ZTGD's Reviews
Job Simulator has a personality of its own, and that’s what sells the experience. Its lighthearted, extremely silly premise works wonders with its presentation and core gameplay. It’s just not something super deep, and that seems to be a fairly common issue with most of the VR games I’ve experienced so far. Yet at the same time, this was one that gave me the most chuckles and it’s one that’s just as much fun playing as it is watching someone else do these menial tasks.
Thumper is one of my favorite games this year, simple yet challenging, visually stimulating, and excellent sound use. Easy to play, hard to master is the familiar phrase that comes to mind. VR only adds to the experience, but even without that added element, the game shines
Brookhaven is a fun place to visit. It can be a bit traumatic for some players, or scary even. I was more tense than scared, but it accomplished what I feel the devs were going for. A simple, yet fun new experience for PS VR players. It’s easy enough to grasp the concept, hard to master, and provides unlockables to work towards. It’s not super deep, but for the prices and the new VR concept for most PlayStation players, it’s worth taking a look into. I have no doubt that a game like this might wear out its welcome 2 to 3 years into VR, but as a starter, it’s worth your time.
It is clear that this package had a lot of care put into it. I am glad Duke Nukem has made an appearance on this console generation, yet I really want them to move forward. Duke Nukem 3D is a classic, but after the disappointment of Duke Nukem Forever, I am ready for a truly next generation of the series. I grew up on its lame humor and ridiculous settings. I want a proper sequel so I can once again make those alien bastards pay for shooting up my ride.
Vermitide is a great co-op experience. It's fun alone and competent enough to play through, but with online folks or friends it's even better, and where the experience truly shines.
While the gameplay, levels, and locations are something that everyone will experience by the end game, how players build their towns and help the townsfolk is what will give each person their unique experience.
Zenith is a game I wanted to enjoy more, and there are plenty of times I did have fun, but the combat was the most un-fun and unfair aspect of the game, and that’s what players will be doing the majority of the time.
Is there anything I liked about my time with this game? Hardly.
I overall enjoyed my time with episode 4, but as I mentioned earlier, it just feels like each game offers a different experience. Not that this is a bad thing, but the gameplay and what to expect just sort of feels all over the place.
Mafia III is one of the best stories in a video game I have played this year, heck I would go as far as to say this generation. It is wrapped around some pretty standard and repetitive open world game design though, which does do it a disservice. Still, the locales and world resonate with me, and the story kept me coming back for more, and that speaks volumes.
Exist Archive is a title elevated by its superb combat that remained enjoyable even after a thousand encounters. However, it doesn’t have much more to offer outside of the combat, as there’s a serious lack of variety in the overall gameplay. The repetitive nature of exploring one dungeon after another, punctuated by the odd event here and there played against my patience. Even though I can safely say that I enjoyed my initial playthrough, I can’t say the same about the prospect of playing through it once more to get an alternative ending.
Event[0] is an interesting game with a very interesting concept. Think of it like HAL 9000, but much more limited in scope and threat.
Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Daybreak is a title that showed a lot of promise, with a great art style and an interesting premise. However, the atrocious combat mechanics hinder the overall enjoyment of the game so much to the point it’s difficult to recommend to anyone in particular.
The package is massive and chock full of content. The netcode is pretty good, and the single player offerings are nice as well. If you already owned the game on PC and want the XL package, you can get it for a slightly discounted price. If you don’t own the game, you can get the game and the XL package for 40 bucks – not a bad deal if you ask me, and for a quality fighting game, I’d say go for it.
Children of Arkham delivers a great follow-up to the original episode, while also cleaning up the pace and some of the technical issues. I am more invested now than after the first episode, and am excited to see how things develop. Telltale has crafted a unique take on the Dark Knight, with characters taking on new roles, making it interesting for fans of the character. I am extremely excited to see where this story ends up.
Firewatch is a perfect example of a game that has something to say. You may not like the story it tells, and you may not feel totally satisfied with the outcome; but when the story is told in such a well crafted manner it doesn't really matter. Anyone who appreciates a good mystery will definitely get something out of Firewatch; just don't let your mind race to much, as you may end up feeling a little let down.
A game for those that want nice, quick, and brain stumping challenges at home or on the go.
While I’m still wishing the RPG elements of Thousand Year Door were back here, I still had a pretty great time with Color Splash. It looks amazing, plays great, and has some really great pacing that kept me coming back knowing I was just one more step away from another paint star. Wii U owners have been looking for a new game for a while now, well you just found a great one here and I highly suggest picking it up.
I’m not one hundred percent sure I buy the ‘standalone expansion’ label – which is the main reason I have awarded Rivals a slightly lower score than I gave Sorcerer King. For new players however, it’s well worth the price given the game’s well worked mix of RPG and 4X elements.
XCOM 2 is a fantastic experience, and one that retains all the elements that the original release on consoles brought while adding more. The setting for the story is fun, the idea of moving the mobile base around the world is interesting, and I had a grin almost the entire time I was playing the game. Head to head multiplayer is there also for those bored once the campaign is done, but the meat of the experience is the single player for me.