Robert Honaker
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GameWatcherLatest Reviews
From Software might have started this genre, but Team Ninja is hot on their heels when it comes to quality. Nioh 2 is an achievement. It’s equal parts challenging and rewarding, with a loot system that rocks, a combat system that is deep and nuanced, an online component that adds to the experience, and great performance on PC. I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in a long time. If you enjoy games of this subgenre and haven’t yet experienced Nioh 2, the time is now. Jump in, test your met...
Some great extra content takes a backseat to an extraordinary new gameplay mode that players will get for free from the upcoming “Triceratops” patch. Though the new content is of high quality, especially the new faction, it’s overshadowed by a free patch and perhaps isn’t as exciting with the addition of yet another human faction.
Kingdoms of Amalur was one of the most underrated games of the previous decade and its return will make that pretty clear to some players. However, the remastering of this borderline classic is hamstrung by a 2012 inventory and menu system, a 2012 user interface, and 2012 icons and health bar. That being said, the updated environments, characters, and other elements do look great and the actual gameplay is superb. However, it feels like a wasted opportunity that THQ Nordic didn’t spend the ...
With a haunting and beautiful world as a backdrop to a solid “Souls-like” RPG, Mortal Shell is a much better game than it has any right to be. The magnificent presentation, mixed with the unique take on character progression, steals the show here and despite dying dozens upon dozens of times, I was hooked from the moment that combat started making sense to me.
A combat system that’s deeper than it first appears is the real star here, but you’ll likely also stick around for the perverse and disturbing universe and the story that plays out within it. The voiceover work will quickly annoy you and the difficulty is unfair, but there is still a bit to enjoy here, assuming you can ignore some of Othercide’s shortcomings. I wanted to like Othercide much more than I did.
With decent production values, interesting characters, visceral and demanding battles, and great writing, Mutant Year Zero is a game that is easy to recommend to those looking for a unique genre mashup in a fun, if not a bit overdone, setting. Playing on normal difficulty will require you to think a bit more tactically than that you’re probably used to and it may cause some aggravation, but getting through the battles and progressing through the game is worth it.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is what happens when you safely positively iterate on a beloved game. It doesn’t pull any punches and returns to the series’ roots in a way that is both nostalgic and new. By adding more character depth, a new class and expanding the battlefields, Sega has really managed to capture my attention again. It might be too safe, but it’s great to see such a solid new addition to a series of games that have had a few missteps.
A tale of two games, Frozen Synapse 2 is best when you’re battling it out like you did in the original. Thankfully, that’s a large portion of what you’re doing in this game.