GameSpace
HomepageGameSpace's Reviews
While the story and mystery carry you through the game, the gameplay scenarios can be a little repetitive. ECHO is a short-ish game though, clocking in around 8-10 hours, so it doesn’t quite overstay its welcome. It’s a slow burn, but when it gets going it doesn’t really let go. If you’re keen on tense stealth games, with a good sci-fi story, then look no further. ECHO is destined to be a cult hit like the movie Event Horizon, and that’s no small praise from me.
All in all, I didn’t like Cuphead in the slightest. I fell in love with it. The charm and care they put into this game brings back a nostalgia I haven’t felt in many years. Not nostalgia for the 1930s, as I wasn’t born yet, and I’m not quite that old to have watched American Golden Age Cartoons, but nostalgia for the challenging feel-good types of games I played as a younger self. While the stark challenge might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and 1930s cartoony art styles might not appeal to today’s anime crowds, what StudioMDHR has created is nothing short of a masterpiece. If there was ever a game to take a chance on, this would be it. Leave your silverware at the door and pick up a cup, you won’t be disappointed.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the best story-driven CRPGs of late and the year has not been shy of them. For me, it hit certain marks that Tyranny or Tides of Numenera might have missed.
Battle Chasers is a great game and great RPG. I love the rich characters and their background. The art style makes this whole experience beautiful. The story, while I have not completed it yet, has captured me and I can’t wait to see where it goes. I think anyone that enjoys RPG’s will enjoy this game.
That said, however, Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story is an interesting, topical game that touches on some important issues with regard to our connected world and the impact it can have on young people. If you go into it knowing that you need to really be on top of the UI thing, you’ll find a good story that you’ll find yourself pondering over long after the game is finished.
Total War: Warhammer 2 has taken the original Total War: Warhammer and fixed a lot of the issues that people complained about. It’s breathed fresh life into the series and in my opinion possibly made the best entry into the series to date. It’s beautiful, hard, and fun. The new gameplay mechanics bring Total War into a higher realm of gameplay that makes you ask “Why didn’t they do this before?” This is something that I could get lost in, and sink in hundreds of hours into without realizing it.
Now, if you don’t care about playing online, don’t care about optional microtransactions, and can stand the ups and downs of bugs that will be patched, NBA 2K18 is the best basketball game of the year and probably of the past decade. It’s a shame that some polish and poor business choices weigh it down.
With its perfectly executed take on the mechanics of an enduring classic and the addition of multiplayer and procedural levels, 20XX deserves every bit of the praise it’s getting and more. While the sparse, spoofy nature of the lore might slightly disappoint fans like myself, the draw here is clearly the gameplay, and there, it succeeds brilliantly.
I enjoyed my time playing Rule with an Iron Fish and it was a refreshingly relaxing game to just mindlessly click and see little stars splayed across the screen with big hit streak combos. However, the frustrating RNG mechanics tied to progression greatly overshadow the cutesy art direction and witty banter between the different characters. As for arcade fishing games, this one is enjoyable; but, I’d recommend just buying it on mobile rather than paying more for it on PC.
There is no PvE or Bots that take the place of players, so if you can’t find others to play with, this has the potential to be a very lonely game. Luckily, Atomega is priced well enough that even the casual arena fan could find a lot to like here, for as long as the game stays populated. If you find yourself looking for a great stand-in while waiting for your next big arena game, Atomega could be the game you’re looking for, just don’t expect it to evolve into more than that.
The bottom line is if you are looking for a game you can pick up when you have 15 minutes or two hours to spare, look no further. There's no gear grind, there's no falling behind if you don't play for a day or a week and the mechanics are easy enough that you don't have to start over if you take too much time off. It has become part of my evening routine before going to sleep and with plenty of levels to burn through, it's safe to say it's there to stay.
Pokken Tournament was a hit on the Wii U and while not an excellent game it is a solid fighter filed with some interesting Pokemon. However for each Pikachu Libre there is a Chandelure. With a roster of almost 1000 Pokemon you’d think they could have come up with a better lineup for the 21 fighters. While games like Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, and Arms do magnificent jobs of taking their respective genres and making excellent interpretations of Nintendo games Pokken Tournament DX only does an above average job for the fighting genre.
he story of Ghaul in Destiny 2 mirrors the story of Bungie as a publisher: humble, runty beginning (being a Mac game publisher), molding by an older mentor (Microsoft Studios) with an ulterior vision for their company, rise to indomitable power (the Halo years), a search for meaning beyond the power (splitting off the Halo franchise to 343 Industries), a fall from grace (leaving Microsoft), to becoming engulfed in the Light of their achievements (partnership with Activision), ushering in a Second Golden Age (Destiny 2). But, hey, that’s just a theory… for another time.
As fun as NHL Threes might be, it definitely is not reason enough on its own. If you missed a couple of incarnations and your last game is NHL 15 or even an earlier one, then I can recommend NHL 18 without hesitation, as it delivers the whole package in a modern style. Lastly, if you want to play online and are the competitive type, there is probably anyway no way around it.
I don’t want to give away too much and spoil anyone’s fun, but rest assured that Death of the Outsider is a worthy installment in the series. It lightens up on the story consequences from your actions and allows a much more liberated approach to your gameplay in which I found myself gleefully slaughtering guards more than creeping around corners. If you feel like I didn’t touch on the story, it was intentional. The title doesn’t leave much mystery on the main goal of the game and giving away details is not my style – go discover them for yourself.
Neo-retro games have had a great resurgence in recent years with the increased prevalence of Indie developers, and I believe what Songbringer accomplishes is nothing less than a fond wistfulness of those days of cartridges and arcades. While Songbringer plays heavily on the nostalgia of games long past, I believe new players with a little determination can still find a lot to like in this updated take on an old-fashioned game. For a game priced around the same as a movie and popcorn, this is an expeditious journey worth taking. Board the Songbringer sailor. Ekzera awaits.
The beauty of Kingdom: New Lands is that while it’s frustrating, like all the best roguelikes, it’s also addictive and you never feel cheated.
Gameplay wise, you’ll be hard-pressed to run out of things to do in RCR. Not only is there a free roam mode right off the bat, but the New Game+ is crazy and off the wall too. We’re talking dozens of hours of gaming here, and if you’ve never played RCR before, probably even more. I don’t hesitate when I say that Retro City Rampage is a must play for any retro-gaming fan, open world fan, or Nintendo gamer. It’s iconic, and worth the investment. And yes, RCR DX on the Switch is probably the best version out there.
As I played through the game, I found myself profoundly moved by Chloe, by Rachel, by loss and pain and the wondrous beauty of a newfound love. Excellence in writing evokes emotion and memory. Awake has it in spades. Deck Nine has done what most didn’t think they could: It took a beloved series by another developer (DontNod Entertainment) and made it even better. There simply isn’t a better way to honor another game than that.
Overall Ys VIII the Lacrimosa of Dana is a compelling and entertaining JRPG. I often found myself torn between pushing the main story forward and doing all the side activities, but the real tell was I just really enjoyed spending time in the game no matter what I was doing. The graphics, music, and game mechanics all work well together to provide many hours of delightful and fun entertainment.