Jason Kwasnicki
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Writing For
The OuterHavenLatest Reviews
While Resident Evil 7 does have flaws, on the whole it is the best entry into the franchise in over a decade. The gamble definitely paid off
Micro-rants aside, I Am Setsuna has it where it counts. Despite the cracks that give a small peak at the shortcomings of an old formula, its well-told story, fun characters, and addictive combat win the day. Much credit also goes to the absolutely gorgeous soundtrack by Tomoki Miyoshi (I’m listening to it right now on Spotify). Done entirely in piano, it perfectly captures the tone of the story and world and truly draws you in that much further. As a huge fan of gaming soundtracks, I would say Mr. Miyoshi’s work here rivals that of Uematsu. As a huge fan of RPGs, I cannot express the joy I felt when I had to wander the first town and speak to NPCs to find out what was going on rather than follow a giant arrow. I cannot convey how happy I was that I was playing a game where characters rub monster droppings on themselves to stay safe in the wilderness. In an industry now home to motion capture and Hollywood voice acting, I found great solace in reading a conversation.
Furi is a game for fans of wicked-fast action and cruel difficulty. Jarringly chaotic shooting sections can feel punishingly arbitrary compared to the precise and focused melee combat, and having to replay entire twenty-minute segments can get frustrating, but in the end, I cannot deny that I felt a satisfying sense of accomplishment. Add to that a visual and audio flair all its own and you have a title more than worth revisiting, if only for the satisfaction of throwing your opponent to the ground after a perfectly-timed parry.
I’ve tried to stay fairly vague with this review because, like a movie, watching the tale unfold and feeling the emotions in the moment is half of the fun. The other half will be talking with your friends about those moments and your choices, like that one part where I stole a girl’s radio and hiked all the way back to the post with it while Delilah made fun of the music that was playing. If “walking simulators” aren’t your thing, this may not be a fit for you. I wasn’t a fan of the genre before playing Firewatch, so maybe it might change your mind as well. It is hard to make the call as a critic, because the experience can be pretty personal at times. But what I can say definitively was that I was surprised. I had expected a scary thriller, maybe even something a bit run-of-the-mill. Firewatch definitely has some of that, but it takes a back seat to a character study that successfully moved me in ways few games do.
Imagine playing Dark Souls. You’ve just saved up enough to purchase a new sword that will give you just enough reach to take out that foe from a distance. Unfortunately, you make a stupid mistake, and you die. But when you come back, that sword is gone, and you have to die fifteen more times before a random number generator decides you can have it back. Maybe you never get it back…Now, I realize Crypt of the Necrodancer is not Dark Souls. The metronomic dungeon crawler is more important than the more RPG-esque progression systems, and when you realize that, you will get the most out of the game. But, in my opinion, the game should have dropped the roguelike aspects entirely, as they frustrate an otherwise enjoyable core experience. Still, Crypt of the Necrodancer succeeds more than it fails, and should not be missed.
Whether it be through its hellish difficulty or the desire I was left with by the game’s end, The Witness caused some serious pain in this gamer’s heart. However, I go back to those first few lines of this review, and I remember that it was all worth it, because the in-game, moment to moment experience was really unlike anything I’ve played in a long time. Using my handy dandy notebook to solve puzzles in such an intricately assembled playground made me feel more like Indiana Jones than Uncharted ever has. In my opinion, what’s here to play is a masterclass in game design, and there are 600 of these puzzles. Considering you need less than half of that to “beat” the game (an endeavor that will take one, unguided, around 20-30 hours to complete), there is more than enough value here to justify the price of admission. There are areas that require multiple playthroughs and precise sequencing to unlock. The only question gamers will have to answer is if they’re okay with playing the game for its own sake, not necessarily to have their questions answered. Thinking back on those overbearing in-game quotes, perhaps that is the point.
Ultimately, Fallout 4 is a progression of everything we’ve come to know and love about the franchise. It misses a few beats, but by and large is a success. As I continue to dig in, I keep thinking about what I’m missing and how I’ll do everything differently on my next play through. For me, that is the hallmark of a great RPG.
The Taken King is not only a fun and rewarding experience unto itself, it is a great expansion for the Destiny universe and elevates the game in nearly every way.