Hamlet (or “the Last Game without MMORPG Features, Shaders and Product Placement”, which is likely one of the worst video game titles ever conceived), is a point in click adventure game loosely inspired by Shakespeare's classic play of the same name. Its goal is clearly to lend a more comedic angle to the tragedy, but the result is something that comes off as both underbaked, and exceedingly dumb.
Read MoreLet's get one thing out of the way first: Detective Grimoire is not the bonafide Professor Layton clone some may have been hoping for. Though it shares a few similarities, and even references the top hat wearing puzzle solver at one point, where Layton focuses heavily on brain teasers and riddles Grimoire is a pure detective game; something akin to an elaborate game of Clue crossed with an adventure game. While I could see developer SFB Games losing some people at this point, Detective Grimoire is actually all the better off for straying away from Nintendo's franchise and carving its own original, highly enjoyable path for itself.
Read MoreRosa Blackwell's life isn't going so well. She's become an antisocial shut-in, her work as an amateur book reviewer for a local paper is beginning to suffer, and her only relative has just passed away after succumbing to what might possibly be hereditary madness. And as if that wasn't enough, she's begun to see and hear a smart talking ghost who has revealed himself to be something of a family heirloom.
Read MoreBeast Boxing Turbo is worth recommending if only for how unique it is to the platform, and for how fun it is while it lasts. It's far from the classic that is Super Punch Out!!, but as that is a sequel itself perhaps it's only a matter of waiting for Beast Boxing 2 for it to reach that point.
Read MoreJamestown might be the most refined game I've played in the last decade. A top down bullet hell shooter set in an alternate history timeline (largely mirroring early American history, only this time with aliens), it presents itself with an air of confidence, as if it realizes what a pedigree its of and is determined to make you see so as well.
Read MoreDescending through Year Walk is liking having an ice cube put down the back of your shirt, then being pushed into the Artic Ocean. It's chilling and unnerving in a way that messes with your head, transcending its own existence into something that feels tangible; too close for comfort and so well crafted it causes you to second guess your own instincts that this is nothing but fantasy.
Read MoreAntichamber wants to screw with you. An abstract puzzle game, it exists in a world built upon its own rules, requiring you to shed conventional logic and adopt an out of the box mindset to progress through the labyrinthine chamber you find yourself in. Up is down, going backwards moves you forward, and nothing can be taken at face value. It's one of the smartest games I've ever played; thoughtfully evolving at every step, as my feeble brain scrambled to keep up.
Read MoreOne thing that I love about video games is how they can take a story I've already heard several ways, and turn it into an entirely new experience that's just as engaging as if I was hearing it for the first time. The 39 Steps by The Story Mechanics is the first in what they call "digital adaptations", which fall somewhere between a visual novel and a radio show. The idea if simple, but the execution highly stylized and the pacing tightly wound to make what could have been a dry collection of text a surprisingly compelling and intense narrative piece.
Read MoreTransistor left me floored. What Supergiant Games has accomplished is hard to properly put into words, as even with all I’ve said I can’t help but think I’ve barely scratched the surface of the praise I wish to heap upon the game. It’s vision is remarkable, stunningly consistent and inspired in every aspect, achieving a level of excellence that exceeded my already high expectations. It’s undoubtedly one of the best games I’ve played this, or possibly any year, and is an experience that cannot be overstated or should in any way be passed up.
Read MoreTelltale has succeeded without doubt in creating a fairy tale for a modern age, one that pulls no punches and surprises with each passing moment with the lines they are willing to cross to tell the story they want, and the means they have at their disposal to do so. It's dark, violent, ugly, occasionally appalling, but more than anything an absolutely astounding achievement that should not be overlooked.
Read MoreFair warning, this review might get weird. But that's sort of hard to do when you're talking about a game that is a giant metaphor for sex.
Read MoreBefore Crystal Dynamics took hold of the franchise, Tomb Raider was in dire straits. The downward spiral had finally reached the bottom, and you'd be forgiven for wondering if we'd ever see Lara Croft return to relevancy again. But just like that, Legend was released and all was forgiven, with a tighter knit, better polished, and more cinematic Tomb Raider than we had seen in years.
Read MoreEven before I played it, Bastion always stood as something of a posterchild to me for indie games. Its relentless ambition and startling success at achieving it are a showcase of how much can be accomplished by a small team with a clear set of ideas for the game they want to make. It's stunning and memorable in the way few games could ever hope for, and is as mechanically solid as it is breathtakingly presented. It succeeds in every aspect, and is one of the most well rounded games I have likely ever played.
Read MoreIt should only take one look at Bulletstorm's literally insulting advertisements to know the sort of game it is: a blood soaked, over-the-top story of a space pirate's revenge, it's crass, gratuitously violent, filled with more dick jokes than you can shake a stick at, and most of all absurdly enjoyable!
Read MoreI like to think of Escape Goat as "the little game that could". Launching first on the highly flawed and crowed Xbox Indie Game Market, it garnered a cult following that pushed it ahead of the seemingly endless shovelware that littered the platform, eventually making its way to Steam and even getting a sequel. Despite the acclaim, I've been sitting on the sidelines, still unconvinced by the unimpressive graphics and seemingly basic design. As is often the case though, my first impressions couldn't have been further from the truth, as Escape Goat more than lives up to its well deserved reputation.
Read MoreI said it before but I'll say it again, it blows my mind when I think about how amazing every single moment of Gunpoint is. The writing is witty yet crafts an engrossing, compelling narrative that didn't need to be complex for me to devour every line of dialog eagerly awaiting how it would all end. The mechanics fit together as if they share a cellular bond, evolving and challenging the player while keeping them in constant control and giving them the option to approach encounters however they see fit.
Read MoreDead Bits is the sort of game I'd expect to see a student or modder put out as a first step toward something more ambitious and polished. If that were the case it might be a commendable, if heavily flawed, first attempt at making a game, but as a finished retail product there is no way I could advise anyone to pick it up, which is to say nothing of wasting your time and sanity playing it. I feel there was potential here at some point, but in the end it's about as enjoyable as banging your head against a brick wall, and could very well do you just as much harm.
Read MoreI'd like to say Woodle Tree Adventures isn't one of the most dismal games I've played recently, but there is nothing I can even partially recommend it for, and wish I'd headed the words of others and passed on it myself. It left me feeling hollow, and sad for the developer who almost seemed to have something at a point before it slipped through his fingers.
Read MoreWipeout is a series I only recently discovered, but almost instantly fell head over heels in love with. Unfortunately, it's also a series that's been almost entirely confined to itself, with little in the way of similar games to be found on other platforms, and whose future looks incredibly bleak with the shutdown of its developer, Sony Liverpool. As such I've been clamoring to find something to fill this soon to be gap, and the unapologetic clone that is Flashout 2 seemed like a good stopgap while I waited for a more fleshed out experience. How very, very wrong I was to assume even that much.
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