I wanted people from my group to also play the game, to the point where I promised them a free game of equal value if they picked up Nier:Automata, played through the whole thing, and said they didn’t feel it was worth full price. I REALLY wanted them to play it.
…a streamlined version of clunky, older game mechanics — without feeling “dumbed down” or “casual.” Bastard Bonds is simply more elegant than its predecessors and influences.
If you can forgive the occasionally-absurd text and the laugh-out-loud absurd plot, and concentrate on the moment to moment joy of moving pretty digital units around a well-designed tactical space, you are going to love Fire Emblem: Fates. I loved Fire Emblem: Fates, but I could’ve loved it more.
…Tales from the Borderlands comes super-close to completely wrecking itself on account of an abrupt, unsuitable, ill-conceived ending incongruous enough to cast a pall over the entire first season. But however much the last episode put me off, it was only really depressing because it was over.
Have you ever had a dream, Neo, you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How could you distinguish between the dream world and the real world?
Most children have a monster or two – under the bed, in the closet. One of mine lurked in the huge attic fan that cooled our home during the Time Before Air Conditioning. I never walked underneath when the slats were open. The creature was up there, perched above the rumbling mechanism. Go under and it might drop down and bury its claws in you. It could pass right through the spinning blades. I knew this. But I never saw it. Because there are no fan-monsters.
Exhausted from a trip, you drop your bags at the threshold of a dark, strange, lonely house. The night is late and stormy. No one comes to greet you; no one is home. You did tell them not to make a big deal, not even to pick you up at the airport. “Like, really, seriously, you don’t have to pick me up.” Exact words, in a tone that said “Nothing would make me happier than to reach the gate and see you smiling there.”
A tone that said “please pick me up, I’m so tired. Pick me up, I haven’t seen you in a year and I can’t wait. Pick me up, I’ve missed you and I love you and I want to hear everything that’s happened. I wish you’d stayed suspended, waiting for me, but I know you haven’t, and I’m not sure where the new house is, I’ve never been there. So please pick me up. It’s been so long. Please pick me up.”
But no one did. So, all on her own on a dark and stormy night, 22-year old Kaitlin Greenbriar, has gone home.
…most of the traditional “review” stuff is in the video portion; if for some reason you dislike videos and prefer not to read the many words, here’s a sum-up: 4A Games done brung it good. Were this year’s competition less stiff, Last Light could, flaws and all, easily contend for Game of the Year.
There are a few games that I break out semi-regularly. I don’t have a schedule or anything, it’s just that sometimes when I’m in a certain mood, or when the weather is behaving a certain way, or what have you, certain games will call to me. One example is Defense Grid: The Awakening. If you find me playing it, chances are I’m sick or depressed. These states happen pretty often with me so I play a lot of Defense Grid, and for years I’ve been meaning to come back and write something more about it, something more than what I wrote in the review linked above, because that review just isn’t right. It isn’t right at all.
Fez is actually two different games. Only one of them is the game you were promised. I like the other game much better.
Whether it’s worth your money is something only you can answer… and you’ll probably only be able to say for sure after you’ve paid, and played, to whatever degree you “play” Dear Esther. In the end all I can say is that it’s something important.
Why all the screenshots, then? Well, reader Matt W asked that I review the game but made me promise not to spoil anything. How, then, can I communicate some of what you’ll experience without giving much away? A lot of screenshots and clever cropping. I present them in no order, with no context, and without motive for what I’ve used. Beyond that I can reveal one more thing: Analogue tells a very sad story, about shocking tragedy and unpardonable crimes, about the reversion of a once-progressive culture to something barbaric.
Review by Amanda “AJ” Lange The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Developer Nintendo Publisher Nintendo Released Nov 2006 Available for Nintendo Gamecube, Wii (version played) Time Played 55 hours Verdict: 4.5/5 Gold star! …a game I highly recommend for fantasy lovers. … However, it is not flawless.
Review by Zach “Ravious” Best The Binding of Isaac Developer Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl Publisher Edmund McMillen Released September 28, 2011 Available for PC Time Played Too Much Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “The Binding of Isaac is fully saturated with gameplay. If players can get past the grotesque art style and abrasive story, both of which are pretty much irrelevant to the actual game, they will find dozens of hours of intense, fresh …
Review by Matt “Steerpike” Sakey Deus Ex: Human Revolution Developer Eidos Montreal Publisher Square Enix Released August 23, 2011 Available for PC (version reviewed), PS3, 360 Time Played Finished; 20-ish hours Verdict: 4/5 Thumb Up “Human Revolution is a thoughtful shooter, and a great example of that rare but wonderful breed. Other games could learn from this one.“
Review by Mike “Scout” Gust The Beaver Director Jodie Foster Writer Kyle Killen Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence Released May 19, 2011 By Summit Entertainment, Participant Media Verdict: 2/5 Rotten Egg “This whole damn thing left me scratching my head. Foster directs and acts with a five foot wide brush. “