Anthony Gallegos
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IGN Latest Reviews
As a huge science-fiction nerd and a fan of shooters, I went in really wanting to like Defiance and its new universe. Thing is, it’s just not very good. Rare well-designed quests are overshadowed by a host of others that feel phoned in, and though the fundamentals of shooting are competent, weak enemy AI makes the PvE combat a bore. Respectable PvP combat goes a long way, but especially when the major performance issues rear their ugly head, it's not far enough to make Defiance a recommendable experience.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 isn’t bereft of good ideas or mechanics, it’s just that they’re all trapped in a short series of levels that rarely give you anything all that interesting to do with them. Combine that with some graphical glitches and the slow and ultimately forgettable multiplayer, and you have a mediocre game that all but the hardest of the hardcore sniper-wannabes should pass on.
Borderlands 2 preserves the best parts of the franchise while also making numerous, much needed improvements to areas like narrative and class skill design. Additional visual customization options would make it better, and the occasional technical issue takes away from the experience, but overall this is an excellent shooter no one even remotely curious should overlook. Prepare to level. Prepare to loot. Prepare to get lost in the hilarious, bizarre and wonderful world of Pandora.
Twelve years. Twelve long years of waiting and fans are finally playing Diablo III, and, if my recent marathon sessions are any indication, they will be for the foreseeable future. So many systems from previous Diablo titles have been improved, making for an approachable, rewarding and deeply satisfying treasure hunting game. It's addictive on a level few games can match, so much so that it's easy to largely overlook its flaws. Sure, if you want you could really nitpick Diablo III’s design, but ultimately any minor grievances seem so trivial when compared to the enjoyment I had and will continue to have with Diablo III for years to come.
Titles like Botanicula are why the point-and-click adventure genre continues to exist. It may not be as hilarious as adventure games of yesteryear, but it’s persistently delightful, oozing character and grabbing hold of the imagination. Many games strive to be fun, and Botanicula not only accomplishes this, but also manages to use sound and visuals to stir up emotions ranging from sadness to glee. Play this now.
Dustforce easily merits the low, $10 barrier to entry. Some better in-game explanation concerning Dustforce’s content and mechanics would really help, but this addictive platformer succeeds nonetheless. The artful way the characters’ abilities allow you to move through the environment are entrancing, and the meticulously crafted levels create moments that made me look and feel awesome.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is one of the more unique games to come out of the last generation. It may drag a bit at times and doesn’t do shooting or platforming amazingly well, but it blends the genres together into an almost always fun romp. Annoyances aside, Stranger’s Wrath stands the test of time as a good title and a testament to the love put into creating the Oddworld universe. Anthony Gallegos is an Editor on IGN's PC team. He loves any and all sorts of games and gaming questions. You can reach out to him on Twitter and MyIGN.
Like any review, my feelings on Minecraft are the result of my experience with it. Maybe you don’t thrive off random adventures like I do, or maybe you won’t feel the same sense of accomplishment I did when I completed my first house. If not, then you likely haven’t or won’t enjoy Minecraft in the same way. And that’s OK. Minecraft, more than any other game I know, isn’t about playing it a specific way; it’s an open-world, a blank page just daring you to jump in and do with it what you will. The question, then, isn’t what you need to do to succeed, what’s needed to win, but what are you willing to do to make your dreams come to life?
Despite its flaws, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 takes the fantastic series we’ve come to love over the years and iterates on it with great success. The multiplayer is hands-down the best it has ever been, with more features, more modes and a ton of new levels and ways to interact via Call of Duty Elite. The singleplayer campaign and Spec Ops mode add value to the overall package, creating something that may not be perfect, but is too damn addicting to pass up.
Space Marine may stumble here and there, but manages to remain entertaining from start to finish. For every moment where a character gets stuck on part of the environment, has an animation that breaks, or just randomly pops into the world, I’m left remembering great boss battles and encounters that made me feel like a badass. It may not be the best or most original action game, but it’s a fine first outing for the franchise, and a rare gem for Warhammer fans.