IGN's Reviews
It's hard to find as fun and fresh a package as this one in the free-to-play MOBA genre. I think it'll pay to stick around, because I'm never quite sure what they'll cook up next.
Gravel is a game displaced. It's a competent and occasionally pretty pick-up-and-play arcade racing game at its core, but it has the whiff of a game released in the wrong era – a scent it just can't shake. A 2018 rendition of '90s ambition. Gravel certainly channels the spirit and straightforward simplicity of Milestone's own 1997 arcade off-roader Screamer Rally but it has no unique hook for today's audience; no over-the-top arcade pizazz that folks will still be discussing 10 or 15 years down the track. It's functional and fun enough in small bursts, but arcade racers have come a long way over the past two decades and Gravel doesn't bring any new ideas to the paddock.
Rogue felt like a throwback when it was originally released alongside the next-gen Assassin's Creed Unity. This same feeling accompanies this remastered version. After the significant advancements made to the series by last year's Origins, Rogue second outing feels equally dated and mistimed. Ironically for the series, Rogue Remastered proves that going back in time isn't always fun.
Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom distinguishes itself from its predecessor by layering fast-paced, real-time combat and an engaging kingdom building system atop more traditional RPG systems and quests. It's a shame it delivers so few truly memorable characters and restricts so much of its storytelling to text on screen, but by the end of Ni No Kuni 2 the broader themes certainly resonate and the 40+ hour journey has been well worth it.
Warhammer Vermintide 2 is a beautifully dark game, and I'm in love with its hard-hitting, meaty melee weapons. It's a gorgeous game with tons of fun play styles and customization options to uncover, even if most of the loot you earn for your efforts is a letdown. But thankfully you don't need to pay much attention to it to simply enjoy the hack-n-slash, Left 4 Dead-inspired co-op fun of bashing hordes of rats and zombies to a pulp.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life presents the most detailed virtual chunk of Japan the series has managed to date, and its story provides a satisfying end to the Kizama Kiryu saga. However, as far as gameplay goes, Yakuza 6 doesn't make enough of an effort to break new ground, making it weaker overall than last year's Yakuza Zero.
Attack on Titan 2 has a lot of great things going for it: Exciting aerial battles that are true to the anime and manga, several quality-of-life improvements over the original game, and both competitive and cooperative online game modes.
The name Kirby Star Allies isn't just for show. Whether you're adventuring through Dream Land with up to three friends or playing with competent AI teammates, Kirby's ever-rotating group of uniquely powered pals are the real stars of the show here. The creative ways you can combine abilities never gets old, which means there's great potential for replayability especially with friends. I just wish the final boss battle hadn't come just as the puzzles were starting to give me a challenge.
The Curse of the Pharaohs is a big step outside of what we're used to seeing from Assassin's Creed Origins, and it pulls its whimsically mystical journey off well. Combat continues to be fun and challenging, and this time your biggest foes are fleshed out and varied enough to turn what could've easily been a monotonous series of fights into a highlight. Along with the side activities of hunting down stolen relics and exploring desecrated tombs, this surreal DLC goes above and beyond expectations.
H1Z1 checks all of the boxes needed to be a competent battle royale game, but in its main mode it lacks a distinctive sense of character. Without the realistic depth and modular weaponry of PUBG or the wacky base-building antics of Fortnite, its streamlined design rushes toward straightforward, fast-paced action instead and ends up being dull as often as it is exciting. The more interesting thing about H1Z1 is its innovative Auto Royale mode, which translates battle royale mechanics to vehicular combat in a way we haven't seen done better elsewhere.
Fable Fortune has some novel ideas that put a new spin on gameplay that's familiar to CCG fans. Its good/evil upgrade system shows a lot of potential, though its selection of cards needs to grow into it before it can really pay off.
The catchy song that plays over Pit People's ending credits (and has been stuck in my head for the last several days) proclaims: “And it all makes sense now!” That might be overstating things, since its tactical battles never played out the way I expected due to each character having a mind of their own when it comes to what to actually attack or heal. But pit People's weird world has a special, quirky way of being amusing no matter what you're doing. I enjoyed it mostly in small doses, as the bright colors, twisted sense of humor, and goofy, energetic soundtrack can get to be a little much sometimes.
Fatal Bullet isn't a bad game, but it didn't hold my interest for very long. It's fun to be surrounded by familiar faces from the anime series, and I could see glimmers of depth in Fatal Bullet's combat and upgrade systems. However, the poor story pacing and the repetitive nature of exploration dragged it down. While it's a good change of pace for games based on SAO, it still lacks the polish needed to really stand out.
Moss made a wonderful first impression and never let up. Spending four hours with Quill in this VR world was a joy, and no one element or environment type wears out its welcome. Its mix of combat and puzzles hooked me quickly, always kept things fresh, and left me wanting more.
Past Cure never does anything special. Every time it tries to do something interesting, it immediately forgets about it and does something else. Don't get me wrong: it's not a bad thing to include a number of genres within one game. In fact, it can help keep it fresh if they serve as a breather from a strong central idea. The problem is that Past Cure has no strong central idea to take a break from or return to. Whether it's the initially compelling yet convoluted supernatural story or the interesting gimmicks that never leave the tech demo phase, it's a disorganized bundle of ideas that are never given a chance to develop into something out of the ordinary.
Apocalypse does a great job as Battlefield 1's final DLC, sticking to the formula that made the Battlefield series so popular in the first place. But while it tries to push the boundaries with its Air Assault mode, the awkward flight controls and lack of content keep it from living up to its potential.
The wide variety of mech and pilot abilities make Into The Breach's tactical combat deep, satisfying, and replayable. Every turn creates a new complex puzzle, and though sometimes there's no perfect solution, finding the best way to minimize damage creates frequent eureka moments as you learn to make the most of the abilities you're given to work with. It's a small-looking tactics game that's kept me playing more intently than most big ones.
So much of Metal Gear Survive is repeating the same thing over and over again in single- and multiplayer. Defending the same points from the same zombies. Exploring the same zones for the same materials. Mining the same resources for the same small amounts of gear. But after learning the ropes and learning to set your own personal goals within that loop, there's an odd comfort in the formula, and I can see myself returning to expand my end-game base out of my own completionist urges. Survive might not compare well to the tactical espionage action that's defined the Metal Gear series we know and love, but its oddly hit-or-miss combo of some solid old ideas and some clumsy new ones has at least some appeal.
Rust is an aggressively competitive survival game that thrives on conflict and trash talk. Other games are better at the individual components, like DayZ for the tense player interactions, Fortnite for the battle royale mode, or Subnautica for the survival gameplay, but Rust blends lesser versions of all three together in a way that works. For competitive players who want a mix of survival and crafting, Rust is the best there is; for everyone else, there are plenty of other games.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an RPG that does the medieval era right with a refreshingly small-scale story and strong realistic combat.