IGN's Reviews
I wanted Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 to make me feel like Spider-Man: To sail between the highrises of New York City, to nimbly web up hordes of enemies, and tussle with familiar, animal-themed villains. Insomniac Games' first foray into the world of Marvel handily delivers on all of that. But what I didn't expect from Spider-Man was to come away feeling just as fulfilled to have inhabited the life of Peter Parker. Aside from a few odd pacing issues, which momentarily took me out of the experience of being a superhero, and a world of optional missions that don't always quite live up to the heft of the main story, Insomniac has delivered a Spider-Man story that both surprised and delighted me, coupled with gameplay that made me feel like Spider-Man nearly every step of the way. The Wall Crawler's open world doesn't consistently deliver the thrilling moments of its main campaign, but the foundation laid here is undoubtedly a spectacular one.
Marvel's Spider-Man is undoubtedly the best Spider-Man videogame ever made, but it could have been a lot better.
With a breezy pace and a comically weird story, Little Dragons Cafe is a unique take on farming sims. While I loved cooking meals, establishing my inn, and the anxiety-free pace, its management mechanics have been watered down just a bit too much and result in stakes so low that much of it becomes meaningless. Without making important decisions or a wealth of more interesting side-quests to capture my attention, I eventually ended up bored by the repetitive tasks.
Dragon Quest XI excels when it emphasizes fighting bad guys, exploring dungeons, and finding treasure. It's a visual feast populated by a cast of colorful monsters more engrossing than its main characters. Uneven story beats and some icky bits sometimes slow Dragon Quest down, but superb mechanics remain the focus, making Echoes of an Elusive Age a top-tier JRPG for the modern age.
It may be a very short diversion, but Donut County is a delight. It's absolutely brimming with personality, has a killer soundtrack and visual aesthetic, and is based on an irresistible gameplay hook. I'd have loved more, but I guess I'll just settle for playing through it again.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate brings the majority of the series' monsters into one package for a lengthy and exciting hunting extravaganza. While it feels dated in some ways post-Monster Hunter: World, it's a great farewell tour for the old style of the franchise. If you can stomach the pacing problems and obtuse menu systems, it's a worthwhile and challenging trek through the history of Monster Hunter.
InnerSpace definitely sticks the landing in creating a strange and stylish set of captivating worlds that are intriguing to explore. However, the flight controls and puzzles don't come close enough to those same high points.
Despite the fact that the made-for-PlayStation 4 Yakuza 6 was only released a few short months ago, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the best and most fully formed Yakuza game of 2018 even though it's a remake of a game that's now two console generations old. Its storyline is gripping, its weapons-heavy fighting system accommodates no shortage of spectacle, and it serves up plenty of enjoyable side activities – both mini and macro – to divert to or return for after the story wraps. Yakuza 0 may still be the high watermark for the series on the PS4, but Yakuza Kiwami 2 isn't too far behind.
Guacamelee 2 is a hilarious, challenging, and rewarding follow-up to Drinkbox's original. It expands on the first's ideas in so many great ways, and marries a complex but understandable set of moves to both its combat and platforming.
The campaign itself can feel drawn out at times thanks to a less-than-stellar story and some obviously recycled content, but there's a real thrill in executing covert missions and putting all the pieces together like a master spy.
Clementine's arc is setting up for a spectacular finish in this final season of Telltale's The Walking Dead. Even as we've watched her grow and evolve over the course of three seasons, her interactions with other characters and continued development in this nightmare world consistently allows us to learn new things about her in every new installment. Her relationship with AJ works on multiple levels, both as a callback to her relationship to her original father figure and a mirror image of her own struggle to adapt to her violent world. While some of the exposition-heavy conversations drone on longer than they should, it ends on a powerful note foreshadowing some difficult lessons Clementine has yet to learn about what it means to grow up and lead in a post-society world.
Dead Cells fuses breakneck motion with an emphasis on risk-and-reward for an incredibly engaging action-platformer.
We Happy Few's focus on story over survival is a good choice, and at its best when dropping bombshells of truth that the drugged people of Wellington Wells have tried so hard to ignore. In its Early Access, I felt like wandering between procedurally-generated islands to stay alive wasted the intriguing setting and premise of its opening act. Now, exploring segments designed to reveal We Happy Few's secrets are both fun and rewarding. Although survival and crafting are fairly manageable, running through randomly generated towns, streets, or abandoned fields unfortunately shows that We Happy Few can't hide from the ghost of its own past, no matter how much Joy you take.
If you like your games with an offbeat sense of humour and plenty of personality, Flipping Death comes recommended. Its central game design hook of flipping between life and death makes for an interesting world to navigate and puzzles to solve, and its characters are so oddball and endearing you'll want to hear every conversation in full, not to mention find out how it all ends.
Stardew Valley is a beautiful, fun game that, when all of its parts are pulled together, make for a wonderful countryside adventure.
Overcooked 2 serves up a great balance of hilarious chaos and strategy alongside meaningful improvements over its predecessor. The kitchens have more moving parts, the recipes are more varied, and the ability to throw ingredients fundamentally changes the arcade cooking formula. It's still ideal when played on the couch with friends, but solo play is much improved, and online support adds versatility.
This beautifully implemented port is a perfect PC introduction to the joys of Monster Hunter.
Madden 19 returns the primary focus where it belongs: that moment-to-moment gameplay between the end zones. It's only true stumbling point is the lackluster story mode that fails to recapture the magic of the first, but that's entirely offset by the new player handling that once again leverages the power of the Frostbite engine. Most importantly, Madden 19 has finally cracked that slightly repetitive feel that can make it tough to go on, game after game. With Real Player Motion delivering a fluid on-the-field experience, and Franchise mode customization offering another level of realism, Madden is in a great place.
Chasm is a lovely and fun Metroidvania with a lot of cool new ideas, even if its randomized maps are uninteresting.
Marvel Powers United VR makes me feel like a superhero, but fails to give exciting or varied enough missions to put my skills to the test. While the characters and environment successfully showcase the personality of Earth's mightiest heroes, repetitive gameplay and lackluster rewards stop Powers United short of being marvelous.