Final Reviews
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Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s central narrative structure is largely devoid of any originality, the primary narrative motivation being a painfully overused one – the world is on the verge of destruction, threatened by an ancient force which, if not vanquished, spells doom for all. Responsibility for the world’s saving necessarily falls upon the shoulders…
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Being mere DLC, it follows that Far Cry 4: Valley of the Yetis is defined by restrained ambitions, though these lesser aspirations do not result in a dearth of enjoyability – far from it. The gameplay systems underpinning the base game were foundationally sound, excellent, so it follows that the systems here are sound and…
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D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die’s central narrative is wonderfully and fiercely unique, passionately embracing a more gay, playful, and lighthearted tone, itself at odds with an industry which values and champions narrative bleakness, narrative darkness; in all facets of its construction, the tonally disheartening is broken with. D4, with this playfulness and constant insertion of…
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Firewatch’s narrative is a fairly straightforward construction, centering around the relocation of the player character, Henry, who leaves home and settles in a vast Wyoming wilderness preserve, desirous of escaping from the outside world with all its oppressions, hostilities, heartbreak. And Henry has long known heartbreak – consider the flagging mental state of his wife,…
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Far Cry 4’s sprawling open-world environment of Kyrat, a state nestled in the bosom of the vast Himalayas, is impossibly beautiful, sharply clinging to reality though injecting life and creativity into that realism, with vibrant coloration and a pervasive sense of crispness. Startingly, arresting coloration abounds; oranges have a prominent presence, as do azures, the…
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Catherine’s central narrative is wonderfully captivating, dwelling upon such mature themes as love, marriage, the obligations one owes their lover. At the heart of this maturity is the protagonist and player character, Vincent Brooks, an endearing individual who frequently displays profound depth, in a perpetual state of conflict, dedicated to his long-time girlfriend Katherine McBride,…
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Hydrophobia’s central narrative is poorly presented and poorly developed, showing a pervasive sense of directionlessness, aimlessness, with a poverty of ambition. In the opening, the central environment – The Queen of the World, a sprawling ship-city with a population of millions – is subject to a damning attack, the assailants unknown though obviously threatening, menacing.…
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Soma is abounding in frightful, compelling atmosphere, atmosphere which results in a perpetual sense of anxiety and uneasiness – though rarely sheer dread. The central explorable environment is a series of linked complexes, situated far below the surface of the churning waves of the vast Atlantic, the time being the early twenty-second century. Understanding these…
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Far Cry 5 is incredibly atmospheric, boasting rich world-building and environmental diversity, which together heighten the joys of exploration, central to the overall experience; the decision to situate the narrative in rural, decidedly American, Montana was a bold one, being a radical departure from the game worlds featured in earlier Far Cry titles; the potentialities…
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Dishonored is characterized by robust world-building, its lore rich and well-developed. At the core of this setting is the city of Dunwall, the crowing jewel and the heart of a far flung, once prosperous, empire; prosperity has partially departed, owing to the introduction and domination of an invasive plague, bringing with it devastation, tarnishing somewhat…
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Aesthetically, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is wholly remarkable and memorable, boasting rich, highly detailed environments and rather charming character design, a design which absolutely clings towards the light hearted. But just as there are light-hearted attributes, some more mature environmental designs are also in place; deep, labyrinthian, trenches are explored one moment, the player…
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What Remains of Edith Finch’s central narrative is paradoxically profound and straightforward, straightforwardness stemming from the narrative’s construction, profundity stemming from the nature of the themes discussed: poignant matters such as one’s relation to the past, one’s obligations to family and to the self – these complex themes are abundant, the one great linking constancy…
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In almost all aspects of its design, The Sinking City strives for innovation, and mostly meets with success; some iterative design principles inevitably find themselves within the title, but the very existence of such wide-reaching ambition is indeed commendable. Atmospherically, the title is singularly remarkable – not necessarily beautiful, but abounding in moodiness, the central…
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With its painterly attributes and bold usage of vibrant color, Child of Light is a singularly beautiful title; whimsicality dominates; creativity abounds. In addition to being visually arresting, the game world is brimming with considerable environmental diversity, each distinct location having its own identity, evoking different sensations, different emotions. Deep, cavernous oceans are explored one…
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Black’s central narrative is painfully simple and derivative, being devoid of any ambition, any desire to innovate or offer anything novel. The framework is a protracted interrogation, the protagonist and player character engaging in forced discourse with his military superior, who shows no sympathy, instead being a figure of crassness – he is, in short,…
Games With Grey 