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5 (15) 4 (25) 3 (22) 2 (10) 1 (3) 3.5 starsAverage score of 75 user reviews
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No game can match the melding of the brutal and the beautiful that Pathologic 2 accomplishes. 0
These guys exist outside the narrative, as sort of behind-the-scenes playactors.Pathologic 2 is a game about struggle. Ice-Pick Lodge, the developer, wants you to feel like you’re actually trying to survive in an isolated town plagued by a mysterious disease, supplies dwindling every day and never enough time to accomplish everything you need to do. Your health and stomach drain with a brutal, uncaring rapidity. Oftentimes, you limp from day to day with just enough to survive, hoping for a...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Rakuen shows us that all aspects of life, both good and bad, are part of the experience 0
Morizora, the slumbering guardian of the forest.Laura Shigihara is probably not a name you know. While she was the composer of the original Plants vs Zombies and contributed tracks to Super Meat Boy, she’s probably best known for her work on To The Moon, most notably her vocals on the main track, Everything’s Alright. This is where I first discovered her. Hearing that song at the end of To The Moon was a huge emotional moment and cemented it as one of my favorite game songs ever. Aft...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
The Hex is a frenetically-paced and sharply-written entry in the burgeoning meta-game genre. 0
The call that sets everything into motion.The 2010s brought a number of new trends to gaming--battle royales, roguelikes, Souls-likes--but one of my favorites is the meta-game. Games like The Stanley Parable, Frog Fractions, and Undertale subvert my long-rooted expectations as a gamer and force me to actually think about the worlds of the games I explore as if they are real worlds that can exist outside the confines of their established narratives. The Hex does this in two ways: with a narrative...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
A brilliant follow up to Red Candle Games’ Detention marred by stupid controversy. 0
The apartment where most of Devotion takes place.How does one write a review for a game that can’t be purchased anymore? As you may or may not know, Devotion was pulled from sale by developer Red Candle Games after a minor controversy arose around an art asset found in the game (more details on this below). As such, I’m now attempting to recommend something to those few who already own Devotion and can just play it for themselves or to those who can’t even buy it if they wanted...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Red Candle Games' debut tells a wonderfully unique story in an unexplored setting 0
Detention's artstyle is simple but striking, especially its use of Taiwanese aesthetics.It took me far too long to get around to playing Detention. Ever since its release in 2017, I was struck by its visual aesthetic, particularly its ties to Taiwanese culture and mythology, and its unique historical setting. Seeing all the praise for it made me want it even more. Despite my strong fascination for the title, I just kept putting it off. New games came out and stole my attention. Life got in the w...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Observer is a gorgeous love letter to cyberpunk aesthetics but fails to fully capitalize on its world and ideas. 1
Observer's look is clearly influenced by cyberpunk fiction but manages to put its own spin on the style too.In Observer, you play as Daniel Lazarski, a detective working with the Krakow Police Department in Poland. He is an Observer, a unique type of detective with the authority and ability to hack into the neural chips of suspects and victims in order to solve crimes. As the game opens, Daniel receives a mysterious call from his estranged son, Adam, who he hasn’t seen in years. He quickly...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn is far from perfect, but I found myself fascinated with elements of its design nonetheless 0
Acquiring the harp kicks off the more interesting half of the game.Steam has too many games for its own good. Finding quality titles among the glut of asset flips and joke games can be nearly impossible. One of the genres most affected by this is horror. Thanks to the popularity of streamer-targeted horror games filled with cheap jump scares, the market is absolutely flooded with subpar releases that often bury the B-tier games. Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn is one of those games, something I wo...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
An ahead-of-its-time art style doesn't save this infuriating game from being nigh-unplayable today. 1
Your protagonists: Glas, Hana, and Deke.The Playstation features one of the biggest, and arguably most diverse, libraries of any game console. As someone who didn't really have a Playstation until after that generation had ended, I enjoy going back to experience what the console had to offer on occasion Sometimes, I find games that still stand the test of time, such as the fantastic Parasite Eve. Other times, I suffer through games that are far too dated to be enjoyed today, like the interesting...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
An entertaining Remedy release weighed down by an amateurish, uninteresting television component. 0
The look of the time distortion is rad, using fractals to distort the area around it.Remedy has earned quite the pedigree for themselves with Max Payne and Alan Wake. They are well known for melding cinematic elements and dramatic storytelling with fun shooter gameplay. With their newest game, Quantum Break, they took this pairing to the next level, hiring well-known Hollywood actors and filming actual episodes of a television show that intercut the game’s story. It felt like the inevitabl...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Not a fun game but an important one nonetheless 0
The cast of main characters in Valiant Hearts: Emile, Anna, Freddie, Walt, and Karl (from left to right).Valiant Hearts: The Great War begins with the start of the first World War, narrating the events that kicked off the conflict. The story then follows a handful of different characters: Karl, Emile, Freddie, Anna, and Walt. Karl, a German man living in France with his wife and newborn child, is deported to Germany and drafted into the army. Karl’s father-in-law, Emile, is inspired by the...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Great ideas, shaky execution 0
One of the game's main villains. There are several.NOTE: Some of the screenshots used in my review may not be from the 3DS version of the game.Xenoblade Chronicles 3D takes place in a world where all life lives on two giant beings: the Bionis and the Mechonis. The inhabitants of these two beings (the Homs and Mechon, respectively) are in constant conflict, trying to destroy each other in hopes of ending the ceaseless fighting and attaining peace. The Homs are outmatched but have one ace-in-the-...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
An absolute blast 3
The game's cutscenes are done in this comic book-theme style.HarmoKnight puts players into the role of Tempo, a young boy who is training in combat with his rabbit friend when a meteor falls out of the sky and crashes to the ground. This is no ordinary meteor; it contains an evil villain named Gargan and an army of his Noizoid minions. Amidst the chaos that follows, Tempo finds himself in possession of a mysterious staff in the shape of a note. The staff is actually an important part of legend, ...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Fascinating story and characters, frustrating voice recognition 0
The opening is practically flagrant with its resemblance to The Matrix.NOTE: During my writing of this review, Iridium Studios was forced to change the name of their original release, Sequence, to Before the Echo due to copyright claims. The original text of my review still uses the name Sequence, since I feel more people would potentially recognize this name, but just know that I am actually talking about a game that is now called Before the Echo.There Came an Echo takes place in a never-define...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Engaging relationships and thrilling combat - A winning combo 0
Ludger and Elle, one of my new favorite duos in gaming.After the events of the original Xillia, the world of Tales of Xillia 2 is in disarray. The magical barrier keeping the continents of Elympios and Rieze Maxia separate is no longer in place, allowing the two nations to coexist with each other. Due to the vast differences between each nation, political strife and general uneasiness permeate any interaction between the two. You play as Ludger, a resident of Elympios. After Ludger fails to join...
6 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
Remarkably endearing and a whole lot of fun 0
There are some breathtaking moments to witness.A Story About My Uncle takes place entirely in flashback. A father is recounting a story about his youth to his young daughter as he tucks her into bed, narrating the tale as the player lives through the events firsthand. He tells her about the time when he went in search of his headstrong, adventuring uncle after he went missing for a lengthy period of time. Upon searching the uncle’s workshop, he found a strange suit and a launch pad that ca...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A few good ideas don't make this zombie nightmare any less boring 2
This isn't an actual screenshot, but it looks pretty cool, right?NOTE: I did not engage with the multiplayer--both competitive and co-op--while playing Dying Light, so those elements are not included in the review.I actively disliked Techland’s previous zombie release, Dead Island. Even as a huge fan of RPG systems and that gameplay style (á la Borderlands), it just rubbed me the wrong way. It felt janky, didn’t offer a compelling story or setting, and was unbearably tedious ...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Not a great gameplay experience, but one of the best casts of RPG characters to date 0
A look at my adorably goofy-looking elven Inquisition, Lyra.I was pretty skeptical about Dragon Age: Inquisition before it came out. Dragon Age II’s poor development hadn’t shaken my faith in Bioware like most people, as I thought DAII still had a story and cast of characters that made it worth playing at least once. Instead, my fears for Inquisition stemmed from the new big-budget nature of the project. EA was obviously putting a lot of faith and money into development, making me wo...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
A fantastic visual and auditory experience that is unlike any other 1
Harsh angles and strange geometry are key to NaissanceE's look.I feel extremely lucky to live in an era where games largely developed by one person can exist. Unlike those AAA titles made by teams of over a hundred people with individual tastes and ideas, single-person projects allow a window into the mind and soul of its creator. This leads to a cohesive vision that I feel brings about some of the most unique and insightful experiences of the modern gaming era. NaissanceE joins my list of these...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Get lost in the beautifully crazy, yet humdrum, world of Akihabara 0
Nana is easily my favorite character, despite her penchant for terrible bro-amalgamations.Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed, like many Japanese anime-styled games, doesn’t take itself too seriously. You dress your character in crazy gender-bending outfits, strip the clothes from your foes to defeat them, and explore a part of Japan that is known for its eccentric style and frenetic energy. Thanks to developer Acquire (and localization team XSEED), players of Akiba’s Trip are g...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
A slightly inferior, but still really fun, sequel 0
A typical shot from the rhythm game.NOTE: This review is regarding the Vita version of the game. I’m sure the PS3 version is much the same, but I haven’t actually played that version to make comparisons.If you’ve gotten to this point, reading a user review for a Japanese rhythm game, you likely already know whether or not this game is for you. After all, not everyone is appealed by Vocaloid music or the leering nature of many Japanese games. If you know that you’re a fan ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Shockingly thin but not without merit 0
The story jumps between characters, but the focus isn't really on any of them.This review follows my second completed playthrough of Final Fantasy XIII. My first attempt at finishing it came in the time around its release, but I didn’t make it more than a few hours in. I just couldn’t get into it and felt annoyed at how much it restrained my options. My gut reaction at that point was that FFXIII sucked and wasn’t worth playing. A year or so later, I decided to give it another c...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A popcorn game without the action 0
One of the more ridiculously designed party members.Bound by Flame takes place in Vertiel, a world slowly falling to the evil of the Ice Lords. Humankind and elfkind are both on the brink of extinction, with the last members of each race joining together to form a very rough, slipshod resistance (made up of elven royal guard, a mercenary group called the Free Blades, and a sect of mages with ulterior motives) in an attempt to fight back. Every day, their numbers shrink and the undead armies of t...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
An empty but engaging taste of what's to come 1
Snake/Big Boss himself.Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes takes place just a few months after the events of Peace Walker, the last previously released game in the series. Two characters prevalent in that game’s events, Paz (presumed dead) and Chico, have been captured and taken to an off-the-books American prison site called Camp Omega. Snake (really Big Boss, since this takes place in the older fiction) receives a distress call from Chico and plans to infiltrate the base, determined to res...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Clever combat, a great female protagonist, and just a little jank 0
Parasite Eve's heroine, Aya Brea.Parasite Eve takes place in New York City, circa-1997. NYPD officer Aya Brea decides to visit the opera on Christmas Eve, pulled there by some desire she can’t explain. Partway through the show, everyone in the theater begins to spontaneously combust--save for Aya and the lead actress. Aya chases after the mysterious woman, now calling herself Eve, and watches in terror as she changes before her eyes. Eve speaks of mitochondria, a part of human biology that...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Wholly unique characters and story only slightly marred by mediocre gameplay 0
"I kill my sisters. I take their men."NOTE: Instead of the usual captions for my images, I decided to include some Zero quotes with each picture. They were too good not to share!Drakengard 3 takes place in a conflicted world, a land ruled by five separate warlords who each despotically govern their territories. After many wars between the nations, these men were finally brought down by the five mysterious Intoners, sisters with the power of magical song. Because of their heroism, each sister is...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
A satisfying conclusion to the series but still a clunky mess of gameplay 2
The heroes (?) of the story.Legacy of Kain: Defiance completely ignores the events of Blood Omen 2 and instead picks up just after Soul Reaver 2 via a time paradox. Raziel has been sent back to the Spectral Realm after being absorbed by the Soul Reaver, while Kain searches for Moebius in the Physical Realm to track down his former minion. The two, each on their own, work to learn the truth about the prophecy that seems to regard them and the true history of where they came from. Only by finding ...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Nothing but tedium... 0
Kain, the game's antihero. I greatly prefer this character model to the one in the Soul Reaver games.Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen places players back into the role of Kain, the vampire bent on conquering the world. In what seems to be some sort of separate timeline, Kain has not yet attained control of the realm of Nosgoth. His forces battle the Sarafan, a fanatical group dedicated to wiping out the vampire race forever, led by the mysterious Sarafan Lord. Somehow, this being manages to best Kain...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
If you're willing to work for it, Transistor's engaging world will reward you immensely 4
The playable character, Red.Transistor takes place in the city of Cloudbank, a futuristic utopia that is ever-changing due to the whims of its people. Each person has a say in everything from future public works to the color of the sky--and of course, popular opinion rules the day. For most residents, this is the perfect life, one where the city takes care of all their needs and everything is decided for them. For others, it is an eternal hell devoid of individuality. This group believes the old...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
A creative concept with just a few clunky elements 0
The journal, a crucial tool in your quest for a cure.The story of Miasmata is quite thin. You play as Robert Hughes, a scientist who has found himself stranded on the island of Eden. As he wakes up, he finds that he has been stricken with a devastating plague, a plague that he will die from if he doesn’t find a cure. Lucky for him, the island he finds himself on was at one point home to a research team trying to find such a cure. The player must explore the island and find the necessary el...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A much improved but shallow entry in the franchise 0
Raziel, the main character.Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 picks up immediately after the events of the original game. Raziel, the player character, has chased his old master Kain through a time portal and finds himself in the distant past of Nosgoth, in a time before Kain’s actions doomed the land in the original Blood Omen. As Raziel continues his quest to enact his vengeance on Kain, he learns more about his heritage and the many intricate details that make up Nosgoth. Through his actions...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
A dated game that just doesn't work by modern standards 1
Raziel, after his transformation.NOTE: I would like to note that I did not play this game when it was originally released. As such, I decided to review this game as it stands today, for someone who doesn’t have any nostalgia for it. I ask fans of the original to remove their rose-tinted glasses and think about the game from my point-of-view.Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver places you into the role of Raziel, a former vampire who is forsaken by his master Kain at the beginning of the game. He is...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
A great premise that does nothing but tease 2
Winter punching her uncooperative instructor, Cyrus.IMPORTANT NOTE: I wanted to add a note to this review informing potential buyers that this "series" has now been canceled. After a successful Kickstarter to secure the funds for further episodes, the team was unable to balance their spending and creation and had to quit production on the rest of the story. Odds are, it will never return. As such, I highly suggest saving your money and not buying Dysfunctional Systems: How to Manage Chaos; th...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Some dated gameplay doesn't dull the unique vision 0
Trane "getting up" on a wall.Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure features a young-blood named Trane, a graffiti artist who wants to get his name out there and become famous. After an early game beat-down, Trane rebuilds his image and forms the Stay Free Crew, a group dedicated to “getting up” (slang for painting graffiti) at any cost. The city is ruled by the CCK, a police force tasked with stopping taggers by any means necessary. Trane soon gets in over his head wi...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A charming game nearly ruined by poor plot design 0
Exploring the overworld.Bravely Default takes place in the realm of Luxendarc, a fantasy world very typical of the JRPG genre The peace in the land is governed by four crystals, each watched over by a Vestal. For hundreds of years, the belief in Crystalism has been an accepted norm for most of the population. When the game starts, however, many forces are beginning to rebel against these ideas. Key among these forces is the Duchy of Eternia, lead by the shadowy Council of Six. Eternia seeks to e...
6 out of 7 found this review helpful. -
An amazing idea that is completely wasted 0
Lucius and Daddy.Lucius features a plot that will seem very familiar if you’ve seen The Omen: a young boy, who turns out the be the Antichrist, uses his demonic powers to kill those around him to satisfy his father, Lucifer. You play as Lucius, awakening to your heritage on your sixth birthday (obviously) and starting your rampage. As you kill more and more people, a detective named McGuffin (I’m not shitting you) starts to get suspicious and investigates the “accidents” ...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Visually striking, frustrating to play. 0
There is a plot intertwined amongst the levels in Hotline Miami, but it is a vague and bland one. You play as an unnamed man who receives messages on his answering machine, sending him to certain addresses to “take care” of the residents within. Upon reaching the location, your character puts on a mask and enters the building to brutally murder everyone he finds inside. In between these levels, you get small scenes that are meant to slowly add up to something. However, you must find ...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
If you like rhythm games--and vocaloid music--this is the game for you! 0
Hatsune Miku, the (undeniable) star of the show.I love rhythm games. Few things give me as much of a thrill as nailing a section of particularly tough notes. That moment when a song hits the chorus and the note patterns pick up always sends shivers down my spine. I can’t get enough of this genre. Like most people, I fell in love with the Rock Band series, spending hours strumming a plastic guitar to a variety of tunes. However, I always wished that I didn’t need to pull out a giant e...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Should have taken a longer smoke break... 0
A look at the new protagonist, Delsin.inFamous: Second Son takes place around seven years after the events of the previous game. The Conduit gene has returned in the wake of those events, causing more and more people to become super-powered. This necessitates the establishment of the Department of Unified Protection (D.U.P.), a group led by a cold-hearted woman named Augustine, meant to track down any Conduits and imprison them for the safety of society. Second Son also ditches previous protagon...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Maybe not for everyone, but one of my favorite JRPGs this generation 1
The game's protagonist, Lightning.As you probably guessed from the name, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII returns the lead protagonist role to Claire “Lightning” Farron, a stoic yet tough woman who finds herself constantly embroiled in the matters of gods and the state of the world. This game takes place some 500 years after the events of XIII-2, when the Chaos was released and began to overrun the world. Everyone who survived found that they no longer aged and can only die from...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
A poor Ys game but a great action-RPG for the Vita 0
Ys: Memories of Celceta is another game following the adventures of Adol Christian, a young man with a passion for exploring the world and seeing as much as he can. His previous exploits have won him fame and praise, but he continues to push as deep into the unexplored as possible. Upon visiting the Great Forest, he somehow manages to lose his memories. Through the help of those he meets on his journey, Adol must reclaim his memories and solve the mystery that caused him to lose them in the firs...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful.
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