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The hand-drawn visuals and endearing cast of characters makes for a short, nostalgic play that I could easily see appealing to parents or young children just starting to explore video games. And while I would've loved to see more of the world that Aidan and Lily inhabit, on its own, The Little Acre is an enjoyable game that ultimately still functions as a shorter experience.
On the other hand, the 100 included levels from Nintendo aren't to be missed if you want some of the best Super Mario Bros. levels released to date; they just aren't worth the $40 price tag alone. Super Mario Maker for 3DS isn't a bad game or even a bad creation tool, but without its online heart continuously pumping life into it, it feels more like a useless skeleton, and nobody likes skeletons. NOBODY.
Even though I didn't connect with either character, I think Scarif comes out strong with its vibrant setting and stellar maps. The new multi-part Infiltration mode is uneven, yes, but it's also Battlefront at its best. In fact, if it weren't for Bespin, this final expansion would be my favorite. Now we just need DICE to hurry up and consolidate the fragmented player base. Battlefront 2 isn't that far off.
While I didn't have any trouble seeing this season through per se -- as the amazing action choreography helped -- City of Light did run out of gas once most of the major players bowed out. But truth be told, Telltale has created a strong universe to keep expanding on, and as long as it can keep supplanting well-known characters in the future, I can see an excuse to keep making this series more than any of its other projects to date.
There's been no shortage of great games this year, but Darksiders: Warmastered Edition still holds up exceptionally well, and it's easy to recommend. It's not quite as fresh and exciting as it was in 2010, but I still think it's something everyone should try out. If you've played it before, it's worth revisiting. If you haven't, it's a solid adventure that's well worth your time. The budget price makes it a great value, with a campaign that will take most people between 12 to 20 hours to complete. I'm glad to see that THQ Nordic seems interested in keeping the series in the public eye, and I hope this means that the Darksiders franchise will be resurrected. I look forward to seeing how Pestilence and Famine will play in Darksiders 3 and 4.
The Bethesda Pinball pack is an odd proposition. The tables are spectacular looking and all the little touches and gameplay twists are ambitious and creative in a way I really enjoy thinking about. But, both the Skyrim and Fallout tables are held back by small annoyances and wonky design choices that just make them less fun to play than they should be. Doom ended up being my favorite of the pack, which in a way is disappointing since it is also the most traditional of the tables offered. Maybe I'm just a pinball purist. Or maybe that pinball devil has a hold on me.
Werewolves Within is a cool experiment wrapped into an above-average game. It's limited and laser-focused, but it's good at what it does.
As it stands, you should absolutely hold off on Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality for PlayStation VR until the controls are overhauled in the planned update. I ended up having some fun once I learned how to work around those glaring issues to a certain extent, but even in the best of times, it was a struggle. It's a shame the launch went this way, because there's an entertaining VR experience buried in here.
The big adventure of Demetrios isn’t all that cynical, but it certainly is forgettable. I can’t say the game is bad, because it’s not, but also I certainly wouldn’t tell you it’s good. Instead, it’s nothing more than a name added to a list of titles I’ve beaten, and it will never be anything more than that.
I feel conflicted about Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, because while it’s never been more interesting to play as a game, the fact that its narrative is typical of latter-day Sword Art Online stories has actually become something of a liability. A bolder story, one that took more risk, established a better sense of stakes, or even did something other than tread water would definitely not be Sword Art Online-like, and would make it much easier to recommend to people outside the show’s fanbase. As it stands, though, Hollow Realization remains a Sword Art Online game, for better and worse.
These also aren't things I found myself thinking about when I was hellbent on earning a gold medal in yet another event. In those moments, Steep is a simple yet functional form of escapism. It's afterward, when unsure where to go and what to do next, that it hits you: Steep really isn't what it aims to be.
Tyranny is most certainly a tale of two halves. The first half is immediately gripping and combat starts off a bit challenging due to the lack of abilities and options. As the game enters its second half, the plot starts to feel rushed and gameplay becomes an issue of "been there, done that." The world and lore built here are worth exploring and I anxiously await another excuse to return to this setting, but at the same time, I really hope it comes with improvements to the AI and combat in general.
I can really get lost in the world of Let it Die, and I think I'll be playing it off and on for the next several weeks at the very least. It begs you to come back, and given the platform in which it's been distributed, it's something that can easily evolve into a better game in the future.
Like Team Ico's past work, talking about The Last Guardian too much inherently drifts into spoiler territory, but we have years to unpack this. For now, I'm confident in saying that although it isn't their best work, there really aren't too many directors out there like Fumito Ueda, and I hope for our sake, he continues making games.
For those of you who have been scared off by Dead Rising in the past, maybe this is your time. No, I'm not happy about a lot of the design changes, but the fact of the matter is Capcom Vancouver has created an amazing world to slice and dice in, even on par with my favorite setting so far -- Fortune City. If you absolutely abhor the idea of changing Dead Rising, I would stay away from 4, but coming in with an open mind will serve you well.
As a lower-key alternative to the high-octane flying games in the VR space, How We Soar has found its niche, and it'll serve those players well. It strikes a good balance between letting you unwind and also making sure you're adequately challenged and engaged. The story doesn't quite do enough to draw you into the author's plight and keep you hooked, but the flying alone carries this game far.
As for whether or not you should grab Rad Rodgers: World One, I’d say give it a go. It may not be the second coming of retro gaming or an outright classic, but it does still have the potential. If Interceptor Entertainment can make this a success, I have a feeling that the eventual World Two and beyond will iron out all of the bugs and turn this adventure into a must play for old-school fans.
There's not much going on in Maize. As a video game it fails on both the technical and interactive fronts. The gameplay is so simplistic that it may as well not even exist. Breaking the fourth-wall is cute, but never really amounts to anything other than a cheap laugh. The story is a decent experience thanks to its humor, but everything surrounding it drags it down.
As I'm typing this up now, I'm seeing a future where people buy Final Fantasy XV due to some of the more positive assessments (like this one), and walk away disappointed. Because if you loathe JRPGs, XV is not going to make you a believer. In a way it's silly that Square spent 10 years making this, and it feels like a really shiny version of something it would have actually made 10 years ago. While a complete overhaul of the genre would certainly suit someone's needs, XV suits mine just fine.
The building blocks for something wonderful are there. I think the combination of Minecraft and farming is a winner, but more attention needs to be paid to the activities outside of planting and pulling crops if Harvest Moon ever wants to compete with the superior farm sims out there.