mikehaynes
Visually stunning, and packed with heart. From a storytelling perspective, in many ways, Miles’ adventure surpasses Peter’s as he deals with issues of race, inadequacy, loss, and family.
In the original, there were a large number of collectibles and randomly timed crimes scattered across the map that added little to the story. In Miles Morales, crime events can be started on-demand via the Friendly Neighbourhood app and collectibles appear in smaller numbers, adding context and history to the game’s characters and their relationships.
If there’s any issue with the game, it’s that it doesn’t do enough to break out of the shadow of, and differentiate itself from, the original Spider-Man game. I’m hopeful we’ll see Miles back for a proper sequel, given even more time to shine on his own.
In the original, there were a large number of collectibles and randomly timed crimes scattered across the map that added little to the story. In Miles Morales, crime events can be started on-demand via the Friendly Neighbourhood app and collectibles appear in smaller numbers, adding context and history to the game’s characters and their relationships.
If there’s any issue with the game, it’s that it doesn’t do enough to break out of the shadow of, and differentiate itself from, the original Spider-Man game. I’m hopeful we’ll see Miles back for a proper sequel, given even more time to shine on his own.
2020
At its best, the world of Night City feels alive. Characters you interact with feel like people with lives and routines, who existed before you arrived. Visually, even with modest hardware, the game looks good.
At its worst, the poor pedestrian AI and near-infinite number of bugs break the immersion on a minute-by-minute basis and hold the game back from being something truly incredible.
At its worst, the poor pedestrian AI and near-infinite number of bugs break the immersion on a minute-by-minute basis and hold the game back from being something truly incredible.
2020
By and large, the Demon’s Souls remake is the beautiful, terrifying return to Boletaria that fans hoped it would be. To returning players, Demon’s Souls will feel almost identical to the FromSoftware classic. Bluepoint has made major adjustments to the visuals, music, and much needed adjustments to the controls but the core game remains unchanged.
Unfortunately, that’s one of my biggest gripes with the remake. Given the chance to make any major additions to the world or lore of the game, short of a few new items and weapons, they opted to keep the available gameplay sequences true to the original. It’s understandable, given the desire by many for a pure recreation of the PS3 version, but still disappointing. It would have been nice to see the elusive sixth archstone finally make an appearance.
Unfortunately, that’s one of my biggest gripes with the remake. Given the chance to make any major additions to the world or lore of the game, short of a few new items and weapons, they opted to keep the available gameplay sequences true to the original. It’s understandable, given the desire by many for a pure recreation of the PS3 version, but still disappointing. It would have been nice to see the elusive sixth archstone finally make an appearance.
While Mafia: Definitive Edition is visually stunning and features some of the more innovative in-world navigational elements I've seen in a game of this style, it suffers from issues with controls and both enemy and pedestrian AI that hold it back from being an amazing remake. The updated story and dialogue go a long way to push the original forward but the game's length keeps things a little brief.
The Ultimate Edition of Control more than lives up to its name. The game looks as stunning as ever, and the story is even more crazily, mind-bending with the addition of both The Foundation and AWE DLC packs. The controls have been tightened up and a few of the more difficult parts of the game have been tweaked to avoid treading through hostile zones over and over again. There's no better way to experience this must-play game.
Atelier Ryza is a lighthearted, casual break from many of the more thematically-intense JRPGs I've played recently with its linear story and simplistic, fun cast of characters.
I enjoyed the combat, the variety of side quests, and robust crafting mechanic, though it desperately needs better options for filtering or organizing the list of items you can make.
I enjoyed the combat, the variety of side quests, and robust crafting mechanic, though it desperately needs better options for filtering or organizing the list of items you can make.
2020
With a plethora of bugs, constant frame rate issues, poor teammate AI, repetitive objectives and maps, and paid cosmetic items, it’s hard to love earth’s mightiest heroes. There's enough enjoyment to squeeze out of the game’s combat and disjointed, uneven story to keep the experience above water but just barely.
While it wasn't without some cringe, the game's relentless focus on the power of friendship is a bit much at times, I enjoyed my time with Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The combat, character design, and the sheer amount of content to get through was more than enough to outweigh any weird moments of dialogue. The game wrapped nicely and even had nods to the original game in the later chapters.
I'm late to the party here but it's one of the better JRPGs I've played and a future classic when we look back at the Switch library years from now.
I'm late to the party here but it's one of the better JRPGs I've played and a future classic when we look back at the Switch library years from now.
The return to Midgar is a welcome one. Visually, Final Fantasy VII Remake is stunning, particularly the pre-rendered scenes, and the scale of the world feels huge. Looking up at the plates from the slums, or climbing topside is surreal. The soundtrack was perfect and the combat is smooth, fun, and incredibly satisfying.
While the ending wasn’t quite what I expected, having played the original many times, I understand the reasons for the updates and was satisfied with the changes they made. I'm hopeful we'll hear more about the second chapter sooner than later.
While the ending wasn’t quite what I expected, having played the original many times, I understand the reasons for the updates and was satisfied with the changes they made. I'm hopeful we'll hear more about the second chapter sooner than later.