Dave Rudden
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Writing For
IGNLatest Reviews
Battleborn
The cast of Battleborn is fantastic; I've enjoyed exploring the ins and outs of characters like the steampunk sniper Marquis and fungal healer Miko, and every time I play I'm focused on earning further access to the unique roster. However, there’s no interesting story for them to take part in,...
Under its attractively bright and cartoony art style, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 has a great amount of modes and customization options to enjoy, whether alone against the AI or with online allies and enemies. The interesting abilities options of the six new character classes gave me something to...
Steamworld Heist stole my heart. The characters are charming, the combat is addictive, and the Firefly-style adventure made every battle a blast. Besides some annoying instances of post-battle maintenance, I rarely felt the need to power down these robots.
If you have an affinity for any of the four films recapped within, LEGO Jurassic World will be a worthwhile visit. Seeing the series' iconic moments recreated with cute figurines is a treat, and each of the four campaigns is fast-paced enough that completing the entire franchise in its brick-based...
Halo: Spartan Strike's upgraded parts aren't immediately apparent, but the sum total is pretty striking. A pinch of better aiming here, a heaping helping of Promethian enemies there, and annoying microtransactions nowhere make Spartan Strike worth the quick and cheap sub-ten-dollar tour.
Kalimba
Much as it might take close examination to appreciate the amazing craftsmanship of a totem pole, the plain presentation of Kalimba shouldn't turn you away from the originality and fun harnessed locked within this puzzle-platformer. Save for a few puzzles that lose luster due to unintuitive and touchy physics, I...
The real treasure in Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris wasn't Lara’s story, bipedal alligator warriors, or a bounty of gems, but solving complex and varied environmental puzzles with friends. Playing alone, discovering the different flavors of each new temple and figuring out the solution to a brain-busting puzzle...
WWE 2K15
WWE 2K15 is like seeing Brock Lesnar going from breaking the Undertaker's streak to losing to Hornswoggle during the pre-show in back-to-back WrestleManias. Not only is it surprising, it's also pretty sad. I would frequently grab my copy of last year's grappler with the intent to quickly check some changes,...
Costume Quest 2's combat and story are both surprisingly good for an RPG that concludes in roughly a half-dozen hours. A few weird design choices in regards to the health system and navigation meant that just a bit too much of that time was spent backtracking and squinting at a...
Gauntlet
Gauntlet can't quite strike the balance between the nostalgic arcade experience and a modern-day replay-friendly adventure. It's cool that there's such a varied experience amongst the iconic quartet of heroes, and four-player co-op is almost always fun with the right crew, but its repetitive structure works against its longevity.
Minimum
The simplistic art style of Minimum isn't a turn off in the slightest. Surprisingly, it's the melee swords that end up being a huge imbalancing factor in combat that deflates the fun of the fast-paced gunplay. Minimum's two standard game types and refreshingly different Titan Mode will be a good...
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark has a few bright spots; the co-op Escalation mode is enjoyable, and there are cool weapons befitting the bots. But the bland campaign is a slog with uneven difficulty, while vehicle transformations and combat are largely unsatisfying. Without nailing that, you’ve got a bad...
