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Cold Iron is a fascinating and unique game that could use a little bit more polish. I'd love to see additional puzzles and worlds added in the future, and maybe some kind of tutorial or power-up that could assist with better aiming for those elusive bullseyes. The test of skill is reason enough to play again and again, with the challenge of a reflex puzzle-based shooter persistently pressing for just one more duel to try and do slightly better than I did before. Textures and difficulty aiming aside, I always wanted to hear that bell one more time and watch my enemy slump into the dirt. Or maybe? Maybe it's just the curse of the gun that won't let go—the grip of Cold Iron on my soul.
It's the perfect remake. It's Shadow of the Colossus exactly as I remember it, yet it's Shadow of the Colossus like it's never been before.
The pitch for Out of Ammo sounds interesting on paper, but the execution is probably the worst PSVR game that I have ever played. Out of Ammo makes far too many critical mistakes as a virtual reality title, mistakes that even launch games managed to avoid. I spent more time fighting with the systems and mechanics than I did actually playing the game, but anytime I did get a fleeting moment of play, it wasn't worth the effort expended to get there. While the blocky Minecraft styling may have been an interesting novelty if the gameplay weren't so broken, uninteresting and unoptimized gameplay make the visual style seem more cheap than anything else. If you want an example of how to endlessly frustrate a VR player, go ahead and play Out of Ammo, but if you're interested in user friendly and entertaining VR experiences, Out of Ammo never even starts out with any ammo.
I've been very vocal in the past about how I don't find the Joker to be the most compelling Batman villain, but I have to give credit where it's due. Telltale has not only managed to make one of the most interesting incarnations of the Harlequin of Hate, but the slow build has paid off wonderfully over two seasons. It doesn't feel rushed at all, and it has all built up to a natural point where John Doe is finally embracing his madness in a way that was impacted by the player. I'm incredibly excited to see what happens next, and to see what sort of chaos I accidentally helped cause.
If you're looking for a fighter, there is simply nothing better on the market than Dragon Ball FighterZ in terms of what it offers as a 2D, high action brawler.
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This is the modernization that Monster Hunter definitely needed. Not only is it the most dynamic title in the series to date, it's just a fantastic action role-playing game. Even if you've bounced off the series in the past, I highly recommend giving Monster Hunter: World a try. It's where the series finally truly clicked for me, and that is very much by design. Capcom has updated their formula for a new generation, and it's a real treat for all.
Besides dealing with computer-controlled submission attempts, I largely feel that EA Sports UFC 3 is the best playing mixed martial arts game to date. That's why it was so disappointing to find out that so few of the modes managed to capture my interest. Perhaps it's more of a statement on the current over-saturation of the UFC, but there's not a ton of appeal of going into the exhibition mode and seeing meaningless fights play out anymore. I need something more than that, and I don't feel like either Ultimate Team or the career mode provide it. It's in the weird position of being a game that I like playing, but one that I'm not drawn to at all. But hey, at least there's Snoop Dogg.
Lost Sphear has all the makings of a classic RPG, along with some of the trappings expected with the genre. The presentation will take many gamers back to the golden age of RPGs, with menus galore, a charming art style, and intense soundtrack. The graphics may feel a bit too basic for those who have gotten used to the likes of Final Fantasy and its grandiose aspirations, but Lost Sphear is not lacking in small details, whether that's the motions of a cook as he receives a much-wanted ingredient, or the headshake of a character as they are exasperated at their colleague's response. Indeed, Lost Sphear checks all the right boxes for those looking for a traditional RPG they can get lost in for the next 30 or more hours.
The Inpatient is one of PSVR's best. It's a shining example of presence and engagement. The visuals impress and it uses a ton of clever tricks to fully immerse the player in the experience of living out Blackwood Sanatorium's final days, making me feel like I was actually there. There are fun Easter eggs for those who have played Until Dawn, but The Inpatient can still be enjoyed without. The overall plot does fall flat in the final act as the scares give way to a less-than-exciting conclusion, but the branching possibilities means that even after two playthroughs, untold stories of the sanatorium still await me.
There's a lot to like about Iconoclasts, but it unfortunately never makes the jump from good to great. Not only does it fall into some of the pitfalls that other platformers have exposed throughout the years, it also lacks any innovation that truly wows. That's ultimately fine, as players are treated to a very polished puzzle-platformer with a surprisingly interesting story. Those who pick up the game will surely enjoy their time with it, but don't be surprised if you've felt like you've played certain segments a dozen times before.
For those who love hyper-detailed simulators, Kerbal Space Program has that in spades, and for that alone, Kerbal Space Program deserves high marks.
In case you couldn't tell, InnerSpace is a game that you should be playing. The well-realized worlds, exceptional aesthetic and compelling exploration mechanics complement each other tremendously well. If you can get past the occasional bout of unnecessary complex exposition, the evolution of each environment tells a compelling enough story to keep you enthralled from start to finish. Drop everything and check out what deserves to be one of the sleeper hits of 2018.
Beholder is an interesting management sim with brilliant morally ambiguous themes taking center stage, however it suffers from imbalanced execution.
Albert & Otto is a decent puzzle platformer with some interesting ideas. It's a bit rough around the edges, but hopefully this has set the stage for some refinement if a second episode is ever created. Check out Albert & Otto if you desire a short but intriguing puzzler and can power through some awkward platforming.
Cut Little Red Lie's length in half and dial up the subtlety in the plot, and I think it really could have been a great black mirror into the world today. What it did do was instill a sense that I am better than either of these people that I was forced to spend time with. Little Red Lie is not a good game. There's hardly what one would call a “game” here at all, but the experience could prove to be valuable, if you can stomach rampant pessimism and negativity. I'm having a very hard time parsing exactly how I feel about Little Red Lie. As a game, it's imbalanced, awkward, and boring. I don't think I can recommend it to anyone, but I might have been glad to have gone through it? It's certainly an experience I will never forget, but then again, so was getting run over by a car.
Accounting+ is a novelty, brilliant to experience, but hard to recommend. I was highly entertained by my time with Accounting+, but after this review, I am thoroughly done with it. Repeated playthroughs don't really offer anything new on the gameplay front, and the dialog becomes less funny on repetition. There's also the glaring issue that I still haven't learned anything about accounting. I got yelled at by a guy in a tree. I killed a fat king. I got tried for murder after dying from summoning Satan. I became the Leonardo DiCaprio of VR (GET IT?!? I MADE AN INCEPTION JOKE!), but I never learned a single thing about accounting.
I like the idea of Gang Beasts on paper. Hell, I even like Gang Beasts when I see other players play. The jelly physics of up to eight players smashing into one another and trying to toss each other over the edge is great fun in theory, but becomes more of a frustrating chore and test of patience in practice. If there was a better training ground to at least get a handle on the bizarre physics and controls, that would go a long way to making the game more accessible to newcomers. Even if they had that, Boneloaf needs to get a handle on their connection issues before Gang Beasts can really start to step into its stride and potential as a hilarious party game.
That's exactly what Shooty Fruity is. It's an exciting shooting gallery in virtual reality wearing one of the most bizarre and unique skins of any game that I've seen. It's more fun than it has any right being with its strange premise, but that's part of what makes it shine. It could lean in the direction of providing more information to players for optimum weapon loadouts, and I wish it didn't try to artificially increase play time with ridiculous challenges, ultimately burning itself out. The dichotomy of mundane tasks and taking on the role of gunslinging action hero against waves of mutant fruit is an intriguing premise. Along with the satisfyingly juicy explosions that come from blasting them apart with shotguns, revolvers, and SMGs, these features help Shooty Fruity to be a game that's more gratifying than it has any business being.
While I'm not sure if Before the Storm will hold the same place in my heart as the original, I'm certainly glad that Deck Nine Games got to tell their own story in Arcadia Bay. It's a very different tale, one on a completely smaller scale both in terms of narrative and length, but one that still manages to make an impact. It's a more personal story, and it wound up being quite bittersweet having to say goodbye to the duo of Chloe and Rachel.