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Even though it ended on a sour note for me with a few too many elements snowballing into an avalanche of hair-pulling frustration, on the whole, Polybius had me in a trance. I'm happy just thinking about it. PlayStation VR owners, Jeff Minter fans, and arcade enthusiasts need to get in on this.
I had a lot of fun with Endless Space 2, and I'm looking forward to putting more time in with it. Despite my initial reservations about diving into the deep end, I soon found myself invested in the stories that came from my triumphs and failures. There's a lot to like here if you give it a chance, and even if strategy isn't your preferred genre, you might find that it's worth your time to give ES2 a shot.
Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels works even though it occupies a weird space. It doesn't play to Forza Horizon's strengths and, eventually, it doesn't even feel much like Hot Wheels anymore. It's claustrophobic and constricting in a way this franchise hasn't been before. In a twist of irony, it's the Hot Wheels aspect that prevents this expansion from ever performing anything spectacularly perilous.
Even if it wasn't a gross misuse of a license, Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days is a boring, buggy game with a universal selling point that's nowhere as fun, or as smart, as it thinks it is. And just like Joe Cabot, I'm so goddamn mad hollering at you guys, I can hardly talk.
It's a decent adventure with varied combat, cool boss battles, and semi-interesting locales. I'm going to keep at it until I've obtained everything there is to obtain, but even then I know I won't have seen everything there is to see. Some of the neatest stuff possible isn't scripted in by the designers, it's waiting to be imagined and created by an aspiring magician.
To put it bluntly, Seasons After Fall is "pleasant." A world with a great feeling experience that tends to knock you out of it when moving around. As much as I appreciate a game as relaxed as this, that relaxation never quite became true enjoyment.
Fire Emblem Echoes could have been held back by its need to usher the second iteration back into the fold, but it still feels like a fresh new entry. It is weaker than the last few games, but those bars were set so high that I won't hold that against it.
Even if Akiba's Beat had a higher budget and more time, it lacks any unique features, mimicking what other games do, but worse. For 40 hours you'll mash X through slow dialogue, then run around a dead environment, and then do more dialogue until you get to mash square against sponges. If Akiba's Trip is the shirtless jock who kicks the door with beers in hand, Akiba's Beat is the timid cocktail-drinker standing in the corner with one hand in his pocket. Technically functional, but spiritually dead.
If you love rhythm games, ignore the score below and pick it up for yourself because the music selection is outstanding overall and who knows when next we'll get something else like it. But know the game isn't nearly as good as it should be and you may spend far more time than you want repeating the same songs just to advance.
The Surge is a mix of interesting ideas and hiccups in execution. While there's no doubt that it will resonate with a specific, hardcore audience, it's missing just enough to alienate a generalized audience. Its combat is challenging, but not perfect; its story starts with a compelling hook but falls flat shortly after. There are echoes of something special running throughout The Surge, but it never escapes its own shadow.
Funny enough, I leave Prey happy and content with everyone's story but my own.
My enjoyment of Farpoint is inherently tethered to my experience with it in VR. As a shooter it's only slightly above average. But the team was able to incorporate various elements of sight, sound, and touch (by way of the Aim Controller) to elevate it. Here's hoping that more games actually make use of it.
I wish I didn't want to like The Caligula Effect as much as I do, but it's just tragic how far it falls from its own obviously lofty goals. For a game about a virtual world where everyone appears as their best possible self, The Caligula Effect is a walking worst-case scenario, representing the most disappointing possible execution on the huge potential of its best ideas.
As you can see, for $15 you get not only a great game that deserves to sit alongside the Sonic the Hedgehog games as an equal, but a plethora of content and playtime. Spark the Electric Jester takes mechanics from two of my favorite series growing up and combines them into one fantastic game that deserves the recognition I'm giving it. It might be uglier than Freedom Planet, but otherwise, it is an all around better game.
The multiplayer works about 45% of the time. The "challenge" mode is more like a training simulation for Skynet. 2/3rds of this game are not up to par. I cannot get three other people together to play Lethal League on my couch. My experience with Lethal League is valid even though I didn't contort my life to satisfy a hypothetical. Some other people might be in the same position, and I hope this review is useful to them.
I'm glad LocoRoco is back, even if it isn't as perfect as I remember it being when it first released 11 years ago. This remaster adds tilt controls, 4K/HD graphics, rumble, and surround sound, all for a reasonable price. If you've never played LocoRoco and you love cute games, now is the time. Those looking for a challenging game that will last them till the next big AAA release will want to look elsewhere.
Despite the fact the game is focused on plastic models, Gundam Breaker 3 feels very faithful to the Gundam material. An impressive selection of Mobile Suits, alongside plenty of little series Easter eggs, make it a must for fans of the Gundam franchise. The low barrier of entry needed for non-Gundam fans to enjoy it is also a major bonus. While there are flaws, the excellent gameplay and smart design at its core more than make up for them. If you've been looking for a new hack 'n' slash game to play, this should be on your list.
I'm not going to begrudge the developers for building a piece of DLC that's heavily tailored for high-level play. In fact, I'm quite glad that it is as it is, as, aside from a secret boss or two, there really wasn't all that much high-level content in the base game. The downside to this strategy is, of course, that it makes the DLC a tough sell to anyone who hasn't progressed that far, or to someone who enjoys the game on a far more casual level. For as much as I enjoyed my time with 3C3C1D119440927, this is definitely one for the more ardent of NieR fanatics.
The view from a sniper's scope has the potential to tell a compelling and meditative story about the nature of armed conflict without the boom and bravado of video game warfare. It can also magnify issues and expose glaring flaws. In the case of Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, the later is true. It's a sloppy, uninspired game at its best. At its worst, it's -- to quote Jonathan North -- "one fucking long exercise in triage."
STRAFE may not be a classic and it definitely has issues, but it's fun enough for anyone who wants a nostalgia trip. Hopefully others feel the same way, but I kind of expect most people will pass on it. That is their loss.