Final Reviews
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Borderlands 2 is abounding in environmental diversity, presentation marking one of its greatest strengths. One moment, chilly tundra are explored, characterized by sheets of ice, some spanning frigid waters, others literally clinging to walls, forming an almost crystal like substance, while everything is tinged in an inviting shade of blue. An expansive draw distance helps…
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Crysis 3’s narrative is a confused, muddled mess, with two central pillars of focus, one which revolves around the tyrannous, menacing Cell faction, their primary motivation being the acquisition of power; acting indefatigably in their search, often do they commit acts of brutal violence, unflinching and remorseless, almost corrupted by the tangibility of that power.…
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Aragami, as a pure stealth title, can be an occasionally brutal experience, the player character – the titular Aragami – defenseless upon detection, recognition often equating to a swift and violent death. Certain offensive abilities are purchasable, but they do little to lessen the punishing nature of the gameplay – punishing, though never frustrating. Despite…
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Aesthetically, Super Metroid remains timeless, the sprite work highly detailed, environments characterized by vibrancy and a strange sort of exoticism, communicating the bizarre nature of the gameworld proper, the distant, alien planet of Zebes, where the protagonist Samus travels in response to some urgent distress call. As with the planet, Samus herself sports a compelling…
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Narratively, Borderlands shows a poverty of ambition, its story construction unremarkable and uninspired, with a total absence of character development, or the establishment of a singular, menacing antagonist. True, a solid motivation is established from the first, which consistently guides the player throughout, never wavering, one central anchor – here the game shows a sense…
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Medal of Honor: Airborne suffers greatly from an unfocused, unambitious narrative, abounding in the generic; exposition of any import is here absent, with few traditional cutscenes or compelling dialogue, both being confined largely to the short briefings which precede every primary campaign mission. Here, even the stylistic is spurned, the presentations comprised solely of static…
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Call of Juarez: Gunslinger’s greatest achievement is its evocation of place, expertly capturing the atmosphere and stylings of the American West, and even more exotic locations, like Mexican deserts and sandscapes. In a stroke of mastery, these diverse environments coalesce, resulting in one cohesive whole, contributing also to the game’s abundance of charm. Beyond these…
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Grand Theft Auto IV is epic in scope; the journey the protagonist Niko Bellic embarks on is a long, winding one, a literal odyssey. Arriving in Liberty City, a supposed beacon brimming with opportunity, Niko is met with an affectionate reception by his loving if cowardly cousin, boyhood companion. Roman, though installed in Liberty City…
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Prince of Persia is abounding in charm, manifest both in the principal characters and the world proper. Regarding the former, there exists the enigmatic, unnamed Prince, who precariously teeters on the edge, vacillating between the irritating and the endearing. Given the compelling voice acting, in the end his endearing attributes prevail; an emotive, telling face,…
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Narratively, Crysis 2 is abounding in potential, though that potential is compromised by an excess of narrative ambition. Rather than embracing precision and conveying one focused, succinct narrative the game overreaches in attempting to tell a multitude of stories, touching on the hostile alien Cephs, developing also a debilitating sickness, the Spore, also elaborating upon…
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Technically and creatively, Battlefield 4 remains a marvel, though the game’s strengths here are tempered by an uninspired narrative, which sees the player character, Recker, cooperating with his varied squadmates; their mission involves the leaping from creative environment to creative environment, each decidedly unique. From an Azerbaijanian village, characterized by brown deserts and dilapidated structures,…
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Steam World Dig isn’t the type of game I would usually play; the 2-D genre to which it belongs is like this unexplored frontier for me. True, growing up I played ports of Donkey Kong Country and have had the obligatory exposure to the Mario games, but beyond those titles, I know next to nothing…
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Crysis as title is amazingly open, that openness bolstered by excellent if repetitive world design. An admirable largeness of maps is present, which does distinguish the title from others in the genre, highly linear. The environments here are not exactly sandboxes, but their nature does facilitate a great degree of experimentation. But despite their sprawling…
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Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon’s greatest narrative intention is apparent from the first: tell a quirky, eccentric tale, eliciting laughs and creating a more playful environment; here are no aspirations towards the grimy and gritty. A perfect balance is struck; despite the overbearing humor present within all facets of the narrative, the game never ventures…
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Sniper Elite 3 falters narratively, an inconsistent, dull plot dampening potential successes. Part of this narrative failing is attributable to a lack of any ambition; the entire story can be condensed into one succinct statement – weaken Axis presence in Northern Africa during the heart of World War II. No intrigue ever really emerges, and…
Games With Grey 