USgamer's Reviews
OlliOlli 2 will test you. The controls are simple and straightforward, but success requires precision. Across 50 levels and five worlds, you will trick, you will combo, you will fail, and finally... you will succeed. OlliOlli 2 is a wonderfully tight zen experience from beginning to end. It's worth the price of admission.
Galak-Z is a smartly-designed, highly enjoyable shoot 'em up that does everything in its power to leverage its '80 mecha anime aesthetic. Frankly, there's not a lot like it on PSN these days. On that basis, it's easy enough to recommend it, but what really pushes it to the next level is the tremendous amount of detail put into the enemy design and the combat. It has a steep learning curve, but mastering it is an extremely rewarding experience. Even if you don't particularly like Macross, it's well worth checking out. It's one of the best shoot 'em ups I've played in ages.
Is Everybody's Gone to the Rapture a game, an experimental piece of interactive fiction, or is it perhaps even art? Whatever it is, the experience it delivers is a memorable one. It's gorgeous to look at, fantastic to listen to, and spins an intelligent and somewhat esoteric sci-fi mystery that's truly gripping through to its very end.
After a brief emotional detour, Life is Strange gets back to its main plot. The beginning and end of this episode are strong, with a lot of tension and emotional payoff, but the middle feels like it's padding out the gameplay time instead of serving the story. Still, this is the best episode yet.
A short, sweet, melancholic exploration game that offers precious few hours of gameplay, but it's beautiful to look at, and highly enjoyable to play.
A fantastic package that charts the history of one of Britain's most important developers. It works both as a historical archive, and as a top-tier package of classic games. There really is something for everyone in this wonderfully crafted anthology.
A great new direction for the series, and the best-playing digital version of Magic the Gathering yet. However, it's buggy, and you will need to invest a fair chunk of change to get the most out of it.
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess isn't really a full remaster of last year's trap simulation. Instead, the port adds a new questline, a new character, and some new traps to the mix, in addition to kicking the game up to 1080p at 60fps. It's worthwhile just to get the trap sim action on PS4, but the asking price is a bit high for double-dipping if you've already played Blood Ties.
The Magic Circle could have easily went with the normal limited interactions of the standard environmental puzzle game, but Question Games took things one step further, adding rich mechanics that allow players to tinker with its inner workings on some seriously impressive levels. This kind of open-ended ambition may leave players feeling lost at times, but its exploration of the act of creation and collaboration will stick with them for years to come.
An engaging and quirky game that packs some intriguing puzzles... as well as some that are almost too easy to solve. The narration sometimes feels like it's trying just a little too hard for its own good, but the overall experience Pneuma: Breath of Life delivers is an enjoyable one.
Don't let the FMV trappings of Her Story fool you; it uses this format as a tool, not a crutch. Sam Barlow's murder mystery uses pre-recorded video to its advantage, giving the experience a gritty, voyeuristic feel that only adds to its sense of intrigue. Simply put, you've never played a detective game like this before.
If you pick up Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition, know that you're essentially getting a prettier version of a 2008 experience. That may sound extremely obvious, but, over the last seven years, character action games have changed greatly, making some of DMC4's choices feel absolutely dated. If you can get past these qualities, though, you'll find the same reliable action we've come to expect from Devil May Cry over the past 15 years.
Rocksteady brings the story of its version of Batman to a satisfying conclusion. There's some moments of tedium to be found, but if you want to be the Batman, this is one of the best experiences available.
In terms of content and premise, Tale of Tales has a winner with sunset; I'd be hard-pressed to think of a game that tackles class, race, politics, and Capitalism so effectively with a light touch. Unfortunately, their attempts to replicate the drudgery of blue-collar labor might have been a bit too effective—certain sections of Sunset had me feeling absolutely listless. It's a problem I wish they would have improved, but definitely not one that should keep you away from this intensely original game.
Massive Chalice's generational loop makes for a strong core, and elements like the hybrid classes lend it some much-needed depth. However, it doesn't do a great job of tracking the history of your heroes, and it's ultimately lacking in elements like diverse character art and base classes. Still, there's the foundation for a phenomenal strategy game here if Double Fine is willing to build on it. As it is, though, it makes for a diverting few hours, and a welcome change of pace from XCOM.
Life is Strange takes a hard turn with Episode 3 as Max's supporting cast gains a bit more nuance and depth. So far, each episode of Life is Strange has improved upon the foundation laid by the last one. With Episode 3, the developer makes the player really think about the scope of Max's powers and actions. Great stuff.
Galactic Civilizations III is a great rebuild of a great series. The game is much bigger, multiplayer is here to stay, and the ship designer will keep some players occupied for hours. Is it missing a few features from previous entries? Sure, but GalCiv III is still worth your time and money.
Nintendo takes a chance with this odd, risky rethink of the arena shooter. Splatoon moves away from guns and grit, offering a shooter anyone of any age can enjoy. The game's single-player is an absolutely amazing puzzle platformer that deserves some expansion. Multiplayer is a bit light on content at launch, but Nintendo is already promising more this summer.
If you haven't played Ultra Street Fighter IV yet, this Game of the Year-style edition for PlayStation 4 is what you've been waiting for. SF4 gets kicked up to 1080p at 60 fps and includes all of the available DLC for a mere $24.99. If you already own all the content on PC, skip it, but it's a solid upgrade for console players.
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is probably one of the most well-crafted RPG worlds yet. As you wander the countryside, it feels like a real place filled with the real struggles of the beings that live there. Geralt's story is personal and quite grey; it's not about saving the world, it's about saving his surrogate family. Is it perfect? No, the combat is rote at times and the inventory and crafting needs work, but in the end, The Witcher III is a top-notch RPG experience.