A Night in the Woods is a simple game full of mystery and intrigue that falls more on the interactive novel spectrum of gaming despite some light platforming, minigames and rewards for exploration. But this isn't a negative. The character development and the extremely authentic representation of a dying Pennsylvanian mine town as well as the engaging mystery make this experience an intense and emotional ride. It's hard to talk more without ruining what makes this game so great so do yourself a favor and just give it a go if you're looking for a rich and memorable story.
This is a game I've been waiting to play for decades as there has never really been a solid video game interpretation of the table top source material. Thankfully it lives up to a lot of my hopes and succeeds at being a deep tactical experience that is a lot of fun. The single player campaign is lengthy and open-ended and the story is well represented through nicely drawn cutscenes. The multiplayer as of right now is a little underdeveloped but still entertaining. This is a must buy for Battletech fans and strategy fans and worth checking out if you were someone who was only familiar with the source material through MechWarrior or MechCommander. The only reason I can't give it five stars is because there are some optimization issues that still need to be worked out but the first round of fixes is already available and hopefully things will steadily improve. The most exciting thing about this game for me is it serves as a solid base for expansion and I'm looking forward to further adventures in the Battletech universe.
This is a game I've been waiting to play for decades as there has never really been a solid video game interpretation of the table top source material. Thankfully it lives up to a lot of my hopes and succeeds at being a deep tactical experience that is a lot of fun. The single player campaign is lengthy and open-ended and the story is well represented through nicely drawn cutscenes. The multiplayer as of right now is a little underdeveloped but still entertaining. This is a must buy for Battletech fans and strategy fans and worth checking out if you were someone who was only familiar with the source material through MechWarrior or MechCommander. The only reason I can't give it five stars is because there are some optimization issues that still need to be worked out but the first round of fixes is already available and hopefully things will steadily improve. The most exciting thing about this game for me is it serves as a solid base for expansion and I'm looking forward to further adventures in the Battletech universe.
Cuphead sports some of the best looking 2D graphics in ANY video game, period. The game uses animation designs and methods from 1930's era cartoons and they nail the aesthetic perfectly. Unlike many games that with fanciful animation the developers have managed to not compromise the gameplay which requires the controls to be as responsive as they are. Gameplay wise, Cuphead borrows from old school run 'n gun games like Contra and Gunstar Heroes (with quite a few references packed in for the keen eyed gamer). As such it's uncompromisingly difficult and not for everyone. The game however mostly focuses on imaginative boss fights with a few longer levels scattered in. Thanks to the ability to retry an infinite number of times you'll slowly learn how to tackle each boss until what felt insurmountable at first turns into a well earned victory. If you're willing to accept the challenge, Cuphead is a steal even at it's full $20 price tag. The game is packed with well polished action and artistic visuals and is possibly my favorite gaming experience of 2017. Cuphead is an instant classic but if you're easily frustrated or not very skilled at video games you might have a better time watching someone else play it. For everyone else it's a must buy. Don't wait, play this game (and try to ignore the weird fandom that seemingly sprung up overnight).
With version 1.3 so much has added and been changed that the experience is almost unrecognizable. There is a new, more coherent story If you passed on the game from initial bad reviews, consider giving it a shot now as it's closer to what was originally promised. The game continues to be in development so it can only improve more from here.
A visual novel with fun pixelated graphics and some interesting and entertaining characters. If you like cyberpunk settings and 80's sci-fi anime you'll likely get something out of this. However the game doesn't really go much further than that. You play as a bartender in a seedy cyberpunk city with shades of classic films like Blade Runner and Akira and it's exactly what it sounds like. You mix drinks with a simple, somewhat boring interface that makes it impossible to screw up unless you legitimately make the wrong drink and you listen to people's stories, some funny and some sad. Some of these little vignettes are nice but what sucks is the lack of interactivity. Other than getting drinks right or wrong you have no effect on the discussion and can't choose dialog chains like in its sister game Read Only Memories. This is a real problem in a game all about dialogue and it put me off of replaying it even though there are multiple endings. It's all compounded by the fact that despite your character having their own arc, you have little control over the outcome and there really isn't any conflict or resolution to be found. The end of the game felt more as if the game simply stopped and the game itself just felt like several semi-connected roleplaying sessions instead of an actual game with any real purpose. While I found myself enjoying the writing and the characters, many of the discussions were pointless and the ultimate conclusion was unsatisfying. It's worth picking up on sale for the curious but most people interested in this game would be better served joining a cyberpunk roleplaying group online. That would at least be more interactive.
Doom was to PC gaming what Super Mario Bros. was to home video game consoles. It changed the way we think about video games and grew into a phenomenon larger than anyone could have ever predicted. Originally sold as shareware with an entire 1/3 of the game being given away for free, Ultimate Doom was the later retail release that added a brand new fourth episode, "Thy Flesh Consumed." Though it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the game, it offered fans a very difficult new experience that served as a nice bonus. While Doom II improved upon the franchise with new enemies, crazier levels and the iconic super shotgun, the original game is still an undeniable classic that should be experienced by every gamer at least once in their lives, especially at the higher difficulty levels. The blazing arcade gameplay still holds up and modern source ports make the experience more manageable for people who want to get the most out of the game. Doom is still fun and still feels good after all of these years. Just play it.
