Jon Ryan
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Writing For
IGNLatest Reviews
The Surge 2 manages to recapture a lot of what made the original Souls-style sci-fi adventure fun, even improving on its already-solid combat and gear grind in several meaningful ways, from the added variety of weapons and enemies to the simple but oh-so-welcome ability to build multiple equipment loadouts. It’s missteps, however, made the sequel an overall lesser game than the original: uninspired environmental design and overly ambitious story choices rob it of the same level of satisfaction, even with the mechanical improvements. That said, if you're just here to chop dudes in robot suits in half as you grind up to the next power bracket or craft another piece of gear made out of severed arms, you're probably gonna have a great time. Either way you'll likely still have a good time, but will probably spend most of your playthrough fondly remembering your first time.
Agents of Mayhem does a good job paying homage to the cartoon and live-action TV heroes of the 80s and 90s, and revels in the absurd tropes and idiosyncrasies of those inspirations. A broad and goofy arsenal of unique weapons and gadgets and the ability to switch characters on the fly to access complementary abilities offers some solid combat and good mindless fun, but due to some unpolished writing and repetitive environments and enemy types, it doesn't fully live up to its heroic potential.
The Surge makes good use of its detailed sci-fi setting and provides an engaging experience throughout the 30 to 40-hour campaign, mostly thanks to its widely customizable inventory and wickedly fun combat system. It may struggle to keep the action moving and tell a strong story amid the chaos of battle, and its weapon progression plateaued early, but it offers some interesting ideas and delivers a solid new take on a familiar genre.
Outriders offers some genuinely great sci-fi action, alongside some really interesting world and creature design that I'd love to see more of. Its mostly satisfying take on RPG loot progression is well worth putting up with a lackluster story, a few clunky interfaces, and some lingering technical issues. Outriders is the good kind of grind - especially if you're into goo-ifying your enemies with a couple of friends.
Grounded has a lot going for it. It’s a really inventive setting, with some pitch-perfect opportunities for the team to deliver on “the Obsidian side” of its initial pitch in the future. Currently, however, it feels a bit sparse in terms of both available content and quality-of-life considerations. And while I really hope that Grounded grows and blossoms into the truly special adventure it could become, it’s still got a few yards to go.
On some levels, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is still a worthwhile RPG to hack and slash your way through, even if this remaster doesn’t go above and beyond the bare minimum expectations. But while the ideas and mechanics that make games like Red Faction: Guerilla and Burnout feel special are still largely singularly unique to them, almost everything that made Amalur stand out in its day has become standard fare for just about any RPG to come out in the past decade. Its fast-paced action still entertains, for the most part, and there’s plenty to see and do in its big world – but after almost a decade of innovation and improvements, it no longer feels particularly extraordinary, and the technical issues it does have are far less excusable. Re-Reckoning is a good reminder of what made the original so great for its time but, more importantly, it’s a testament to how far we've come in the decade since.