Developer: Deck Nine Release Date: 8/31/17 Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC ESRB/PEGI: M/PEGI 16 MSRP: $16.99 USD Written by Jose Gonzalez / DicloniusGames
Before she reunited with her best friend and left the seaside town of Arcadia Bay, she was a 16-year-old badass with a mouth and an attitude. In Life Is Strange: Before The Storm, players take control of Chloe Price; the secondary protagonist of the main game. Sans Max Caulfield, and set 3 years previous to said events, Chloe navigates her way through the minefields of Arcadia Bay and Blackwell Academy along with familiar characters such as Nathan Prescott, Frank Bowers, Joyce Price, Victoria Chase, and David Madsen before he became Blackwell’s security guard. Episode one focuses on the burgeoning friendship between Chloe and Rachel Amber, who was only referenced in the main game and not shown.
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Developer: Naughty Dog Release Date: 8/22/17 Platforms: PS4 ESRB/PEGI: T/PEGI 16 MSRP: $39.99 USD/$49.99 CA Written by Rick Warren / Gfn2112
When I reached the end of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, I was ecstatic. I had just experienced one of my favorite games of the generation and seen one of my favorite endings of all time. What made it even more special was knowing that this was the last time I'd be seeing Nathan Drake. Due to that, I assumed Uncharted 4 was going to be the end of the Uncharted series, too. I was aware that Uncharted was getting a single-player DLC, but I didn't think much of it. When the DLC was revealed at PSX I was surprised to see that both Chloe and Nadine were returning, and I was immediately on board to learn more about both. As news continued to come out about the DLC, it was clear that Naughty Dog was putting a tremendous amount of effort into making something at the level of quality you'd expect from their full games. Sure enough, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy became just that; a full Uncharted game. I became even more excited at that moment, but after some time passed I began to worry about what could go wrong. Uncharted 4 had been a perfect ending to Nathan Drake's journey. Was it worth the risk of possibly putting out a disappointing final game, instead of just going out strong? Could the series work without the beloved character that led it for a decade? I was stuck on those two questions for so long and became filled with doubt... but I shouldn't have been. After all, Uncharted is a Naughty Dog series. The answer to both questions was a resounding yes. It was worth the risk. Uncharted can and should be about more than just Nathan Drake's adventures, and The Lost Legacy proves it. Written by Rick Warren / Gfn2112
I've played video games since I was 4 years old, on everything from the Atari to Gameboy to PlayStation. Nothing made me happier as a kid than getting a new game and jumping into a whole new experience. When the PlayStation 3 rolled around, I was beyond excited. I came in a few years late (finally getting the console myself in 2009), but I couldn't wait to check out all the games I had been hearing about. I started off playing random sports games with my dad just for fun, but was confused when a notification came up in the left-hand corner of the screen. It came with a simple but pleasant sound, and a sentence that's all-too-familiar to me today: "you have earned a trophy". Developer: Housemarque Release Date: 8/15/17 Platforms: PS4 ESRB/PEGI: E 10+/PEGI 12 MSRP: $19.99 USD/$24.99 CA Written by Rick Warren / Gfn2112
Matterfall takes a bit of time to get used to. Its side scrolling gameplay is something that Housemarque hasn't really dabbled in since 2011's Outland, and it’s a bit slower than you'd expect from a Housemarque game. Once you get through a few levels and get the hang of the mechanics, though, it begins to feel as refined as any game from the Finnish studio. I had a great time running through the three-hour campaign and was excited to sink more time into other parts of the game... but I soon found that there were none. All Matterfall offers is one strong but very short mode. This brought about a huge problem that I've never had with this studio's games: a lack of content and low replayability. Written by Adam Advocaat / Moofey
Bandai Namco’s Tales series has always had a spotty history with the west. Unlike other popular JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy, the Tokyo-based developer hasn't been as keen on bringing their flagship roleplaying franchise outside of Japan. Though the last few years have been better, previous games like Tales of Xillia and Tales of Zestiria have missed the mark; Something they’ve looked to change with their most recent outing: Tales of Berseria. Berseria happens a few hundred years before the events of Zestiria and puts you in the shoes of the franchise's first female protagonist: Velvet Crowe. Following the death of her sister and unborn nephew during the Scarlet Night some years earlier, she's been living a tranquil life with her younger brother, Laphicet, and her brother-in-law, Artorius. Her peaceful life comes to an end when the Scarlet Night returns, and she finds Laphicet at a nearby altar in the process of being murdered by Arthur. Velvet, too, finds herself on the wrong end of his blade but a sudden reaction from the altar turns her into a “Therion,” a special kind of daemon that feeds off of other daemons for more power. She spends the next three years locked up on the prison island of Titania, only thinking about exacting revenge on her brother's killer, until someone finally breaks her out. Developer: Ninja Theory Release Date: 8/8/17 Platforms: PS4, PC (played on PS4) ESRB/PEGI: M/PEGI 18 MSRP: $29.99 USD Written by Rick Warren / Gfn2112
After years of media centered around Greek mythology, it seems that Norse mythology is now beginning to take the spotlight in today's entertainment. Thor Ragnarok releases in theaters this November, and God of War is coming in early 2018 with its Norse-focused reboot. Hellblade, too, is heavily inspired by that same mythology. Yet, to be honest, I was never particularly hyped for this game's release like I currently am for Thor and God of War. I always thought that it looked gorgeous, but aside from that, was super unimpressed by the gameplay and trailers. I fully expected this to be an okay game at best that came and went quickly, overshadowed by 2017's many beloved games. I could not be any happier to say that I was wrong, as Hellblade is the most surprised I've ever been as a gamer. Despite some noticeable flaws the game delivers fluid combat, great boss battles and an extremely important main character that struggles with something rarely covered in video games: mental illness. Senua’s Sacrifice does this all with the most immersive sound design I've ever had the pleasure to experience, and it's enough of a reason on its own to play through this eight-hour game. Written by Jose Gonzalez / DicloniusGames
Last year, Nintendo executed a bold strategy by releasing the NES Classic. The system was a far smaller version of Nintendo’s first console which came pre-loaded with 30 games chosen by Nintendo themselves. While this was a nostalgia effort done by Nintendo, the execution was about as flawed as Microsoft’s plan for an always-online console. Releasing late last year at the low price of $59.99, the NES Classic quickly shot up like a rocket to the steep prices anywhere between $200 and $500. How and why this happened is simple. Nintendo refused to release enough systems for people to buy fairly, thus resulting in scalpers seething at the opportunity to rip honest gamers off by capitalizing on their nostalgia to play classic games without the need to hunt down an original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Some games that released for the NES Classic included Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Super Mario Brothers, and Metroid. Some of the best experiences came from the original Nintendo console. Now why am I afraid for gamers that want the SNES Classic? It’s because this is prone to happen again. Developer: Telltale Release Date: 8/8/17 Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC (played on PS4) ESRB/PEGI: M/PEGI 18 MSRP: $4.99 USD (episode)/$24.99 (season pass) Written by Rick Warren / Gfn2112
I'll just get it out of the way before I start this review: I'm a big Telltale fan... and I'm an even bigger Batman fan. I've read hundreds of Batman comics, seen every Batman movie, and played every Batman game. It's going to be a bit challenging to remain unbiased as I play through this second season, but I'm going to try as hard as I can not to let my love for the Bat blind me. Yet, with that said... I adored this episode. Aside from a few references and some noticeable scars on the characters from last season, Telltale managed to tell a strong, self-contained story while still planting the seeds for what's to come. Within the first five minutes you're handed a fight scene that's on the level of the Lady Arkham battle from season one's finale, and introduced to a new version of the Riddler that fits Telltale's M-rated Batman perfectly. From there, "The Enigma" didn't let up and delivered multiple memorable moments throughout its 2 hours. Developer: Atlus Release Date: 4/12/17 Platforms: PS3/PS4 ESRB/PEGI: M/PEGI 16 MSRP: $59.99 USD The Wings of Rebellion. Written by Rick Warren / Gfn2112
Within the first few minutes of the game, Persona 5 had me hooked. I had been given no information about whom I was playing as or what exactly I was doing, and the characters who were speaking were kept nameless and had their faces hidden. Yet it says so much about this game that I could fall in love so quickly, even without what would ultimately be Persona 5's greatest strength: it's cast of characters. The short, action-heavy prologue does a wonderful job of giving the player a taste of what this 100-hour journey is going to offer. Persona 5 is a game that is filled with style, and it shows some of that here. The amazing art mixes well with the fast and fun turn-based combat, enough to where even post-battle screens are nice to look at. In the background, a track from the game's excellent soundtrack plays (you'll be hearing a few songs multiple times in this lengthy JRPG, so it's relieving that the music is as great as it is). The heavy red and black color scheme fits extremely well, with the UI being one of the sleekest I've seen in a game yet. After a few quick battles, the prologue ends the way it began: with a short but sweet anime-style cutscene. These charming scenes are sprinkled throughout the game and keep heavy story moments from feeling too bland or repetitive. Yet, despite these great mechanics, Persona 5 has much more to offer. So much so that despite having played games my entire life, it stands out as one of the most unique games I have ever played. |
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