Ian Birnbaum


Favorite Games:
  • Arma 3
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim
  • Kerbal Space Program

34 games reviewed
70.4 average score
74 median score
32.4% of games recommended
Oct 29, 2015

Vermintide is a brilliant twist on the Left 4 Dead formula, and deserves much of the same praise heaped on Valve.

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89 / 100 - DUSK
Dec 12, 2018

A obsessively tuned, finely crafted shooter that more than recreates the speed and pure joy of '90s classics.

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88 / 100 - Darkest Dungeon
Jan 26, 2016

A wonderfully executed, brilliantly stressful reinvention of party-based dungeon-crawling, Darkest Dungeon is great fun, even when it's cruel.

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87 / 100 - Frozen Cortex
Feb 24, 2015

There's a lot to parse, but understanding the nuances of Frozen Cortex reveals a deep strategic experience that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Frozen Synapse.

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85 / 100 - Xenonauts
Jun 20, 2014

With deep strategic systems, omnipresent dread, and clean turn-based combat, Xenonauts is a triumph of rebooted game design.

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84 / 100 - Battle Brothers
Apr 4, 2017

Don't let some clunky inventories scare you off from this excellent strategy RPG.

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Mar 9, 2018

An excellent beat-em-up with tons of wit and great combat, Full Metal Furies belongs on any couch co-op playlist.

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82 / 100 - Grey Goo
Jan 23, 2015

Two very similar factions dull its edge, but Grey Goo's old-school take on strategy still makes it one of the most interesting new RTS games in years.

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82 / 100 - Victor Vran
Aug 14, 2015

A limp story and weak jokes are worth putting up with for Victor Vran's great combat system.

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KSP's sandbox gets bigger by focusing on what makes it a great PC game: flexibility, freedom, and random explosions.

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A shot of adrenaline for the year-old game, these new armies bring the best parts of Company of Heroes into the upgraded Company of Heroes 2 world.

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79 / 100 - Magicka 2
May 27, 2015

A leaner, smarter take on Magicka's fascinating combat system, Magicka 2 is the co-op adventure you've been waiting for.

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76 / 100 - Dungeons 2
Apr 20, 2015

Some issues keep it from being a stand-alone great, but fans longing for a reboot of Dungeon Keeper could do a lot worse than this clever, enjoyable dungeon manager.

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May 7, 2015

A great combat system is restrained by thoughtless multiplayer mode design.

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Jun 4, 2014

An intricately detailed RTS, Men of War: Assault Squad 2 is packed with features and refuses to tell you how to use them.

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Nov 11, 2015

The graphics get a little prettier, the story gets a little darker, and another Call of Duty counts time as we march together toward death.

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75 / 100 - Weedcraft Inc
Apr 18, 2019

Weedcraft, Inc is a tricky tycoon game that overextends itself—but almost nails it.

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72 / 100 - Bedlam
Sep 22, 2015

A punishing take on the Rogue-inspired genre, Bedlam is weird and colorful and stressful.

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Sep 7, 2017

A bloated, grindy mess, but so packed with options that a better game is hidden inside it.

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70 / 100 - Strider
Mar 1, 2014

Strider is a liberating, free-form action platformer studded with frustrating callbacks to an arcade era better left behind.

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