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My biggest disappointment in Spider-Man 2 is not inherently within its flaws or even that it is a licensed game. The problem is that a great game can be seen swimming just beneath the surface of the game that we ultimately got, but a severe lack of polish with the need to rush this out to match the film's release left what could have been a good game buried under mounds of flaws, issues, and sheer drudgery. While there were aspects of this game that really could have been something special or even passable, I would have to say that the overall package of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn't really all that amazing.
I want everyone to play this game! Child of Light is a great example of a modern RPG that bridges gaming with other forms of art. I will be showing this game to any friends and family who are not too familiar with what gaming can be, or who have some uninformed stereotypes about what all video games are like these days. Beautiful painting-style art, moving music, refreshing and simple gameplay, and a multifaceted, emotional storyline make this game well worth the time and money.
Finally, the fourth but certainly not last table is titled Masters of the Force. This is a tribute to the Force itself, or as Zen Studios puts it, "the highest powers in the universe." Each side of the table is themed for the dark and light sides of the Force on the left and right sides respectively. Perform missions for either Emperor Palpatine or Master Yoda, and the balance of the Force will begin tipping to either side. This table feels a little cramped at first glance, but that feeling quickly subsides as you explore and especially when you interact with the holocrons.
There's a small shimmer of something fun and interesting under the 13 years of rust that coats Cel Damage HD. While certain areas show potential, others show the age of the game. If you're itching for local multiplayer car combat, Cel Damage HD may whet your appetite. This isn't a game that I absolutely don't want to play at all, but it's not going to be anywhere close to the top of the list of things I decide to pull out and play, especially given the massive selection out there. Cel Damage HD is like re releasing a mediocre car from a decade ago and only giving it a fresh coat of paint. Without any significantly new content added to this year's model, consider this a 13 year late mixed review of the original.
I wanted to like Octodad more than I did. The concept and craziness of the idea intrigued me and the humor was great. If Octodad were a more robust adventure, I would have very few complaints. While it started out as a great experience, sadly, much like the floppy tentacles of Octodad, Dadliest Catch couldn't hold itself up and began to flail wildly all over the place. The hilarity and novelty wear thin quickly and there was too often that my tentacles became glitched inside of random objects or the environment itself. Octodad is worth experiencing just for how different it is from most other games out there, not to mention the trying multi-limb mode that is the co-op, but don't expect to be enthralled by it for longer than it takes to watch a couple of ocean life documentaries.
Trials Fusion is a good game. Great, even. It's taken what we've all come to know and enjoy, and added in quite a few new longevity ingredients to the mix. Create mode will occupy you potentially forever, and besting your friends on the leaderboards is proving to be a new addiction. Superficial unlocks and strange (possibly isolated) network issues aside, I'd definitely pick this game up if I were you.
A minor issue I found too was while playing co-op with my wife. The game lets you visit two different areas of the map and work on separate things, which is nice. However, if I was working on a specific quest and then my wife started talking to an NPC to gain a new quest, the game collapses the split screen and reads you the quest. This becomes increasingly annoying when one person is in the middle of doing something and a quest is started, sometimes accidentally. This would be fixed with an option for online co-op, however that has still not been realized in the series sadly.
For free on PlayStation Plus, Mercenary Kings is an unbeatable deal. A great cooperative retro action title with plenty of challenge and reward. With the huge variety of customization, you can truly make the experience your own, while experiencing it with others. Even when this game leaves the Instant Game Collection, it will be well worth paying for. The few gaping flaws of not mixing the online and couch co-ops, and the lack of enemy variety throwing any real curve balls later in the game can be mostly overlooked by the sheer amount of fun you will have teaming up with a group of friends with independent builds and play styles to take on a particularly challenging mission. Whether you fail or not, Mercenary Kings succeeds at being a great experience on the PS4.
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends: Complete Edition is like a comfy blanket you've had for years and years. It's starting to fall apart at the edges and smell, even though you've washed it to keep it looking respectable as it ages. You love the nostalgia and sentimentality it offers but you know in your heart you're going to have to replace it with a new one someday. This saddens you, but you choose not to think about it, as you curl up every night with it until all that's left are a few tattered threads. "Maybe the new one will last me even longer than you did" you whisper quietly. The thought brings a bittersweet smile to your face as you drift to sleep.
On the one hand, it may not seem fair to judge a game based upon its price. Prices can change, price drops and sales can occur, so a final score shouldn't be affected but what the retail value is. On the other, the value obtained by the purchaser is important, and if a game isn't delivering enough value for the player, they have a right to know. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a piece of something great but it always felt short of something whole. Kojima released this to tease and whet the appetites of the Metal Gear fans that were begging for more. If you fall into that camp, then you have probably already have your mind made up. For anyone who has never played a Metal Gear game however, I can't recommend that this be your first foray down the nanomachine-filled rabbit hole.
inFAMOUS Second Son isn't a perfect game. The overarching story is a bit stunted and combat can feel somewhat repetitive. What holds Second Son together is how solidly all aspects of the game were made. You can feel the passion that each person at Sucker Punch has for their individual role as each element solidifies and interfaces into an extremely well made game overall. While it may not be remembered for bringing anything new to the table in terms of overall mechanics, Sucker Punch have certainly set a benchmark for how games should incorporate the power of the PS4 to fuse all elements of a game and make one strikingly solid experience.
If it were a more robust experience, Basement Crawl could be a little gem. It's a simplistic sort of time-killing fun that I would expect out of a cheap mobile game, but as a full featured PS4 title, it feels like there is content missing and a lack of polish. Add to that the confusing nature of what Basement Crawl is really trying to be, the lack of anything to capture interest past playing a few matches, and the multiplayer-only focus which will create limitations when few people are online playing, and you have a game that probably isn't worth the space on your hard drive. You could wait for a sale, but even then, you'll probably have something better to play.
I wanted so much for Thief to be fun, and in the beginning I did have a lot of fun with it. But, due to no sense of impact in the story and its unrewarding gameplay, it degraded into a chore well before the final act. While playing Thief I couldn't help but feel like I'd done this all before, and often in a better setting. Thief may be a throwback to the early days of stealth games, but this reboot really feels aged and dated. While there is some fun to be had, you will have to sift through a mess of problems to find it. Now, this is the part where I insert the obligatory "Thief didn't manage to steal my heart" line, right?
Strider has a solid foundation. The formula is there, but it needs a lot of tuning. The climbing feature should have been better executed in regards to combat, and climbing gets in the way when the game requires players to hurry. The boss fights lack action, and while the last boss has lots of attacks filling the arena; the fight itself is just tedious. When combined with the aforementioned control issues the last fight becomes annoying. By the end of the game I was left with the impression Strider could have been a lot better. Still, this is an above average title for what Strider does do – provide action and wall climbing.
Red Barrels seems to have crafted a character and a scenario that feels as real as the player wants to make it. Knowing that you have no way to fight, and a limited ability to see in the dark, affects your thinking within all situations. In addition, Outlast does not rely on jump scares. While there are some of those to be had, Outlast is truly shaped by the ambiance that it creates; by creating believable circumstances and enveloping you in them at a psychological level. Jump scares may have your heart racing for a few seconds, however, creeping across that darkened courtyard with your batteries running out while something out there wants you tortured and dead will have you on edge until the experience ends.
Tomb Raider itself is well-worth the purchase—it's a great game. The decision you must make is if improved visuals are enough to warrant buying this Definitive Edition. Frankly, I'm convinced that its release is more about profitability on a product that's already crafted than it is about bringing a vastly superior next-generation version of Tomb Raider to the market. For $59.99, it's not that much better than the PS3 version aside from some visual sprucing. Those that have already experienced the game aren't missing much with the Definitive Edition. However, had you missed Tomb Raider on the PS3 and have interest in Lara Croft's surprisingly fast transformation into a resilient killing machine, then you may as well pony up the extra cash to play the best version of the game: the Definitive Edition.
On the presentation side, the game is a bucket full of colors, with every world being vibrant and bright. It is a very appealing and cute look that works well with the equally childish look of the characters and planets. As with the presentation side of things, the audio is a mix of 8 bit quirkiness that really shines during the levels. Though the game has some rather annoying sound effects throughout, like the random fart noises that seem to play every time to go to summon an item or way too often when you are talking with people. Outside of that, most of the noises found in the game just work and really expand the experience.
There were also a few minor gameplay glitches in which I would get kicked out of shadow mode for what appeared to be no reason or stuck to objects in the world. I would find myself setting down boxes and then unable to move afterwards or stuck on invisible objects in the environment. This didn't happen throughout the whole game, but it occurred enough that it warranted mention. For the most part the shadow mode works pretty well. It is a fun and unique twist to your standard fare puzzle-platformer, but really only adds underutilized potential when the curtains prematurely fall.
On the presentation side of things, the game looks solid, yet unremarkable. It is far from an ugly game, however, there is nothing here that really screams PlayStation 4. The world is nice and bright and the character models are kind of adorable. The audio side of this game is pretty good, with quirky dialog from the mad scientist and a mildly addictive main track that plays throughout. It is that sort of tune that is just perfect for an addictive puzzle game, which this is through the challenge modes.
Having not ever played that other Just Dance titles, I can't compare this one to those, but I can say that Just Dance 2014 is a fun game. Having this in time for the holidays has made entertaining family and friends extremely easy to do, and anything to keep Uncle Herb from telling his horrible jokes for the hundredth time is a win, right? Most people who play aren't even focused so much on scoring as they are on dancing and having a good time, so on the off chance that the camera screws up, no one ever seemed to care.