Historical (Science) Fiction
HIGH Dandara’s world is a joy to explore.
LOW The final battle is disappointingly anticlimactic.
WTF I still don’t fully understand what Salt is.
Author: Andrew King
Night In The Woods (Switch) Review
The Cat’s Meow
HIGH Possibly the funniest, most poignant writing I’ve seen in a game — and I reviewed Dream Daddy!
LOW The minimal interactivity of the climactic third act.
WTF All of NitW’s characters are talking animals, but there are also regular, non-talking animals???
This Is Not A Review: Project Cars 2
I know. I know. Project CARS 2 came out in September of last year. What little dust Slightly Mad’s racing sim sequel kicked up has settled, and the rest of the game-playing world has moved on to bigger and better things. Monster Hunter World or Shadow of the Colossus, anyone? But Project CARS 2 has haunted me.
The Surge: A Walk In The Park Review
Don’t Let the Subtitle Fool You
HIGH The new setting is a welcome change of pace from the dark, sci-fi aesthetic of the main game.
LOW It’s rarely clear where to go next.
WTF Slaughtering crazed theme park mascots.
Andrew’s Top 10 of 2017
It’s a testament to the quality of 2017’s releases that despite the fact that I played more games this year than I ever have in one trip around the sun—at least 108 by my estimate—I’m writing this list with the nagging feeling that there are at least a dozen other titles that would have had a shot if only I had had time (and money) to play them.
Little Nightmares: The Hideaway Review
A Recurring Dream
HIGH The furnace room is a hub, and it was satisfying to repeatedly return to it.
LOW This time around, the “Inside-lite” label is earned.
WTF Interacting with the Nomes is the core mechanic — the AI should work better than it does.
Horizon: Zero Dawn – The Frozen Wilds Review
Call Of The Wilds
HIGH Tighter, more cinematic and better in almost every conceivable way.
LOW The recommended level thresholds feel set incorrectly.
WTF Geez, the last boss is hard.
NASCAR Heat 2 Review
Asleep At The Wheel
HIGH Short, sweet and specific challenge missions are a welcome change of pace after…
LOW …slogging through dozens of hours—in just the first third!— of career mode.
WTF Getting booted from a hosted game for being bad at driving.
2017: The Year Of Bad Checkpointing
Bad saving can make good games a terrible experience. In 2017, Nier: Automata and Sonic Mania are prime offenders. However, games like Hyper Light Drifter and Cuphead show that some developers get it right.
Blood, Sweat And Pixels Review
Crave The Crunch!
HIGH Schreier’s intimate account of Eric Barone’s six-plus years of work on Stardew Valley.
LOW After four or five chapters, the stories begin to blur together.
WTF Ensemble worked hundred-hour weeks for nearly a year during the development of Age of Empires.
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