Steven Wong
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PC InvasionLatest Reviews
Chivalry 2 delivers plenty of intense, blood-soaked action, without taking itself too seriously. But you might eventually want to do more than blindly swing a sword around.
Although Carrion is a relatively short game with little replayability, its quirky theme and ravenous flesh monster make for a fun feeding frenzy.
All the stumbling around trades away any sense of suspense. It's hard to feel scared of monsters after you've walked circles around them several times. Not even tricks like suddenly switching off the lights saves the mood. Soma does a great job of making me feel lost and frustrated. Perhaps too good.
Games generally last for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how well (or poorly) players do. The intensity ramps up very quickly, which is crazy, because no game that's this cute should be this stressful. Playing is both a joy and infuriating, depending on your back stabbing/stabbed ratio. In either case, I found myself wanting to go back for more.
The game's challenge might seem extreme at first, but it never feels cheap. It forces you to think out your strategy and carefully plan each move. Invisible Inc is a sort of paradox. You have to move carefully, but you're fighting the clock at the same time. It's immense pressure that is thrilling to play out.
Despite its issues, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is one of the most entertaining experiences I've had from the series in a while. I wasn't a big fan of last year's releases of Rogue and Unity, which both look a lot better than they play. It's nice to take a break from the increasingly convoluted plot of the main storyline with a straightforward tale of revenge set in a historic corner of the world that often doesn't get a lot of attention in Western video games. This might not be the Assassin's Creed players asked for, but it's one that I'm thankful to have.
With its cute art style, excellent use of light and shadow, and challenging puzzles, Stealth Inc. 2 is a great game to check out if you want to put your problem solving skills and reflexes to the test. Some of my favorite parts aren't necessarily in testing chambers where you have to perform death-defying feats of multitasking. It's in place like when you disguise yourself as a robot and your clone makes little robot noises in an effort to fit in. That, along with the shifting colors of the stealth goggles, and the multitude of uses for the Inflate-a-Mate are the little touches that impress upon me the most.
But if you're looking for a game that provides a nice challenge, and you don't mind the trippy story, Hotline Miami 2 is a good way to go. In it, I busted through a door, knocked a gunman to the ground, threw glass bottle that killed his partner, bashed the gunman's head in, stole his gun, then killed someone else with it by shooting through a window. Those are moments that make you stand up and take notice. There's definitely a thrill in figuring out how to efficiently complete levels with big combo points. That thrill just happens to be decorated with a ton of 8-bit carnage.
Grow Home gets high points for creativity and providing a relaxing, almost meditative, experience. Except, the game is designed around a mechanic that's often more tedious than fun, and uses a robot that's prone to random spasms and collapses. Still, it's a nice distraction from action games. Even though its puzzle isn't very difficult, minus the falling, it does provide an entertaining experience. Perhaps Grow Home will evolve into something more someday. As it is right now, it's a short and sweet experience with a lot of free falling involved.
I disliked Assassin's Creed Rogue on almost every level, from its numerous game-breaking bugs, to its terrible free-running, and (worst of all) its ruined assassination system. Not even the plot, which fills in the gap between Black Flag and Assassin's Creed 3 while recounting the fall of the North American Brotherhood, is very satisfying. I started this game wanting to become a Templar believer, and I left shaking my head in disbelief.