ZTGD's Reviews
There is a creeping feeling that this glorified update is lacking in content, though the discounted full price and the option to purchase an upgrade for owners of Revelator makes it easier to recommend. Here's to a more substantial installment for the next iteration of Guilty Gear.
Rime is a beautiful game with some ugly drawbacks. Still, I recommend checking it out. The world is gorgeous and the adventure worth seeing. I hope the developers make an effort to clean up the frame rate at some point, but I also hope to see a follow-up with some of the issues addressed. There is too much beauty for this game to not return.
As someone thoroughly tired and uninterested in anything Musou, I can say without hesitation that Spirit of Sanada did very little in changing my opinion on the genre. Having said that, the focus on telling a tighter, more involved story along with the addition of a variety of RPG elements is a step in the right direction and deserves praise- hopefully pointing towards a renaissance for the genre.
There is little to complain about with Spellspire. It's a jolly little game, with a colorful art style and some nice touches of humor. But this is a word puzzle game; if you're not great with word games like Boggle or Scrabble, then it may not be the game for you..
The quality of Street Fighter II is unparalleled, and it is still one of the most balanced fighting games ever created. The addition of Violent Ken and Evil Ryu doesn't do much to the roster, and Way of the Hado is a diversion at best. However, the $40 price tag stings.
Even with these issues Shadow Warrior 2 is still incredibly fun and endlessly entertaining. Add in the fact that it supports 4-player co-op online and it is a no-brainer. The console versions turned out well, just not as good as they should have been. For those without massive gaming PCs though it is not really an issue. This is a technically sound port of an incredibly great game. Don't miss it.
Endless Space 2 has that special, addictive, one-more-turn quality about it. There is real style here, and a hell of a lot of substance to back it up.
Tango Fiesta has a few nice touches here and there, but nothing really in the way of originality. It's not the best twin-stick shooter out there, by a long mile. And it isn't even the best eighties action film inspired game either. If you like some couch co-op shooting action, then it may be worth a look, but wait until it goes on sale.
Injustice 2 is a lot more of what I loved about the first game. The gear really adds to the single player aspect. I find myself grinding characters and decking them out with the latest fashion. It is addictive, and will likely keep me playing for months. It is impossible to argue the value they packed into this game. Whether their style of fighting game is up your alley is another story. Injustice 2 won't suddenly change anyone's opinion of the developer's work, but it will thrill fans of it.
I look at Skylar and Plux as the Little Engine that Could, but it ends up being the one that just couldn't. I really wanted to like it, but with the glaring issues, it's hard to recommend without a significant price drop. The platforming and jumping works and is actually very tight. That's what kept me going. It's bland in most aspects, but there is something there behind the surface. If you can find it, you may get some enjoyment out of it. Even then, I would still wait for a price cut.
The Surge is a nice addition to the genre. The combat feels great even when the story and mechanics start to sputter out. The claustrophobic nature of the level design adds to the tension, and it feels good to have a game in this genre that isn't chock full of gothic horror themes. It brings new ideas to the familiar mechanics and executes on them well.
Despite having many of the series' staple complexities stripped away, Shadows of Valentia proves a thoroughly enjoyable adventure. Those who found the Fire Emblem series too intimidating due to its difficulty and overwhelming depth need look no further for their accessible entry point to the franchise.
There's not much I can say about Narcosis. It was too short of an experience to really gather a lot for it. At the same time, this was made for VR and I'm sure if I had played it in VR it would have had a bigger effect on me. Unfortunately, while this is supposed to be a horror game, I never once jumped or was creeped out.
At times I could see the appeal, but there's just too many core problems with this game to recommend it to anyone who hasn't already immersed themselves in the series. The mixture of boredom and confusion made me wish I was doing just about anything else.
NBA Playgrounds scratches an itch I didn't know I had. Growing up in arcades I spent many a quarter on games like NBA Jam. Outside of the failed attempt by EA a few years back to resurrect the franchise, we really haven't had a good alternative. Playgrounds fills that void nicely, even with its shortcomings. Anyone wondering if it had to be the shoes would do well to check it out.
In the end Human: Fall Flat is exactly what I expected it would be, but with more to it than I anticipated. I loved digging through each area. Even when Bob fell to his death, respawning and trying again never bothered me. The simplistic design and clever physics-based puzzles offer up an enjoyable romp that is more than worth the price of admission.
Crusade does what all good expansions should do – it takes a base game and improves upon it in significant ways. There is a great amount of new content here that will give existing players a fresh experience when returning to Galactic Civilizations III. It's also competitively priced, which should entice newcomers as well. There are a few bugs and the rather large shadow of Stellaris that hang over this game, but all in all this is a really decent strategy title that should appeal to any fan of 4X gaming.
Coming into this game expecting maybe an above average alien shooter, I was actually really impressed. It has the makings of a BioShock or System Shock while keeping it fresh with new abilities and full exploration to play how I wanted. The horror elements are there and work well, and while the story isn't the best out there, it is enough to keep people playing. If you're looking for a new horror game or even a game much like Dishonored where freedom to do what you want is the main crux, Prey is the game for you.
Flatout 4 feels like a game destined to reinvigorate the franchise and just ran out of steam. I am a massive fan of the original game and its sequel, and while this is light years beyond the abomination that was the third game, it still falls short. More tracks, more variety, and some much needed polish would have gone a long way in bringing back this cult classic. As it stands though, arcade racers still sit dormant in today's gaming landscape.
If you're not or are looking for something with more substance, you may want to look elsewhere. Butcher is more for the players that want to turn off their brain for a little bit and just shoot some stuff, and you know what? It does a decent job with that.