It’s a basic Metroidvania, but it brings heart and a unique perspective to its chosen genre.
The motion controls and the touchpad get a decent, well-integrated workout, world detail is staggering, and the particle and lighting effects of Delsin’s powers are breathtaking.
The monotonous clear-this-room-to-move-forward progression speaks volumes as to how much thought went into the structure of Yaiba’s core mechanics.
The tone is still intentionally B-movie bad, but it’s more grating than charming after a few hours listening to the government scientist preach the end of humanity.
No matter how much C4 you pick up, players can’t escape the confines of Camp Omega, nor from the most expensive demo ever built.
The game is as across-the-board demanding as its predecessors, functioning on an ever more grandiose scale, dishing out excruciating beatdowns like Thin Mints at a Girl Scouts cookies sale.
The graphics have received the expected uptick in resolution, but Square Enix has also given both games a decent once-over, adding additional environmental detail, effects, even facial animations for the main characters.
It cleverly utilizes a full surround soundscape to drench the player in the foreboding atmosphere of the haunted forest.
The lesson to be learned from it is for anyone making this kind of game to find the beauty in simplicity. Also, to never, ever fart on another man’s balls.
Its peculiar magnetism stems from its unhurried, two-pronged approach to regularly rushed RPG checklists.
Consider Resident Evil 4: Ultimate HD Edition to be the video-game equivalent of a Criterion Collection release.
Even basic exploration quickly becomes more trouble than it’s worth, thanks to a scarcity of waypoints, overly lengthy transitions between areas, and the lack of an overall map.
Garden Warfare features enough unique elements and clever twists to stand out, breathing joy into a stagnating genre.
The less resilient player can and will die more than they have in quite some time; the good ones will be just as excited going back for more after the hundredth Game Over as they were at the first.
An aesthetically revolting, monotonous, franchise-forsaking endeavor that should have Oda-sensei throwing a temper tantrum in response.
We chatted with Cox about the unexpected Castlevania reboot’s success, and what to expect for its hotly anticipated sequel.
The one component that has Tropical Freeze dropping the ball in a major way is its multiplayer.
The new version also completely unburdens itself of any load times, which is welcome, but the effect isn’t mind-blowing.
It isn’t fun, and without the personality, narrative, and sense of humor of something like Super Meat Boy, the game quickly becomes a chore.
A mostly linear experience that shuttles the player from scene to scene, with the slightly more open hub worlds being there for random Lego stud hunts and little else.
The ease and addictive nature of cooperative play very nearly rectifies the perennial air of déjà vu that the game exudes.