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Mary Skelter: Nightmares is a surprisingly effective little dungeon crawler.
It's rare for a game to sneak in under the radar and genuinely catch me off guard. Tooth and Tail is one of these infrequent pleasures that feel like discovering a diamond amongst the coal. This is a stellarly constructed and well-considered RTS that goes a long way towards showing how the genre can stand out, even without the aid of a keyboard and mouse. When also factoring in the approachability that the art style brings to the table and its shockingly deep well of unit types, it becomes obvious that this is the full package. So, lace up your boots and reach for the ammunition. It's high time to blow some drunken squirrels back to hell, where they belong. Fire away, soldier.
Project CARS 2 is a solid entry, and a good continuation of the series. A solid focus in its career mode combine with tight community integration, which all mixes with a heaping helping of esports activities, giving fans and new racers alike plenty of reasons to buy Project CARS 2. While it may not boast the best visuals of console racing games, and the replay engine could've used a bit more polish, these are minor faults in an overall fun racing simulator. See you on the track.
Short and sweet, Planet of the Eyes guarantees an evening's worth of entertainment. It's not the most difficult puzzle platformer, but it provides enough of a challenge to stay satisfying as the player explores the mysterious world they've entered. Paired with some gorgeous artwork and solid writing, it's hard not to be won over by the time the credits roll.
It ultimately doesn't matter if you're upset with the roster, because at the end of the day Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is a great way to spend a night with friends. The combat feels smooth, the depth is there for dedicated players, and it's a much more feature-complete offering when compared to the launch version of Street Fighter V. There's a ton here to like, and those who dismiss it will only be missing out on one of Capcom's finest fighting games.
As a returning Guardian, Crucible master Lord Shaxx has found the best words to describe my experience with Destiny 2 and its many improvements over the first: "This is amazing!!"
NASCAR Heat 2 is a definite step up from its predecessor, but it's still lacking a layer of polish that would propel it towards appealing to a larger racing audience. Those who want an authentic NASCAR racer should be satisfied with this year's installment, but there's just too many minor issues that bog the racing down a level. Still, it's clear that Monster Games listened to feedback of the original, and they're certainly on the right track.
New players will have to work to get up to speed, as much as the game tries to help them out, but hardcore puck nuts will find themselves going deep into overtime with this one. The almost overwhelming numbers of ways that the game can be played means that it's one that will definitely keep you going way past the finals.
Without the support of virtual reality, it would be hard to recommend Bloody Zombies as anything outright different from any other beat 'em up game. Does it need virtual reality? No, it could have just been another digital brawler, albeit one full of personality. Does it benefit from virtual reality? Absolutely, and without it, my score would be lower. VR lends a unique perspective and gives players real gameplay reasons to want to put on the headset instead of just playing on a TV. Thought of as a virtual reality game with the ability for couch co-op via the TV, Bloody Zombies is a fun brawler that has both unique implications for its own genre and VR. That kind of evolution of games and platforms is just what video games need to grow.
Ys VIII isn't Adol's typical adventure, but it's so well-crafted (aside from chatty characters) from its combat down to its methods of exploration and side mission variety. It may take a bit longer for newcomers than long-time fans to take the bait, but once you're reeled in, you will be hooked. You'll need to be hooked, because even with a crit-path strategy for completion, it will easily take over 40 hours to get through the mystery of the Isle of Seiren. Fortunately, any action-RPG fan, even those who disliked the Ys series in the past, will find plenty to lure them in and keep them on the line.
Despite feeling hesitant going into Before the Storm, Deck Nine Games' rendition of Arcadia Bay quickly reminded me of why I loved the series and its characters in the first place. Any fears of this being a cash-in on a beloved game melted away, and I was able to fully enjoy Awake without any second thoughts. I'm excited to see where Chloe and Rachel's story goes from here, even if I already know how tragic it ultimately ends.
Knack 2 is an improvement on the first game in every way possible. Mark Cerny and his team have proven that they can take criticism, iterate on it, and then give players even more for their money than was expected.
Editor's Note: If you intend to play Don't Knock Twice without PSVR, take a point or two off of the final score. The flat-screen version is inferior to the virtual reality version.
While Absolver is up and down in a lot of places, the game just doesn't come together well. There's something about the underlying design that makes it feel disjointed. Most of this comes from the quasi-open world aspect, but the ridiculous level of grinding involved and the disconnected PvP mode makes Absolver feel like a game that's at war with itself. It certainly has the potential to be great though, with more of a focus on interweaving the PvE and PvP content as well as some expansions to the tight and narrow world of Adal and a very much needed mini-map system.
Ark: Survival Evolved has a bunch of interesting ideas. But by attempting to be a jack-of-all-trades, it doesn't really feel like it has mastered any particular element. This doesn't mean there isn't fun to be had in the ARK; if you enjoy the brutal survival mechanics on offer here, then you will likely spend many dozens, if not hundreds, of hours in the quite lengthy grind as you conquer the primitive world. For many people, however, the time required to really enjoy what's shown on the cover art may prove too insurmountable.
If you do like the narrative or can see fit to skip it, I think you'll have a much better time than I did.
Obduction houses not one, but many vibrant, lush, and mysterious worlds in a package that seems to be made for old Myst fans like myself. The balance of symbiotic nature of environment, narrative, and puzzle design means that Obduction constantly feels riveting and natural. It's a delight to experience a modern game with that classic Cyan design, but the technical issues detract from the experience far too much, even going as far as artificially increasing the time it takes to complete some puzzles. I managed to really enjoy the experience that was crafted, but it wasn't without a fair amount of annoyance at little optimization problems that make Obduction far from perfect.
For all of its promise, Dead Alliance falls frustratingly short of its full potential.
My initial impression of Sparc had me raving about how it was the best game I've ever played in VR. I've since come down from that initial high, and while I do have some concerns about the amount of content, it remains one of the best experiences I've had on PlayStation VR. It's absolutely enthralling, and while you may look like a tremendous dork while playing it (I've seen footage of me playing and it's not a pretty sight), you feel like the coolest person in the world as you're barely managing to dodge balls at the last second.
Songbringer is a worthwhile game to play if you're a fan of the action-adventure genre. Overall it's well made, looks nice, and the word seeds make the game fun and offers a sort of replayability most action-adventure games cannot. It's a bit unfortunate that the wonky combat makes some encounters more frustrating than they need to be, but other than that Songbringer is a well-crafted experience.