Daemon Hatfield
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Writing For
IGN Latest Reviews
There is no shortage of good Metroidvanias these days, but Bloodstained does show that Koji Igarashi’s particular brand of “Igavania” still has teeth. Exploring the castle’s many secrets is a delight, and there is a dizzying array of weapons and powers waiting to be bent to your will. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, one of the greatest games ever made, finally has a worthy successor on consoles and now on PC.
As someone who loves the Far Cry formula and will take my fix wherever I can get it, revisiting Far Cry 5’s slightly reworked open-world map in New Dawn proves there’s still quite a bit of joy to be found in clearing outposts and generating as much chaos as possible, in single-player or co-op. I could’ve done without the silly story and disappointing final boss, but Expeditions are a thrilling new mode, and the story missions are exciting more often than not. New Dawn is an enjoyable diversion while we wait for Far Cry’s next big thing.
Capcom did a fantastic job of resurrecting all the best parts of the classic Resident Evil 2 and making them look, sound, and play like a 2019 game. If you’re of the mind that the series had lost its way for a while there, this game is very much a return to form. The zombie combat is satisfying and exploring the dilapidated ruins of Raccoon City is a thrill. The one big letdown is that the two characters’ stories aren’t different enough to make the second playthrough as rewarding as the first, even after unlocking the 2nd Game mode. But whichever you choose to play as, the experience of playing through the new Resident Evil 2 for the first time establishes a new standard for remaking classic games.
The 14 dated games included in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection aren’t the stars of the show -- the care that was taken in dusting them off and presenting them is. I doubt too many people were clamoring to revisit obscure arcade releases like Prehistoric Isle or Psycho Soldier, but demand or not, Digital Eclipse put together just about the most thoughtful package of these games one could ask for. More games would have been nice at launch (11 free additions are coming in December), but as someone who grew up feeding quarters to SNK’s arcade machines and playing the NES ports, I’m just glad someone got the Ikari Warriors back together.
Lost On Mars is a strange choice for a Far Cry 5 expansion, and this risky change of scenery doesn’t pay off. While it does feature a hilarious fan-favorite character, I just wish the gameplay was as inventive as the dialogue and gun nomenclature. It’s too bad Ubisoft couldn’t find a way to make an alien world feel more interesting than the Montana countryside. Even with the addition of a jetpack, lasers, and alien bugs this planet feels dull as red dirt. If you didn’t buy the season pass, the trip to Mars hardly seems worth it.
Far Cry 5 is another wide-open playground with all the necessary ingredients for causing a real ruckus: loads of enemies and allies, temperamental wildlife, and plenty of explosions. Amidst all the insanity it manages to tell a serious story with respectable characters and a powerful ending, though it’s not the most memorable in the series. The successful transition from exotic locales to America’s backyard makes me excited to see where the Far Cry formula goes next.
Fighting my way through Ruiner felt like work, and if I weren’t obligated to finish it for the review I probably wouldn’t have bothered. It’s too bad it focuses on being difficult over being fun, because the combat totally works when you’re given access to the full range of weaponry and gadgets and can finally stand up to the nearly endless waves of varied enemies thrown at you. This one is definitely better the second time around. Games should be fun right from when you hit the start button – that’s kind of the whole point – but Ruiner puts you through too much of a hazing ritual to get there.
When you’re playing as Jason, this is unquestionably the best Friday the 13th game ever made. I really appreciate the genuine love for the franchise on display here. Hunting down players and executing them in spectacularly gory scenes is an homage that warms my lifelong Friday-fan heart. But the fun of its asymmetrical multiplayer-only action is heavily skewed toward Jason, which means you’ll mostly be stuck playing as teens rummaging through drawers. Despite that lopsided gameplay and some pretty heinous glitches, there is some dumb fun to be had here – which is all the movies ever really offered, anyway.
News flash: people find sex and violence entertaining. Saints Row: The Third gives the people what they want and drops us into an open world adult theme park where we can treat ourselves to delightful acts of bloodshed and perversion. It doesn't take itself too seriously and only asks that you don't, either.
Orcs Must Die embellishes your devious side, encouraging you to devise clever ways of fulfilling the command of the title. For the not-so-clever, mowing down invaders with an automatic crossbow is also a great time. Whatever your approach, an orc's pain is your gain. You must download, because Orcs Must Die.