Andrew Reiner
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Game InformerLatest Reviews
The Saints Row reboot features a new cast of characters and a different location to explore, but its heart and soul haven’t changed: Players can once again expect an exciting crime fest, giggle-worthy humor, purple splattered everywhere, and an open-world chock full of things to do and secrets to unearth. The game also has a knack for blowing everything up. In other words, it is great fun in that traditional Saints Row way and even better when experienced with a friend.
I went into Live A Live expecting the time-capsule experience of unearthing a long-lost Super Nintendo RPG from Takashi Tokita, one of the creators of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV – two of the best games ever made. Even with Live A Live’s design roots stretching back to 1994, little about it feels classic. The colorful pixelated characters scream of that era, but most of the game is inventive, modern, and delightfully goofy (and sometimes shockingly profane).
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is Gearbox Software's best game. Built upon the studio's successful Borderlands formula, this experience adds a whimsical element to the familiar looter-shooter thrills and delivers so much firepower to your fingertips you'd think you were wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. Caked in silliness and always trying to make you laugh, Wonderlands hits with distinct charm and handles its characters and world with care, making you engage with both on a journey I didn't want to end.
From the moment the Guardians of the Galaxy are introduced as a space-faring team that will do anything for a quick buck, it’s abundantly clear how much of a dysfunctional mess they are. Gamora and Rocket are at each other’s throats. Drax and Star-Lord don’t see eye to eye. And no one is paying attention to Groot. For the next 15-plus hours of gameplay, I listened to these misfits bicker, hurl insults, and chatter nonstop – much to my enjoyment.
We need more games like Alan Wake – a horror experience that scares you, but not in the ways we often see. It has many of the genre's trappings like carefully placed jump scares, ax-wielding murders lurking in the shadows, and unsightly supernatural threats, but the true terror comes from words written on pieces of paper and thoughts expressed by protagonist Alan Wake.
From the moment Kena’s staff ignites with magnificent magic, the world around her sizzles with excitement, creating an enchanting atmosphere for one of the best adventure games I’ve played in recent memory. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is Ember Lab’s debut game, but it hits with the sophistication and beauty you’d expect from a studio that’s been doing this for decades.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a sequel that clings tightly to its storied heritage, never once betraying the foundation that was laid in 2002. From the second I took control of the fuzzy Lombax again, my muscle memory kicked in, and I was flipping through the air and smashing boxes like I had never stopped. Insomniac Games made a sequel for longtime fans that hits the right classic notes, feeling like a glorious reunion, even though these characters never left our side. The heavy doses of nostalgia are handled with care but are only half of what make this sequel a must-play for PlayStation 5’s early adopters.
The first shot in The Pathless is of a sprawling sea, a visual nod to developer Giant Squid’s previous work on the ocean adventure game Abzû. That title was peaceful and serene, whereas The Pathless acts as a counterpoint, inviting you into a dark world consumed by fire and brimstone. Giant Squid handles the tonal shift well, creating a better game that embraces a true sense of discovery, while being every bit as gorgeous as its underwater predecessor.
A hail of green laser fire rips dangerously close to my X-Wing’s cockpit as I rocket through the debris of a downed Star Destroyer. A TIE Fighter gives chase, and my astromech unit alerts me that a missile strike is imminent. I put my X-Wing into a spin and dive through a narrow gap in the wreckage, narrowing scraping a wall. In this moment, the Star Wars fantasy of piloting an X-Wing screams with excitement, showing how thrilling the dogfighting between the Rebellion and Empire can be. Developer Motive Studios has created a fantastic multiplayer experience that has the visual detail and edge-of-your-seat thrills of Star Wars’ epic space battles, but only fires direct hits in the online space, struggling to captivate with its single-player content.
Like the rampaging Hulk and his transformation into the brainy Bruce Banner, Marvel’s Avengers is a game of shifting personas and experiences. Developer Crystal Dynamics delivers a powerful superhero showcase that taps into each Avenger’s unique abilities to light up the battlefield in thrilling ways, but when the dust settles, it slows down to show a softer, human side that is every bit as engaging, placing a character you wouldn’t expect in the central role.