Logan Moore
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DualShockersLatest Reviews
Mortal Shell definitely has some interesting ideas and considering how small the team is at Cold Symmetry, it's actually quite impressive what the studio has been able to put together on its first outing. From a purely mechanical perspective, Mortal Shell will absolutely scratch any Soulslike itch that you might be having in 2020. Still, when the game is so unabashedly trying to draw comparisons to Dark Souls, it's going to be quite a tall task to match up in all areas. Mortal Shell nicely sets the groundwork for a future installment from Cold Symmetry, but any potential sequels definitely need to do more in terms of presentation to set itself apart from the granddaddy of the subgenre.
Bloodroots is a very simple, straightforward game at face value, but it's also one that offers tons of replayability and features a high skill ceiling. If you're a fan of games that are all about mastering gameplay mechanics in pursuit of that one, perfect run, you really can't do better so far in 2020 than Bloodroots. It's a game that I'm very much looking forward to returning to time and time again over the coming months.
Death Stranding might not go down as my favorite game ever made by Hideo Kojima, but it's very likely his most inventive and unique to date, which says a lot. If video games as a medium are ever going to progress past where they are right now, we need more games like Death Stranding that are going to take chances and try out new ideas. Not everything that Death Stranding sets out to accomplish works, but it stands firm in its vision all the same and as such, is worthy of admiration.
This is the least impressed I've been with an NBA 2K title out of the gate this whole console generation, which says a lot. With both Xbox Scarlett and PS5 arriving next year, I hope the team at Visual Concepts is gearing up big time to bring this series into next-gen. Until then though, NBA 2K20 just feels like more of the same game I've already been dabbling with for the past year.
Control is much better than its separate elements would lead you to believe. Even though combat can get somewhat old quickly and the story fell flat for me later on, I still never disliked playing Control at any point. It's yet another fun jaunt through a strange, offbeat world that Remedy has created. Control might not be my favorite game from the studio, but it continues to prove that there's a place for Remedy to continue making titles in the AAA space like this moving forward. If you have enjoyed past games from Remedy, you'll certainly find further enjoyment here with Control.
Not everything new in Wolfenstein Youngblood works wonderfully, but I appreciate that MachineGames was willing to experiment and try a bunch of new things out before apparently working on Wolfenstein III. While I think I'd prefer the next Wolfenstein game to be more traditional, it was refreshing to see some new ideas here with Youngblood. At the very least, the core gameplay loop is still a ton of fun and it will keep you entertained long enough to see the main story through to the end. If you've been looking for something to dive into with a friend recently, Wolfenstein Youngblood is filled with more than enough action, explosions, and Nazi beatdowns to make it worth your consideration.
My Friend Pedro is a ton of fun to play, which is the most important aspect of all. Even though not all of the levels in the game are winners, the vast majority of the experience is a blast and will likely keep you coming back repeatedly. Devolver Digital has been on a tear so far in 2019 and My Friend Pedro is yet another winner for the indie publisher.
Judgment is much greater than the sum of its parts. Getting lost in the city of Kamurocho as you solve cases, make friends, and punch thugs into oblivion never stopped being fun even if the missions you sometimes have to do aren't that engaging. It was easy to overlook most of the issues that I may have had with Judgment just because of how much consistent fun I was having over the course of my experience. While Judgment was my first foray into this world of Yakuza, it most certainly won't be my last.
More than anything though, Sekiro is a game that I am endlessly thankful for having spent time with the past few weeks. The moments of elation that I have had playing through Sekiro were unmatched not only in gaming but in my everyday life. It provided a sense of joy that comforted me and made me optimistic when I needed it most. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a game I will continue to look back at fondly for years to come because of this.
Anthem desperately needed a bit more time in the oven and the resulting product is one that I'm incredibly lukewarm on -- which is almost worse than if I had outright hated it. I don't understand many of the design decisions in Anthem to the point that I wonder how so many of the game's aspects ever got greenlit in the first place. I'd like to continue crossing my fingers and hoping that BioWare will return to be one of the industry's leading devs in the coming years, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned at this point. Anthem will potentially hold your attention for the first few hours, but as a game that is supposed to keep you hooked for weeks and months on end, I can safely say I never plan on returning to my own Javelins barring some drastic changes.