IGN's Reviews
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.
This version is handicapped by its lack of voice communication tools. Even if it's updated to parity with the PC version, that's a tough pill to swallow in such a cooperative game.
Playing through Bayonetta 2 on Nintendo Switch allowed me to relive some of the most exhilarating, action-packed, hack-and-slash moments from the last decade of gaming.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an RPG that does the medieval era right with a refreshingly small-scale story and strong realistic combat.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DLC for Injustice 2 is one great fanservice filled package for TMNT fans, and fits right in with Injustice 2's star-studded cast of heroes and villains. Their four distinct sets of abilities and playstyles make it feel like four characters for the price of one.
Fe is a short-lived platformer that still manages to outstay its welcome in some regards. Its platforming is okay but unimaginative, and its best ideas, like the tree jumping and singing affecting the world, remain underused. It can be a beautiful game at times, especially with regards to its music and audio design, but not so much so that it hides its rougher edges and undeveloped concepts.
Playing through Bayonetta 2 on Nintendo Switch allowed me to relive some of the most exhilarating, action-packed, hack-and-slash moments from the last decade of gaming. The framerate improvements alone make it a better experience than the Wii U version, and the amiibo-activated costumes at least put a fun spin on it even if there's no substantial new content for returning players. It's disappointing that the Switch version can't manage more than 720p on a big screen, but with that said, Bayonetta 2's fantastic art style holds up well.
After the resounding success of Dynasty Warriors 8, Dynasty Warriors 9 feels like a major step back. What's lost in the move towards an individually-centered story spread across a massive open world far outweighs the minor benefits that are gained. While the excellent button-mashing gameplay stays intact with great tweaks and additions, it wasn't enough. The lack of multiplayer, missing alternate game modes, and emptiness of ancient China left me far from satisfied.
Without the Nemesis system driving its battles and creating consequences for failures, Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Blade of Galadriel feels smaller and less interesting than the main game. Its short story missions are creative and its colorful uruks are good splashes of personality, but the repetitive battles against more than a dozen Legendary uruks get old, even with the promise of new gear sets.
The Resistance DLC adds needed map variety to multiplayer and introduces another fun Nazi Zombies map. The tighter, dense map Valkyrie gives the new Resistance Division a chance to shine with plenty of close combat opportunities, while Anthropoid offers snipers space to work their magic. Even though Operation Intercept is a new map for the wonderful War Mode, it feels like a known quantity with its repeated objectives from previous operations. On the other hand, the new Zombies map Darkest Shore has plenty of challenging (if sometimes convoluted) puzzles to uncover.
Civ 6: Rise and Fall's new Golden Age and Governor systems add new and interesting decisions while Loyalty largely bogs it down.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT tries to spin too many plates at once. As a team-based arena combat game, it creates some interesting battles but comes up short against the depth and accessibility of something like Overwatch. As a fighting game, it fails to find a balance between the challenging execution of a Street Fighter and the pick-up-and-play chaos of a Super Smash Bros. And as Final Fantasy fan service, it ticks some boxes but has some glaring omissions in its lineup and surrounding features. Even those who consider themselves Final Fantasy completionists aren't going to have enough story content to keep them playing for long. That's frustrating, because when its various parts all come together in harmony it is a fun, unique team fighting game.