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Those looking for a narrative focused experience or breathtaking visuals will probably come away disappointed. However, Immortal Planet translates the SoulsBorne world into a small isometric package and runs with it. For every Souls feature it misses the mark on, it makes up for it with an innovative twist on the formula with marked improvements in some ways. Immortal Planet manages to capture the strategic adrenaline rush of the Soulslike, while forging its own identity along the way.
Albion Online is fun sandbox adventure game with complexity but some UI issues. If you can make your own story and don't need a quest line to follow, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this if you're into MMORPGs where you chart your own destiny. While there are a few interesting ideas here, there's nothing that will shatter your expectations, but that doesn't stop it from being a pretty good game overall.
Sundered is an overall excellent entry into the Metroidvania genre and should be a strong consideration for fans of this style. The cycle of exploration devolving into button mashing (then death) could be frustrating for some, and stands as the largest blemish in the title. However, outstanding presentation and a compelling world highlight Thunder Lotus' vision. Memorable bosses and a narrative embedded in the deepest corners of the game create a very satisfying experience.
Should you buy this game? If you are a fan of the shmup genre, then yes you should. Drifting Lands is a solid shmup that belongs in the collection of any fan of the genre. A few odd design choices and a distractingly bad story hold it back from being excellent, but it is a fun game in spite of it. Just be aware that if you're looking for a danmaku, you might be left a little wanting. If you've never tried a shmup before, this is still a good purchase, though you might want to start on Easy to make the game ease up on the perma-loss aspect. The game does have a demo, so if you're sitting on the fence, download that and see for yourself. Now if you'll parden me, I need to get back to looking for a straight laser drop.
Stories sets a very high bar for writing and story in a video game. Similarly, while many games tout that player decisions matter, Stories truly delivers. Visual design would rate well alone, and audio/narration is nearly perfect. The price of admission is a good deal, with gameplay developing new wrinkles through about a dozen stories to keep it fresh, which would land you about 6-10 hours of gameplay. Some players will get tired of combat sooner, some will persist for the stories. Completionists looking for platinum will likely get tired of killing ravens. Replayability's only blemish is that the game is so fast to "complete" that you pretty much need to go through a few times just to start grasping the true nature of the game. This is a small nitpick to be sure, and players will likely stick with this game for a bit to see what Reynardo will do next.
Overall, Dead By Daylight Special Edition is a fun and challenging asymmetrical horror game pitting a killer and four survivors in an enclosed area. There's plenty of customization players can undertake in terms of powers, perks and attire, so break out your fashion ideas. Included in this special edition are several DLCs that were released on the PC version. Given the already low price of the game and how it compares to similar games within the genre, Dead by Daylight is a hands down win.
Abzu does change the formula in important ways, but these fun and exciting additions are not enough to move it out of Journey's shadow. Considering just how much of the emotional journey is taken from the first game, Abzu is not groundbreaking, but it is a masterpiece that deserves to be remembered.
I found the gameplay engaging and challenging so the lack of story isn't a critical issue, but having something there to help encourage me to clear missions would have been nice.
Overall Illusoria is a game that can conjure up old memories of a genre that is underappreciated and often overlooked in today's modern video game landscape
For a game whose namesake implies a certain standard of tactics and strategy in an RTS, Dawn of War III is a bit of a bait and switch. While Dawn of War III on its own is a good game, you have to be completely objective in order to see that and many long time fans of the series won't. It remains to be seen if this iconic branch of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise is heading in a new direction entirely or if this was just a bad judgment call, but I believe many players will be skeptical of a future release and Relic may not be able to rely on their brand alone to sell their next installment, should one ever be developed.
Between Lords of the Fallen and now The Surge, it has become increasingly clear that Deck 13 has both the talent and know-how to make a fantastic RPG, but for some reason keeps falling just short of a homerun. While The Surge is a good game, and definitely one of the best currently available in it's genre, things like lack of character creation, no multiplayer or any multiplayer interaction of any kind, and very little in terms of unique elements that only their game possesses are holding them back from being at the top of their class. The gaming industry has raised the standard of Action RPGs since Lords of the Fallen, and although Deck 13 has raised theirs as well, The Surge is likely to struggle in a market with games like: Nioh, Nier: Automata, Bloodborne, Horizon Zero Dawn and Witcher 3. If you don't already own those games, it will be harder to justify the 59.99 price tag for this game, especially when you can get any of those above for much less. If, however, you have already played those games, then The Surge is the next step in your RPG journey.
Little Nightmares is an evocative and very creative game. It's clear that developer Tarsier was invested in making this not only a game but an experience. It explores themes of childhood and some of our deeper fears, although it's lack of story context does leave it a bit more abstract than it needs to be. The gameplay of the puzzles are well designed and escaping to the next is a harrowing and rewarding experience. Although it's short, the experience is tense and meaningful. There is enough to ponder here philosophically to merit a look. If unsettling yourself for a few hours is your thing, there are much worse ways to spend $20.
Moonfall, Overall, is a hack 'n' Slash game with basic combat and exploration, and simplistic RPG elements. While its hand drawn art style is gorgeous to look at and it's, every other aspect is just….average. Not bad, just, average and plain. And considering that there are other games like this that exist online, in some cases for free, for its price point, Moonfall's only worthy selling point above other games of its kind is its artwork. Besides that though, if a 2D hack 'n' slash or beat em' up is what you're after, there are plenty of other games out there. You can do worse, but you can also do better.
Half visual novel, half dungeon crawl, all awesome. 100 hours of actually meaningful content, a unique (and sometimes uniquely brutal) combat system, excellent writing, and extremely unsubtle social commentary, all wrapped up in a very stylish package. Definitely not for everybody, but if you've spend the last 10 years wishing they still made JRPGs like they did in 2006, and you're willing to put in a lot of time, then this is probably the game for you.
Mass Effect games usually have decent gameplay and focus on an exceptionally written story with very engaging characters. This one feels completely reversed as the gameplay is loads of fun, with a lot of experimentation, and is also well executed. The story on the other hand suffers from major problems along with most of the characters being bland and boring. Multiplayer may be fun to play, but very little has been added to the mode to keep you engaged for long unless you’re a hardcore fan of the mode. Overall the game doesn’t really innovate much in the way of newness and there is some work to be done to make the sequel to be a success the Mass Effect that surpasses the original games. However, there is a lot of potential to explore in this brand new galaxy.
Plentiful, engaging and beautifully designed content adds many hours of playtime and reasons to return to the base game one year after release, be it to enjoy fashion souls or your powerful new arsenal, or simply explore what humanity may have meant all along. A fitting end to a fantastic game, worth full price.
Once again, only the overall score is necessary. Telltale delivers a consistent experience from start to finish, carried along by the strength of its story and voice acting. Gameplay is quite good for a Point and Click affair. Puzzles are on the casual end for sure for the genre, but the QTEs and dialogue segments are the true winners here. Replayability depends on the player. Those who care about the different choices will likely take it for another spin. The price is fair, but I would again point out that people need to be aware that you're paying for the incredibly high production of the story/acting rather than an epic saga that will take you years to complete. To conclude, Telltale fans likely don't need to be sold on this. Batman fans looking for a unique spin on things shouldn't miss it either. For everyone else, remember Episode 1 is free and what you see there only gets better.
Overall I'd say the game remains stable. There's not much point to doing ranking for individual aspects, but in comparison to Episodes 1-3, the story takes a small hit this time. However, replayability gets a nice boost for sure and a couple small tweaks introduce just enough variation to the mix to give gameplay a small upward adjustment.
With no competitive multiplayer in the game, Ghost Recon Wildlands focuses on giving a massive open world for you and your buddies to explore. With a disjointed narrative experience, great visual and audio design, solid shooting and stealth mechanics, Ghost Recon Wildlands offers a perfectly functional and fun co-op experience that is fun to play in short bursts. Ultimately though, the game becomes boring and repetitive due to it massive world, which is devoid of fun activities to engage the player with. It does not feel like a Ghost Recon game and could have been a new franchise on its own. Just like The Division last year, this is a game that had a lot of promise, and although it has its fun moments, feels like a missed opportunity.
Be prepared to take a voyage in time and space, not only to the Ninth World countless years into the future, but also 20 years into the past, into your bedroom as a young gamer just finding your way. If you still know how to read the Numenera known as a "book", Torment: Tides of Numenera will take you places no other game has in a decade. Although the game is not overly long (about 30 hours), it is easily justified for the modest price of 44.99$.