The Division 2 Warlords of New York
If you were to boot up The Division today, you would be treated to one of the most polished live games currently available. As both labor of love and sheer act of persistence, Massive Entertainment rose their looter shooter from the ashes of a hobbled launch. Content issues that stifled the endgame brought The Division to its knees far too early but after several updates and thoughtful additions, ...[Read More]
EarthNight
EarthNight captures the raw feeling of impactful adventure in the first quick, effortless moments of its introduction. The opening theme, an emotionally punctual bit of retro synths, crescendos through a brief expository cutscene. The title screen appears in beauty and flash. You press start and watch your chosen character fall through a fantastical sky and land on the back of a dragon and dash to...[Read More]
The Terminator Adds New Flair to Ghost Recon Breakpoint
One of the most entertaining things I did in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands was fight the titular alien Predator in a jungle with three of my friends. It was wacky, out of place, difficult, and perfectly executed. In one of Ubisoft’s biggest games that was packed with hundreds of things to do, that small handful of quests related to tracking down Arnold’s best CHOPPA mate, di...[Read More]
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Ultimate Edition
It took me nearly two hours to create my character in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Ultimate Edition. A sliver of that time was devoted towards determining whether or not I should fine-tune my character’s history from the first Pillars of Eternity. I could choose a handful of broad estimations, all of which I barely understood. I was able decide what fate I chose for those who were born w...[Read More]
Scuf Vantage 2 Modern Warfare Edition
Since the launch of the PlayStation 4, I’ve owned over five DualShock 4 controllers. One evening after playing Assassin’s Creed Unity, I noticed that my nimble assassin was not crouching properly during a co-op mission, which is kind of important to maintain stealth. After switching over to Destiny, I soon realized my R2 button had broken when whatever light-infused gun wouldn’t ...[Read More]
The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds takes no time in forcing players to love it. From the onset, Obsidian Entertainment’s first-person RPG is a deluge of charm and humor, instantly warming itself up to players like a much needed balm. Mentioning the legacy of Bethesda and its Fallout series feels like a necessary evil when speaking of The Outer Worlds in the context of a review. After all, Obsidian momentarily...[Read More]
Afterparty
What happens to us after we die? Where do we go? Is there a Heaven. Is there a Hell? Afterparty imagines Hell as a semi-tortuous, never-ending party. One where your deepest flaws and past mistakes persistently nag at you in the form of a personally assigned demon. But if you’re lucky enough, one of Hell’s numerous bars is open to drink the harsh reality away. Developed by Night School ...[Read More]
Door Kickers: Action Squad
Don’t let the simple execution of Door Kickers: Action Squad fool you… too much. On the surface, the game is very much a 2D platformer and shooter where players blast away bad guys as the good guys. Underneath that is a mildly tactical game about breaching rooms, rescuing civilians, and trying not to get brutally riddled with bullets. A few stages into Door Kickers: Action Squad and pl...[Read More]
Children of Morta
Children of Morta has all the trappings of familiarity. Being a roguelike with stylish–if not gorgeous–pixel art, developer Dead Mage has put itself into an already large box that is brimming with similar games. But Children of Morta is infinitely more than those familiar parts. It is a gripping game that takes the best elements of popular predecessors and funnels them into a tight, be...[Read More]
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier was one of the first games I ever reviewed. Seven years have passed since then. I’ve watched the sea change of various franchises as they’ve transitioned between generational shifts of consoles. Methods of storytelling have changed, familiar characters have undergone drastic makeovers. Worlds have grown to expansive size. Developers have s...[Read More]
The Surge 2
The Surge 2, like many sequels, is burdened with having to justify its existence. Tantamount is taking the core of the previous game and building on it to make a more cohesive, improved experience. Developers may trim the fat of what didn’t work in the first place or inject more attention and care into what was previously neglected. Or, possibly, you tweak all the great things and maintain t...[Read More]
Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 is the game where players open the door of a dilapidated wooden outhouse and a wad of cash ejects from the bowl with a brown squelch. Borderlands 3 is also the game where a glowing purple pistol is strapped to the door of that same outhouse; a pistol whose bullets will magically bounce off a critical hit and fly into the nearest secondary target. Borderlands 3 is a madcap game of end...[Read More]