Birth. Movies. Death.'s Reviews
Bloodborne rewards deep play and deep thought. It's not for everyone, and it's definitely more accessible if you've played another Souls game first, but that doesn't mean newcomers can't pick it up.
Valley of the Yetis is a decent piece of DLC for Far Cry 4, but it's not the Bigfoot game I've been waiting for.
It's more intriguing as a game mechanic than an actual game, and scarier and more atmospheric in the shadows than the light.
Aside from occasional distracting cameos by TV show characters, it's a self-sufficient tale that sits comfortably alongside the canon story, maintaining all the defining characteristics from the source material, for good or ill. Luckily, it's mostly good
[W]hile Telltale's Game of Thrones gets all the surface details right, it's the subtler elements under the surface - the narrative and thematic conventions - that make it a terrific adaptation of and expansion to an already-terrific story.
BioWare outdo themselves with their most dauntingly enormous RPG yet.
Whether Far Cry 4 is worth it to you depends on whether you've played Far Cry 3 and are keen for more; or failing that, whether the changed-up setting and handful of new gameplay mechanics make it worth another suckle from that Far Cry teat.
I'd never heard of the Iñupiat people before this year, and I'm still not an expert, but through playing Never Alone, I've gained quite the appreciation for them. Playing and interacting with this story taught me about their culture better than any Wikipedia page could. It's a fascinating example of games as learning tools and cultural documents. But equally as importantly, it's a delightful, painterly, moving gameplay experience unlike any other.
Activision injects some much-needed fun into their cash cow's bones, but its brain is still paranoid and its heart still cold.
By the time I reached the end of my sojourn on Sevastopol, I'd been beaten, bruised, shot, electrocuted, bitten, and burned. I'd gone into the heart of the alien nest and into the icy black vacuum of space. I'd jumped in terror at sounds coming from all sides, and forced myself to continue when all hope was lost. But I fought through it all, dammit, and came out on the other side a changed woman.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is a member of an unsung breed of games: the kind that rewards critical thinking and judgement over twitchy reflexes, strategy, or putting the right pegs in the right holes.
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.
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.
Ubisoft's new IP might be really good someday. But today is not that day.
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.
The Bastion followup has intriguing characters, great gameplay and a murky story.
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.
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.
Whispering Willows is a super-interesting story, bundled up with a gorgeously-rendered but tiresome adventure game.
Convoy is a great idea executed with mixed success. Visually and aurally, it's pretty gorgeous, but the gameplay feels too unpolished and simplistic to do justice to its scenarios.