IGN's Reviews
Virtual Rick-ality does a great job emulating the dark humor of the source material, even if it occasionally overindulges in its self-awareness. Smart use of well-established VR minigame mechanics guides you through the experience, and aside from some slight issues navigating the space on a two-sensor Oculus Rift setup, these familiar and fun activities mesh well with the amusing efforts of the writing team and cast. Rick & Morty's first foray into virtual reality is not only a solid VR experience, but the duo's strongest attempt at translating the spirit of the show into a game yet.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an amazing game for all the same reasons I mentioned in our original review. It's still a gorgeous kart racer and every bit as addictive as it was in 2014. This is the best entry in the series so far, and it has all the content you'll need. Returning players have seen a lot of this game before, but the overhauled Battle mode and its five additional ways to play are a great reason to pick it up. Nintendo didn't do enough to make the online experience better, but the rest of this game holds up well.
Funny and fresh from beginning to end, Paradigm is a traditional point-and-click adventure game full of heart and decapitated heads in jars. The Eastern European setting, great voice acting, and confident comedy shine throughout its roughly six hours. Relatively simple puzzles aside, Paradigm offers a fresh and memorable entry in a genre that I'm happy to see alive and well in 2017.
With three hits and three duds from Capcom/Disney years that you might remember with varying levels of fondness, the Disney Afternoon Collection is clearly aimed at children of the 90s. I have trouble seeing its appeal to anyone else. But if vintage duck-based platformers are your thing, grab a Capri Sun and a handful of Gushers and invite your friends over to play.
From long-time Wonder Boy fans to platformer enthusiasts who've never heard of it until now, you'll likely be able to find whimsical fun and a neat bit of genre history in this charming adventure.
Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely starting off on the right foot, with a great script, great actors, and a universe packed with personality (and backed by catchy tunes) to explore. If it can continue to deliver the quality of dialogue and panel-perfect action over the course of the rest of the season, it may find itself seated in the upper echelons of Telltale's catalog. I just hope that now the series has introduced itself, the series gives its environments and characters just a bit more time to breathe in between speeding the plot along.
Full Throttle Remastered mostly succeeds on two fronts: As a fresh way to revisit an old classic, and as the ideal entry point for players who haven't yet smacked rival bikers with a two-by-four on the Mine Road or figured out the combination to Old Man Corley's safe. There are a couple of sticking points for both old and new players, including some technical issues and (especially for the latter) that questionable "adventure game logic" which is anything but logical. Nevertheless, there's never been a better time to hit the open road with Ben and his gang.
Voodoo Vince's action doesn't deviate much from the standard conventions of early 21st-century platformers, but its jazzy music and bizarre New Orleans look render it a memorable experience. With modernized textures, resolution, aspect ratio, and frame rate, this remastered version updates Vince for a new generation, and hopefully ensures he won't get buried like he was in his former incarnation as an Xbox exclusive.
Played in long sessions, Trove can quickly grow mind-numbingly dull and repetitive, and its performance issues can sometimes be a pain. But played in short sessions, it's a decently fun way to pass the time, either by building structures, battling bad guys, or experimenting with new classes.
Graceful Explosion Machine builds an intense, addictive shoot-em-up around a satisfying weapon-juggling system and smart enemies. The Switch’s HD Rumble adds a unique feeling to every explosion in this colorful shooter, and earning a good spot on the leaderboard is an intense challenge thanks to dense swarms of enemies. But even when a pesky foe slapped down my scoring run, I always had the urge to jump back into these crowded corridors and try again.
The Signal From Tölva serves up a promising sci-fi concept, one that is made more intriguing by the ability to manipulate robot factions and some occasional awe-inspiring sights and sounds. But sometimes a slow burn can be a bit too slow thanks to its plodding movement speed, and that's the case here. If you're willing to wade through some deliberate pacing and lots of walking between repetitious shootouts with similar robot enemies, there are some intriguing bursts of action and sci-fi lore waiting for you on the hills of Tolva.
I found Boone's quest so fascinating, the Brutale's secrets so alluring, and its world so charming that I rewound the clock just to spend a few more days in Lafcadio's beautiful nightmare.
With a look this distinctive, Drawn to Death could have hit the ground running. But as a decent shooter it merely limps, thanks to a number of unfortunate design choices, a lack of options, and rampant bugs. Intricate levels, varied weapons and unique characters may have looked good on paper, but any positives Drawn to Death has get scribbled over and obscured by the constant barrage of un-funny abuse it insists on endlessly spewing in your face.
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition is a great-looking remaster of a still fun, ridiculously over-the-top shooter from last generation that pokes fun at the genre while introducing its own distinctively violent, melee-heavy playstyle. On the other hand, it’s almost completely devoid of new content, which makes it less attractive for returning fans who were hoping for anything more than a facelift.
Slithering up simple structures in Snake Pass is one of the most mechanically satisfying video game ideas I’ve ever experience, and it effectively creates a sensation that feels the way maneuvering like a snake might. The camera and checkpoint systems aren’t great, but the concept still managed to hook me for the five hours it took wrap up the campaign. And in the end, I wanted to go back and replay stages to round up all the collectibles I missed.
If you’ve already played the original LEGO City Undercover on Wii U, then there is little reason to pick up this re-release. However, if you were one of the many who missed it the first time around then LEGO City Undercover remains a hilarious riff on police procedurals, built upon a GTA-for-juniors open world blueprint, and stuffed with enjoyable side missions and collectibles to hunt down. The addition of split-screen play, cursory in its execution as it may be, only makes the game more appealing to players who would prefer to experience LEGO City Undercover with a friend riding shotgun. And what's a good police story without a partner in crime-fighting?
If you’ve already played the original LEGO City Undercover on Wii U, then there is little reason to pick up this re-release. However, if you were one of the many who missed it the first time around then LEGO City Undercover remains a hilarious riff on police procedurals, built upon a GTA-for-juniors open world blueprint, and stuffed with enjoyable side missions and collectibles to hunt down. The addition of split-screen play, cursory in its execution as it may be, only makes the game more appealing to players who would prefer to experience LEGO City Undercover with a friend riding shotgun. And what's a good police story without a partner in crime-fighting?
Yooka-Laylee contains all the pieces needed for a fun, enjoyable throwback to the 3D collectathons of the 64-bit era. The characters are charming and funny, your set of abilities is vast and entertaining, and four out of five of the worlds are fun playgrounds to explore. While it lacks the heart and polish of some of its incredible predecessors, it’s a good reminder that this genre, once thought to be dead, still has some life left in it.
Overall, MLB The Show 17 builds on last year's version, which many cited as the best in the series, by adding some key features and improvements. Most notable are increased hit variety, MLB Network integration, and the RTTS documentary. All of these additions make the game feel more like real baseball. This authenticity makes games more fun to play, as it's easier than ever to become invested in every pitch.
You certainly get your $20’s worth out of Thimbleweed Park. The voice cast doesn’t elevate the script in the way they always did in the LucasArts “talky” days, but an enjoyable, self-referential story and hundreds of puzzles to solve make it worthy of a place on your shelf next to Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island.