Video Game Reviews
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As is characteristic of much of Gearbox’s recent work, the environments in Bounty of Blood are overflowing with creativity, the central planet of Gehenna atmospheric, imaginative, and immersive. Western stylings are boldly embraced, browns and oranges holding a position of prominence in the color palette, while much of the landscape is sunbaked and bright in
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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,
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Games with robust customization systems are traditionally highly compelling, those systems primarily used as a tool of self-expression. It would be unfair and inaccurate to state that games devoid of such systems are somehow lesser in quality than games which do boldly feature them – they are simply different, perhaps more focused. Still, the inclusion
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Bulletstorm’s narrative dangerously straddles the line between the endearing and the obnoxious, featuring highly juvenile writing and oftentimes bizarre – yet imaginative – phraseology. Fortunately, the endearing triumphs over the irritating – Bulletstorm has a considerable degree of heart, has its own distinct identity, embracing humor fiercely, and mostly departing from more mature, gritty themes,
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Little Nightmares is frequently a very beautiful game, its environments deftly evoking sensations of anxiety and dread; tension abounds, eeriness is deliberately and fiercely sought. Much of this eeriness stems from the bold interplay of light and dark, an interplay most marked towards the narrative’s opening, where darkness is particularly abundant; dark, large, and sometimes
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Rise of the Tomb Raider boasts a highly compelling narrative, abounding in mature themes, discussing such matters as dedication to the self, to family, to society. At the center of the narrative is the fabled Divine Source, said to contain the secrets of immortality, and thusly heavily desired, sought by those with altruistic motivations, and
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Aesthetically, Bastion is a masterpiece, its environments often singular in their beauty, abounding in creativity and whimsicality. Much of this beauty stems from the bold usage of color, vibrant greens having a very prominent presence, resulting in an almost inviting atmosphere, suggesting tranquility, bliss. But the color palette is multi-faceted – it is not monopolized
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Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is painfully generic in all aspects of its design, and this genericness is most observable in the title’s narrative, wholly unoriginal and lacking in any real innovation or ambition. Worsening this genericness is the barebones nature of the narrative, merely existing as a framework for the gameplay, which is prioritized to
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Guns, Love, and Tentacles central narrative is wonderfully straightforward, centering around the marriage of two central, returning characters, Wainwright and Hammerlock, the pair choosing to begin their union in the distant, frigid, icy planet of Xylourgos, renowned for its unique, unconventional beauty, and accordingly a suitable site for the proceedings. The Vault Hunter, friend to
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When regarding the Dark Knight mythos, Batman: The Telltale Series expertly manages to fuse together the old and the new, taking existing characters and portraying them in a new, sometimes startling, light – the characters repeatedly upset expectations, while the strengths of these preexisting characters are supplemented by a whole suite of new characters, whose
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Aesthetically, I Am Alive suffers from a near perpetual ugliness, the environments devoid of any real creativity – texture quality is poor, while an intrusive, unappealing fog lingers always, cutting down on visibility. This precise element of the presentation – the all-consuming, obstructing fog – only hampers potential joys of exploration, while exploration’s appeal is
Games With Grey 