Josh McGrath
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Writing For
Gamer EscapeLatest Reviews
It’s everything about the story and the presentation of it that made this game so worthwhile to play. I could just feel the weight of the emotions presented here, carried through its intriguing writing style, excellent voice acting, and melancholic soundtrack.
The worst performances, oddly, are for the core characters Chloe and Coco. Both are incredibly stiff, robotic, and dull. Chloe I can understand, seeing as she’s a designed human built for combat…and, admittedly, she does have some good performances during more climactic moments. Coco, though, has no reason to have...
The problem is the game feels like a major step back from the previous entry in the series. The stilted storytelling, boring setting, and just decent soundtrack all feed into my feelings of disappointment. Lacrimosa of Dana was one of the best games I played in 2017, and the fact...
While the question remains if Gust will stick with this formula when they eventually move away from titles staring Ryza, I personally hope they continue to revise and refine this model. If Ryza 1 caught my interest, then Ryza 2 definitely has my attention.
I “got good” for Ys. I did so for Fire Emblem games. Hell, I spent time “getting good” to finally beat Through the Fire in Flames on Expert in Guitar Hero III, back when that was something to be proud of. The thing is, all of those games felt rewarding...
Haven
It was a startlingly bold move for The Game Bakers to take such a sharp turn from the title that brought them into the general gaming consciousness, and I applaud them greatly for that. Haven shows that they’re not a one-note studio, that they have some serious storytelling chops and...
Dirt 5
I do wish the storytelling was handled better, but…really, most of this game’s audience isn’t coming here for a story. It’s a nice touch to tie together the game’s Career mode, but completely forgettable overall (aside from Baker’s and North’s performances).
The game also includes a decent amount of voice acting, mostly for Abe, but with some extra lines for various NPCs. The thing is, the performances are done in weird tones and accents that make them very difficult to understand. A stylistic choice, I’m sure; Abe can be understood with...
Disc Room is short and sweet, with an interesting aesthetic and some intriguing character building. Unfortunately the latter is hidden in menus, so there’s a chance not all players will get to see what is, in my opinion, one of the best parts of the game.
Even with these issues, though, 13 Sentinels is an absolute must play, especially for those seeking a good narrative in gaming. This is the kind of story that’s going to stick in my mind for weeks to come, and easily stands up with some of the best stories I’ve experienced...
Iron Harvest seemed like a promising game, even to someone not really into RTS titles like myself. In some aspects, it does deliver. The story is surprisingly good, the design and usage of the mech units is top notch, and I personally appreciate the streamlining of base and resource management...
Kandagawa Jet Girls completely misses the marks that this niche expects from its games. Even if the toned down fanservice is a ploy to bring in more general gamers, the weak racing mechanics aren’t going to keep them around for long. Give this one a pass.
