Game Reviews

Review: The Evil Within 2 – There’s a Secret Deep Within Us All

/ Dustin Murphy / 1 Comment

The Evil Within® 2_20171012143427

Pros:
+Characters are more believable and human than ever before
+Offers different approaches to combat
+Not all enemies attack the same, making combat harder, and more difficult than before
+Tons of hidden collectibles and resonances for players to go through
+Graphics, sound, and even acting is top-tier

Cons:
-Hearing Castellanos say “What the-” phrases wears thin after a few hours

When I first experienced The Evil Within 2 during my time at QuakeCon 2017, I knew I was already getting into something big. The world had changed around me, the situation was similar, but nothing remained the same. Sure, I had ended up seeing the similarities between Shinji Mikami’s previous work on Resident Evil show due to the parallel’s that had been drawn between some evil corporation, mutants in a virtual (can we call it that?) world, and even their shady doings.

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Review: Project CARS 2 – A Well Completed Project

/ Dustin Murphy / 1 Comment

 

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Pros:
+One of the most authentic experiences to date
+Extremely beautiful graphics
+Gameplay is spot-on for both players using race wheels and controllers
+Extreme amounts of content for fans to enjoy

Cons:
-Minor framerate stutters on PC and console

Over the course of the past month, I’ve had a difficult decision in what games to play in my free time as of late. It’s been tough. On one hand I’ve been diligently working my way through the horrors in The Evil Within 2 while taking on my role as an investigator in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. To be quite honest, it’s been difficult to find time for Project Cars 2.

But that’s the problem. It’s the time. Project Cars 2 is a massive game for the world of racing titles. It’s a game that easily puts titles such as Gran Turismo Sport and Forza 7 in their place without ever needing to say a word. That’s not because the game is a console exclusive, but because it’s that strong of a title. Since we received our review code, I’ve been spending a lot of getting used to the controls, but that’s not a bad thing, it’s a great thing.

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Review: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony – A Damn Good Game of Clue

/ Dustin Murphy / 2 Comments

danganronpa-v3-cast


Pros:
+The art style and soundtrack make the game a living graphic novel
+New mini-games are a blast to enjoy
+The Monokids are absolutely adorable (how is that possible?)
+A new cast offers in a new enjoyable approach to an already well established theme
+Would make a solid VR experience

Cons:
-Cases seem dull and repetitive after the first few trials
-Lying, while interesting during cases, doesn’t change the games overall ending

When I’m usually asked about the games I’m playing, it’s because I’m playing something with an entirely weird name, and Danganronpa as a series, just happens to be one of those franchises, which I’m not ashamed to talk about. The answer I always give pertaining to its overall premise? Murder. The fact the game is about it’s Battle Royale-style and Hunger Games styled themes.

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Review: Everspace – There’s Never Enough Space for Survival

/ Dustin Murphy / 1 Comment

Everspace-1

Pros:
+Extremely beautiful and atmospheric
+A generous blend of rogue-like gameplay and space themed combat
+Offers exceptionally well devised gameplay difficulty spikes
+Weapons never feel underpowered or under-utilized

Cons:
-Flight controls feel a bit dodgy for the first few hours
-Upgrading ships feels minor and almost effectively inefficient

In recent days, it seems that every science fiction title wants to make it big. We’ve seen games ranging from Elite Dangerous, Eve: Valkyrie Warzone, and even Star Citizen, show their own unique takes on what it means to make a great science fiction dogfighting title. Among them comes the newly release indie title Everspace by ROCKFISH Games GmbH.  A title that seeks to join the already ever-so-populated combat simulator genre. But the biggest question of the all: Can a game that’s been in Early Access for a little over a year do so and do it well enough?

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Review: Echo – An Echo We’d Never Think to See

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

ECHO_Screenshot_DoorFace

Pros:
+Elegantly crafted floor designs, puzzles, and overall theme
+Offers a unique challenge through adaptive gameplay for players to enjoy
+Easily stands out among other titles out there by combining action, adventure, and stealth gameplay
+Offers uniquely adaptive gameplay for fans to play against

Cons:
-Can grow rather frustrating when save gates are unavailable for players to utilize

If you’ve ever seen an indie movie or played an indie game, you’re already know that games do not need a huge budget to be solid titles. Games such as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Guacamelee, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds serve as testaments to this fact. These games show the fact that even small teams with great vision, ingenuity, and passion for what they do can lead them to achieve great things.

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Review: Destiny 2 – A Path That Was Tainted by Darkness

/ Dustin Murphy / 8 Comments

Destiny 2_20171017025609

Pros:
+Social activities are an absolute highlight for the Destiny 2 experience
+Reward systems for all activities have been heavily upgraded since Destiny
+Guided Games make it absolutely fun to attempt Nightfall runs
+The reputation system has been restructured and offers more incentives to play
+More exotic quest lines, which is an absolute thrill to have
+Extremely smooth frame rates on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One

Cons:
-Raid Guided games is absolutely useless and broken
-Subclass talents have been completely restructured and restrict any and all customization
-Extremely short story… Still. Side quests attempt to save the day

[Editors Note: Our review has been updated to reflect that the connection errors have ceased since the recent hotfix]

Since the 2014 launch, Destiny has come a long way. Bungie should be proud that their MMOFPS has managed to do so. When the game first launched it was plagued with issues ranging from its short story, lack of content, and even a laughable reason as to why players should continue to play. Let alone was its DLC questionably short for the price, it didn’t provide fans with what they had hoped for, and left some – like myself – feeling betrayed by the staggering cost to continue playing and experience a story that made little-to-no sense.

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Review: The Solus Project – A Project of Many Kinds

/ Dustin Murphy / 5 Comments

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Pros:
+Absolutely beautiful terrains and skyboxes
+Puzzles are tough and do require player willingness to explore
+Absolutely superb sound that offers atmospheric immersion
+Offers an amazingly well crafted survival filled exploration experience

Cons:
-Lack of tutorials or any form of guidance can be tough and downright frustrating
-Some bad designs can be quite frustrating for some players to enjoy
-Lack of guidance for tools and crafting is frustrating from the start

What do you imagine when you leave your home planet in hopes to find humanities last chance for survival? Do you imagine flying among the stars, seeing the rings of Saturn, the icy landscapes of Pluto or do you imagine skirting upon entirely new distances humanity had never seen? What if your travel through space was abruptly coming to a screeching halt due to a disaster, which has lead to you crash landing on a planet at the edges of the solar system?

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Review: Emypre: Lords of the Sea Gates – The Waters Are Rising

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Empyre_ Lords of the Sea Gates - 03

Pros:
+Extremely well executed story
+Unique reiteration of already existing isometric RPG combat systems
+Unique art style sticking true to the steampunk vibe the game owns up to
+Very well made sound systems including music and sound effects
+Rock solid performance on all video settings

Cons:
-Side quests can be skipped past, requiring no side adventure outside of the core game
-Lack of voice tracks could be problematic to some wanting to enjoy a voiced experience

Since the early 90’s, isometric RPGs have been a thing. Not a bad thing, but a thing. Games such as Fallout, Pillars of Eternity, and even Wasteland are rather large contributor’s to one such approach. They’ve all served as pivotal franchises within such a genre. Their turn-based gameplay in RPG elements almost seem like a carefully crafted approach to a genre that had once been side-scrolling turn-based games.

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Review: Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash – Summer Makes One Last Splash

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

SENRAN KAGURA Peach Beach Splash - Screenshot05

Pros:
+Amazingly well done combat mechanics
+All-star cast offering different views to similar stories
+Tons of customizations ranging from weapons, clothing, and ability cards
+DLC is moderately priced and completely optional. The addition of new outfits and characters is welcomed.

Cons:
-Grope simulator 2017 is a minor drawback, but can be ignored
-Higher difficulties are locked behind progression based upgrades
-Modes don’t vary outside of deathmatch or king of the hill

 

Six years ago, I was first introduced to the ladies of Marvelous’ Senran Kagura seies. A lackluster beat ‘up title that sold itself on its cookie cutter fan service in order to help move copies. The series itself wasn’t well inspired or even designed at the time of release. Just as anything else, things can sometimes get better or worse with time. For Senran Kagura things have gotten a little weird. Why did it get weird? Because the series has actually gotten better. Even it’s six years of main-entry titles and a spin-off’s have done the series a bit of justice.

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Review: Raiden V: Director’s Cut – A Lightning Fast Good Time

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Raiden V Directors Cut_ss_07

Pros:
+A delightful throwback to the retro era of SHMUP games
+A complete retro experience in the modern era
+A nostalgic use of graphics and music
+Same-couch multiplayer is highly welcomed

Cons:
-Campy dialogue and the cheer system sounds override the amazing music
-Lack of online multiplayer in the modern era takes away from the experience

Growing up, I was used to the popularity of the SHMUP genre. A genre that consisted of franchises such as Raiden, Gunbird, and Darius. 20 years ago, when I was still in my pre-teens, these games weren’t hard to find, and every console to-date was loaded full with them. These franchises are fleeting fancies for esoteric collectors like myself. Even today, they’re a dying breed around the world it seems.

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