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When I wasn't cursing at my television screen upon dying on the same puzzle for what seemed like 20th time, I was recognizing how brilliant Expand‘s design was. It's rare to see a game this fully realized, one that sees all of its mechanics fully fleshed out, and when I finally escaped the maze after hours of play, it felt like a genuine victory. Expand may take joy in frustrating the player at times, but the true feeling of jubilation comes from overcoming its trickery.
Purely when looked upon as an educational vessel, Chernobyl VR has a genuinely compelling story to tell. Unfortunately, the overall lack of visual polish undermines the ambitions of the developers. It may be a bit much to ask $9.99 for an experience that has such a short run time and lacks any substantial replayability. I genuinely like what the developers are trying to accomplish, but it falls short of justifying the price tag. Unless this is a purchase for classroom purposes, you should probably just wait for Ken Burns to decide to cover Chernobyl in a future documentary.
Ultimately, I never had much of a choice in Ruiner. I was simply a tool that awaited command, one that only could express myself during combat. I killed because I was told to do so, but even if I had free reign I doubt I would've ever had disobeyed. After all, sometimes it's too much fun to be used.
While not without its fair share of problems and technical issues, Battle Chasers: Nightwar still manages to provide plenty of tense battles that challenge players. It's a shame that the characters never get to show their full personalities throughout, and that dungeons lack the personality of a truly great role-playing game, but even these issues can't hold it back from being a worthwhile time for players. It's a game that begs for a sequel, and hopefully Airship Syndicate will get to do just that as they have nailed so much of the formula.
Frustrating it may be, but this is the nature of hunting and Call of the Wild does a generally excellent job of replicating it. It should be noted that those without patience will absolutely hate the game, as there are no options to allow you to play it in anything other than full-on simulation mode. As such, you might play for an hour and bag a couple of kills, but you just as easily might spend an hour roaming around without even having the chance to get an animal in your sights. However, the general atmosphere provided makes those strike-outs easier to deal with because exploring and improving your tracking skills and knowledge are often reward enough. Indeed, theHunter: Call of the Wild is aimed at a specific target audience, and if you're in that group, you'll be playing this for far longer than you'd expect.
Overall, Hidden Dragon Legend is a middle-of-the-road effort: there are certainly a number of people out there who will be able to work through its less-than-polished mechanics long enough to enjoy the silly story, which is reminiscent of classic Chinese action cinema in the best possible ways.
Voltron VR Chronicles is an amazingly immersive way to jump into a Saturday morning cartoon, something I've only dreamed of my entire life. It's not going to provide an engaging gameplay experience for anyone looking for a challenge, but it's an innovative new way to participate in the action of a popular animated series. If they can clear up confusion about the episodic nature of the experience—not just through press releases, but in game as well—that would go a long way towards providing incentive for fans of Voltron and newcomers alike to keep an eye on DreamWorks Voltron VR Chronicles as future additions are announced.
Instead of copying the status quo, Light Tracer tries to give gamers something they haven't already conquered before. The challenge behind this virtual reality experience is in figuring out how to control the character without retaining direct control over her movements. Learning to do two distinctly separate tasks in a single moment is the key to solving many of Light Tracer's puzzles and moving forward. The god view of the tower makes it feel like a toy being played with, and the hands-off approach to character control is a further way to create an observer type of character out of the player, actually assisting a tiny princess in her long journey. Light Tracer is a simple game, but succeeds in deriving a brilliant kind of complexity from a simple nature.
Qualms aside, if you can look passed the risqué nature of Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash you'll find an enjoyable shooter that can be a lot of fun in multiplayer. Sure, it might not be able to compete with the likes of Titanfall 2 in terms of gunplay, but I've never seen any bikini tops come undone in Titanfall either. Peach Beach Splash certainly has something unique to offer, and while all of its ideas might not be ace, you have to respect the developers for committing to an idea and simply going for it.
It's always a shame when a game has such an incredible foundation and never becomes what it should. Fans of LEGO games and of the movie will have fun regardless, because we're a bit crazy like that. But if you don't fall in the crazy category, best bet is to wait for the next LEGO game that will hopefully feature this same innovation. TT Games has plenty of good ideas here. Please don't let them die before they can be implemented in a truly great LEGO game.
From a conceptual standpoint, The Solus Project is fascinating. The sense of scale is amplified in VR, especially the fantastic skyboxes that cycle between day and night, massive planets in rotation around you, and the ferocity of the elements. That feeling of being stranded in an alien landscape, needing to survive, and needing to explore to complete your mission are a heavy weight from the drop. Where The Solus Project fails is in gameplay mechanics and puzzle psychology. Overly ambiguous controls and solutions meant that most of my playtime was a campaign of frustration and overcoming meaningless obstacles. The Solus Project is a game that I wanted to like, but every time it did something redeeming, I could be certain that another gameplay frustration was just around the corner.
It's really rather unfortunate just how much is missing from Blue Reflection.
While certainly not the best adventure game I’ve played, there’s no doubting that Maize is filled with heart. The love that went into development shows throughout, and it’s why I found myself constantly laughing at all of the game’s silly jokes throughout. If you’re looking for three or four hours of laughs, and don’t mind some standard puzzle design, then you’ll find a lot to enjoy here.
You definitely can't go wrong buying Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, as it plays as good as ever, but those who bought last year's game might want to wait until next year's installment if they're waiting for that next evolution. That's not to say that there aren't improvements, as the subtle tweaks and additions do add up to a better game, but these are more quality of life fixes rather than changes that'll sweep the player off their feet. Ultimately, PES 2018 is yet another great football game from Konami, but that might not be enough when they're trailing a behemoth.
FIFA 18 is an incredible football game that has something to offer every gamer. There's a very human and relatable story to be found in Alex Hunter's latest chapter, and those who just want polished gameplay will find just that in its many different modes. In addition, anyone who is a fan of the beautiful game will want to check out this year's installment.
Rarely have I had as many conflicting feelings about a game as much as I do with NBA 2K18. So much about the basketball sim is top-notch, but there are also so many elements that make me want to put it down and never touch it again. From gross business decisions that get in the way of enjoying modes to adding so many elements that get in the way of simply enjoying the on-court action, it winds up being its own worst enemy. Those who just want a solid basketball game to play exhibition matches won't find anything better, but the rest of the package winds up stepping on its own feet all too often.
There's no denying that there are rough edges, but one thing Electronic Arts has nailed is the feel of playing a pick-up game. It's a slightly less technical title than its competitor, but it offers up a far better single-player experience. If you're looking for something fresh, or just want to play as Diana Taurasi, then you can't go wrong with picking up NBA Live 18.
If you delight in the sense of drama and anticipation that arises from impossible situations, if you are engaged by a twisting mystery that is never quite what you expect, then the Danganronpa series is for you. I can't in good faith recommend that you play Danganronpa V3 before the other two, just like I would never tell you to enjoy Return of the King before partaking of Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers. As the third part of an incredible trilogy of games, Danganronpa V3 deserves your attention in its rightful place after the other two. Make no mistake though, it's a title that's well worth arriving at when you get there, a vibrantly dark mystery that sinks its teddy bear claws in and won't let go.
Death of the Outsider is just more Dishonored in about every way, but it could have been a unique experience with a few additions like the aforementioned inclusion of mini-bosses and some co-operative missions with Daud. But I enjoyed my time slinking through its world and saying goodbye to an underappreciated franchise that opens the door for an all new direction if the story is to be continued.
Side missions are thrown on top for good measure, but their implementation is just as simple as every other aspect of the game. There's nothing to see and not much but more chunks to gain. Morphite is exhausting in its meandering loop of planet-hopping, and it doesn't work hard enough to keep the players' interest. Even with its hodgepodge of tiny planets, the game may have done better to shrink its size to an even greater degree and focus on that which makes up the majority of the experience, away from the silly jokes and entertaining banter of Myrah and Kitcat.