Leana Hafer
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
IGNLatest Reviews
Kaiserpunk is a city builder with some cool ideas and a novel premise, but lots of bugs, an interface that lacks basic functionality, and a cumbersome strategic map left me feeling shell-shocked.
Two Point Museum is a rewarding, deep, challenging, and highly entertaining tycoon game with lots of variety and an excellent interface.
Armed with excellent melee combat and an exceptional story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one part sequel and one part coronation, bringing a lot of the original's ideas to fruition.
Armed with excellent melee combat and an exceptional story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one part sequel and one part coronation, bringing a lot of the original's ideas to fruition.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries checks most of the boxes I would have asked for out of a modern revival of the series. There are tons of mechs that can be kitted out in tons of ways, and they’re all a lot of fun to drive. The campaign is expansive, complex, and reactive, though at times it can also be aggravating and directionless. The mission structure can also feel a little repetitive after a while, but a variety of exciting environments serve to mitigate this. And casually plowing directly through a row of high-rises in an Atlas? Well, that never gets old.
Despite my soft heart bankrupting just about every zoo I touched because I refused to fire the Michelin Starred-chefs making three meals a day for my snow leopards, I had a great time with Planet Zoo. The environments look great and you’re given tons of tools to make them look better. The animals that inhabit them are lively and lifelike, and each presents a satisfying set of factors to balance if you want to max out their welfare. And while some of the online stuff feels half-baked, most of the modes are well-balanced and enjoyable – especially with the addition of conservation as a secondary goal to pure profit-making. I can see myself sinking dozens more hours into this rich sim… if I can ever force myself to put the bottom line before the silk-lined giraffe beds.
I enjoyed myself just about every step of the way through GreedFall’s epic, morally complex tale of exploration and swashbuckling. The Technomancer was disappointing, but I still wanted to see other games try the ambitious things it was attempting with more success - and GreedFall delivers on that promise. There are still glitches, awkward character models, immersion-breaking re-use of assets, and a general bugginess that keep it from being unambiguously excellent, but I have a feeling this is going to be a crowd-pleaser for those of us who still shake our canes and talk about how the genre peaked a decade ago. We may have to eat our words before long.
Blair Witch is one of the most successfully terrifying horror games I’ve ever played. More so even than any of the Amnesia games, it made me feel like I’d been dragged feet-first through Hell by the end. Discovering Ellis’ troubled past and the often relatable demons it left him with grounded it all and made each eerie or excruciatingly frightful moment personal. Some small technical issues and poor feedback about progress on optional objectives aside, it’s excellently constructed from the tops of the trees to the depths of its madness. If you’re as much of a glutton for punishment when it comes to horror games as I am, you definitely won’t want to pass this one up.
Oninaki is a gorgeous, distinctive, entertaining RPG that isn’t afraid to explore some heavy themes in novel and thought-provoking ways. It never rises above the fact that the combat feels like it’s not quite there. And at times, it can be overly wordy in the fashion that JRPGs often are. But its dark, beautiful world is a place I never tired of exploring, and the in-depth progression and customization systems provided plenty for my inner D&D nut to sink his teeth into.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a dazzling, slick, diverse 4X with snappy and exciting turn-based combat and a story I was always eager to discover more of. My biggest concern is that when I finish the last couple faction stories I'll feel like I'm done with it altogether. The randomized maps haven’t convinced me they have enough going on to keep me coming back for hundreds more turns. But even if that's the case, it's an experience I can already recommend highly. I guess you could say I've Planet-fallen for it.