Erik Kain's Reviews
Firing up Journey on PS4 is a delight. It's so gorgeous and fluid in 1080p and 60 frames-per-second. Even though that's really the only thing different about it, it's a wonderful experience.
Dark Souls III does everything really, really well. It is the best looking Souls game hands-down. It's built with care and attention to detail, and all its systems work flawlessly.
It's one of the best video games I've ever played, and is sure to keep you busy for many hours, days and weeks, exploring this vast, beautiful, unexpected world.
If you haven't played Bloodborne yet, this is the perfect time to start. If you've already sliced your way through the bloody streets of Yharnam, The Old Hunters gives you plenty of good reasons to come back for more. I give the expansion a resounding Buy in my Buy/Hold/Sell scale. It's worth every penny and every bloody, grueling minute of your time.
‘Titanfall 2′ is a masterpiece of game design that breathes life into the first-person shooter genre and treats its audience with respect.
This is the best Mario Kart game ever made, expanding an already great Wii U title into a near-perfect racing game. Even so, players who have the original on Wii U may want to wait for a sale.
I give Bloodborne a resounding Buy in my Buy/Hold/Sell rating scale. This is the first true system-seller for the PS4, the first game that convinces me that the PS4 is a system worth purchasing. It isn't for everyone, of course. If you don't like hard games you probably won't like this one. But even gamers who didn't like the Souls games have been pleased with Bloodborne, like our own Paul Tassi. So who knows?
Nioh is a fantastic Samurai action-RPG with excellent Dark Souls inspired combat, multiplayer options and tons of content. Not for the faint of heart. Boss fights can be as tedious as they are challenging.
Spider-Man is a fantastic action game with great movement and combat and a compelling story that's only dragged down from time to time with boring missions and QTE-based boss fights.
Go play this game, and if you have a chunk of time, play it all at once. Spanish developer Nomada Studio has created something truly special.
Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is absolutely one of my favorite games of 2019, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
The nostalgia is strong with this one, but not a necessary component. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is just plain, good old-fashioned arcade fun. I think we could all use a healthy dose of that right now.
In Sum: If you liked The New Order, you'll like The Old Blood. If you haven't played either, both are more than worth your time and money. I give the game a BUY on my Buy/Hold/Sell rating scale.
All told, I give the game a Buy in my Buy/Hold/Sell ranking. For all its flaws—and I realize that I've listed many—it is one of the most sprawling, magnificent solo RPGs ever made. It does too little to fix its mechanical problems, and focuses too much on creating an open world, but the quality of its quest design, world-building, and wonderful (if too large) cast of characters makes it a game that no RPG fan should miss. It may be a flawed masterpiece, but it's a masterpiece nonetheless.
Ultimately, Enemy Within is a clever, well-designed expansion that gives the original game much more than simply new missions or a shiny new veneer. The game feels and plays just like the vanilla, but with myriad new choices, challenges, customization options, and other additions that make an already very good game much, much better and more fun. For anyone who found themselves hopelessly addicted to Enemy Unknown last year, Enemy Within should give you plenty of reasons to return.
While both the story and the multiplayer will likely be divisive—we're a long, long ways from Modern Warfare or the original Black Ops here—I'm glad to see Treyarch taking risks, trying something different, and impressed that even with all the changes, the core game still feels very much like Call of Duty.
All told, Halo 5: Guardians is a smashing success. The campaign isn't the strongest of the series, but it's still a fun space opera romp, and its ending transforms the Halo universe completely.
There's a lot in Salt and Sanctuary to love, and I would argue that applies to non-Souls fans also. While it's certainly challenging, the 2D nature makes that challenge quite a lot different from Dark Souls. It can be extremely difficult at times, but fans of platformers may find something here they didn't in the Souls games.
From exploration to puzzle-solving to the charming story and lovely graphics, King's Quest: A Knight To Remember is a delightful game. It takes some of the Telltale formula, then adds in a lot more action and problem-solving and combines that with a story that isn't grim or terrible, but instead remains fun, funny and engaging. Old fans and new will find something to enjoy here, in a genre that's all but disappeared from gaming. As the saying goes, "The really don't make games like this anymore." But they should. I can't wait for Episode 2.
I loved Firewatch, mostly, letdown with the ending notwithstanding.