Sections
Marvel’s Spider-Man is a competent if uninspired take on the famous superhero: borrowing its overall structure from the modern open-world design, Insomniac’s game excels when it comes to traversal and movement but offers a by-the-books story, some questionable stealth sections, and a combat system that heavily impresses at first, but may eventually overstay its welcome.
The game’s first right decision is to present Peter Parker as an already experienced Spider-Man, as there’s no need to cover tiresome ground and show his origin story yet again. So, when the game opens, Peter has already made a friend in the police, Yuri Watanabe, shares a troubled history with Mary Jane, and [...]
Quantum Break is a very ambitious project that tries to merge the format of a live-action series with a third-person action game about time travel while presenting choices that shape both narrative forms. The story, however, ends up forgotten in the process, plagued by a plethora of one-note characters, underdeveloped elements, and thematic inconsistencies.
The protagonist is Jack Joyce, who one day is asked by an old friend, the tech genius Paul Serene, to come to Riverport to help with his project. Jack’s brother, William, was Serene’s assistant until he started to voice concerns about its safety – it’s a machine that replicates a black hole, after all. So, when Serene [...]
Batman: The Enemy Within is a worthy follow-up to the first Telltale game about the caped crusader, with a strong focus on character development and one of the most unusual and fascinating renditions of the Joker to date. It’s a game about how the hero of Gotham creates his own villains: how the violence he enacts in the name of justice has ripples that end up forming the city’s greatest monsters.
The story starts with Riddler invading a casino to get back at its owner. Bruce is attending the very same casino at the time, so it doesn’t take long for Batman to crash the party and put a stop to Riddler’s scheme. The villain, however, leaves a clue for Batman to pursue in the [...]
Set in the Swiss Alps, Mundaun is an effective first-person horror game that boasts a unique visual style and a strong sense of mood and atmosphere. Even though it doesn’t exactly stick the landing, it still provides a unique and memorable experience.
When the game starts, a young man named Curdin is on his way to the mountains of Mundaun in Switzerland. He has received a letter from the local priest, Father Jeremiah, informing him that his grandfather has died in a fire, but that there was no need for Curdin to come for the funeral. Sensing something is amiss, to Mundaun Curdin goes.
One of the first lines of dialogue in Mundaun is about the uniqueness of the setting. [...]
Shadowrun Returns is a Tactical RPG set in a cyberpunk world populated by fantastical creatures having to deal with corrupt corporations and shady religious cults. The game, however, fails to capitalize on all these elements, telling a barebones story plagued by underdeveloped characters and themes.
“Your apartment, three o’clock in the morning. It’s got four walls, a roof, and isn’t on fire. Even the cockroaches have fled in search of better accommodations,” the story starts. The narration is aptly trying to evoke Noir, painting a dangerous, littered world ruled by cynicism, where anyone can be bought for the right price – even the main character, if [...]
Tales of Vesperia is a competent JRPG that suffers from a lack of focus: it presents a complicated protagonist with a narrative arc full of potential but builds the story around other unrelated subjects. It still offers some great moments and scenes, but could have been a much better experience with a tighter script.
The protagonist is Yuri, a young man that left knighthood after realizing that a police force works not for the people, but for those few in power. Yuri’s hometown, Zaphias, is marked by stark social inequality: “To lack nobility is to lack humanity,” a nobleman scoffs. This explains why no one seems to care that the local fountain in the Lower Quarter has [...]