David Jagneaux
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Writing For
IGNLatest Reviews
Whether you’re brand new to the battlefield or picking your blaster back up after a long hiatus, Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a redemption story worthy of the Skywalker saga. It’s a big, broad, beautiful shooter that nails the Star Wars atmosphere almost everywhere. The campaign is still a bit of a snore, and occasionally long queue times in matchmaking and a handful of forgettable game modes give the multiplayer a couple of caveats, but highlights like Capital Supremacy and Galactic Assault make it stand out and the progression system is fair and rewarding. Overall, it’s a great package now that serves as one of the best and most thrilling ways to have an authentic Star Wars gaming experience.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is an excellent 2D platformer full of surprises and delights for fans nostalgic for the glory days of the genre. With some clever approaches to the final boss fight, the overworld map, and refreshing levels for repeat playthroughs, this one sits in the top tier of platformers just below the likes of modern classics like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Remnant: From the Ashes is a co-op action-RPG that's punishing and grotesque, but exciting and beautiful all at the same time. Despite the occasional difficulty spikes and slightly disappointing gear system, the thrill of finally beating a boss that’s had your number for hours is unmatched.
Dauntless is a surprising achievement not only for its insanely fun and accessible monster hunting action, but also for its seamless cross-platform multiplayer and non-intrusive free-to-play mechanics. Removing much of the supporting systems' complexity from games like Monster Hunter leaves a core that’s immensely fun to dive into for quick sessions or hours on end, even if the depth outside of combat and crafting is occasionally lacking.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a visually impressive mobile game, and its satisfying combat provides just enough variety to at least partially salvage an otherwise repetitive and lackluster adventure. While technically an Elder Scrolls game, this watered-down version of Tamriel has very little to do with the RPGs it’s based on, and the fun that is here suffers from intrusive microtransactions that bog things down.
Agony proves that, like beauty, horror can be only skin deep. With gratuitous amounts of violence and masochistic overtones, this blood-soaked adventure is not for the faint of heart. But while its bold and detailed environments depict Hell in the most nightmarish ways possible, even the fantastically obscene sights and creepy sounds become mundane and dull by the end of its series of repetitious mazes, unimaginative item hunts, and weak stealth gameplay.
After the resounding success of Dynasty Warriors 8, Dynasty Warriors 9 feels like a major step back. What’s lost in the move towards an individually-centered story spread across a massive open world far outweighs the minor benefits that are gained. While the excellent button-mashing gameplay stays intact with great tweaks and additions, it wasn’t enough. The lack of multiplayer, missing alternate game modes, and emptiness of ancient China left me far from satisfied.
Rogue Company is an entertaining, if derivative, shake up to the established hero shooter genre, mixing elements from various other games to prop up the handful of unique ideas it can call its own. Beneath the seemingly basic third-person shooter mechanics are intricate strategies, interesting characters with nuanced abilities, and plenty of maps to keep things varied. It could use some more work on the technical side, but as a free-to-play team shooter with cross-play on every platform there’s a fun foundation here that already feels worth my time.
Much of what Hellpoint lacks in original Souls-like gameplay mechanics it makes up for with its stylish sci-fi aesthetic, creepy atmosphere, and relentless focus on making you uncomfortable. The frequent bugs are a major hindrance, though, and it’s far too derivative to step out of the shadow of the genre greats that came before, but it does provide some decent, old-fashioned video game punishment with satisfyingly brutal combat.
Sea of Thieves is a pirate fantasy sandbox with an enormous amount of things to do, made unpredictable and exciting by the addition of other players. Coordinating together across the deck of a massive pirate ship is pure chaos at times, but it’s also endlessly entertaining. The cosmetic-only progression system doesn’t give you as much incentive to keep playing as I’d have liked and its free-form nature left me feeling lost at sea at times – but if you’ve got a good group of two or three friends to play with, it’s hard to find a game as entertaining to jump aboard.