Clinton Bowman-Christie
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The OuterHaven Latest Reviews
I’ve given quite a few games 5-star ratings to games, for various reasons. This specific 5-star rating is different. If I had to equate Red Dead Redemption 2 to any other form of art, the first thing that comes to mind is Nas’ Illmatic or Madvillainy by Madvillain, two absolute classic albums in Hip-Hop. Red Dead Redemption is a true video game classic, and being in elite company wasn’t something that was going to hinder this game’s vision. Effective storytelling with fleshed out characters who don’t trample over each other, amazing soundtrack, and unrivaled photo-realism makes a truly complete game.
Fire Pro Wrestling World is a love letter to professional wrestling, but only to the most hardcore of hardcore fans. If you enjoy the deep customization suite – despite the lack of efficiency that has plagued the series, something that WWE 2K aims to fix in WWE 2K19 – and the opportunity to have nearly one-thousand created wrestlers in your game, you’ll find hours of enjoyment baked into the action. However, if you’re looking for something accessible, quick to get into for a quick match or two, search elsewhere.
Am I wrong to say that Madden‘s re-debut on the PC Gaming front is the right choice? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and trust me, EA Tiburon understands that more than anyone. Madden Ultimate Team continues to be the standard bearer for fantasy sports in video games, Franchise Mode continues to evolve and Longshot closes out a two-year storyline with some stellar storytelling. The gameplay is crisp, and even though its the only game in town, Madden NFL 19 doesn’t rest on its laurels one bit.
Code of Princess EX just doesn’t seem to scratch that itch for the beat ’em up style that I grew up with. Despite the story being engaging and the characters being wonderfully colorful, the stale and disengaging gameplay just brings it down so far. This makes me sad because Code of Princess EX could have been a proper remaster instead of a port with enhanced graphics. Consider the boat fully missed.
Bus Simulator 18 has made a lot of strides to improve upon 2016’s entry. The map is bigger, with room for more cities to be added, but performance needs a bit more work in terms of stability. Everything looks amazing, but without steady performance, it can stave quite a few people off. Nonetheless, simulation fans could consider Bus Simulator 18 an adequate simulation fix that doesn’t ask too much past the initial purchase.
A masterpiece in terms of storytelling, Yakuza 6 is the most fitting sunset to the Kazuma Kiryu saga. Every little feature of Yakuza 6 is enjoyable from beginning to end, and it seems like the team made a point not to make the game feel slow in any way, even with the amount of exposition that this game has. There are moments where you’ll laugh your head off and others where you’ll be held in suspense, but it keeps it fresh throughout the game. Even the mini-games and sub-stories keep you coming back, increasing the replay value.
The beauty about WWE 2K18 is that it doesn’t change much, but the things that they did change matter. Presentation, match flow, as well as keeping MyPLAYER’s creation suite and the main game’s creative suite separate matters…A LOT. Yeah, there are some flaws in the game, and that comes with the territory of yearly releases, but to indicate that the small changes weren’t enough would be giving this game a disservice, and for what we got, it’s a decently engaging edition of WWE 2K.
Pokken Tournament DX is definitely worth the upgrade. The game has changed just enough to stay fresh and the five new characters, along with the Popplio and Litten assists that were introduced, freshen the game up enough to matter in the long run. Despite the changes, everything is familiar to old players, and while Pokken DX isn’t all that welcoming to newcomers, those who put the time into the game will definitely find a wealth of enjoyment. Pokken Tournament DX is a game that deserves way more than what it got in terms of support, and hopefully, on the Switch, it will get it.
You don’t always need a huge step forward to make a big difference, and Madden NFL 18 exemplifies that. Sometimes adding something new, while also polishing the already established stuff makes for a fantastic experience. Longshot is engaging without being truly time-consuming, and this year’s Madden Ultimate Team is probably one of the most fully featured Ultimate Team-like concepts implemented by either 2K or EA. The fact that you can play three different ways definitely opens up Madden to more players is beautiful in both theory and practice. Madden NFL 18 is near perfection, and I couldn’t be happier to continue playing this game.