Hayes Madsen's Reviews
Babylon's Fall is a baffling game that lacks any distinct vision, both in terms of gameplay and artistic design.
Bright Memory Infinite's tight gunplay is simply spread too thin to make up for an otherwise uninspired experience.
King's Bounty 2 is a massive role-playing experience, but a hollow-feeling open-world works against its combat and gorgeous art style.
Dragon Ball: The Breakers brings an incredibly unique spin on asymmetrical multiplayer, and while the foundations are strong, it still needs a bit of work to truly be something special.
Reverie Knights Tactics feels like a run-of-the-mill strategy game that isn't quite bad but fails to do anything particularly memorable.
Everything outside of that core combat feels so wishy-washy and uninteresting, that I can't recommend Jump Force to anyone that doesn't have an immediate interest in anime. If these characters have been a huge part of your life, or you're familiar with a few of the series, you'll definitely enjoy it, but go in with some lowered expectations.
It's quite sad that Chamber of Time so actively works against you in many ways. The tediousness of everything, from school exploration to combat, can really start to drag on you after a while, even if you do enjoy the story and characters.
The tediousness of exploration, battle, and menus really bog down Operation Babel, in spite of what the game does well. Abysses can be fun and interesting to explore, and the mechanics of the game certainly get easier and deeper as the title goes on.
If you don’t have a Wii U, Super Mario Maker on 3DS is still a great way to get a never ending stream of interesting Mario levels. If you do have a Wii U, however, you might be better off just sticking with the console version.
I can’t say that this is a game that will appeal to everyone however, as the grinding it requires can easily turn you off of the experience. So much of the game feels like superfluous padding that oftentimes gets in the way of enjoying the story and aesthetic.
Giant Squid Studios clearly wants Abzu to be as evocative of an experience as Journey, and while I enjoyed how calming it was, I ultimately found myself unsatisfied after my three-hour playthrough. The game's world and setting is incredibly beautiful and atmospheric, but there just isn't enough meat to the game to really sate your hunger.
Extreme Vs isn't going to make a Gundam fan out of anyone that isn't already one, but there's a lot to love for any existing fans.
It’s been nine years since Saints Row 4, and this new entry feels like a back-to-basics reboot. But technical issues, bugs, and many more little frustrations conspire to make this a middling experience at launch. It’s unfortunate because when Saints Row fires on all cylinders, it’s an absolute blast with some truly lofty high points.
High on Life is nothing if not unique, though its writing and mechanics only go so far.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet evovles the franchise in exciting ways, but brings along some undesireable traits.
Floodland is a surprisingly complex survival sim with a unique aesthetic and setting, but is that enough to keep it afloat?
Soulstice's fast-paced combat is the star of the show, overshadowed by tropes and lack of variety in an experience heavily inspired by anime like Berserk.
Chaos Gate Daemonhunters is an intensely challenging XCOM-like that fully embraces the aesthetic and tendencies of the Warhammer 40K universe.
The concept and aesthetic of Darwin's Paradox consistently shine, but its inventive wall-climbing gameplay is held back by a few noticeable frustrations.
SaGa: Emerald Beyond is a strong entry in Square Enix’s most bizarre franchise. It may not be the best introduction to the series, but it’s filled with wacky characters, fascinating stories, and an incredible combat system.