Matt Miller
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Game InformerLatest Reviews
Obsidian’s impressive track record in role-playing games is reason enough to stand up and pay attention anytime the studio wades back into the genre. In the case of Avowed, the reasons stack up higher, since it’s a standalone first-person adventure set in the studio’s imaginative and vibrant fantasy world of Eora, previously established in the Pillars of Eternity series. The resulting game isn’t especially innovative and is unlikely to change anyone’s understanding of these types of...
After 10 years of storytelling, the overarching saga that was introduced in the original launch of Destiny has finally concluded. With The Final Shape, Bungie ties a bow on the vast majority of its lingering plotlines and questions and sets the stage for a new direction in subsequent releases. Ahead of that, this concluding chapter is extremely satisfying, offering a rousing, heartfelt, and character-driven wrap-up that does right by what has come before. From narrative to gameplay, this is not the installment that welcomes newcomers. But for every hour (or thousands of hours) a player has invested in this adventure, the ending on offer is that much more potent.
Stellar Blade’s opening minutes are an apt encapsulation of the game ahead. A beautifully rendered but confusing cinematic sets up big sci-fi stakes. A splashy character intro moment focuses on the lead character’s sex appeal. A bombastic action sequence leads into a stylish and visually arresting boss battle. It’s truth in advertising from the very start, and developer Shift Up seems to be making a statement in those opening minutes: This is what we’re about – climb aboard, or jump ship – the choice is yours.
Draw from enough unique inspirations, and eventually, a game begins to feel entirely novel. That’s the sensation that emerges as you play Unicorn Overlord, Vanillaware’s vast fantasy adventure of tactics, strategy, and storytelling. I was consistently reminded of other systems and mechanics from prior genre releases, but the resulting combination felt consistently original and entertaining, even after many hours of battle and exploration.
Like a ship that has changed tack countless times and delayed its arrival at port, Skull and Bones has launched far later than expected and faced trouble along the way. Even so, this pirate adventure surprised me with the breadth of its world, the richness of its commerce simulation, and an approachable and rewarding naval combat system. As a living game built around seasonal content and a growing universe, it has a ways to go to be at its best, but the bones of a quality experience are here.
The Avatar films are great fun but have never blown me away with original storytelling. Instead, the translation of familiar formulas into a vibrant and visually arresting alien world elevates the films. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora follows that same tack, featuring first-person exploration and combat that borrows liberally from franchises like Far Cry. But here, an enormous and detailed fantasy world breathes life into the experience, making it both more engaging and sometimes needlessly obtuse – but always with a flair for the source material.
Being the sequel to two excellent games is not a guarantee of success. But it does set strong expectations. Thankfully, Spider-Man 2 meets and exceeds those expectations, providing uniformly stellar superhero action characterized by blazing-fast combat, smart mission design, and regular injections of thrilling set-pieces. Behind all that excitement, it also houses a fervent and heartfelt commentary on second chances, rehabilitation, and redemption. As a result, even in its dark moments, Spider-Man 2 delivers a wholesome and optimistic adventure rooted in joy.
For years, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has expanded the scope of its entries, offering ever longer adventures across increasingly vast open worlds. For players who first tried the series through those entries, Assassin’s Creed Mirage may be a shock. Set mainly within the single city of ninth-century Baghdad and playable to completion in under 20 hours, Mirage harkens back to the earliest entries starring Altaïr and Ezio. For more longtime fans, many elements will feel like a return to familiar territory, with the commensurate highs and lows that characterized those early installments.
Even in the increasingly crowded marketplace of big, expansive games, Starfield stands out. Leveraging the gameplay Bethesda popularized with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, Starfield expands the breadth of exploration to a galaxy of solar systems, planets, and ships. It populates those environments with a rich palette of activities and missions that tap into the outer space fantasy. It’s a staggering span of content to wrap one’s head around. At times, that scope threatens to impair the focus and pacing, and moment-to-moment gameplay is not always a strong suit. But players can expect to uncover hundreds of hours of experimentation in a richly imagined sci-fi playground, and that thrill is worth experiencing.
Like a beautiful and unusual fish that has suddenly risen to the surface, Dave the Diver is an unexpected surprise. Juggling two core systems that work in tandem, it’s a game that excels as both an exploration experience and as a management sim and does so in ways that are intuitive and easy to pick up. However, the real triumph is a focus on novelty at every turn, with a near-constant supply of sudden twists, activities, and ways to engage with the game, resulting in a joyful and approachable adventure that is hard to put down.