Despite the butterfly effect's premise, a ham-fisted story means you won't care about who might live and who might die. It's not enough to save the game from disappointment, and in the end, Until Dawn is its own self-inflicted nightmare.
There's a famous Doug Larson quote that goes: "Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days" Unfortunately for Gabriel Knight's 20th Anniversary Edition, the lead character himself - much like his dated wit - isn't sharp enough to carry this off.
"Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don't turn it off!" said John Rambo in First Blood. As far as the videogame is concerned, I'm sorry mate, I just don't agree.
Depth isn't normally the genre's strong suit but that said, some form of story - one not completely devoid of personality or entirely too reliant on the cheap tricks showcased here - surely isn't too much to ask for. For all Croixleur Sigma can be quite challenging - particularly towards its Story Mode's end or within Challenge Mode - no real skill is needed to succeed, and it's lack of variety and intrigue make this feel like a wasted journey west.
This is a game which clearly values quantity over quality and is worse off for it, leaving you with the lasting impression that this was a team over zealously trying to make up for a failed crowd funding project. There may well be a half-decent game lurking beneath the facade of tired jokes and nods to RPG tropes and stereotypes, which Citizens of Earth then insists of portraying anyway, however it's far too caught up in its own bravado to realise it.
Aside from the odd moments where Magic's innovative ruleset is allowed to shine, this entry feels like a complete cash-in, forcing players to rely on their wallets, not their wits. Long term Magic fans will want to avoid Magic 2015 to avoid utter frustration, whereas newcomers should look further into the Duels of the Planeswalkers' back catalogue for a more appropriate and fulfilling platform for inauguration.
It's taken nine years to land, but Owlboy is well worth the wait.
You'll cry. And cry and cry and cry. But I think you'll love it.
Fallout 4’s second slice of DLC is under a fiver, yet still somehow feels overpriced. Granted, there’s a good idea hiding in there somewhere – capturing wild creatures for defense or spectator sport purposes is a genuinely interesting concept, particularly against the end of the world scenario – but Wasteland Workshop fails to execute it with the finesse needed to see it through. As such, it instead feels like a paid, and therefore largely underwhelming, mod.