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Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is a prime example of how to do a remaster well. Improved graphics modernize the experience, and modifiers help alleviate the grind issues.
Faith is Life Is Strange 2’s most engrossing, heart-wrenching episode and may likely stand as one of the best across of the entire franchise. What it lacks in gameplay, its excellent writing, wonderful performances by the cast, dramatic camera work and cinematic nature more than makes up for the deficit.
You won’t find many games on the market that take on the subject of religious cults and presents them in an all too real light. In that regard, The Church in the Darkness does well by its subject matter, allowing you to investigate Freedom Town in a way that might actually change the way you look at the people who make up the Collective Justice Mission.
By most metrics — polish, graphics, writing, acting and engaging game play mechanics — Gears 5 is an impressive product for both solo players and competitive or cooperative shooter fans. But moving forward, the series desperately needs to venture into new ways of telling its stories and pacing its encounters.
Outlaw is irrevocably everything that the first game should have been. It combines arcade and simulation gameplay in a way that is dynamic and fun but it definitely does require commitment.
Control has bucketloads of what Remedy can do best; a characteristic world, an intriguing mystery building and a quirky story that’s not even meant to be fully understood.
Grandia 1 and 2 deserve four stars by themselves. The games are dated, yes, but they stand the test of time, flaws and all. They are (mostly) timeless and I would replay them over and over. But maybe wait for this specific collection to go on sale.
Omega Labyrinth Life is a game that was not made to be remembered, but instead made to pander certain kind of players.
Technical issues aside, Blair Witch makes for a satisfying experience with an oppressive atmosphere, an engaging plot and interesting gameplay mechanics. There’s also plenty of written plot details and collectable items dotted throughout the game, should players enjoy themselves enough to come back and attempt to figure out how to unlock some of alternative endings.
Hunt: Showdown doesn’t try to do a lot of things beyond its core mission, and the challenging gameplay and limited selection of maps — though they are expansive and interesting — might be a barrier to long-term enjoyment.
In the seven years since Torchlight II was released, dungeon crawlers have both evolved into a more complex genre and toyed with mechanics pulled from outside them, such as roguelikes.
These words hold true as we near the end of 2019. And the added functionality of a handheld option further the possible enjoyment more than ever before. Comparing the PS4 and Nintendo Switch version reveals that you don't lose out on much if played on either system.
Astral Chain feels like the culmination of Platinum Games’ work, combining sleek character-action gameplay with well-defined progression mechanics, a striking world, and more than a few memorable moments.
WRC 8 screams mediocrity in every turn, something akin to a budget title, but still it’s sold for a full price. It’s not a bad game by any means but not that great either.
Despite the lackluster single player and small other foibles I have with some of Heave Ho's design choices, you're still getting a ton of great bang for your buck here, especially at the $10 asking price.
While Children of Morta stays pretty solidly in the tradition of recent RPG/roguelikes, its packaging — graphics, design, story and characters — elevate it above the pack and players who have grown weary of the genre will find it refreshing. It’s challenging without (usually) being unfair and while there is plenty of varied combat, there is a story with some heart and soul for any player looking for a break from constant hack and slash.
When the most critical bugs are eventually squashed (developers have promised a steady stream of patches) and the penalty for dying hopefully toned down a bit (or conversely, more resting points added to the world), Decay of Logos will rise up to its full promise.
Nauticrawl is an absolute treat to play. What it lacks in depth is made up for by its sheer devotion to an intuitive design. The game eschews the excessive tutorialization found in many modern titles in favor of letting the player learn for themselves.
In 2014, I said that despite its issues, I enjoyed Bound by Flame and would like to see a sequel. While not a sequel, Greedfall is a successor to Bound by Flame and every other Spiders game and it’s absolutely their best work yet.
Sometimes people deride big-budget games as conservative, safe products, focus-tested and drained of imagination. But also, a bigger budget allows for quality writing, ruthless editors and designers with the chops to pull off a high concept.