Typing of the Dead: Overkill (2 out of 5)
Having added nothing more than a teach typing overlay, Typing of the Dead: Overkill suffers from it's original lethargic design. The original Typing of the Dead for Dreamcast was a funny and interesting game for its time, not revolutionary simply inspired, combining teaching tools with mass "mutant"slayings. But this entry takes a sub-par Wii game and replaces the motion controls with typing which unfortunately makes for a clumsy and overly easy typing game. I appreciated the effort and even enjoyed the first level unequivocally but the humor in this grind-house inspired "of the Dead" entry is grating and the methodical pace of the original light gun-esque Wii game makes the typing challenges too easy for any long lasting enjoyment.
Batman Arkham Origins (4 out of 5)
Origins is saddled with a brand new development team and the now requisite prequel entry in one of the most inspired franchises of this generation. Origins does its best but not enough new ideas and a few too many technical glitches hold back a surprisingly significant prequel conceit. Being a prequel Warner Bros Montreal, the developer taking over from Rocksteady, is restricted in making advancements to the formula, for one Batman can't have anything in this game he doesn't have in the previous but chronologically later games and the story also can't contradict anything that has already been established. Given those limitations I think they pull off the near impossible and craft and even larger more fully realized chunk of Gotham with a story that expands the established relationships in compelling ways. Some of the things WB Montreal pull off with certain characters are the best I've seen in any of their incarnations, truly an impressive feat for characters who have been around for half a century.
Killzone Shadow Fall (1 out of 5)
Killzone Shadow Fall is a game completely devoid of any sensible game design. A game whose only positive trait is it's visuals which are stunning at the best of times and unvaried at worst. The level design is atrocious with near impossible objectives and directions, a game so bereft of logic each level feels like an obligatory addition as opposed to a part of a more cohesive whole. It may be a launch game but some of the decisions made in all aspects of the game from story and characters to frustrating last stand missions and escort missions. It is a game so lifeless and painfully tedious it may as well not even exist, no effort was made to make a decent game, just one that could be shown in 5 minute chunks at press conferences or demo reels. Killzone Shadow Fall better spell the end of the franchise for quite a while because if this is any indication of what the next generation is going to be like in AAA game development I rather it end right now.
Resogun (3 out of 5)
Not a system seller by a long shot but Resogun occupies that perfect 10 minutes at a time itch that while unfortunately isn't designed to keep you coming back still offers an enjoyably challenging interim between the bigger titles. With only 5 levels, each unleashing the enemies in a predetermined order and pace Resogun doesn't offer enough variety to engage the average player longer than it takes to beat it through once. It's a great game to play while something else is installing or downloading but it wears thin quickly and may be forgotten when the more ambitious titles start rolling out.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes (2 out of 5)
Packed with references and details that feels like you're sharing in your comic book passion with old friends, Lego Marvel may very well be the best Lego game yet but it's inherent Lego-ness holds back what needs to be the last entry constructed in this exact way. An open world Manhattan contains every inch of the Marvel universe you could possibly think of but it's restrained by level design and a puzzle structure that hasn't changed in 10 years. It's inexcusable and this really is the last straw, something major needs to change about these games or they are going to be become irrelevant. The game quickly starts to feel like a grind, which amounts to zero fun and 100% boredom, the humor is childish but endearing but it can't save these games any longer. Telltale clearly puts tons of effort into the showing up their intimate knowledge of all things Marvel, to even an obscure degree but levels and design decisions that slow that experience to a crawl make the whole game feel rather like work instead of play, and really what are Legos for if not to play.
Tearaway (4 out of 5)
Tearaway very nearly justifies a $200 purchase all on its own but fails with a story that goes in circles and frustrating platforming near the end of the game. Tearaway is absolutely stunning, it's not so much a technical powerhouse as the most ingenious art design I've seen in years. The world of Tearaway is believably made entirely of paper and it's a great look that evolves throughout the game as you the player interact with it in more blatant ways towards the end. Taking pictures of real world objects and transposing them in the game, drawing things with the touchscreen and having those things used in game, dictating the way the level moves based on tilt, and best of all having your face reflected at all times on the sun within the game. Tearaways is the first and hopefully not last game that pushes the Vita from an interesting slick handheld device into a viable and exciting avenue for interesting new video games.
Having added nothing more than a teach typing overlay, Typing of the Dead: Overkill suffers from it's original lethargic design. The original Typing of the Dead for Dreamcast was a funny and interesting game for its time, not revolutionary simply inspired, combining teaching tools with mass "mutant"slayings. But this entry takes a sub-par Wii game and replaces the motion controls with typing which unfortunately makes for a clumsy and overly easy typing game. I appreciated the effort and even enjoyed the first level unequivocally but the humor in this grind-house inspired "of the Dead" entry is grating and the methodical pace of the original light gun-esque Wii game makes the typing challenges too easy for any long lasting enjoyment.
Killzone Shadow Fall is a game completely devoid of any sensible game design. A game whose only positive trait is it's visuals which are stunning at the best of times and unvaried at worst. The level design is atrocious with near impossible objectives and directions, a game so bereft of logic each level feels like an obligatory addition as opposed to a part of a more cohesive whole. It may be a launch game but some of the decisions made in all aspects of the game from story and characters to frustrating last stand missions and escort missions. It is a game so lifeless and painfully tedious it may as well not even exist, no effort was made to make a decent game, just one that could be shown in 5 minute chunks at press conferences or demo reels. Killzone Shadow Fall better spell the end of the franchise for quite a while because if this is any indication of what the next generation is going to be like in AAA game development I rather it end right now.
