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As a longtime fan of the series and as someone that honestly tried to give this a shot, I'm sorry to say that Breakpoint is a failure. I suppose the game can only get better from here, but it is not currently in a shape to even be considered finished.
Sometimes it's okay to just unwind with a lower-stakes adventure, and that's where Concrete Genie comes in. It might not be on a lot of Game of the Year lists, sell as well as other open world games, or even be referred to as a "classic" in the years to come. But I'll never forget it. Go in with an open mind and a few caveats.
Ironically for a game about undead vampires, there's a strong pulse and beating heart at Code Vein's core.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair neatly captures the essence of Yooka-Laylee and reimagines it as a new type of game. It's a distillation and a simplification, but it's effective. Then, as its grand finale -- a necessary conclusion that looms over the whole game -- it turns uncharacteristically punitive. It's rewarding, that much is undeniable. But it also leaves you feeling like all those hours spent beekeeping never really prepared you for the final challenge. Those bees just afford more leeway over the course of a very long struggle. It's kind of a buzzkill.
Bungie continues to surprise me in just about every respect: good and bad. Forsaken had a fantastic campaign that Shadowkeep doesn't quite match, but all of the enhancements for Year 3 of Destiny 2 help balance it all out. Despite my misgivings and the weaknesses of Shadowkeep's story, I'm still having fun with this roller coaster of a franchise: and that counts for a hell of a lot.
So, is the Blair Witch game a good fit for a franchise many have mostly written off by now? As a fan of said series, I would say yes. It absolutely has its faults, with the poorly paced gameplay and story elements being the worst offenders, but the amazing set pieces and psychological horror do a great job of raising the heart rate of anyone willing to venture through the forest. Ultimately, there are a lot of interesting ideas here, but they simply don't come together like they needed to in order to make the best of them.
By virtue of the second main iteration trumpeting both styles of play (Gunvolt, Copen), I prefer it, but Luminous Avenger distills so much of what made the series pop in the first place that it's also worth investing in. My advice? Try Gunvolt 2 first to see if you like Copen, then go from there.
Magic: The Gathering Arena is an absolutely brilliant recreation of Magic only held back by Wizards of the Coast's monetization strategy and some unfinished business. With more of an open mind toward new modes of play (plus ways to keep your old cards relevant) and a better client, this could be the definitive way to play the best card game in the world for the foreseeable future.
I'm the type of person who can't wait though, and this experience is truer to the Star Wars legacy than a lot of recent projects. Maybe one day ILMxLAB can craft something even greater, but for now, this will do.
It's a shame because sometimes, even when I'm fighting the game, I'm enjoying myself. Contra: Rogue Corps needed more time in the oven, and I'm not sure the whole "segmented ways to play" concept is going to go over well with everyone. But when it's firing on all cylinders, there's some silly shoot 'em up fun going on.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is what you'd get if Robyn ran the Grid from Tron. A stunning collection of music, action, heart, and radiant setpieces, it's easily one of the most inventive and unpredictable games of 2019. And it could have been one of the best too if only the developers had made the decision to present this album as a whole upfront rather than take players through it track by track.
While Deck13 still has some work to do, The Surge 2 is a massive step up from its predecessor in just about every respect. For the first time, I'm actually excited to see what the studio is working on next.
Ultimately, it doesn't feel like Utawarerumono: ZAN effectively serves any part of its prospective audience. It's inadequate as a gateway game for newcomers to the franchise, and despite some decent graphics and interesting musou-gameplay twists, it lacks the substance to attract existing fans. It feels like a game created mainly to remind people that the franchise still exists, rather than actually satisfy those who'd deign to play it. Utawarerumono fans are better off waiting for the remake of the original game in the series, while newcomers are advised to pick up the game, or watch the anime instead.
It may be brief, but Untitled Goose Game is worth taking a gander at. With its clever puzzle structure, charming art direction, and a soundtrack rife with Gershwin influence, it's an absolutely grand way to spend an afternoon.
Slight gripes with the new engine and the old source aside, this is still Link's Awakening: one of the best Zelda games to date. Although I don't think I'm going to rotate the DX version out of my yearly Zelda replay sessions, I'll definitely be working the Switch remake in.
Carnival of Chaos isn't a bad set of stages, don't get me wrong, but it ends up feeling insubstantial and by-the-numbers compared to everything that has come before it.
Metro Exodus: The Two Colonels is light on action and heavy on narrative, but will please dedicated Metro fans with its gripping, even unnerving, lore. While its smart story succeeds in engaging the player dramatically, the lack of extended gameplay sequences may leave some feeling like they're watching an interactive movie, rather than playing a new chapter of an action-adventure title. A short journey, yes, but still a trip worth taking.
The Coalition has achieved a lot with Gears 5. The writing and action often rivals the best moments in the series, even surpassing its predecessors at times. The overall package is the most robust Gears has ever seen. But, the big structural alteration feels like an unequivocal misstep. Gears 5 is a rousing success, but it could've done without the needless change.
Despite that, the sum total of my experience with Daemon X Machina is positive. The combat is amazing, the game is bright and colorful, the framerate mostly holds up in either docked or handheld mode, and the hangar is great to tinker around in, checking out all the different configurations of my mech. That's what I'm going to remember out of all of this, which is safe for me to say because most everything else in this game is pretty forgettable.
Borderlands 3 takes most of the good bits of Borderlands 2 and either rolls with them or improves upon them. It didn't need to reinvent the wheel either, as Gearbox pretty much had the formula figured out the second time around.