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There's a lot to love in Agents of Mayhem, which makes the pitfalls harder to swallow. An imaginative story and cast of characters is burdened by an uninspired and soulless open-world. Exciting character combat gets pushed out of the limelight by notable slowdown and other bugs that inhibit gameplay. In a day where open-world games are evolving and giving players a lot more depth, meaning, and life, Agents of Mayhem feels like a step backwards. Volition ought to consider either abandoning or stepping up the open-world if they decide to continue the franchise.
Despite closing weaker than it starts, there's a lot to like about Matterfall‘s unique blend of platforming and shooting. It's great to see Housemarque trying something new, and besides some tricky controls, they nail most of their ideas flawlessly. PlayStation 4 owners can safely rack this up as yet another Housemarque gem.
Overall, Sonic Mania succeeds a lot more than it stumbles.
In terms of exciting moments and fun, varied competitive combat, LawBreakers has a great lock on what makes players want to play, both from the fast-paced competitive side and the specialized character side. While it could do with more in the way of tutorials to teach players how to play, it does an excellent job of balancing each match to feel immediate and competitive, while also keeping the cadence that makes some of the slower multiplayer games more fun to play. It's inexpensive launch price and promise never to tread the waters of microtransactions help to sell a game that is easy to pick up and fun to play, but has enough nuance to keep players coming back for a long time.
ICEY is a biting commentary on the entire medium of games. Beneath a solid 2D action game lies one of the most interesting titles I've had the pleasure of playing. It's a game that isn't afraid to take risks, and managed to constantly surprise me despite pulling off the ridiculous several times prior. Everyone who considers themselves a “gamer,” should play ICEY, and then sit down to think about its message.
Sudden Strike 4's issues are a real downer, as they get in the way of what is an otherwise well put-together challenge.
There are a lot of great ideas found within Graceful Explosion Machine, and I can't wait to see how they're build upon in future games. I never got the itch to better my scores after completing a level (some sort of unlockable structure would've helped), but I found myself enjoying the challenge that Vertex Pop had on offer more often than not. Occasionally it veers into being more frustrating than fun, but the joy of finally beating a level you failed several times before is worth those bouts of annoyance.
Despite being someone that ended up hating The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, I had a great time with the first episode of Batman: The Enemy Within. It plays to Telltale's strengths of putting a compelling twist on an established property, and it helps that there's a story that finishes by the time the credits roll. Batman's latest adventure is still far from over, and it's clear that there's a bigger tale waiting to be told, but The Enigma will leave players satisfied even if they don't continue the series.
Through a combination of a fleshed-out world and interesting characters, Masquerada is the rare role-playing game that really sticks with the player after the credits roll (and that's not just due to the game's cliffhanger ending). Rather than deal with trope-filled characters, every member of Songs and Shadows‘ cast feels like a real person, and this makes their actions seem much more believable when they're forced to deal with some truly terrible situations. The story is the star here, and Witching Hour Studios have crafted a narrative they should be proud of.
Somehow, Capcom has managed to find a way to weaponize concentrated nostalgia, and set us all in their cross-hairs. While not as impressive as the first iteration in terms of quality and amount of content, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, is still worth a purchase for damn near any gamer. It manages to be grounded in history, while still adding in just enough modern flourishes to help keep the challenge manageable. If recent history is any indication, it's probably best to indulge yourself and savor every byte of digital goodness. Lord knows when we will get the chance to see the Blue Bomber again.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a complete experience for a bargain price. Struggling through life as a psychosis sufferer is an alarming experience, and Hellblade provides an illuminating glimpse into the lives of those afflicted by such terror. Combat is visceral, yet on the game's easiest mode should prove no problem for those interested in experiencing the story. At an asking price of $29.99 USD, the campaign is just long enough to feel like this is money well-spent. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a stellar entry from Ninja Theory, and I can only hope this is the first of many “independent AAA” games to come from the veteran studio.
Though it may not be what you imagine when you think of console RTS titles, Comet Crash 2: The Kronkoid Wars is a well-designed game that offers a constantly evolving structure. While it's not something that will set the world on fire as far as hype is concerned, it's an entertaining space adventure featuring a stout campaign and interesting mechanics. Spending a little time in its orbit would be a fantastic way to burn a few lunar cycles.
Orcs Must Die! Unchained is a shining example of how to balance a free-to-play game to be engaging without paying, yet rewarding if you do decide to drop some money into it. The wave-based gameplay is a lot of fun, particularly when playing with other people, and the unique versus mode creates a whirlwind of cooperation and competition. Robot Entertainment could have done a little more to tailor the PS4 release specifically to the console, as well as better functions for quick communication during online matches, but these are small gripes on an otherwise great experience.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is an immense stealth game that features dozens of satisfying mechanics and an undying focus on the art of tactical warfare. Even on normal difficulty, the game will force the player to use every iota of their tactical nuance as they assassinate their way through an emotional story-line that takes them to all manner of settings across the island nation. The game's camera system is the only misstep in an otherwise superb port to console, which hopefully spurs more games of its type on PC to go down the same route.
If it sounds as if I'm overly frustrated with The Long Dark, it's because I am. The sheer number of times that it hints at being a special game that entirely dominates every single survival-based title that has come before it is staggering. But for every one of those times, there's another time where it's broken, bugged, or just plain poorly thought-out. If the development team patches up those bugs and tweaks things here and there, it's no exaggeration to say that this could be a must buy that reaches the top end of the scoresheet. The fact that it gets the score that it gets stands as testament as to just how enjoyable the game can be and often is in the face of a veritable snowstorm of issues and imperfections.
Dino Frontier is an impeccably charming adventure, one that feels like physically playing with a bunch of cowboy figures and plastic dinosaurs. There's the foundation for a really solid and unique simulation builder game, not to mention another great application of virtual reality, but Dino Frontier never plays to its strengths as a game. Building the town and training the dinosaurs ends up being a linear experience without the kind of freedom you would expect from a builder, though still has the charm of opening up a toy box and imagining a world where dinosaurs and cowboys roam the Wild West together.
CastleStorm VR is not a necessary VR release, but it is a fun one, showing the possibilities for traditionally non-VR titles on the platform. Head tracking works well, and playing the game feels like you are playing with a physical medieval play set. If you've played CastleStorm before, it may not be worth picking up again. At the end of the day, this is the same game that's been coming out in various forms for the last four years, but I've had the most fun playing it in virtual reality. With CastleStorm constantly updating and making better versions of itself, I'm just waiting for Zen Studios to announce a sentient CastleStorm's campaign run in 2020.
Patapon Remastered is a worthy remastering of a classic game that deserves to be checked out. If you can't take an intense difficulty curve, however, you may find yourself frustrated at a lack of progress early in on the campaign. Sticking with it, and getting used to Patapon's many mechanics being used, however, will likely result in a slow but steady mastering of all your drums. A lack of modern features, such as even simple leaderboards for each level, feels like a missed opportunity, but most fans of the series will be happy just to see a return of the beloved Patapon, and at a reasonable price of $14.99 ($11.99 for PS+ members) to boot.
Smashbox Arena is not the type of game you expect to like. I thought it would be a quick and easy game to write off and call yet another mediocre attempt at utilizing the virtual reality platform. At a glance, it looks like some college programmer's senior project that they hammered out over a couple of semesters. In practice, Smashbox Arena ends up being a lot of fun, with precise tracking and fast paced competitive gameplay that hides a lot of depth and strategy, but it's ultimately held back my a number of technical issues and the lack of a strong online community.
With Circuit Breakers, what you get for your money is a very, very basic twin-stick shooter that is missing a lot of what makes the best in the genre so special.