CMike
BACKER
Shadow of the Tomb Raider gets closer to hitting the story high notes of the first in the rebooted series, but honestly at this point I'm just playing these because they are fun as hell, rather than any investment in the narrative.
2020
Pleasantly warm and subdued, if not entirely memorable.
2019
Mature on a level that most games only dream of. A few clunky mechanics, but otherwise this is a fantastic VR title.
The rare game where its most frustrating design decisions are also its most compelling and meaningful.
The weakest season to date both in minigames and aesthetics.
2017
A great premise, but one that is held back by its often way too simple implementation. Most of the puzzles just involve figuring out the one thing you need to do to prevent that person from dying. There are a few standouts however, and in those cases it really was exciting to figure out the solutions after being stumped. Sadly the ending was lackluster, preoccupied with an overlong explanation of What Is Really Going On rather than tying things together in a satisfying way mechanically. Still, The Sexy Brutale has enough good ideas that it held my interest well enough through its 5 hours, I just think it could have been so much more.
2014
Tons of style and fun gameplay mechanics to play with. I really wish the world and story clicked more with me beyond just the vibes.
2020
Dontnod's best looking game is also their least interesting. Can we stop comparing everything to Twin Peaks just because it has a small town and some trees?
An excellent sendoff to an excellent series.
2016
The soundscape of this game is so unique, I love it.
2021
Housemarque really got tired of waiting on Nintendo to make another Metroid Prime game and took matters into their own hands.
2020
Bugsnax has a surprisingly gripping story with great characters and nuanced arcs. It's a shame that its biggest flaw is so critical: catching the bugsnax just isn't very fun or interesting most of the time.
2021
Flamboyantly bland.
2013
Unflinching and nuanced, there are no easy answers here, but Depression Quest still manages to carry a message of hope in the darkness.
Shoutout to Sylux.