The Vertical Slice's Reviews
Once again I got sucked down the rabbit hole on a game like this. I’m not complaining, mind you, but it happened. You can lose hours just grinding your way through, and I didn’t mind a bit.
If you can play with the right kind of people, ones who will try to have a good time and not suck the energy from the experience, I find it hard to believe you will not have a great time with Drawful 2 (or any other Jackbox Games offerings).
All this and what I'm saying is if you don't have this game already installed on your PC or Xbox One, you should, especially if you're an Xbox Live Gold subscriber. After the final cutscene faded to black and I saw the game logo, I couldn't help but jump for absolute joy, as The Banner Saga 2 has achieved what many games have tried and failed time and time again to do: Provide true player choice, make them matter, and make you care about every single person in your caravan. I felt like I truly accomplished something great in a video game, a feat, almost, which is a feeling I haven't felt for years.
If you own an Xbox One, this is definitely a game you need to play within its life cycle. There are no questions about that, and don’t argue. Preferably sooner rather than later, unless you don’t care if you have it spoiled (don’t let it be spoiled, trust me). Whatever your tastes in games are, this should be on your list of games you need to beat before you die.
The story showcased here with In Between is a heartbreaking one, especially if you have something to draw on in your life that can put you in the protagonist’s shoes, even just a little bit. The way it all comes together, the levels, the emotion, the ending, they all help tell a compelling narrative and gives the game an engaging experience that I think anyone who enjoys puzzle games should check out. I don’t know where this idea came from, but it’s one that is remarkably well done, and I’m so glad it was made.
This game is by all means not perfect, but what it gets right is exactly what it’s going for. It’s there to confuse you, to point you in the right direction, to drip out info while still giving you a lot to examine. I feel like sometimes it uses us against ourselves, even when it doesn’t expect us to.
Overall, I had plenty of fun with my time searching for Lilly and uncovering the mysteries of the village. This game does enough right to be worthy of playing. It’s not too long to outstay its welcome, even if you decide to 100% it, and there’s value to be had should you decide to take the plunge and find out the oddities of the land for yourself.
Among the Sleep is a really clever take on the first person horror genre. I don't know how they came up with this idea, but I'm glad they did, because it worked really well, from the story, the atmosphere, all the way through, you can tell the hard work that went into getting this idea to its final form.
Fragments of Him is definitely an emotional ride. The “interactive movie” nature of it all helps the story along nicely, while helping to get you more invested than if you were just sitting back watching the whole time.
This is definitely a game. What do I mean by that? Well, this isn’t a “cinematic experience” a lot of games are going for these days. This feels like a game when you play it, not like you’re playing through a movie with gameplay mechanics tossed in. There’s a lot to like here, from the gameplay to the ideas presented, they just all aren’t executed extremely well at the end of the day.
While this isn’t a job I’d personally want to take on, I’m glad Reggie did, because if he didn’t, I wouldn’t get to watch him try and fail so often, because that’s really fun to do.
The bottom line with Super Night Riders is that this is a fun experience. Faults aside, if you go into this game understanding what it is and what it set out to do, you can absolutely find your enjoyment. For a sequel to Night Riders (the first game and homage to old school racers), this is the next logical step, and a worthy one. This is a pure arcade experience, lovingly recreated by someone who is fond of the old days. If you are in the same boat, you’ll find what you’re looking for.
Paranautical Activity is a fast paced first person shooter with roguelike elements that feels like someone tried really hard to recreate Doom, but was really into Minecraft, and wanted to just make it over reliant on PC design. If you don’t like games that punish you, chances are you won’t like this game. If you do, you’ll find yourself playing this game multiple times through, trying to 100% the entire game. If none of these things interest you, just listen to the soundtrack. It’s pretty great.
While Life Goes On: Done to Death has already seen a release on PC simply as Life Goes On, the remastering/adding-on/whatever you want to call it has done a fantastic job of giving us more of what worked. This is the first time the console market has seen any incarnation, and I’m really glad we got it. Any puzzle game fan will find a game to enjoy here, especially if you have any affinity for puzzle-platformers. And if you already owned this on Steam, well, you get the upgrade for free. How could you not like that?
This is a fantastic puzzle game. A brilliant old school feeling puzzle game. It’s a game I definitely recommend to old bums like myself who grew up with stuff like this, or young bucks looking to see just what good level design can feel like. Hell, if you just want a good puzzle game, this is one to download.
The Old Blood was everything I wanted and hoped for in a Wolfenstein game. MachineGames made the weapons feel exactly as if you were holding them in your hands, made you move around in action scenes in meaningful ways, a robust map that encourages wanderlust, and so much more. I mean, they've done it. They really have.
Even with the frustrating aspects of this game, 10tons has done a great job bringing a traditionally mobile title to home consoles. And, with no micro-transactions to be found anywhere, you can feel safe knowing you have the whole game should you pony up the dough.
Overall, if you’re in the market for a local multiplayer only kart racer, you might want to look into this game. Of course online play would have been great, and it definitely would’ve given this game more life (no pun intended, I think…), but such is the give/take of small studios.
At the end of the day, The Park has some really nice set pieces going for it. The mood it's looking for mostly achieves, and the voice work really hits the nail right on the head. The way the game moves isn't a chore like so many other First Person Experience games tend to be. It does some things right, just not all of them. If your expectations are in order, taking a trip to Atlantic Island Park may not be such a scary proposition after all.
The simplicity mixed with the interesting setting and graphics have concocted a wonderful combination that I don't think many people other than the devs or Kickstarter backers even thought possible, and for that we need to commend them. Innovative is one word you could use, but I think it may be too understated. Once you get into SUPERHOT you may not want to put it down, and honestly, I think that's something the creators were striving for.