Smash Jump's Reviews
Debuting with this game is an impressive feat for Far Out Games. Even more so impressive as many on the team have been recent students. The destruction is iconic, the driving feels weighted, and its story keeps you guessing, even if the ending is a head-scratcher. But the game is a labor of love, and the developers have something special here.
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a solid collection with a nice assortment of classic fighting games. Despite some of the flaws with its online, there are still plenty of reasons to love this game. The numerous extras, added online play with rollback netcode, and the overall style of the collection, combined with the obvious benefit of having these games preserved, make this quite a great collection.
On offer here is an interesting story with engaging characters, simple, and gorgeous environments. Where it is perhaps let down the most is the uneven pacing, characterization that can feel unnatural and unearned, and a simplistic combat system flawed enough to tip the balance from fun and challenging to frustration.
StarVaders is a very addictive game that offers a lot of replay value. Its gameplay loop of defeating enemies with smart tactical manoeuvres, collecting cards to build a powerful deck, and repeating the process is a ton of fun. It’s not going to be for everybody and it can feel overwhelming at times with the stats, but after a while it’s a very easy game to pick up and play.
Doom: The Dark Ages is a complete experience from top to bottom. Top notch combat that comes from a dev team that has been doing FPS for a long time. A story that moves the plot along in a meaningful way and keeps intrigue, at least enough to get to the next fighting sequence. Quality cutscenes give players the full depth of the story as it happens and adds to the overall production value of the game.
Out of Sight is not one to be missed. It provides players with something brand new whilst keeping things simple for anyone to pick up and enjoy. Add in some great challenging puzzles, impeccable art design, and a story that keeps the mystery alive all throughout and you have a game that needs to be experienced. There are flaws for sure, less finicky controls and a much more satisfying resolution that ties up loose ends would have been appreciated, but they don’t hinder the experience too much.
Oblivion Remastered is everything I wanted it to be. It is an example all future remasters should strive toward. It preserves the core of what makes Oblivion special in the eyes of its long-time fans while upgrading and modernizing it just enough so that it feels fresh and in-line with modern sensibilities.
Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is an extremely unique game that has an interesting premise, memorable characters, and a wonderfully expressive art style. While the game might be a little more linear in nature, the story and the characters found throughout Limbo really helps this game stand out amidst a sea of up and coming indie titles.
Finding Frankie has a lot of great ideas, which are complimented nicely with its visuals and horror elements, but it’s not enough. It feels as if there should be more here for players to sink their teeth into, however, all we are left with is a short experience that has nothing interesting to say. The few great elements the game has such as the tense Henry Hotline section, the soundtrack, and the art design does elevate it past its mediocrity, but after spending just a measly two hours with the game, it feels as if I only got a quarter of the package.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a superb game. It’s got great gameplay, a plethora of content, and a unique art style that ties the game together. It does have its issues, most notably its roster, which really holds the game back. That being said, the game does a great job of bringing Fatal Fury into the modern day and is a great evolution of the franchise. If you’re a big fan of the Fatal Fury series or fighting games in general, this game is definitely recommended.
Overall, the Lunar Remastered Collection is an attractive package that updates two great role-playing games from the mid-’90s. There are options to play the remastered and original versions, and you can switch which version you are playing midway through your playthrough if you feel like it. The core games incorporate great anime-style cutscenes. The cutscenes are impressive and really make the great, feel-good story shine through as you are playing the game.
While it doesn't quite live up to the ambition I initially saw in the demo, the game does bring its own sense of style with fun hoverboard traversal, interactive abilities and an octane musical soundtrack. Star Overdrive is rough around the edges but the fun I had justifies why I'd recommend a play through.
Atomfall is a brilliant game that will keep you hooked for its 18 hour run time. The game’s approach to player freedom allows for you to shape the story the way you want it to be, which is more than can be said for most modern RPGs. Add on brutal gameplay, beautiful environments and so much lore to dive into, and Atomfall is a must play for those longing for a new immersive experience. Despite its flaws, Atomfall provides a lot more to players than most AAA RPG’s on today’s market, and for that it shouldn’t be ignored. Brew a tea, grab your trusty Lee Enfield, and set off on an adventure through jolly old England.
Karma: The Dark World has a lot of interesting ideas, but it tells them in such a vague way that will leave many dissatisfied. Couple that with limited gameplay sections, cheap horror moments, a story that feels like huge gaps were cut for the sake of building mystery, and it’s hard to not be a little disappointed. However, that being said, Karma does have standout moments sprinkled throughout that elevates the game past its mediocrity. It’s graphically outstanding, the soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful, and even though the game’s story is full of smoke and mirrors it does occasionally provide you with an incredibly well crafted scene or two.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers one of the best entries in the series. It incrementally refines the Ubisoft open-world formula and impresses with its characters and world-building, outstanding presentation, revamped and distinct combat, and stable console performance. There are several flaws, including storytelling and pacing, unbalanced protagonist gameplay, and some outdated traversal mechanics which stop Shadows from reaching its full potential. Nonetheless, Shadows is the culmination of lessons learned by Ubisoft throughout the years.
Split Fiction is an absolutely engaging delight from start to finish. It isn’t a perfect game by any means, and does have a few shortcomings that affect the narrative and accessibility for new players, however, these are minor problems. The game is an absolute ton of fun from start to finish, and it has an emotionally charged story that deals with a number of different relatable themes. Hazelight’s streak of providing exceptional co-op games continues, and Split Fiction further improves on their formula by providing us with their best work yet. With three amazing co-op experiences under their belt it’s hard to see them stopping anytime soon. Split Fiction continues to shows us why Hazelight is still the king of co-op games.
Wanderstop has a lot to say and, for the most part, does a pretty good job of doing it. It boasts an exceptionally strong narrative but at times struggles to reign in its own enthusiasm for that message.
It may be short, but it offers a well thought out and crafted experience, the freedom to dive in and explore at your own pace, while offering enough to do that your time with it won’t start to bore.
Overall, Aspyr has done a really good job of remastering Tomb Raider 4-6. The fact that you can switch between old and new graphics with the flick of a button is a feature I’d like in every remaster of a classic 90s’ game. The feature of saving at any time is also a good addition. It’s almost like having save states. Since these games are old and established, giving the player freedom over how these games are played is a positive feature.
If you were scared away by its commitment to realism, I implore you to give KCD2 and Warhorse Studio a chance as I did. If you're a fan of the series, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 delivers in every way you hoped, ascending to a select few all-time great works of art in the industry and one that was well worth the wait.