no endgame to keep going beyond that and there isn't anything packaged into this DLC than enhances that initial experience. At this point, if you're desperate for a looter/shooter then either fire up Destiny 1 again, watch Anthem videos on YouTube and hope for a brighter Q4 2018, or else maybe go give the Division a chance. It had a dumpster fire launch but can be had on the cheap now and I hear it's become a very good game in its current state.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 will go down as one of the biggest screw ups in video game history. EA and DICE had the easiest job in the world and completely ruined it with the absolutely ridiculous and downright unacceptable progression system for multiplayer. Combine that with the incredibly boring, lazy, and cliche story campaign and you easily have the biggest disappointment of 2017.
Randall's gameplay comes up short, but offers a distinct style. However, the controls and repetitve combat prevent this title from ever feeling gelled together. Although the art and music are the standout portion of this game, it's not enough to distract from a flawed experience.
The Golf Club 2 could have been a non-sponsored, better priced game as an alternative to the full-pro games out there, but it really needs a good shakedown to be a valid option. A better swing system, a better putting system, and an overall touch-up to the aesthetics (crowd, graphics issues, player) would make this a viable alternative to sponsored games costing 20-30 dollars more but have a fancy name on the cover.
Pixel Night makes a brave foray into the exploration genre that doesn't quite pan out in the end due to detached storytelling and repetitive mechanics. If you're a dedicated adventure game player, Empathy: Path of Whispers will offer little challenge, except maybe in the way of overcoming boredom. It is, at the end of the day, a walking simulator that knows exactly what it wants to be, but falls a few steps short of actually being it.
A good story with good cinematics held captive by terrible performance and bad gameplay. There are some good narrative moments in The Dwarves, but they aren't worth suffering through the game. Just read the book its based on.
In Between is full of poetic metaphors and beautiful visual storytelling, but is so bogged down by the awkward and imprecise gameplay that it's hard to enjoy playing it, even if you appreciate its artistic value.
Umbrella Corps has no clue what it wants to be, and that translates into a frustrating, confounding experience. Tiny maps, wildly unbalanced gameplay and a general lack of polish and focus makes this one Resident Evil entry that you’re better off avoiding.
One Piece: Romance Dawn has some potential, but the long drawn out cut-scenes and lack of difficulty in the combat drags it down. Every level feels like it’s five to ten minutes of wandering around and fighting, then the same amount of time with the cut-scenes. Unless you’re a huge One Piece fan, you might want to think twice before picking this one up. It’s not terrible, but it definitely has its flaws.