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Fallout 4 represents a huge leap forward from Fallout 3 in terms of visuals and combat, but it somehow delivers an even worse story, and the reduced role-playing mechanics mean that a Fallout game has never been this shallow. Bethesda Studios Games needs to completely revise how it approaches stories in its games or Fallout 5 won't be worth playing.
Rise of the Tomb Raider represents a graphical leap forward from its predecessor, but the rest of the changes are merely minor tweaks and refinements to a formula that is starting to feel rather tired due to a certain other series having done this many times before.
Many have accused Battlefield 1 of being a WW2 shooter with a WW1 skin. I can’t argue with that, but I also can’t get that upset about it either. I love running out of the trenches with a group of teammates, as we charge towards the enemy and get mowed down by turrets and sub-machine guns. If we survive, there’s a good chance we’ll end up choking on mustard gas as we try to claim a control point. I’ve not experienced this in any modern FPS, and it does make a difference, regardless of historical accuracy. And that whistle. Holy crap, that whistle.
Mass Effect: Andromeda offers the dream of exploration in a distant galaxy, but every time the dream looks like it’s within reach, it’s snapped from your grasp by poor quest design, performance problems, or simply mediocre writing.
Horizon Zero Dawn hits the trifecta. Incredible combat, story, and characters. It’s also polished and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. I can’t imagine I’ll play it again anytime soon, but the fifty hours I spent with Horizon were some of the best I’ve ever had.
The lack of challenge is a touch disappointing but doesn't detract from the sheer joy I got from bouncing along to the music, or the sadness of watching a man try to save his friend from inevitable death. When the main problem with a game is that you just want more, that's usually a good sign. The Sexy Brutale is absolutely worth your time. If I had Boone's powers, I'd rewind time and play it all over again.
NieR: Automata has far too much padding and would be better as a 20-hour experience instead of a 40 hour one. Despite all that, I can’t deny that there are parts of this game that simply have to be experienced. The music and the story are phenomenal; it’s just a shame the combat doesn’t live up to the highs I experienced elsewhere.
If you are truly desperate for a System Shock 2 successor then Prey might just scratch that itch. However, my mom always told me not to scratch an itch because it only makes things worse. She might have been right. (NOTE: Detailed analysis video available on the website)
The combination of strict linearity with varied snippets of gameplay might just be the ideal combination for these type of narrative experiences. What Remains of Edith Finch leaps right into my top three games in this genre alongside Gone Home and The Stanley Parable. In fact, I think it’s leapt right to the top.
Nioh is difficult and the frantic pace of its combat means that even Soulsborne veterans can expect a challenge. The lack of level variety is an issue, however I enjoyed every single fight thanks to the varied and deep combat. With three stances, five weapon types, skills, ninjutsu, and magic, it’s hard to get bored during a fifty to sixty-hour campaign and you’ll likely jump straight into new game plus without stopping for breath. Team Ninja set its sights high with Nioh, seeking to create a samurai-inspired Soulsborne game, with a distinct personality and combat style. Somehow, Team Ninja pulled it off.
Great Sonic games are a novelty these days. Fortunately, the novelty doesn’t wear off in a hurry. Sonic Mania is fast, fun, and full of surprises, from the first level until the last.
Remasters often make me reconsider my fondness for old games. That’s not true of the N. Sane Trilogy. Crash 1 is an okay game, Crash 2 is a good game, and Crash 3 is an excellent game. That’s as true today as it was twenty years ago.
The Evil Within has all the elements of a great survival horror game. There’s a great story… eventually. There’s satisfying tactical combat… sometimes. The world looks suitably grim and foreboding… when it’s not breaking apart before your eyes. It’s a game that needed another twelve months to meet the developer’s vision. That’s what sequels are for. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend The Evil Within, but I can encourage you to keep an eye on the sequel. It could be something special.
The Lost Legacy is another very good game in a franchise almost unrivaled in its consistently high quality. It’s just a shame we’ve seen it all before.
The gunplay in Destiny 2 is excellent. Unfortunately, Bungie still doesn’t understand how to handle an MMO grind—especially in the late game—and the storytelling is atrocious. After about 15-20 hours, the loot stopped rolling in and I realized how tedious the game was without a regular flow of new shiny things. Destiny 2 will sell by the millions, but I’m going to need some huge changes to go back for Destiny 3.
Cuphead is one of the most visually interesting games I’ve ever played. Its gameplay is a throwback to old-school bullet hell shooters and tough boss fights, without the need to worry about running out of lives. I wish I could tell you to ignore the discussion around difficulty and just buy the game, but that’s not fair. Cuphead is a challenging game that requires a lot of practice and patience. You may not enjoy it and that’s fine. However, if you’re at all interested in what Cuphead has to offer then you should take the risk. Dive in and see what happens. I played Cuphead for 15 hours and most of them were a hell of a lot of fun. Not all of them, but most.
The Evil Within 2 is a better game than its predecessor; however, it’s also a less interesting one. The first game was fascinating and yet hard to recommend due to problems with pacing, sloppy storytelling, and plenty of bugs and glitches. The sequel corrects most of those problems and, to use a term I hate, is a far more polished experience as a result. I just wish Tango Gameworks hadn’t abandoned everything special about the original in the process.
After finishing SOMA, my mind was consumed with thoughts of what it means to be human. Did I torture and kill people in my attempt to escape? Or were they not really people at all and I can sleep soundly? That SOMA made me ask myself these questions is the reason why you should play this game, despite the inclusion of unnecessary and frustrating “video game moments.”
The Frozen Wilds isn’t a must play expansion, but it’s a damn good one. It challenges skills you thought you’d already mastered and there’s more Aloy. That’s enough to get a recommendation from me.
Doki Doki Literature Club is free and I feel slightly uncomfortable being so critical of it. However, it also demands over four hours of your time. We all have backlogs of games we’ve already payed for and yet haven’t found the time to play. Go and play one of them instead. Doki Doki Literature Club isn’t worth your time.