Recent reviews by Awkward White Male

While some aspects of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are a technical nightmare, it makes up for it with charisma and atmosphere. Don't go into this expecting an experience like Call of Duty; your guns are inaccurate, on purpose, to force you to engage with your rivals. It is also very easy to bleed-out or get irradiated and die. (save every time you finish a firefight) This is not a beautiful masterpiece, but it is worth a buy (just don't expect your aim to be amazing).

Resident Evil/Biohazard 7 (RE7) incites a familiar feeling to the series by bringing it back to it's roots of survival horror. That being said, it's not without some flaw.

RE7 takes place on the Baker Property in Dulvey, LA. A swamp with an engrossingly eerie atmosphere, even in daylight. You take control of Ethan Winters, a man in search for his wife (Mia Winters) who has been missing for three years. Upon arriving, things already feel out of place, getting progressivly worse upon entering the Baker Guest House.

I felt a great sense of dread wandering the halls of the Baker Residence. Will a "molded" appear around this corner? How many will there be? Do I have enough ammo (usually not)? I felt helpless at times. The atmosphere, made possible by the photo-realistic RE Engine, is so on par, it could be compared to a photo of an abandoned house.

Slowly strolling along, I heard creaks in the floorboard, crows cawing in the distance, thunder from storms outside. All this melded with the desolate imagry of the home. Photo's of the Baker's were neatly displayed, their personal items available for discovery. This "was" their home.

The personality of the Baker Residence is truly the star of RE7. It's almost immaculate. That feeling of dread stayed with me through my playthrough (10hrs 11mins/Normal). Sadly though, after the Baker's Residence, I felt tense rather than terrified. The later area's of the game, while presented perfectly, lost that sense of personality that made the Baker's Residence such a dismal delight to wander though. (No Spoilers)

This is all anyone who is looking to buy the game should know about the general exposition. Swamp. Creepy House with multiple additions and f****d up monsters. This isn't a story summary, it's a review.

Gameplay:

-RE7 takes place in first person, a first for the series. This adds tremendously to immersing yourself in the atmosphere and actually feeling frightened.
-The gun-play has a great solid feel to it (when I missed a headshot, I knew it was my fault). Guns have "oompf" to both firing and the audio associated with it.
-Ethan moves pretty slow, but not to a level where it feels unfair.
-RE7 really isn't puzzle intensive. Find key with corresponding lock, match object shadow to match photo. I did, however, enjoy hidden items such as the toy axe (misplaced, seeming to have no purpose, but opens a lock).
-The pacing is set nicely by incremental breaks made possible by Safe Rooms, where you can save and do inventory management.
-Upgrades are optional by buying them in the trailer via "Antique Coins," adding more reason to explore. (Some can be found in the world.)

Story:

The only aspect of the game that keeps it from a perfect score. It's well written and never loses it's self up until the end, but, I felt that the last hour was rushed. Tied up in a bow even. For long time gamers, it's like Halo 2, great up until that final encounter where it felt like they ran out of ideas and just ended it. I wanted a more, not dramatic, but more impactful resolution (for both endings, I got ending 1). It was good, but not great, nothing like it deserved.

Pros:

-Amazing Atmosphere
-Incites Fear
-General Gameply works great
-The Baker's are iconic

Cons:

-Lackluster ending
-Felt "shooty" in later stages
-Some texture pop-ins

Verdict:

9/10- Awesome and worth the purchase.

An expertly crafted piece of art. The subtle melodrama that occurs within the relationships is nostalgic of early 1990s stories, which is awesome. Life is Strange takes a slower pace than other games. The art style is amazing, the characters have their own personality, shifting time is interesting and the soundtrack adds a flare of emotional connection to Max's world. A 10/10 from me. Give it a try.

A comprehensive review will be written once Episode 5 is released in September.

Skullgirls is an absolutely gorgeous 2-D fighting adventure, Anyone who has ever been a fan of 2-D fighting games should pick this one up. The combos are spot on, the story (ususally lacking) is fairly interesting. I give it an 8.5/10.