[REVIEW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Played on: Switch
Genre: Action-adventure
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo

It has become commonplace over the last few years to refer to The Legend of Zelda as formulaic, but the franchise is no stranger to sweeping change. From Ocarina of Time's 3D revolution to the touch-based DS experiments, Nintendo's flagship adventure series has tried quite a few bold new directions, with varying levels of success. None of those experiments, however, were as comprehensive as Breath of the Wild. And, it can be argued, none of them were ultimately as fantastic.

[REVIEW] Dragon Quest Builders (PS4)

Dragon Quest Builders
Played on: PS4
Genre: Action RPG, Survival
Developer/Publisher: Square Enix

Given how I love open-ended adventures with a focus on crafting and building, you'd think I'd be all over Minecraft. However, some of that game's quirks, such as the first-player perspective, questionable character design, and lack of objectives, are too off-putting for me. If you change all of those to something more akin to my tastes, you get Dragon Quest Builders, and that makes Square Enix's take on the survival genre a game I surely won't soon forget.

[REVIEW] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4)

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Played on: PS4
Genre: Action-adventure
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Sony has been getting a reputation for its story-driven games, and in that regard the Uncharted series is the company’s crowning jewel. I’m usually not very fond of such titles, as they can often get lost in their movie-wannabe aspirations to the point of severely affecting the gameplay. Uncharted 4, however, won me over by combining pristine level design with an unusually slick amalgamation of gameplay and storytelling.

[REVIEW] Ratchet & Clank (PS4)

Ratchet & Clank
Played on: PS4
Genre: 3D action-platformer
Developer: Insomniac
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Two of the Playstation brand's most celebrated mascots, Ratchet & Clank arrived on PS4 in this remake of their original PS2 title. Having never played the series, and being a fan of 3D platformers, this was a game I eagerly anticipated. What I found out is that the series (or, at least, this particular game) lacks many of the things that made me love the genre in the first place.

[REVIEW] The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Played on: Wii U
Genre: Action-adventure
Developer: Tantalus / Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

I never owned a Wii or a Gamecube, as both those consoles were released during an extended break I took from console gaming. So when I got the backwards compatible Wii U in 2013, as a huge Zelda fan, one of the first things I did was to get Wii's Twilight Princess. Halfway through the second dungeon, I gave up, as I simply couldn't stomach playing through a 3D Zelda with motion controls. Twilight Princess HD, then, was a very welcome way for me to cover this particular hole in my Zelda backlog.