Reviews Archives - Page 48 of 128

Xbox One X: The Kotaku Review

The Xbox One X is a box filled with powerful components that’s designed to do the same thing as a box with less powerful components, only a little bit better. That’s a weird place for the “world’s most powerful console” to be. In an simpler time, the Xbox One X might have been Microsoft’s next-generation…

By Mike Fahey Published November 8, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Call of Duty: WWII: The Kotaku Review

Call of Duty has recently gotten lost in a future of jetpack boosting, robots, and wacky laser guns, leaving the franchise feeling almost unrecognizable. Sledgehammer Games’ latest entry in the long-running war shooter series, Call of Duty: WWII, sends the game back to basic training in more ways than just a simple rewinding of time.…

By S.E. Doster Published November 7, 2017

ReviewsPS4

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds: The Kotaku Review

Horizon Zero Dawn was a terrific game. Guess what? Its new expansion, The Frozen Wilds, is also good. For more on the many things that made Horizon Zero Dawn a good game, go read my colleague Patricia Hernandez’s review from February. Developed by Killzone studio Guerrilla Games, it was an open-world action game about a…

By Kirk Hamilton Published November 6, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus: The Kotaku Review

The warm sun beats down on a main street in Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, just in time for the Victory Day parade. Uniformed SS march down swastika-filled streets to thunderous applause. By the old diner, two members of the Ku Klux Klan practice their German. Everyone is white and happy. And it is so…

By Heather Alexandra Published October 30, 2017

ReviewsSwitch

Super Mario Odyssey: The Kotaku Review

For Mario, 3D used to mean freedom. In 1996, Super Mario 64 broke Nintendo’s mascot from the shackles of having to run in a straight line, letting the player choose their own path. But for quite some time now—no matter how 3D the graphics may have been—Mario’s adventures have reverted back to running on a…

By Chris Kohler Published October 26, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Assassin’s Creed Origins: The Kotaku Review

For all its extraordinary visual splendor, Assassin’s Creed Origins is ultimately an ordinary video game. That’s not such a bad thing, particularly if you like looking at pretty vistas and watching numbers go up. Origins is the 10th main entry in Ubisoft’s series of historical murder games. It is also the latest in the current…

By Kirk Hamilton Published October 26, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Fire Emblem Warriors: The Kotaku Review

Playing Fire Emblem Warriors feels a bit like herding a pack of ravenous lions. Countless enemies clash against heroes in glorious combat that mixes strategy and absurdity. It’s occasionally overwhelming but if you can tame the mayhem, the result is beautiful. The new game, which is out on the Switch and New 3DS, is part…

By Heather Alexandra Published October 23, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

The Evil Within 2: The Kotaku Review

When we meet Sebastian Castellanos at the beginning of The Evil Within 2, he’s a broken man. The mind-bending events of the previous installment fractured his psyche. He blames himself for not being able to save his daughter Lily from a house fire, and his wife left him. He’s been booted from the police force…

By Stacie Ponder Published October 20, 2017

ReviewsBoard Games

Star Wars Rebellion: Rise Of The Empire: The Kotaku Review

Star Wars Rebellion is an excellent board game that manages to capture the feel of the entire classic trilogy inside a single tabletop experience. Rise of the Empire is a new expansion for the game that does the same thing, only for Rogue One If you’re new to Rebellion, here’s a quick intro: it’s a…

By Luke Plunkett Published October 19, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

South Park: The Fractured But Whole: The Kotaku Review

Early in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, you go up against an enemy kid who cheats. He complains that your last attack shouldn’t count, which heals him to full strength. Then, whining that you didn’t listen when he called “time out,” he steals your turn. It’s an enjoyable reminder of the game’s stakes. Despite…

By Jason Schreier Published October 18, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Brawlhalla: The Kotaku Review

Brawlhalla is a rebellious platform fighter born of a genre dominated by exactly one game. Unlike that game, it didn’t have 15 years of lovable Nintendo characters to work with, or four iterations’ worth of fans. Instead, Brawlhalla is weird. It’s got a fighter made out of the stars and galaxies of space who battles…

By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published October 17, 2017

ReviewsControllers

Razer Wolverine Ultimate Controller Review: Elite-ish

In 2016, Razer attempted to take on Microsoft’s luxurious Xbox One Elite controller with the $150 Wildcat, an ambitious premium gamepad that fell short of greatness. Now Razer is back with the $160 Wolverine Ultimate, a modular, remappable beast that’s one of the best wired Xbox controllers going. After several years of wired Xbox and…

By Mike Fahey Published October 17, 2017

ReviewsHardwareGame Systems

Sega Genesis Flashback HD: The Kotaku Review

Let’s get the comparison we have to make out of the way: No, the Genesis Flashback isn’t as amazing as the SNES Classic. But it’s still pretty good, if you like the games. While Nintendo is setting the world on fire with its 90s nostalgia trip, let’s say your 16-bit desires are more unconventional. Perhaps…

By Chris Kohler Published October 13, 2017

ReviewsKeyboards

Kinesis Freestyle Edge Review: A Split Keyboard Built For Gaming

Do you want a split keyboard that allows the hands, arms and shoulders to sit at a more natural angle while typing, or a fully-programmable gaming keyboard with extensive macro support? Kinesis, makers of the Freestyle Edge mechanical gaming keyboard, say why not both? Kinesis has been designing and manufacturing ergonomic keyboards since 1992, a…

By Mike Fahey Published October 12, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Middle-earth: Shadow of War: The Kotaku Review

When Shadow of Mordor released in 2014, its “nemesis system” was brilliant enough that many people hoped it would define a new generation of games. Years later, that vision of industry-wide character hierarchies that learn, evolve, and remember the player never came to pass. Shadow of War, the follow-up, further sophisticates its legion of orcs,…

By Patricia Hernandez Published October 10, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Hob: The Kotaku Review

Torn asunder by unknown forces and ravaged by corruption, the world of Hob is in desperate need of repair and rescue. Its nameless, silent hero’s quest to set things right is one of the most captivating and spectacular adventures of the year. Having established its mastery of the Diablo-style isometric action RPG with the Torchlight…

By Mike Fahey Published September 29, 2017

ReviewsHardwareGame Systems

SNES Classic: The Kotaku Review

The Super Nintendo Classic is a miniature blast of nostalgia, a sleekly packaged piece of hardware that will transport you back to the days of Dunkaroos and denim jackets. Although one could certainly complain about some of the choices Nintendo has made here, this is a mostly great package that highlights how well the 16-bit…

By Jason Schreier Published September 29, 2017

ReviewsPC

Total War: Warhammer 2: The Kotaku Review

Let’s keep this simple: Total War: Warhammer was a very good strategy game. Total War: Warhammer 2 is better. The game continues Creative Assembly’s tradition of building on the release of a new Total War with a sort of semi-sequel. In the past we’ve seen a bunch of these, from Napoleon (following Empire) to Attila…

By Luke Plunkett Published September 28, 2017

ReviewsRetro

Link: Faces Of Evil: The Kotaku Review

When Nintendo foolishly licensed The Legend of Zelda to Phillips Media in the early 90s, the result was more than just Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon for the company’s CD-i console. Link: Faces of Evil is the action complement to Gamelon’s adventure game sensibilities. It eschews subtlety for a dungeon crawl-fest that is better left…

By Heather Alexandra Published September 28, 2017

ReviewsVideo Games

Divinity: Original Sin 2: The Kotaku Review

I’ve put 81 hours into Divinity: Original Sin 2 over the last 12 days. When I wasn’t playing, I was thinking about it, or talking about it. It’s brilliant and frustrating in turns, and occasionally both at the same time. I adore it, but for now I’m glad to be done with it. Divinity: Original…

By Nathan Grayson Published September 26, 2017