James Stephanie Sterling
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Writing For
Destructoid Latest Reviews
Contrary to the old saying, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Black Ops II demonstrated that with style. Ghosts, however, is a dog that simply doesn’t want to change. It knows what it is, and sticks with it. It would be a respectable endeavor, if it didn’t lead to such an underwhelming and predictable little product. What a sleepy, sleepy dog.
If Batman: Arkham Origins does one thing well, it’s epitomize the kind of exploitative garbage that has steadily eroded so much faith in the so-called “AAA” gaming scene. When publishers whine and moan about piracy or used sales, this is the kind of game you can point to when you ask if it’s any surprise that so few customers are willing to gamble $60 on a brand new game. This is the kind of game that, when publishers panic over flagging sales, you can hold up and say, “You did it to yourselves.”
And that’s all Beyond: Two Souls is — a pantomime. A childish play at being a meaningful journey, a vapid illusion of passion and poignancy. Nothing but a pantomime.
Also, Trevor regularly spoons his juggalo friend’s cousin Floyd while he sobs and apologizes to his out-of-town girlfriend for what he’s just done.
It’s hard to recommend A Machine For Pigs to every horror fan, as it provides something that could so easily delight or dismay, something that is unique and effective, but potentially shortchanging. If you want to be told a vexingly bizarre story presented with a real sense of style, The Chinese Room may have exactly what you want. If you’re a massive survival horror fan who wants to be made to scream, however, you probably want to stick your snout in someone else’s offal.
Puppeteer is a bold move for a company as big as Sony, and its presence on the PS3 is welcome. It’s worthy of praise that a brand new game property — a classic platformer no less — would get a full retail release this close to the end of the console’s life cycle. It helps, of course, that Puppeteer is also a genuinely fun game, one that is marred by its sometimes sluggish pace and tendency to be annoying rather than funny, but overall provides some much needed ingenuity at a time when videogames are ramping down in time for the next generation.
Saints Row IV is, from start to finish, a pleasure. It’s a pure pleasure to play. I was cynical, given my feeling let down by The Third, but Volition has worked hard to address almost everything wrong with its last outing, and provide something that delivers over and above expectations. What I love most about IV is how it puts the player first — absolutely every new feature and ability gifted to the player seems designed purely to make the game more convenient to enjoy, and more fun to play.
PAYDAY 2 is undeniably rough and needs a couple of updates to fill in a few blanks, but the thrill of robbing banks, smashing jewel cases, and cooking meth is too great for the asking price not be returned to the player in spades. If you’re willing to work with a team and get involved in some delightfully chaotic situations, the world of poorly made drills and unnecessary amounts of violence is one well worth investing in.
It’s a good little game, and not really anything more than that. It’s not as “awesome” as Deadpool himself may tell you, but hey, it’s about ten thousand times better than X-Men: Destiny, and I think we can all be thankful for that!
State of Decay is ugly. It looks ugly, and in many ways it plays ugly. However, there’s a simple beauty underneath the frightful veneer, one that surrounds a compelling, interesting, complex, and enslaving little game. There is absolutely more to this game than meets the eye, and despite the overwhelming amount of zombie games vying for our attention, this is certainly one I’m glad to see in the world.