Reviews Archives - Page 50 of 129

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

ReviewsRetro

Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon: The Kotaku Review

In 1993, Nintendo made the inexplicable decision to license The Legend of Zelda to Phillips Media, creators of the CD-i. Among the resulting games is Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. It’s known as one of the worst games ever made. Replaying it 24 years later reveals a game with interesting ideas marred by atrocious execution.…

By Heather Alexandra Published September 26, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: The Kotaku Review

Danganronpa has had a hell of a journey over the past few years, telling stories in the form of visual novels, anime, and even a third-person shooter. The latest entry in the series, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, feels like a fresh beginning of sorts. This piece originally appeared 9/22/17. If you aren’t familiar with the…

By Eric Van Allen Published September 26, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

NBA 2K18 MyCareer: The Kotaku Review

I can’t believe 2K managed to screw this up so badly. Note: As we’ve done the last few years, this is only a review of 2K18’s MyCareer mode, not the entire game. I think its presence as the best-known singleplayer sports RPG, coupled with the focus 2K places on it in terms of creating and…

By Luke Plunkett Published September 25, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

The Lego Ninjago Movie Videogame: The Kotaku Review

The Lego Ninjago Movie Videogame is short and a little rough, but a dynamic new combat system and a couple surprising tweaks to aging mechanics make it one of the most exciting new Lego games in years. The eight story chapters in the game focus on rehashing the plot of The Lego Ninjago Movie. Green…

By Mike Fahey Published September 25, 2017

ReviewsKeyboards

Vava Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review: Not Bad For A Budget Board

There are a lot of big-name peripheral manufacturers making mechanical keyboards, but a search for the term “mechanical keyboard” on Amazon yields a ton of keyboards from companies you’ve probably never heard of. Like Vava, makers of the relatively good $80 no-name mechanical I’ve been typing on for the past week. At this point in…

By Mike Fahey Published September 20, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Destiny 2: The Kotaku Review

As I struggle to fall asleep after a night of Destiny 2, the game keeps running through my mind. It’s like getting a song stuck in my head: I see the flash of combat and feel the rumbling controller in my hand. But I rarely hear the sounds of battle. Instead, I hear voices. They…

By Kirk Hamilton Published September 19, 2017

ReviewsMultiplatform

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider: The Kotaku Review

Dishonored has always been about the journey more than the destination, discovering secrets in its levels and finding creative ways to fulfill its objectives. Death of the Outsider, the game’s new standalone DLC, stays true to this strength. It doesn’t reinvent the game, but it doesn’t need to. Narratively, Death of the Outsider fits with…

By Riley MacLeod Published September 18, 2017