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Outer Wilds proves there's still a sense of genuine adventure to be gained from games that commit to a set, fixed structure and design, rather than the kind of sprawling, endless expanses many contemporary titles set out to become. Playing it brought to mind my favorite bits of Dr. Seuss' Oh, The Places You'll Go...except with more of the sun exploding.
Outside of those pesky load times, it's hard to find fault with Crystal Crisis. This is just a well-made game, a genuinely fun puzzler that challenges players to imagine new strategies with every character they try. And with memory mode beckoning me to play again and again, I don't imagine I'll be taking up any of the other Switch puzzle games for a long, long time.
Trover Saves the Universe is still going to be laugh-out-loud funny no matter how you approach it, but the additional context and enhanced mechanics when using a headset make it a little bit sweeter. Just approach it as more of a comedy experience that happens to be a platformer.
In short, Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted is the real deal. It's a genuine celebration of everything that has come before and a fresh lens for long-time fans. Even if you've never touched a Five Nights game before in your life, you'll have a lot to latch onto. I'm as surprised as anyone!
In the end, Mordhau is a goofy yet realistic medieval combat game that caters to a ton of different players. Many will grind games in order to best perfect their skills with their favorite weapon. Then there's me, who literally runs around the battlefield playing a musical instrument that adds absolutely zero gameplay value to the team. That's the beauty of Mordhau -- the individual moments tend to outweigh any of the design flaws or technical glitches that are present.
I didn't expect a whole lot from Blood & Truth and came away smiling. No it's not the best showcase for how far the VR industry has come as a whole (especially when the lead tech is a controller released in 2010), but it's the type of popcorn project I'd like to see more of from a major publisher in the space.
Overall, Total War: Three Kingdoms can be summed up as yet another great entry in the long-running series. While it may not be the absolute pinnacle of what Creative Assembly can achieve, it has become my favorite entry simply because of the setting used. We've reached a point where your personal favorite Total War will be determined more by the property being adapted than any worry about quality or gameplay factors. Since everything is fine in Three Kingdoms, what else do I really need to say?
Ultimately, however, the repetitive gameplay, bland presentation and hollow world prevents players from immersing themselves in its optimistic spirit. The Bubsy experiment has ended. It's time to let the bobcat go.
I'd still recommend Layers of Fear 2 to fans who enjoyed the original game's atmosphere enough to want to see it realized on a grander scale, but don't feel like you need to rush to play it at launch.
If No Code hadn't already gotten its name out there as a strong storyteller with Stories Untold, this game would've put the studio on the map. Observation is everything I hoped it would be.
But it's easy to ignore those complaints when the core gameplay is this fun and flashy. I went into Lapis X Labyrinth expecting a breezy dungeon crawler and that's exactly what NIS delivered.
Although I had my share of frustrations with Spark 2 during my first playthrough, I'm sure repetition and better knowledge of level layouts would make for a much smoother second playthrough. Die-hard fans of the Sonic Adventure games are absolutely gonna have a blast looking for the fastest routes possible and it's still a solid experience overall. But, I just can't help feeling like it's a less polished experience compared to its 2D predecessor.
A Plague Tale: Innocence is a grim, gripping, and fantastic adventure. The solid stealth gameplay offers little new, but the unique setting, affecting characters, excellent dialogue, and oppressive atmosphere more than redress that linearity. Add to this a lean design, an emotive score, and a commitment to narrative focus, and A Plague Tale deserves to be heralded as one of 2019's very best adventures.
In other words, the price is about right. You can get a feel for Everybody's Golf VR in a few short hours, but if you're anything like me, you won't want to move on quite so fast. It's an earworm of a game. Just thinking about it makes me want to dig out my PlayStation VR and clear the room. That's no small feat.
In most circles, Team Sonic Racing probably won't unseat Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (or Transformed's ever-enduring legacy if my house is any indication), and that's fine with me. Plenty of folks will enjoy the Sonic focus and many of the tracks would have been fantastic as Transformed DLC. I just wish it wasn't as limited in scope out of the gate.
Castlevania Anniversary Collection always looked on-point when the full game list was announced, but I'm surprised at how great the extras are and how functional it is. More of this please, Konami.
Even with those rough edges, the majesty that is Blood shines through quite well. It's great to have you back, Caleb. Hopefully, you won't stay dead for another few decades this time.
Despite just offering a taste of what's to come with Vader Immortal, the first episode has me hooked and I want more. More opportunities to witness Mustafar's glory without the need to gain the high ground, more lore dumps, and more Vader being Vader.
I was pleasantly surprised with the shooter chimera that is Rage 2, which ended up being open world mini-Doom 2016. It's not going to make anyone a believer in shooters or the free roam format, but folks already predisposed to those vices will find plenty to sink their teeth into.
There's no question that Sean and Daniel leave Life is Strange 2's third episode with more scars than they began with. Scars have a way of robbing innocence and dispiriting the spirited. It's no wonder Daniel is disillusioned. But that headstrong attitude leaves Wastelands feeling like an episode without much development. Deep in the California forest, the weed is growing but that's about it.