GameZone's Reviews
Firewatch is truly more about the journey, than it is the destination. In the end, I didn't care all that much about the mystery being solved, however, I did care about Henry's overall progression. You not only feel for this character, but you more or less are this character.
There is no denying that Twilight Princess HD, despite it's new HD moniker, is a dated game. Now whether those dated mechanics are a pro or a con is certainly subjective. Much of the gameplay mechanics we take for granted like waypoints are really nowhere to be found here. On the flipside, those who like the challenge of exploring the world themselves and discovering where to go next, will certainly love to return to this darker Hyrule to get lost in it all over again.
I had a blast with Alienation, and if you have friends willing to invest to play it with, you'll have a ton more on top of that. The loot system is appreciated as well as the various ways to progress your character and your gear. Yet another top notch game from Housemarque under their belt. Now we just wait to see whether Matterfall ever see the light of day, whatever that game is.
Gravity Rush Remastered is a damn fine example of thinking outside of the box when it comes to traditional 3D platformers, and I'm super glad that both Sony and Bluepoint gave PS4 owners the ability to experience the game, if they were previously unable to.
Batman Arkham Knight: Season of Infamy plays out a little differently than expected, but at the end of the day, $10 for the DLC is worth it. Batgirl was $ 7 and it only lasted an hour and we were confined to a new area. At least, in Season of Infamy we are free to the huge open world of Gotham which at times could have you getting sidetracked. The villains, new locations and 2008 Bat suit are the main highlights of the DLC.
Without factoring in that other versions of Minecraft recently received a big update, Minecraft: Wii U Edition doesn't feel like a definitive experience in its current form. The worst of it is the negligence in connection with the GamePad: what should have been the star incentive for investing in this version, doesn't serve as a strong enough draw. Especially considering that this version is $10 more than other console iterations, it can leave players (experienced or otherwise) feeling shortchanged. Yes, it wasn't without reason, but that reason isn't entirely satisfying to make peace with.
FAST Racing Neo is the love child of F-Zero and Ikaruga, that was in turn raised by Cruis'n USA. I can't think of an arcade racer in the last two decades that could touch this game. I controlled a sexy futuristic car as I raced at high speeds, avoided giant spider mechs and sandworms, and used boost to go supersonic and smash through a giant asteroid. Sounds awesome, I know, but that's only because it is.
Rodea the Sky Soldier is not without its annoying flaws, and it's certainly no Mario Galaxy, but it serves as a fitting swan song for the dearly departed Wii. It's a game that embodies everything great about the Wii, taking a simple concept and running with it, bringing us a unique and fun game.
I went in not really wanting to play Far Cry Primal, or at the very least, not enjoying it. However, I was pleased that Ubisoft Montreal didn't simply copy their formula from their other games, and paste it into a Stone Age setting. A lot of the mechanics are updated and refined, and frankly, just make a whole lot more sense given the time period.
Six months ago, console and PC fans were treated to a six-game collection of the original NES Mega Man games. You know, the ones you might have played as a kid, that strengthened your resolve and made you the amazing gamer you are today. Or, on the flipside, made you rage at your NES, resulting in thrown controllers and NES carts. Whatever childhood memories you have of Mega Man, there's no denying that it took the platforming world by storm with an intense difficulty, and some kickass music.
Difficult games are fun, and we're all capable of accepting a decent amount of challenge, but Tharsis seems to teeter on the edge of "I can figure this out eventually if I try hard enough" and "YOU STUPID DICE, WHY DO YOU KEEP ROLLING ONES AND TWOS!?" Luck plays a bit too heavily into the whole concept.
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is yet another fine example of what Koei Tecmo can do with their standard Warriors formula, and tweak it just enough so it works for a completely separate licenced property.
With loads of new features, XCOM 2 turns out to be another hit out of the park. It's obviously not a game for everybody due to sheer difficulty alone, but anybody with the patience to learn should be pleased with the love and attention put into this title.
In the end, The Deadly Tower of Monsters was not very good. A funny game still needs to be fun to play and this game wasn't. It felt like a bunch of guys got together with a good joke and tried to fit a video game under it without any real game design experience. There really was potential in the storytelling, but it fell flat when the journey between joke A and Joke B was peppered with thoughts of shutting the game off out of boredom.
I'm a little confused whether Pokken Tournament is meant for a casual crowd, a hardcore crowd, or perhaps even both. The mechanics are simple enough for anyone to simply pick up and play, and potentially master, but the game does seem to have some slight nuances to give it an edge in the competitive space. Considering Pokken Tournament is already schedule to headline EVO 2016, it seems that both Nintendo and Bandai Namco are considering the game to certainly be competitive enough to appeal to the hardcore fighting game market. However, my time with it didn't really showcase that, at least not on that level.
Armello doesn't completely replicate the feeling of tabletop games, but it's a nice alternative to play with friends who may be long distance. The spirit of tabletop gaming is there, even if all of the designs aren't.
As you could see from the previous page, there isn't a whole lot to dislike about Popcap's latest foray into flora versus the undead. It takes the core foundations from the previous game, such as the tight controls, and great gunplay, and adds a plethora of layers on top of that, with the inclusion of more modes, a solo option for us loners, and even more classes to play as.
It seems as though Capcom primarily targeted the hardcore, competitive Street Fighter players, rather than casual fans, like myself. While I'll certainly delve online here and there, I'm not nearly good enough to go up against the hardcore SF players that occupy that space on a daily basis. That's why I was really hoping for some other modes to keep me occupied in the meantime. Sure, Survival is the game's single player bread and butter, but without standard modes like Arcade mode, or even something as basic as a Versus CPU option, it seems like Street Fighter V is seriously lacking in content, for a game that retails at full price, with a promise of more content in the future.
Set a game in a sterile underground facility, give the player physics-based powers and a first-person view, and it can be hard to stand out from the crowd of games inspired by Portal. Make it a tie-in to the Heroes Reborn television series and you're just piling on the red flags.
LEGO Marvel's Avengers is easily one of TT's best attempts as both a LEGO title, and a licensed one. It's proof that TT understands both the LEGO properties and whatever licensed property they're tackling at any given time.