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The game's successes as a continuation of Gears of War's narrative falter in the face of stubbornly archaic gameplay.
It lacks for the two things Destiny has never been short on from day one: personality and imagination.
Even when the stories drop the ball, the allegories make them invaluable parables for this year in particular.
In a world of all-too similar platformers, Hue is a literal palette cleanser.... We may never be sure that we're seeing the same blue, but it's hard to imagine anyone not being entertained by Hue.
Checkpoints are frequent and the Game Over message keeps comically cycling between nostalgic pleas to “Insert Coin” or puns based on your method of death (“Kentucky Fried Pilot” if blown up, “What the Hell?” upon burning alive). These grim jokes serve to reassure players that Rive knows exactly what it's emulating (“Cool, a rising lava level” and “That AI activated my auto-scroller somehow!”), and that each scenario, no matter how ludicrous, is beatable.
Players are offered no real choices within this tersely edited walking simulator, and yet the contemplative nature of the game keeps things feeling unusually satisfying. That’s because you’re given the imaginative freedom to engage with what they’re seeing, more so than in Dear Esther, such that the game feels like an interactive studio tour through a detective’s dreams.
These are moments of impressive beauty and joy, moments blessedly unsullied by ReCore's technical lethargy.
Fans know exactly what they're getting from Phoenix Wright, and Spirit of Justice doesn't disappoint.
This is a game that's content to let players do only one thing: kill a hell of a lot of Titans.
Mankind Divided feels torn, and not just between the story-centric campaign and gameplay-focused Breach.
The first game in this series since 2010 offers a no-frills story mode that echoes the arcade experience.
Movement here isn't just treated as a necessity of the gameplay, but as an expression of joy and healing.
The game comes down to the indisputable truth that, when it comes to space travel, the journey is everything.
The game fails to satisfy the natural urge to explore a three-dimensional realm of seemingly endless possibilities.
Africa and its people are, essentially, exotic props in this game, with no humanity or purpose.
Ghost Town Games avoids the flavorless death known as repetition, and doesn't overcook the game's premise.
The Solus Project benefits from the fact that you can't just shoot your way out of a bad situation.
The dialogue, mere filler between bouts, is more entertaining than the combat that’s meant to be the game’s focus.
It refuses to treat your protagonist's quest seriously, which in turn undermines the serious gameplay.
This series reboot fails to replicate the cleanness of the original games’ racing mechanics.