Digitally Downloaded
HomepageDigitally Downloaded's Reviews
For anyone that has been put off the modern direction this series has taken, Zero in HD on our new generation of consoles is the perfect remedy.
Jokes aside, Tharsis is an incredibly meaningful game that has picked a woefully inadequate format to express an innately intelligent idea. If this was a narrative game, in the vein of Telltale Games' work or Life is Strange, then we really would have had something special on our hands. As it is, we have a board game that goes out of its way to be unfair so it can make players make decisions that should have great emotional impact, but in practice become a quite pragmatic stepping stone towards victory.
Mario RPGs continue to defy my expectations of them. These characters and universe that you would never expect to work once you apply a proper narrative to them do far better than many titles that aren't inhibited by a heritage in platformers. Satirical and self-referential, backed with some boundlessly creative combat systems and the endlessly bright Mario aesthetic, Paper Jam might not be a huge step forward from its predecessor on the Nintendo 3DS, but it is every bit as much fun.
Unlike episodes one through three, four ends without a cliffhanger. There seems to be nothing Telltale can add on that will change this, so I honestly cannot even begin to predict what the fifth episode may bring. At one point I did choose to have Jesse lie, and I wonder if that will come back to bite me - but what about everyone who didn't choose that path?! Regardless, A Block and a Hard Place is my absolute favourite episode in the Minecraft Story Mode tale to date, and I certainly look forward to what surprises may be coming my way when the conclusion is released.
Despite the laundry list of things that are just not right about Corgi Warlock, it remains an enjoyable game. What's more, for a first attempt it's not that bad at all. The game has all the hallmarks of a fun indie effort: an insane cast of characters, good enough challenge, and a cartoony production. It's just in the execution and slightly confused gameplay is where it falters and unfortunately, casts a big shadow over what little positive points the game has to offer.
I really enjoyed Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, but I think this one takes a giant leap forward. While the core mechanics remain functionally the same, that (even more) exotic setting and (lesser known) time period, brilliant environment design and brief, but effective, narrative all combine to make something that offers just that little bit more.
While trying to think of adjectives for Starwhal, I came up with a handful. Weird. Colourful. Quirky. Entertaining. Funny. These are some of the better ones I could offer. However, it is worth noting some of the others that sprang to mind as I continued to play. Shallow, Simple. Repetitive. Thankfully the former descriptions outweigh the latter, but it would be unfair to dismiss those latter items completely. If you have some friends or kids to play Starwhal with, pick up some controllers and lose yourself in its ridiculous antics.
Sitting down with mates, beers, and chips, there are few more enjoyable ways to pass a weekend than playing through Fat Princess Adventures. It's a deliberately limited game, but it works well within its self-imposed restrictions to keep the focus on the party atmosphere from start through to finish, and while it won't be remembered as a classic game by any stretch of the imagination, this is a good one to have sitting on the PlayStation 4 hard drive for when friends are over.
Starpoint Gemini 2 is difficult to get into, and I wish the narrative had been more interesting as well. However, the ability to play the game several different ways while reaching out and exploring a beautiful, expansive space helps to make the investment of time worth it. It is great to see a game like this coming to console, as the genre is far better represented on PC.
Hard West is a great example of a turn-based tactical strategy game that blends both the Old West and the supernatural together seamlessly. Though it's fairly derivative of games that we've already played, the intriguing way that the narrative plays itself out makes it worth a look, even for veterans.
I think it is safe to say that Snoopy has avoided the movie-tie-in curse. What we have here is a game that is solid in its design ideas and has implemented them effectively. Yes there are some slowdown issues, but considering who the game is marketed towards, I don't think they'll be taking too much notice of that. It's an enjoyable game, filled to the brim with fun and imagination.
Overall I enjoyed Hatoful Boyfriend Holiday Star as a fan of the original. It was great getting more back story for several characters that were underdone in the original, as well as meeting new characters all in the holiday mood.
I enjoyed my time with Xenoblade Chronicles X a great deal. I found the combat highly engaging and every new ridge I would climb up provided me with such breathtakingly beautiful vistas that I would sit there simply slow panning around to take it all in. But at the same time, undercooked narrative has hurt the really long-term value of the game, and it was just a little too in love with the more arbitrary and irritating quirks of MMO design for its own good.
I don't remember the last time I was so interested in a story labelled as "romance," but then came Clannad and everything changed. I never know a romance story could be so engaging, so multifaceted, and so emotional. The choice of a perceived bad boy as protagonist was an interesting one as opposed to showing the innocent girl fall in love with the rebel, a scenario played out far too often in Hollywood. Clannad shows us the softer side of a delinquent teenager, juxtaposed with the often harsh outcomes of his decisions.
There honestly is not a lot to say about Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends. It is a Smash Bros. clone through and through, so it does offer those without a Wii U the opportunity to play this type of game on a newer console. It isn't anywhere near as good as the Smash Bros. games, but represents the world of Kung Fu Panda rather well. It really does seem that for every good part of the game, there is a negative aspect that stops it from being truly great. It is a passable Smash Bros. clone, but to be honest, if you're that much of a fan of the Smash Bros. formula, surely you already have a Wii U.
Tennis in the Face is indeed a fun and funny game, but is it worth paying for? Given the fact that it's a wholly unoriginal game that barely distinguishes itself from its (free) peers, I would say no. One suspects that, at some point, the developer will be better off releasing a free version.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is a very attractive game that clearly had some effort put into the visuals. Beyond that, the title offers more tactical gameplay than most shooters on the market. The biggest sin that the game commits is that it just offers so little overall content. Whether the game sustains a minimum community to continue being playable while Ubisoft gets the content up to scratch through that promised free DLC remains very much up for debate.
So did the third episode of Minecraft Story Mode set a good precedent for the remainder of the series? Absolutely. Did it clear the bad taste left behind by episode two? Absolutely not. It makes me hopeful for episodes four and five to continue the upswing, but I'm hesitant to believe it will.
Being left with a real desire for a much bigger game is certainly preferable than struggling to care about it at all, but Image & Form has been teasing us with the potential for SteamWorld for some time now, and while I hope this is a big success for the team, because I want to see SteamWorld continue to grow, I really need for the next game in the series to be truly ambitious.
If the idea of truly great dungeon exploration appeals to you, Ruzar is a must buy. It's rare that you see a game focus so deliberately on one facet of their genre's appeal, yet Ruzar manages it and absolutely nails it too. Just don't go in expecting a deep character building experience or a rich plot - you're going in alone, and it's just you against the dungeon.