Latest Reviews
By The Foundation’s end, I didn’t come away with a seismic shift in my feelings on Control. It continues to nail what worked in the base campaign, adding more of what first captivated my attention. In trusting Remedy to take me down corridors I didn’t expect to walk, I received...
Cooking Mama: Cookstar is bogged down by monotony, poor motion controls, nightmarish voice acting, and practically nothing new to offer. Whether it’s the lack of consequences for failure, the obnoxious voice acting, the bland single-player modes, the lackluster multiplayer minigames, or the complete lack of meaningful progression, Cooking Mama: Cookstar...
On some levels, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is still a worthwhile RPG to hack and slash your way through, even if this remaster doesn’t go above and beyond the bare minimum expectations. But while the ideas and mechanics that make games like Red Faction: Guerilla and Burnout feel special are...
Bravely Default 2 is a long, familiar journey with excellent customizable combat and jobs systems that let you make your party and your playthrough truly your own. Its character and enemy art that was excellent on the 3DS doesn't translate all that well to the higher resolution of the Nintendo...
Thank goodness for all of its memorable, Michael Bay-style blockbuster moments, because in 2020 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is competing for our attention with its own very impressive reboot. In that light, the generic shooting-gallery gameplay of Modern Warfare 2’s campaign feels dated – after so many games...
Nioh 2
Nioh 2 is an impressive evolution of its predecessor, strengthening everything that was already great, while mostly leaving its already existing issues alone. Its stellar combat is elevated by the addition of Soul Cores, Burst Counters, and the ways in which those two main new mechanics affect enemy AI and...
After a 22-year gap, New Pokémon Snap is a successful modern reinvention of all the best ideas of Pokémon Snap, with more courses, more Pokémon, and more reasons to revisit familiar spots in pursuit of the perfect shot. Some of its supportive systems, like its photo scoring and tutorials, can...
Phantasy Star Online 2 is the kind of game you likely already know if you’re interested in before you even play it. Between the ludicrous variety in classes, sheer number of things to do and see, and the slick, refined combat, there is a lot of meat left on these...
Bugsnax is a light-lifting puzzle adventure that is elevated by its strong story and characters that I enjoyed until the very end. Despite some simple mechanics, the laughs outnumbered the groans significantly as I found myself surprisingly invested in the events of the island and its inhabitants. With over 100...
The Pathless’ reliance on a simple but engaging movement system allowed me to explore Giant Squid’s beautiful open world with ease, placing its challenge more on the environmental puzzles you inevitably arrive at rather than on the journey itself. Its story may settle into some familiar territory, but it still...
I'm not angry with Crucible, just weary and disappointed. Its ambitious marriage of PvE and PvP has resulted in a whole that's less than the sum of its parts, especially thanks to the awful match pacing and agonizing respawn system that smashed my patience against a concrete wall. With continued...
Pioneers of Olive Town recognizes it does not need to reinvent the plow to present a full, relaxing, pleasant farming game. Aside from its sprawling size, there is not much novel about collecting materials, upgrading tools, clearing land, raising animals and crops, and befriending the townspeople – and there doesn't...
