OnlySP's Reviews
Pathway is a decent game, but it could be superb if a few more events were added into the randomised event tiles and the campaign storyline was strengthened. The combat has a solid strategy core to it, and the music and visuals are both brilliantly crafted. Variety is the spice of life and video games; Pathway just needs to add a bit more of that spice to make it stunning.
Trüberbrook is a unique, yet flawed, experience. The game’s art design is an incredible feat, and the amount of sheer effort on display from the developer is tremendous; every frame of Trüberbrook demonstrates the incredible work that btf has achieved in creating the distinct scenery. However, the game suffers from some narrative issues, most notably in regards to its awkward pacing, and as a result the entire experience is affected. Fans of point-and-click adventure games should give Trüberbrook a fair try, but other gamers may wish to enter with caution.
Tech Support: Error Unknown would have been more impressive if it had a clear message, perhaps about worker exploitation, or corporate overreach, or even the damage hacker activists can cause. Sadly, this aspect is either so subtle as to be undetectable, or missing entirely. What this leaves behind is an entirely too accurate simulation of the daily grind of a tech support technician, where the main interest lies in trying to find the end of each story branch, and fun is largely put on the back-burner.
Toki is a fun way to kill some time, and will certainly appear to retro arcade fans. The artwork, animation, and music are all amazing, but the sometimes unfair difficulty and lack of extra game modes means the game is an unfortunately brief experience that probably is not worth revisiting once completed. The Retrocollector Edition redeems the game somewhat with some great extras, particularly the mini arcade cabinet, but unfortunately the game itself does not have quite enough substance.
The foundations are present for a really enjoyable, unique game, and given more time, it could be. In OnlySP’s interview with White Paper Games, the team already outlined plans to tweak the game after release. If White Paper Games can fix these initial problems, The Occupation may yet be one of 2019’s best releases, just not upon initial release.
Far from attempting to elicit mass market appeal, the game targets a niche and shows itself to be a project from a developer stretching beyond what it knows best. Longbow Games's heritage in RTS titles emerges in the point-and-click gameplay, yet, in most other respects, Golem is a departure. While the team's attempt to create something complex and novel is admirable, its ambition occasionally outstrips its execution. Meanwhile, although the game's reliance on colonialist tropes is slightly troublesome, it will be overlooked by most players who have much else to occupy their minds across this evocating, engaging, and challenging adventure.
By now, the staple branching paths, puzzles, and verticality of LEGO's design has worn thin. LEGO The Incredibles is an attempt to ride the idiosyncrasies of the source material to pave over cracks in the game's core design. In future, LEGO games would be able to realise their enormous potential if they left their target markets and traditions at the door, and decided to make the game the developer really wants to make; the series needs forget its past and re-lay its foundation with some fresh building blocks.
Unfortunately, Agony stumbles off the starting block and, despite a valiant later effort, is never able to make up lost ground. In this case, a poor first impression irreparably mars the experience, despite measurable improvement in many of the fundamental design principles as the game wears on. The art and audio is striking, but the project may have benefited immensely from less ambition, and the hope is that, should Madmind have a second chance, it will create a more focused and cohesive title. Agony is not great, but it is far from the irredeemable abomination the media has painted it as.
At the end of a long road, emotions can be mixed, with many exhausted by the experience or rejuvenated by the discoveries made along the way. WTWTLW instills the former, driving players to feel dragged through the mud as opposed to fulfilled. Although the game touts the importance of the journey over the destination, neither offers any real sense of satisfaction. In the end, an interesting concept and great art direction cannot save the game from the weight of ambition. The attempt is admirable, but the execution leaves much to be desired. WTWTLW is lacking the narrative punch and cohesion of other story-focused games, as well as the freedom and gameplay quality of other exploration-based titles. WTWTLW has all the promise of a long and exciting road-trip across unknown territory, but ends up only offering flat tires and postcards of better places.
All Walls Must Fall should have had everything going for it. Both the combat and dialogue mechanics are solid. The game has a premise that is ripe for character interaction and analysis of human choice in the face of time travel. Had it established at the outset that time traveling was a one-and-done deal and restricted the player from using the power at all, All Walls Must Fall could have had something. As is, the title provides a few hours of decent enjoyment that is too easy to truly enjoy.
Gamers also cannot necessarily be that disappointed with the game, which might never have happened thanks to the original THQ’s implosion. Players anxiously awaiting From Software’s Sekiro or even Metroid Prime 4 might get a decent kick out of another one of these sorts of action adventure games. On the other hand, its technical bugs and lack of depth keep it from being a highly recommended title, and a mixed start to THQ Nordic’s budget-game gambit.
Bringing together a pair of budget RPGs, Fallen Legion + represents excellent value for money, but that worth is highly conditional. The artwork is truly inspired—sometimes even breathtaking—but serves a world and story that do not deserve it. Adherents of fantasy war tales will likely find enjoyment from the narrative, though a general audience will fail to be enraptured. Aside from the graphics, the battle system is the game's standout feature, yet even this highlight is let down by the poorly-considered ancillary mechanics that make the Fallen Legion games into anaemic RPGs.
Not all games are going to be winners, just as not all games will be losers. Some raise the bar for the industry while others lower it, and some do not move the bar at all. Spellforce 3 is one of those titles that does nothing to improve or diminish the standard. The gameplay is intricate in some areas and flat in others, the story is irrelevant, the audio is well-executed but not inventive, and the graphics are superb. The game is by no means a flop, but it is not a title people will be praising for years to come. In short, Spellforce 3 is worth a look, but not for the USD$50.00 price tag.
Regardless of astonishing graphics and audio, Battlefront II misses the mark in more ways than not. The gameplay is a mixed experience. Combat is fluid and immersive, but ultimately frustrating due to mind-numbing grinds that can see users playing on autopilot. The game’s narrative starts off strong, but turns into a typical fable in which good conquers evil, highlighting EA’s inability to completely follow through on its promises. Lastly, the utter lack of content makes the title degenerate into repetitive monotony, despite the popularity of two of its major multiplayer modes. Battlefront II has all the potential to be a great title, but EA’s greedy fingers and lackadaisical attitude taint it beyond recognition. Gone are the days of the original Star Wars: Battlefront franchise in which single-players and multiplayers could get endless enjoyment out of each game. The result is an unhappy fanbase that will eventually hurt EA’s bottom line due to lack of confidence in the company. Until that time, EA will continue to push out barely-passable nonsense that masquerades as a AAA title, such as Star Wars: Battlefront II.
The overzealous difficulty of Fallout 4′s DLCs is no exception this time around; the Nuka World radio signal won’t auto-trigger until you are at least level 30. Don’t start at level 30. Just don’t. If you haven’t hit at least level 50 by now, take the time to get there; the unbalanced level-scaling that gave Automatron and Far Harbor their “quirks” is back to kill your stash of stimpacks and ammo. Combine that with a narrative that lacks depth and meaningful decisions, Nuka World might fall below your expectations, but still provides many hours of game play to unlock a plethora of secrets and rewards.
You’ll navigate your way through twisted hallways of heavy machinery, elevators, and a few monsters and monstrosities. What little glimpses you get of the world above, they are nothing more than big teases. You want out? Nope, sorry. You’re stuck in a quarry. Oh, you really want out? We’re going to lock every single exit to the surface. It would be appropriate to place a placard at the entrance to the mine that read “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
Instead of headbanging gleefully as I progressed from level to level, I found myself banging my head on my keyboard.
Homefront: The Revolution's development history is a troubled one, filled with financial issues, switching of studios, and team shake-ups. Considering this was a sequel already built on a faulty foundation, the signs did not bode well for this entry in the series. And indeed, the end product isn't a good one. The trouble with it is that it's not an entirely bad one either. For all the numerous faults, both on the creative and technical side, there's a good game hiding somewhere inside; a good game that simply can't overcome all the negatives weighing it down.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries delivers a fun, combat-adventure game and a worthy sequel within the franchise. The movement controls, backing action music, and combat mechanics offer a thrilling, Mech-based action game. However, the inconsistent narrative design, demanding PC specifications, and frustrating repair mechanic detract from the game’s potential. In its current state, players may find Titanfall 2 the more appealing mech-centric choice.
Despite some issues that create a disconnect between the lighthearted tone of the game and the intensity of the battles, Journey to the Savage Planet is exactly that: a journey across a planet that is just as silly as it is savage.