Latest Reviews
Underworld Ascendant is just broken. What little roleplaying game fun there might’ve been is taken off the table by technical failings, a save system that feels like cruel and unusual punishment, and a bland story that takes place in similarly repetitive environments. Not one of the core systems for interacting...
In an effort to do everything, Fallout 76 fails to do any of it well enough to form an identity. Its multiplayer mindset robs its quests of all the moral decisionmaking that makes the series great, and all that’s left is a buggy mess of systemic designs that never seems...
Battlefield V
Like a fresh recruit, Battlefield V was clearly deployed into action without adequate preparation. And a variety of bugs, underdeveloped features, and placeholder menu screens remind you of that at nearly every turn. However, there’s a great deal of raw potential here that could, with time and luck, be forged...
Warframe
Warframe isn’t an easily approachable game, but it’s one that’s worth getting comfortable with. It’s a game that never stops growing from a developer who is passionate about working with its community. It also just feels amazing to play, with a satisfying kill-collect-craft loop that’s supported by a mountain of...
As long as you’ve got a group of friends to play with, running the missions, leveling up characters, getting new gear, and cutting through swaths of zombies is fun in Overkill’s The Walking Dead. But it’s all wrapped up in a package of multiple frustrations: Technical issues, unavoidable repetition, and...
Toys for Bob has done a great job of filling Spyro’s first three adventures with such reinvigorated life. Worlds are packed to the brim with more detail, animations are consistently endearing, and the quality of life improvements make revisiting these once analog stick-less platformers a joy to play. They’re definitely...
Tetris Effect
Who would think that a new version of a simple game like Tetris could deliver such a thoroughly absorbing experience? The merging of time-tested gameplay with the synesthesia-inducing sound and visual design of Tetsuya Mizuguchi creates something you’ve likely never experienced. While Tetris Effect’s diverse and beautiful presentation can sometimes...
Hitman 2
Hitman 2 doesn’t add much of note to the structure of its predecessor and thus feels more like Hitman 1.5 than a full-blown sequel. But that’s not a bad thing. By offering more of the deepest, fullest stealth sandboxes in gaming in one single package rather than six episodic ones,...
The 14 dated games included in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection aren’t the stars of the show -- the care that was taken in dusting them off and presenting them is. I doubt too many people were clamoring to revisit obscure arcade releases like Prehistoric Isle or Psycho Soldier, but...
The Quiet Man
In a gaming landscape where sensory overload is everywhere, The Quiet Man offers something quite different and unexpected. The bold choice to mute out nearly all sound effectively adds mystery and tension. But Dane’s story is brief and not especially original, and the combat becomes repetitive very quickly, making this...
Call of Cthulhu is a dark ride through a mad, cosmic horror nightmare with a paranormal detective story as your vehicle. Occasionally poor level and encounter design can make the eerily atmospheric road a little bumpy, but the engaging mystery and an intriguing utilization of RPG mechanics make it one...
