I was happily surprised by the breadth, depth, and challenge of the Iki Island expansion. For new players, it will extend an already lengthy adventure into something more. Meanwhile, returning players should be thrilled at how well this experience dovetails out of an already stellar game. Iki Island is what I want out of single-player game expansions. And it’s further proof (as if we needed any more at this point) that Sucker Punch has a standout new property to continue building on.
I constantly struggled against the controls, camera, and objectives as they were presented. And nothing about the story or characters of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum offers reason to push past the frustration. As a longtime fan of Tolkien’s fiction, it’s possible that I liked the game even less for the way it seemed to misuse the source material. It’s hard to have a more damning indictment than to say that this Gollum game isn’t for fans of The Lord of the Rings, but here we are.
A deep progression system isn't enough to save these survivors from repetitive and poorly balanced missions
A shameless cash-in attempt is only redeemed by passable cooperative multipayer
An easy skip, even if you like mecha-infused action
Moments of beauty and distantly spaced moments of sublime discovery are separated by hours and hours of tedium and frustration
Better gameplay pacing and more interesting level designs might have kept this from being such a missed opportunity
Funny at first, but the jokes wear thin as harder objectives set in
Suicide Squad is technically sound, and the action can be fast, frantic, and occasionally fun. The game could be considered a deconstruction and satirizing of the superhero concept. But for me, the whole thing feels mean-spirited, pessimistic, and glib. In other media, I’ve generally liked the irreverence of the Suicide Squad tales, but everything in this game feels less about laughs and more just joyless. I suppose it can be fun to piss all over any sense of genuine heroism in a comic book-inspired tale, but it can’t come as a great shock when some fans like myself just aren’t interested in the bloody and smug results.
Card Shark features an attractive art style, subtle writing, and a promising premise. But I couldn’t get past my dislike of the core gameplay encounters and the endless teaching segments. I applaud the effort to pull together a unique concept, but the accompanying frustrations mean I have to discourage a sit-down at this particular table.
Hacking and slashing with friends is always fun, but Dark Alliance has too many problems to recommend when so many other cooperative experiences offer more
This open world has plenty of racing content, but bad progression, technical problems, and throwaway storytelling make it hard to get invested
A varied playable roster isn't enough to salvage a lackluster campaign and clumsy combat
An intriguing twist on long-running Final Fantasy tropes, but the experience is ultimately brought down by repetition and lackluster storytelling
Innovative mechanics make a strong first impression, but the action, music, and bombastic tone of the narrative all wear thin after a few hours
Too much grinding and a limited array of tactical options hold the game back
The Mars underground is a rich sandbox, but the repetitive nature of digging and climbing back to refuel gets tedious
While I applaud Tron: Identity’s unique structure, I never found myself drawn in and engrossed in the unfolding story. Everything feels authentic to the Tron universe, and fans like myself should appreciate new wrinkles in the setting. But even with some interesting ideas, I was ultimately a User who couldn’t manage to marshal a lot of interest in these Programs and their problems.
Equal parts bizarre and good-hearted, Bugsnax is a breezy sequence of encounters and puzzles, but the continual errand structure of quests starts to feel like a chore
Even if they’re not quite up to snuff, Gotham has enough baddies to punch to make for a good time, whoever you are.