The Vertical Slice's Reviews
For every high concept, there's this underlying truth that grounds That Dragon, Cancer: the battle the Greens are facing is not the mere act of mourning, but how to mourn. Amy turns to God, while Ryan struggles with God. They get in fights, then reunite, then fight again. At the same time, you're coming in and out of the picture as the curious and helpless observer as they plead to God, each other, and Joel. When it came time for the credits to roll, I couldn't help but appreciate the game and the story the Greens want to tell the world.
Amplitude is a good time whether you are playing alone or with friends, since the game adjusts to whoever's playing. Single-player is about being precise and focused, asking that you use your power-ups wisely and mantain your streak. Harmonix has also included a little treat — FreQ mode. In this mode, it's basically like you're playing Frequency again. You can't play online, but the options in the local play are robust. Four-player free-for-all quickplay encourages competition, using your power-ups to attack other players. Cooperative and team-based play offer further options for enjoying Amplitude with your friends, and it's really fun to feel like you and your friends are making your own music.
Just Cause 3 is a goddamn fun game. Well, it's fun whenever you're just going around and liberating bases or towns. Everything else just falls on its face (as I have done many times in-flight). The problem, though, is that every other system you use in the game pulls you away from the craziness at hand. As I said in the opening, the game is a damn blast to play, but the way your skill trees unlock, ticking off bases and towns from a big checklist, and gunning down every bad dude you see.
Black Ops III's story doesn't support the campaign in any way. It tells a story that makes no sense, and while that's mildly amusing at points, it wears thin real fast. Furthermore, I'm not entirely sure that this should've been Black Ops III. There's no Woods or Mason here, the only link you remotely get is a passing mention of Black Ops II's Raul Menendez and a confronation with Dr.Salim. So, don't play the story. Skip straight to the multiplayer and zombies modes,and you'll do just fine…for a few hours.
Star Wars Battlefront is a game for the casual shooter fan. No one ever planned an attack, no one ever talked. So, if you're going into this game expecting a Star Wars skin on Battlefield, expect to be dissapointed, as there is no aspect of team play in this game. While I like a game I can just hop into every few months, I expected more from a franchise that I basically grew up with.