CMike
BACKER
2019
Sea of Solitude does some things really well, the art style is gorgeous and the boat traversal and platforming elements are nice. When it works it works great. But there are some pretty poorly designed sections too, ranging from tedious to downright lazy, that keep it from greatness.
2020
This is such a better tribute to PlayStation's history than PlayStation All-Stars. Well done.
The crafting and island customization aspects of New Horizons put it ahead of most others in the series, particularly in adding potential longevity to the gameplay loop. However, I think it just falls short of New Leaf's personality and charm. I'm excited to see where the game goes from here now that Nintendo has finally embraced incremental updates.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider gets closer to hitting the story high notes of the first in the rebooted series, but honestly at this point I'm just playing these because they are fun as hell, rather than any investment in the narrative.
I don't normally love the 2D Zelda games like I do the 3D ones, but something about this remake really resonated with me. It might just be the art style, but after playing this I'm eager to give more of the top-down Zeldas another try.
2018
It's a fun arcade racer, but not having an online multiplayer mode is a huge letdown.
2016
This is maybe the launch title-est of all of PlayStation VR's launch titles, and I say that in the most loving way possible.
Like most Jackbox games, it's fine, and the amount of fun you have depends entirely on you and your friends. This one has Among Us But Worse, which is still admittedly pretty fun.
2016
It did not take long for me to realize this game just wasn't for me.
2019
Would love to play a basketball video game that doesn't feel like I'm piloting a tugboat.
2019
A funny and interesting idea executed at the absolute bare minimum.
2018
This was a tough one for me to rate. One one hand I really do love the varied outdoor aesthetics of each chapter, and I did find myself invested in the Diaz brothers' journey together. In particular, I think the first and third episodes of Life Is Strange 2 are some of the strongest that Dontnod has produced.
However, as much as I loved certain aspects of Life Is Strange 2, others really rubbed me the wrong way. The entire time, as I navigated a world where those in power were consistently harsh and cruel to Sean and Daniel, the game seemed to chastise me every time I stood up to them. The last episode is particularly bad about this.
And what was up with that last episode anyway? Most of it was spent wandering around a town having supposedly heartfelt interactions with characters I have never met, before rushing me along to the brisk ending. And worst of all, no licensed tracks! Did Dontnod run out of money or something?
All in all, I think the good slightly outweighs the bad here. Still, I can't help but feel like we missed out on something that could have been even greater.
However, as much as I loved certain aspects of Life Is Strange 2, others really rubbed me the wrong way. The entire time, as I navigated a world where those in power were consistently harsh and cruel to Sean and Daniel, the game seemed to chastise me every time I stood up to them. The last episode is particularly bad about this.
And what was up with that last episode anyway? Most of it was spent wandering around a town having supposedly heartfelt interactions with characters I have never met, before rushing me along to the brisk ending. And worst of all, no licensed tracks! Did Dontnod run out of money or something?
All in all, I think the good slightly outweighs the bad here. Still, I can't help but feel like we missed out on something that could have been even greater.
2020
I've been putting off reviewing Fall Guys because, well, I just keep playing it. My enjoyment varies wildly based on how I'm doing in the rounds, but when things are clicking Fall Guys really is a thing of chaotic beauty.
It's managed to keep me interested with new rounds and variations on those rounds for the first few months, time will tell if that wears off. For now, it's a great game to pick up and play a round or two when I have 20 minutes here and there.
It's managed to keep me interested with new rounds and variations on those rounds for the first few months, time will tell if that wears off. For now, it's a great game to pick up and play a round or two when I have 20 minutes here and there.
2018
Simple, short, and strangely addicting. Like many, I wish there were a little more depth (heh) to it.
2018
Best played with friends in that sweet spot between being experienced enough to play the game but not experienced enough to metagame everything.