Steven Hansen
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
DestructoidLatest Reviews
Dangerous Golf fancies itself silly and fun, as telegraphed by its lime-green menus, rollicking, record-scratch score, and “punk rock” appropriation of a haughty, classist sport. But the destruction doesn’t have much of a satisfying crunch, exacerbated by the floaty ball controls when you’re in peak destruction mode. The load times...
That the interpersonal relationships aren’t overshadowed by $400 million in pirate gold, or by hundreds of dead mercenaries, is a testament to the caliber of storytelling. Even the ways Uncharted 4 retrofits in previous entries in the series — Young Drake’s shirt in Uncharted 3 seems...
If MLB The Show‘s new MO is just coasting on the good gameplay and providing minor tweaks to disparate modes, each with their own appeal (or lack thereof, depending), then there’s no greater candidate for games-as-service that I can see. Because there’s good money in it, however, I doubt we’ll...
The analog inputs (pulling up the walkie-talkie or map, spinning the same “1234” tumblers to unlock every single park lock box with Henry’s paws) combined with unique animation and believable voice work help ground Firewatch, which manages both restraint and maturity in its story without ever going full mumblecore “walking...
Rise of the Tomb Raider is better than its predecessor, but only because of its additions; it doesn’t fix any of the things that were wrong with Tomb Raider (2013). The story is smoothed down, much of it hidden away in dull audio logs. It’s not about “survival” as billed,...
When all the arcane is teased out and the seams obvious, not even the beautiful score and gorgeous pixel reflection in the river can encourage me to execute the precise, efficient moves that would lead me to victory. But while I wasn’t so interested in mechanically performing the “correct” blueprint...
Downwell
My 15-hour transition from inelegant tank (Boulder style) laboring down the well to eyes-closed, 25-kill-combo (Levitate) falling with style has been a flurry of close calls, of “one more run,” of consistently dying to the boss despite doubling my starting health. The knees-braced bullet pounding side winding across the screen...
Arkham Knight is a solid, if uneven send-off for Rocksteady’s trilogy. Combat and predation are still satisfying. The narrative mixes unsurprising, but well done segments with unsurprising and uninteresting elements. It’s full of nods, winks, nudges for batfans, even if certain super villain side missions feel needlessly tossed in. It...
Magicka 2
Enemies are fodder, relentlessly marching toward you en masse, hardly flinching in the face of your supposedly powerful magics. The crowds get messy and you die, or you do a lot of running backwards while spraying spells at your angry entourage like metal filings chasing a Wooly Willy pen. It...
Translating cover shooters into 2D makes for a good mix of contemporary and classic sensibilities. It’s nice to play a shooter where avoiding enemy bullets is a bit more necessary and I like the tools Not a Hero provides with its slick cover system, mechanically varied cast, and constant chain...
The turn-based stealth gameplay is empowering, but fraught and fleeting each time you dive deeper into one of the world’s least architecturally sensible corporate buildings, rooms budding off rooms, some empty, some dangerous, all necessary. It’s a fight to stay equally matched with your enemies and make it to the...
CounterSpy
CounterSpy nails its style. The angular art, the tight animation. Even the 2.5D cover mechanic stuff, the over-the-shoulder shooting, looks cool. But there is a weird tonal inconsistency to the whole thing that leaves it feeling unfinished despite the polish. The absurdist premise meant to invoke Dr. Strangelove is half-heartedly written with laziness...