Birth. Movies. Death.'s Reviews
inkle has two Sorcery! books down and two more to go. If there's anything to complain about it would be the wait between installments- the third book (The Seven Serpents) can't get here fast enough.
Continue?9876543210 asks big questions, whether direct or hinted. It doesn't provide answers, but perhaps that's the point. You see what you want to see.
No, The Banner Saga hasn't reached its destination yet, but again: it's all about the journey.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch's back half wouldn't be so disappointing if the front wasn't so wacky and enjoyable. The titular octopus has the potential to gain as iconic a status in indie gaming as Meat Boy or Minecraft Steve - he just needs a consistently great game to achieve it.
Jazzpunk ends with an unconventional boss fight culminating in an excellent subversion of boss-battle tropes. If the whole game were as smart as the final confrontation, it'd be a much easier recommendation. As it stands, I still don't know whether its worst jokes are intentionally bad or not.
"Smoke and Mirrors" has converted me. Shorn of the need to introduce the game's world and characters, it quickly gets to business developing and telling a story with them.
The Thief name has a significant legacy in the stealth genre, and Thief, confusing title and all, is clearly straining to live up to it, with its inclusion of water arrows, "taffer" references and more. It's even sort of successful. Even with concessions to 2014 game design - the optional Focus vision mode, the linear escape sequences that might as well be quick-time events or cutscenes - the core stealth still works. But the weakness of everything around it made me wish I was playing Dishonored.
[SPOILER WARNING: This review contains spoilers.] If you're invested in this story, your nerves may not survive the constant stakes-raising.
Titanfall makes big AAA shooters fun again.
For this wheel-spinning middle chapter, The Wolf Among Us sits back, chuckling at a crack it's made in the middle of an epic joke, while its audience restlessly waits for the punchline.
I hate and love Dark Souls II, much as I hate and love myself. In presenting such a challenge that I question why or even if I truly love video games, Dark Souls II achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Is it for everyone? No. I'm not even sure if it's for me. It does keep me trying, trying again though, and that's something.
The final ten minutes or so make it worth the purchase, and I really liked where the Carver storyline ultimately went here, but don't be surprised if you get a bit bored getting to that point.
The Bastion followup has intriguing characters, great gameplay and a murky story.
Wolfenstein: The New Order is the best kind of exploitation: the kind that lures you in with an outrageous premise, but then surprises you by committing to that premise completely, delivering the promised spectacle but telling a great story in the process. It strikes a precarious balance between silliness and sincerity, and for the most part pulls it off. I for one am amazed at how well it works.
Among the Sleep wants to be a combination of Gone Home and Slender, but doesn't quite reach the emotional and storytelling highs of the former or the bowel-rending scares of the latter. Krillbite have done some fine design work, though, and the core idea is new and unique enough to give the promise of greatness to come from the new studio.
Ubisoft's new IP might be really good someday. But today is not that day.
Murdered: Soul Suspect's story is better than the ways in which you interact with it. Despite several clever gameplay ideas, it may be better suited to being a miniseries. The detective work feels like ticking off items from a list, not creative thinking. Still, it's a fun, novel experience to play as a ghost. Especially when you get to possess a cute cat.
Valiant Hearts is a rarity: a game from a massive AAA publisher that plays out a personal and intimate story in a largely untapped historical setting. More of that, Ubisoft.
[SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers contained in this review] Overall, I was more satisfied with "Amid The Ruins" than "In Harm's Way", but unfortunately I'm no longer hopeful that this season could top the first.
By pulling off an unforgiving juggling act of resource-management and survival, it nails the atmosphere of despair it aims for. But there's a point where the statement has been made and players need something more - and unlike Sgt. Burden and his crew, the player can simply walk away from Gods Will Be Watching.