Sevvy88

The game fails to live up to the fully realized traditions of LoL and DotA and it fils to live up to the polished standards of Blizzard titles. Not their best work. I daresay the game "feels" free to play in the worst possible way: like it's a side project that is never quite finished and always "almost there." After being stuck in development for nearly 7 years, here in 2016, Heroes of the Storm still lacks features we've come to take for granted in other genre titles, fails to garner a strong Twitch following, has messy tournaments, and overall is not anything of a spectacle. Not Blizzard's finest hour. Perhaps the game would have been better if they had stuck to their original plan of making it a Starcraft Arcade title.

Blizzard still has it. When the studio puts their mind to it you can see the passion. Overwatch is lovely, fun, fast paced, addictive, challenging, and full of character. People have been talking about the FPS genre becoming stale and on life support and we've watched even Battlefield devolve into a CoD clone to rake in easier dollars, but Overwatch stands on its own and apart. It has an identity, and is original enough that the "Team Fortress 2 clone" accusations really have no basis. Definitely pick this one up.

More of the same, yet less of what made WoW special years ago. The game simply serves to remind me of "What used to be", and each time I glimpse at the current state of WoW I simply yearn more for the design of old. Warlords of Draenor's questing is quick, painless, and does a good job at conveying the story, and as usual, Blizzard's art team takes what little they have to work with on WoW's old engine and makes it shine in a huge, surprising way. Yet gameplay wise there is so much left to be desired. So many abilities stripped away, so much of the "world" becoming a simple, linear experience, professions becoming useless, the majority of the game revolving around instanced content... it makes World of Warcraft feel like less of a world than ever before. WoW still has a good framework, and I'll always love the world itself, but its implementation and its single minded approach to become more and more routine, strict, and linear have turned me off to the game. I have heard this expansion as being hailed as a "return to the roots", yet nothing could be further from the truth. I question if these individuals experienced the early years of WoW pre-Cataclysm, and even pre WOTLK. You cannot sum up WoW by any one expansion, as the game changes slowly over a period of time, but Warlords of Draenor left me cold. I suspect this will be the last WoW chapter I purchase.

I'm not sure if I could recommend this for someone who wasn't already a fan of South Park, but for a fan, this game does more than enough. Filled with references, spot on with the humor and satire of the show, and full of subtle commentary while never being heavy handed, Stick of Truth was a big surprise for me. I never thought I'd enjoy a South Park game, or even play one, but this has been a pleasant surprise. As a game it stands as a solid but very casual RPG. Instead of stripping all semblance of RPG out like modern games have done, Stick of Truth instead opts to simplify them and make them approachable. It is clear that Stick of Truth is no Baldur's Gate, but it never tries to be, sticking more closely to a the spirit of the kids' game: make believe kingdoms of humans and elves. Definitely a must for South Park fans, and certainly not a bad game for weekend dungeon heroes who enjoy casual RPG experiences. Check it out!

Extremely modern and pretentious. It borders on ****. Even the genre on Metacritic begs my loathing "Modern". Yeah, alright. I'm the first to step up and say that video games need to start breaching more serious territory if they wish to be considered "art", but the main point of the medium should not be forgotten: to be a game. This game follows a trend of "artsy fartsy" games on Steam that, frankly, would only entice the imagination of the clueless. The game is hardly a game at all, and what of its architecture that -IS- a game is horribly boring and dull. You cannot sacrifice your narrative for gameplay, a faux pas Blizzard constantly makes, but likewise, you cannot sacrifice your gameplay for narrative, especially when the narrative isn't a very good one. The voice acting of the main character is sometimes painfully awkward and feels artificial, like the actor is not really identifying with his scene. In the end the game tries way too hard and fails. The storytelling is boring, the graphics are offensively ugly, and the controls are pretty poor for a release on M/Kb in 2014. What potential the story could have had, and what level of "art" the game could have achieved is all but lost in a poor foundation for a game. Sorry, Serena!

It feels like what Diablo 3 should have been. Granted, it's not as much of a "lock yourself in your room for a year" kind of game, but the guns are varied, the enemies are challenging, and the game doesn't hold your hand down a linear path. Pandora feels like a massive, uncharted place to explore, and you are constantly challenged and rewarded for doing so. The writing is stellar, the characters are memorable, the visuals fit right in with the overall theme of the game. It's a great ride that I'll definitely return to more than once. Well worth it, even 2 years now after release.

I've been playing this quite a bit lately and have been very surprised by how much I am enjoying it. It is the cure for the itch that fans of early day WoW/TBC have been having for years now. A return to an MMO experience less insulting to the intelligence of the player. The game looks very good, though it's visuals might turn some off. I was wary at first, but I find them charming and pleasing to the eye. It's a very colorful and lively feeling world that doesn't take itself too seriously, but still manages to capture your attention. The "loudness" of the game's silliness may turn some away, but I haven't found it to be overbearing. I've been pleasantly surprised in that respect. The combat is very pro-active and demands your attention. By the first dungeon you will be having your chops tested in a way that recent MMO's have been far too scared to do. It's a refreshing change of pace and really adds to the game's appeal. You feel like you accomplish something when you take down a really hard enemy and you know it was because you played well, not just because you're OP. The PvP feels fun and fluid, and is very fast paced. Again, skill seems to play a large factor here as well, as someone who cannot aim their skill shots will not be doing very well at all. Also, this game supports open world PvP, something that recent games like GW2 and ESO have shied away from entirely. You -will- see the other faction in the world, and on a PvP realm they will try to kill you. Great! Audio in the game is pretty good. The tracks are fantastic and capture the spirit of the game world pretty well, but I do wish there were more variety in the tracks in-game. I've found myself re-listening to many of them as I've played, and you start to recognize the ones you hear often. The music is good, but they could use more variety. Group content is in tall order, but you can solo as well. Wildstar's landscape is riddled with elite enemies, world bosses, group quests, and mobs that will generally just wreck your face. The dungeons require coordination and some communication. No more sleeping through the leveling process. This was a return to form for the genre imo, and I've been really enjoying it. The housing system feels fully fleshed out, and doesn't feel tacked on at all. I've been enjoying it immensely. You can pour quite a bit of time into just tinkering around with your house and land, planting in your garden, and going out into the world with the sole purpose of finding new pieces of decor. For instance, the last boss in the first dungeon I did dropped an epic quality statue! I won it and now have a bad to the bone huge dragon statue on my front lawn! Cool! Overall, if you've been disenchanted with the "e z peezy" philosophy of recent MMO's and have been waiting for a fully featured theme park MMO that got back to the roots of the theme park genre in terms of teamwork, expansiveness, and systems complexity, then give Wildstar a shot. My only gripe is that the UI is a bit buggy requiring frequent reloads of the UI. For instance, name plates often disappear among other things, but they seem to patch nightly and things slowly come together day by day. The meat of the game is stable and runs well for me. I have found a total of one bugged quest. Regardless, it is a quality product.

What can I say? The game isn't bad. It's certainly not the worst MMO I've played, but does that mean it's great? Sadly, no. It does what it does passably. It's a theme-park MMO set in the Elder Scrolls universe. That in itself might be enough to put people off from it. My real issue with the game stems from the fact that everything it does, it does only passably well. Combat? Guild Wars 2 has better. Exploration? Same. Story? SW:TOR presents and delivers a better RPG element and main story than ESO does. Graphics? Final Fantasy: ARR is much sharper and with the times. The visuals are nice, but ultimately remind me of a Warhammer Online in HD. Dynamic events? See Rift and, again, Guild Wars 2. Like many people have pointed out, the game is just so painfully average. It's not the most on rails of the theme parks, so that at least is a plus, and the voice over questing -is- better than the "Read this huge text box" type mechanic, but simply having these traits isn't enough. WoW long stopped being the game that I judge MMO's by, because since WoW, we've had some great additions to the genre. Anyone who has played MMO's in any mentionable capacity in the last 10 years will constantly be feeling like they've done all of this before. I find myself bored after an hour or so. So, the game doesn't really bring anything new to the table. For people just picking up their first MMO's or who are truly in love with the Elder Scrolls world (the lore -is- very good) then this game might knock it out of the park. For your average MMO player looking for the next star in an already overcrowded sky of games though? I fear this is not it. Not bad, but not great. It just "is what it is." Another theme park. I fear the game often has more considering re-installing Skyrim or Oblivion, even Morrowind, rather than continue playing it. It is hard to tell who they exactly were making this game for.

A big step in the right direction for the game. After a dissappointing initial launch the series became crippled with poor reception due to a game that was perceived as being fundamentally broken, and in many cases this was a fair criticism. The AH is now gone, and with this most gear has become bound to your character, only tradeable between party members, but at the same time, we've seen a huge re-vamp of how a player finds rewards. Simply put, finding your own gear finally works now, getting back to the essence of the genre. The Mystic adds some much needed wiggle room to play with unwanted stats, gems have been upgraded, and the Blacksmith abounds with new patterns, many of them legendary, for players to try their hand at crafting. The new Crusader class fills the void of a mid-range caster/battlemage archetype based around the traditional "Holy Warrior" trope. Personality wise the Crusader falls short, but fans of the overall archetype will probably enjoy playing one. It's a solid class, no doubts. Other classes have received a new skill, complete with new runes for it, and an extra passive slot along with new passives. Not bad, especially those skills belonging to the Demon Hunter and Wizard. The classic classes have also been tweaked numbers wise in many ways. Your mileage may vary. The Paragon system has been re-worked to a fantastic effect and is now account wide, allowing the player to allocate special points as they level up to certain stats like Movement Speed, Crit Chance, Attack Speed, Armor, etc. It's very cool, especially once you rack up enough Paragon levels to see significant results from your stat choices. Act V is the best act in the game without a doubt. It's still not high literature or anything, but it's a cut above the rest, and you can see that they took a lot of time and effort to create it. It's very cool and immersive. They held nothing back for it. Lore nerds celebrate, there are many tomes to be listened to! The Adventure Mode with the Bounties and Nephalem Rifts is fantastic and finally makes farming something players can do freely without being tethered to a story. Want to clear Keeps then port to Act 1 to clear Hollow? No problem. Want to do some mini-quests along the way? No problem. Want to open some Neph Rifts and just kill hordes of monsters in a huge dungeon, culminating in a boss like the Butcher, Cydaea, or Rakanoth? No problem. With the addition of the clans and communities feature, finding friends to do these things with has never been easier as well. Overall the expansion is solid, thought not revolutionary. What is most important is that Reaper fixes the core game, and sets it back on track. With ladders in the future, and whispers of a potential 3rd expansion, I think it's safe to say that Diablo 3 is well on its way to recovery and a re-gaining of respect. Definitely pick up Reaper of Souls if grinding your face off against hordes of demons sounds like your thing. It's worth the money.

Just because you can... doesn't mean you should. I really appreciate all the throwbacks to retro gaming that have been coming out lately, but this just didn't do it for me. Maybe it was the awful way I had to use my joysticks as opposed to a d-pad, maybe it was the horrible music, maybe it was the lame story, or the lame combat... or the fact that the game really isn't that puzzling... It just didn't take me in. Big let down.

I knock games a lot, A LOT for having poor narratives and stories fit for an 8th grader, but this game is not one of them. I've been a zombie fan for a long time. I think the last great zombie game I played that tried to have a compelling story was probably Resident Evil 2, and that was a long time ago now. Walking Dead commits in one direction in the same way that Call of Duty does: except instead of the direction of blowing things up you are being told a story. This story though, in many ways, is your own to tell. It's a "choose your own adventure" game to a degree, and that adds a lot to it. It's necessary even. Who will you save? Who will you feed in your group? Who gets left behind? Who is or isn't pulling their weight? Just a few decisions you'll have to make while playing. There were only maybe one or two times that I felt the pacing was slow, and towards the end of the story, things get really gripping and grim. I felt like I was back playing Resident Evil 2 again, but remember, we're talking about the same suspense and dread featured in an action horror game, except I'm experiencing it in a story game. It's just masterfully produced and executed. I found it a pleasure to look at on my monitor as well. It looks markedly better on PC than it does on the Xbox. I really can't say enough. It's sort of the "game I've been waiting for." I facepalm constantly at the horrible story direction that most games have, this was like being thrown a much wanted bone. Only problem: it will leave you hungry for more.

It's alright. Really underwhelming. I didn't find it as addicting as Geometry Wars. The music is really cool, but like others have said, the game is vague. It's hard to know what things do, and the progression system of powering up your ship feels kind of pointless. I never really started to feel badass at any point, but I suppose that isn't the purpose? I don't know. It's a cool arcade game, but it failed to keep me coming back for more. It's too bad. I really loved Geometry Wars and played it for hours a few years ago. I was hoping RBS would be similar, but it failed to capture. Chalk it up to personal preference maybe, but it didn't do it for me.

Ok, so, DotA 2 is going to be what makes e-sports a mainstream thing in the West like it is over in S. Korea w/ Starcraft. I really believe this. Valve has done a simply amazing job of bringing the game over into its own while retaining the character and solid mechanics of its WC3 counterpart. It's a highly challenging game that will immerse you for hours, the support of the pro scene is phenomenal, and the little holiday events that Valve puts on just ads to the charm of the game. The characters are well developed and feel unique not only in their gameplay styles, but also in their personalities. They do not feel static, but feel very alive, just like an RPG should. It's the perfect blend. If you're into games that are addicting, have high skill caps, e-sports, team play, and community, then definitely try DotA. The community CAN be a little brutal sometimes, but once you find some good, mature, and patient friends to play with, that's when this game really shines. Their matchmaking system would be my only complaint. They are still sorting it and are actively looking at ways to improve it, but it's really put a damper on the game since its launch. The temporary issues with MM aside, this game is an absolute masterpiece. What could you expect from Valve though? These guys are the new Blizzard.

Just a little overrated in my opinion. It's a strong narrative for a video game for certain, but much of it is lost in translation. I don't think FPS creators are too stupid to write a good story, I just think that the genre generally doesn't lend itself well to strong narratives. Things get lost in the action. A strong mark against the game are the bugs. There are many, many, many. I had an entire boss fight glitch out on me at one point. It was awful and embarrassing. How do you miss errors like that? They are glaring! The game tries to mix up the gameplay by often giving you the option of stealthing past enemies. For someone like me who prefers that kind of gameplay it was a welcome addition. I'm, admittedly, not a huge FPS fan. The gameplay overall is pretty good though. I can't really complain past the bugs. One thing that this game deserves STELLAR praise for is the presentation of the setting. Whoever constructed the levels should get a raise. They are great. The shanty towns that the residents of Metro live in are a pleasure to explore and at times disturbing. Just like the real world, and certainly just what it would be like in the wake of a nuclear holocaust. The game can be disturbingly true to life at times which has garnered it some hate, particularly in the name of women's rights, but honestly, I think the creators were simply being true to what things would be like. It's not SUPPOSED to make you feel good and the creators do us more of a justice by showing us just how disturbing things can be, and often are, instead of pandering to us. It's a 7, but a strong 7. Rent it.

The last great mainstream RPG. Probably Bioware's last great game. It was definitely downhill from here. Lots of replay value, great characters, great dialogue, engaging gameplay. It's a challenging game that makes you stop and think about your tactics and choices in combat, and that's rare these days. You can and will make mistakes developing your characters. Replaying the game is always a gem and you'll usually find new things to notice every time you play through. This game made a big impression on me, and it really illustrated to me just how horrible most video games are because it provided such a high quality experience. A must own, a rental will not do it justice. Also, mod support for the PC is a plus!

Underwhelming. I think that's the best word here. I remember watching my mom play A Link to the Past as a small child and being so excited when I got Ocarina of Time for my birthday one year. I really expected a lot out of this game, but it seems that the "on-rails" hand holding trend in modern gaming has tarnished even Zelda. The story is cute and typical, Link and Zelda are as adorable as they have ever been, and the dungeons are pretty well designed and fun, but the exploration is gone. That sense of place that was galloping through Hyrule on Epona's back is definitely gone. And did I mention that I hated the flying thing? Maybe I am just handicapped, but seriously, it just didn't feel good. It's alright. It's not Zelda, at least not how I remember Zelda being. Oh well.

I've waited a long time to say something about this game. A year to be exact, and since then, things have changed considerably. Was the game ridiculous upon release? Yes. Was it a game worthy of a 3.8 user score? No. Was it worthy of a 10? No. Blizzard did the right thing and is sticking by their game. It's hard to review their games because they constantly revise and update their methods and content. It's why writing a review on WoW is kind of pointless. You may love the game one month, and hate it the next. Diablo 3 has been moving, mostly, in the right direction. The story is weak and forgettable like with most video games. You won't be coming into contact with anything but a story designed for a 16 year old boy with little expectations. (Sorry, guys!) The gameplay is solid and visceral, but it lacks the complexity of RPG's in which you tailor and custom build your own character. The game focuses on "builds" with skills and the ability to switch them out on the fly as opposed to a stat allocation system in which all decisions are final. Take it or leave it. It's fun to smash monsters, and that's what D3 is mostly about: killing demons in the most brutal fashion imaginable. The maps gets repetitive after the 200th hour of play, but then again, what wouldn't? Still, I was expecting more variation on the part of Blizzard. Some places literally are the same thing each and every time. The MP can be fun, especially with friends, it is finally better to play WITH people as opposed to running away from them and sticking to solo play. The items in the game can still feel weak in an overall sense and in the subtle sense that most items don't' really do anything but boost your stats in increments. It's very World of Warcraft in that sense, no really cool things going on with the gear. Overall, I think it's a good game, but it's not revolutionary. I find myself playing it because I feel there simply isn't anything else that is a good time sink right now, and I'm not sure that's a good reason to play a game, but there it is. Diablo 3 will eventually probably be a gem, but it is still a work in progress. It's not nearly as bad as people want to believe though. It's a solid game, it's just not "Blizzard level".

Fantastic game. Great narrative, creepy setting, and Alan Wake is such a helpless, lovable nerd. It has a strong identity. It knows the kind of game that it wants to be and is and it sticks with it. The music selections and episodic nature of the game ads a lot to the experience as well. The ending will have you wondering and scratching your head, and the main theme of the game, performed by the band Poets of the Fall, will find its way on to every nerd's iPod. My one complaint is the wonky controls on the mouse/keys. Probably much better with a controller. Definitely experience this game though.

It's hard to not like this game. It's really great to look at, the story is fun, the narrative clicks along nicely, and the gameplay is engaging. What makes it shine though is the revision of Lara Croft from a fan service brain on boobs to a believable and real young woman. She is still sexy, but she is sexy for the right reasons: because she is fierce, intelligent, capable, and faces her fears. She's awesome. Definitely a must play.

Probably the best MMO to be released since World of Warcraft in 2004. It's been a long time, with alot of wannabes, and in recent years, there have been a couple of games that tried to shake the formula up in one way or another, but not a game that really, overall, produced something special. Guild Wars 2 doesn't completely revolutionize the genre, but if you want a game that perfects idea brought forth in Tera, SW:TOR, Rift, War, and yes, even WoW, and throws them in one pile, polishes them nicely, and improves upon them in almost every way, then Guild Wars 2 is worth a try. The PvE experience in terms of exploration and immersion in a world that always keeps you occupied and always keeps you playing and always keeps rewarding you is unmatched. World of Warcraft's questing system will truly show its age. Things like WvWvW are exhilarating. and for gamers keen on guilds and organized grouping will be rewarded by it. The thing that truly sets the game apart though is how seemelssly the experience flows together. There is a gentle guiding hand in Guild Wars 2, but it's so light of a touch that you won't even notice that you are being led along. It's doing what every MMO before it since WoW has claimed to do: improve the genre in almost every way imaginable. It's not a complete re-imagining of MMO's, but it certainly is the long awaited step towards the future that I think we have all been waiting for. Give it a shot.

For years many gamers have watched and waited for a game that would pique their interest in the same way WoW did (and for many continues to) did years ago. The MMO market has been a dreadful one, and Bioware promised alot with this game. Did they deliver? Early signs are pointing, for the most part, yes. The game is extremely well put together. The zones flow well, the story clicks along, and the combat is solid, albeit traditional. If WoW expanded upon Everquest in all the right ways, then I believe SW:TOR continues this trend. MMO veterans will feel comfortable immediately with the UI and combat, but before you walk out, give it a chance. The story is what Bioware has been pushing HARD for this game, and at first I was skeptical. Let me tell you, the story in WoW never interested me, and I am an AVID reader to boot. Not the case with SW:TOR. I find myself "stepping into my character's shoes" quite constantly. The voice overs add immersion and, get this, Bioware did a FANTASTIC job of making sure that even if you are grouped, voice overs can be seamless. The voice acting is not Hollywood level, but for a video game, it is certainly above standard. Bioware is famous for their storytelling in games, and SW:TOR absolutely shines here. Gameplay wise the game strikes a fair balance between fairly easy and challenging. The game will require you to group at times to complete certain missions, many of which your companion will not be enough to make up the difference of lacking another player's help. I welcome this return of group questing. Fear not though, group quests are not overdone. There are far more solo quests than group quests, and while the solo quests are fairly easy, they are not insulting to the player's intelligence. That may be because I am still learning my class. :) Those who claimed this would be a "single player MMO" are only imposing that on themselves at this point. The most fun I have had in game has been in groups, and I find FREQUENT opportunities to play with others. The instances are fun and click along at a nice pace, here again, the story does wonders. Watching your group members gasp at you when, despite all of their choices, you win the conversation roll and choose a dark side option will never get old. It creates alot of opportunity for discussion and friendly banter. Great stuff. The instances are very do-able, but again, I didn't feel like my intelligence was insulted. Crafting feels traditional in some respects, but contains a twist: you can send your companion to gather materials and run "crew skill missions" for you while you quest, group in an instance, or just chill out in a city socializing. This is a GREAT addition. I've never met someone who enjoyed farming. There are still many nodes in the open game world for players to collect for materials as they quest as well. Again, Bioware striking a great balance. That really is the name of the game here: balance. Bioware didn't re-invent the wheel by any means, they kept it simple and traditional in many ways, but the spins they have put on it are refreshing and fun. If you are looking for a game that is unlike any MMO ever, then sadly, you will probably be disappointed, the game is by no means a "WoW clone" anymore than WoW was an "EQ clone." Good ideas build off of one another, they don't exist in vacuums. So why the 7 and not a 10 or a 9? Well, because the game can improve in many ways. There are still many bugs afflicting players, and Bioware's support team has been less than transparent about them. The UI cannot be customized, not even resized, and quite frankly, I find it maddening and unacceptable. The game could use better group forming tools, as right now you simply much spam a chat channel for a group. High res textures are also not working. The game still needs alot of love, and I don't think anyone will deny that if they take an honest look at the state of things. Overall, the game is solid, and I truly believe it has great potential to see success. Personally I am having a BLAST, and haven't enjoyed an MMO this much since my first journeys in WoW back in 2006. Great jobs Bioware, now just keep up the good work. That's going to be the hardest part... and the true test.

To put it short: brilliant game. I have been using every spare moment of my time since the game released to play it. I honestly can't remember being this immersed in a game since I first played World of Warcraft back in 2006 or so. That's really saying something considering most games do not impress me at all these days. Having never been a fan of the Elder Scrolls series before this game, perhaps my opinions is a little skewed. For me, this has been an entirely new experience that I thought may have only existed in MMO's, a market that is completely saturated at this current time. I was beyond surprised and pleased when I began my journeys through the harsh, beautiful, and vast world of Skyrim. The voice overs are good, only becoming cheesy or poor from time to time, the combat system is fun and feels rewarding br leveling your character up in real time by actually performing an action, and perks you receive from leveling up definitely make your character feel like more of a hero. That heavy armor may take up alot of your bag space, but trust me, once you fill out your perks, it's worth it! Other skills are improved upon in a similar, rewarding way. The game isn't without it problems. The game has several glitches, and many people have even run into game breaking bugs. If you play on PC, there seems to be a constant "crash to desktop" error as well that can be pretty infuriating when you are engrossed in the game. Having to constantly save due to a game's instability is unacceptable. Overall, the game is gorgeous and rewarding, though at times the bugs can cause you to want to rip your hair out. Given the massive size of this world and the adventures that take place in it though, most players will be willing to forgive them. The good far, far outweighs the bad. A game I will certainly never forget.