Destructoid
HomepageDestructoid's Reviews
Although I'd love the chance to play a remastered Resident Evil 2 for the first time with updated controls, I'm glad Capcom decided to revive the first entry again. Resident Evil is truly is a timeless classic that every generation should enjoy, and a perfect example of how to do survival horror without decking players out with a full armory. Welcome back to the mansion.
Chris: I would be okay with never hearing "Daddy-o" ever again. But yeah, there aren't many runners on consoles, and the genre deserved better. They can be special at times and at the very least a fun time waster, but funk this.
All in all, Dead Kings adds up to a package that's somewhat schizophrenic in nature. At times, it seems like both the story and the gameplay aren't quite sure where they want to go. Even more surprising, it kind of works. Anyone that knows Assassin's Creed will feel an innate familiarity with Dead Kings and maybe even a bit of excitement (particularly the last section, which conjures memories of a classic series moment). However, there's an air of freshness about it that works in some ways and falls flat in others. Dead Kings isn't likely to reignite anyone's love for Assassin's Creed, but it certainly won't extinguish any existing flames, either.
Legend of Grimrock 2 will consume your mind in many ways. The puzzles will slowly tear away at your brain until they are solved, and the amount of focus needed for just about every combat encounter is through the roof. Grimrock 2 can forever be referenced as a "perfect sequel." It doesn't go nuts adding idea after idea to make things more convoluted, but instead refines what already made the experience amazing while expanding those ideas noticeably enough.
Super Mega Baseball should be your next purchase if you moderately enjoy baseball on any level. Although it doesn't have the bells and whistles you may expect from a recent sports title, you'll be playing for quite some time based on the strength of the core game alone, whether it's by yourself or with friends.
Fans of the Justice League (or DC comics in general) will get a lot of enjoyment out of this game, but I wouldn't recommend playing if you're looking for a Batman adventure. There's simply too much fun to be had in the DC universe to give it all to one man. As far as Lego games go, it's not perfect, but it delivers a solid story and a plethora of DC characters to play around with, which is more than ICE can ask for.
The first Dead Island was absolutely ridiculous and quite flawed in my opinion, but because I can feel the love that went into the game and thus the care, it's a blast to play in some areas because the developers cared if I had fun. Unlike its predecessors, Escape Dead Island feels devoid of heart or identity. It is a cruel reminder of the shovelware that plagued the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and the Wii and behind its generic facade hides a malnourished newborn of a game starved for nutrition and attention.
Like the Metroid titles that inspired it, the music, graphics, and world/enemy design are more than worth revisiting a few times a year. This may be Renegade Kid's best game yet, despite its relatively short length. I hope this isn't the last time we'll be invited to adventure with this mysterious new space explorer. Were they secretly a girl the whole time? Hopefully we'll find out next mission.
The Crew offers you the entire countryside to explore solo or with friends (or strangers), plenty of cars, customization options, and a narrative that extends a purpose beyond "being the best" to get your motor running. Ubisoft's familiar structural pitfalls like microtransactions, online-only play, and other trappings hinder rather than enhance, but those things have become par for the course by now. Thankfully, they don't mar the overall experience, and that was an overtly positive one for me. I don't need a crew to cruise downtown Chicago or the west coast. I was just fine going it alone. And if you settle in for a few hours and let the game take you, I surmise you will be, too.
Kalimba is an enjoyable solo romp, but to get the full experience you're going to need a local co-op partner; trust me, the juice is worth the squeeze if a couch friend is hard to come by. That inherently limits the game, but since both adventures are worth playing through fully, there's a lot of meat here for a seemingly small puzzle title. I hope it gets more traction despite the fact that it's limited to the Xbox One at the moment.
Guilty Gear is still one of the most badass fighting franchises out there, and Xrd -Sign- honors that legacy. It looks breathtaking, the action is constant and in-your-face, and although the roster is smaller than I'd like, there is a lot of variation to be found once you start digging into the game.
There are still great things to be found in the Temple of Osiris, and those who care less about scoring points or who have some good partners to team up with can still find some fun in it. For me, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is a lot like Horus's staff: it is a treasure that can do great things, but it is cursed.
For now, there's an easy test to judge whether or not you should pick up The Dark Below: did you play Destiny from launch all the way up until the first expansion? If so, you'll want to get it as soon as possible. If your enthusiasm has faltered over the past few months and you never really got into the first raid, you can wait or pick up the Season Pass at a later date after more incremental improvements have been made.
The Talos Principle has some important things to say, but more thoughtfully, it wants the player to have important things to say as well. Even those who do not bother to think about the philosophical topics can find a smart, sometimes frustratingly difficult puzzler here. It really shines for those open to both.
Although the foundation for a great online twin-stick shooter has been laid with Secret Ponchos, it's going to need more content and a meatier core mode to really keep people interested -- until then, I think the game will struggle with keeping some of its community. Personally, I really hope that Ponchos catches on and doesn't have to ride into the sunset.
Still, that narrative is the focus, and it is strong. If Zer0 Sum left me looking forward to future episodes of Tales from the Borderlands because things are going to get awesome, Iron From Ice does the polar opposite for Game of Thrones. The bad situation that House Forrester is in is only going to get worse. It feels like a punch to the gut, and it sets the stage for an intensely emotionally draining experience. In spite of its blemishes, so far it looks like Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series deserves its place in the A Song of Ice and Fire lore.
Captain Toad is an experience that doesn't attempt to really wow you, but instead delivers consistent puzzle experiences at a rapid pace. There's more Nintendo could have done with it, but it is a puzzler in its purest form, and that will be more than enough for people who wanted more of the titular hero after playing the bonus games in 3D World.
Aside from the disappointing lack of puzzles and limit on exploration, Tales from the Borderlands: Zer0 Sum is excellent. Where the first episodes of other Telltale series can start off slowly, Tales maintains high energy throughout. Its consistently funny writing and duo of unreliable narrator protagonists set the stage for a great overarching story, and it feels very much like it belongs in the Borderlands franchise. If the rest of the season maintains this level of quality, Tales from the Borderlands will be up there in history with the other great recent Telltale adventures.
Persona Q can be grind. It can be frustrating, and, at times, it made me want to fling my 3DS across the room. It's also a heartwarming love letter to Persona fans, and an engrossing role-playing game, among the best the 3DS has to offer. Let go and enjoy the ride.
Classic Mode's inclusion might just be a nod to the mindset of Lucid Games when developing Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions -- improve as much as possible while still staying true to the core of the franchise. That old game is still there, it's just unspeakably better now. It may have been past installments in the series that were billed as evolution, but Dimensions is where Geometry Wars truly evolved.