Recent reviews by Luccese

The thrills are strong with this one.

Pros-
+High production values noticeable from the starting scene.
+Varied themes.Although Grim throughout.
+Amazingly well directed cut scenes.Wished there were more of it.
+Open world with strong 'Far Cry' vibes.It's like two maps dotted with enemy outposts and camps.
+If I can be 100% sure about anything in this game,it's the gameplay.If you liked Ground Zeroes(highly recommended to play before this) then you are gonna love this.Multiples ways of approaching a mission and the game recognizes you for it.
+Intuitive controls and wonderful A.I make sure that any way you play will be fun.
+Buddy's add a new layer to the standard gameplay.D-horse for long travel,D-Dog to mark enemies,Quiet to cover you with her sniper rifle and D-Walker.Choosing a buddy which best suits your playstyle is the key.
+It's a thrill generating simulator.Stealth is great,but most likely you are bound to screw up at one point or another.It is at this moment that 'Phantom Pain' shines.Imporvisation is the key.Making use of various gadgets,skills and buddy abilities to get out of hot situation left the biggest mark on me.
+Rarely would you come out missions without a unique anecdote of your own.
+Building your 'Mother Base'.Recruiting soldiers with 'fulton' and finally seeing the base expand to miles from a single platform.
+100's of weapons and gadgets to build and even more ways to customize them.Bringing inventive and innovative way for dealing with every situation.
+Cassette tapes which can be listened to at your convenience.
+Dynamic night and day cycle.Also sandstorms and other unpredictable forces extend replayability.
+Forgiving stealth mechanics(reflex mode) enhances experimentation.Also newcomers to stealth will enjoy it's flexibility.
+While most of the people didn't like the harder rehashed missions in chapter 2.I welcomed it.It challenged me and pushed my abilities.
+Main campaign will probably last people around 40 hrs.
+150+ side ops.Some of them are very important.Others have similar objective on different maps.
+Amazing pc port.Runs smoothly on high even on my old laptop.

Cons-
-Many of the missions have little to do with the overarching plot.Story is given a backseat.
-Unnecessary objectification of 'Quiet'.Justified with a thinly veiled reason.Treats you like a teenager.
-Awkward boss fights.Somewhat akin 'Deus Ex:Human Revolution'.
-Long helicopter journeys to and fro.
-Development time is absurd.

Score-9.5/10
It's not a perfect game.Yes,the story could be more prominent and the boss fights could be more adhering to the flexible gameplay.But these problems are considerably minor compared to what the game has achieved as a whole.It's hands down the best stealth game I have ever played.It's a must own.

Having no knowledge of metal gear lore or any prior knowledge about ground zeroes,this game has really made quite an impression on me.It's flexibility coupled with intuitive controls has really made me wanna play it again and again.

Pros-
+An open world approach.
+Competent enemy A.I.Certainly one of the best you would see in a game.
+Realistic upto a point.It doesn't let the realism intrude upon the fun part of the game.Yet keeping you immersed.
+Stealth is forgiving.Risks,experimentation are rewarding while improvisation is a must.
+Flexible.One moment you are in complete stealth pulling off headshots,and one shot gone wrong and you are fighting the whole base.But what ground zeroes does the best is making the transition between the two feels organic.Although mainly marketed as a stealth game,it works brilliant as a third person shooter.
+Side ops and extra ops.
+Little to no hand holding.
+Great port.Runs on my old pc with pretty much every setting on high.
+Incentive to replay.



Cons-
-Too many instances of breaking the fourth wall."Press 'Tab' to use your idroid Snake".
-Cover mechanics are frustrating.
-Some might feel that campaign is short.
-Newcomers interested in the story will be disappointed.While the back story is somewhat helpful,I was left cold while the game moved on with it's plot.

Score-9/10

20$ is a decent price.There are plenty of other things to do like collecting items,side ops,extra ops.Overall you could get like 8-9 hrs out of it.And a lot more if you replay.This game is addictive as hell.

Not just a game,but an experience.

Pros-
+100 plus hours of content.Not much of it is filler.
+Consistently good voice acting and writing.Gone are the days of one note voice delivery from witcher 2.
+The plot isn't terribly interesting.But a few flashback missions in Ciri's shoes do give a sense of motivation,and help to understand why Geralt wants to find this woman and why she's worth it.
+All of the characters are superbly done.These aren't your typical two dimensional characters.Their dialogues and their reaction to your decisions give them their own personality.
+Intimate and funny moments.
+A vast land with a unique feel to each.
+Choices and their impact are visible throughout.Even the side quests have a bearing on the main quest.
+An excellent,long and well paced campaign.
+Side quests are typically excellent and feel that they been crafted with the same love as given to the main quest.
+Monster Contracts.They bring about that "batman/la noire" detective feel which usually culminate with a satisfying battle with a monster.
+Gameplay has been hugely improved.Signs,swordplay and dodge make a satisfying combination to take down enemies.Fights are at their best when they are in an open ground.
+Rewarding exploration.
+Looting and crafting gears and potions.
+Meet 'gwent'.Probably the best minigame I have played
+16 dlc's free.

Cons-
-This is not quite a negative as the game has a difficulty scale but the it is pretty easy on the normal difficulty.You wouldn't be quite needing those potions and ingredients that forms a major part of the gameplay.
-Annoying witcher sense camera which locks on to an over the shoulder view.
-Horse controls *facepalm*.

Score-9.5/10
It is not without it's flaws but Witcher 3 is a must play and absolutely deserves to be picked up at full price.

Thomas was alone would make you fall in love with indie games.

Pros-
+Amazingly well narrated and humorous.
+Fascinating plot.
+Each cube feels unique and has it's own personality.
+Well Paced.
+Necessity of using each rectangle to complete a level.
+Soundtrack

Score-8.5/10
If you want a challenge, look elsewhere.

Ever imagined how Fargo would be as a video game?

Pros-
+Tantalizing premise.
+Quirky and Idiosyncratic characters make this adventure feel lively and fresh.
+Often humorous.
+Nelson Tethers.
+Simplistic point and click.


Cons-
-In a game with puzzles being a major part of it's story,it's not surprising that puzzles here are rather inconsistent.
-Payoff

Score-6.5/10

After all the hype,I can't help but feel disappointed with Bastion.

Pros-
+Gorgeous art style with lush colors and visuals.
+Over the top narration and writing.
+Soundtrack.
+Weapons and upgrades with a lot of enemy variety.

Cons-
-Boring combat and gameplay.

Score-6/10

Puzzles are tough,atmosphere is ghostly,death is omnipresent.Welcome to Limbo.

Pros-
+Eerie atmosphere.
+Challenging puzzles.
+Trial and error.
+Minimal use of sound.
+Simplistic controls.

Cons-
-Ending might disappoint some.
-Frustrating at times.

Score-8.5/10

All hail the jump scares!

Pros-
+Insane asylum is as good a place as any for a horror story.
+Brutal,bloody and violent.
+Scary as ♥♥♥♥!
+Uses clever jump scares in the beginning.
+Having no weapons makes enemy confrontations tense.It's basically an elaborate hide n seek.
+Smart use of camera and darkness.
+Sound design

Cons-
-Fetch quest design.
-Disappointing final act.
-As you make your way towards the end,the enemies get less scary,the batteries a plenty,and jump scares a bit stale.

Score-7.5/10

Telltale continues it's form with this installment.If only they could make indivisual episode length a bit longer.......

Pros-
+Telltale's comic strip artwork.
+Taking control of Clementine.
+Each episode is well paced and is packed with action.
+A pleasant surprise.
+Clementine is surrounded by fascinating characters which you grow to care and love.
+I am not generally a fan of QTE's but the way telltale has managed them so far is admirable.

Cons-
-Short episode lengths.
-Clementine feels unnaturally adult.While taking control of her character we make decisions for her.This leads to her taking decisions which are mature and not felt like taken by a child.Although it can be argued that she might have been hardened because of the situation,still it feels like too big a leap.
-Not as hard hitting as previous season.

Score-8.5/10

When it comes down to it Splinter Cell Blacklist is a great action espionage game which will be thoroughly relished by fans of the genre.

Pros-
+Interesting characters on board.
+Stealth gameplay is solid as ever.
+New and interesting ways to take enemies out.
+Well designed large maps each level.
+While it's gameplay is evolved from conviction,it's roots are more tied to the older games.
+Each character having his/her own side mission.
+Purchasing and upgrading the aircraft.Plus lots of cool weapons and gadgets.

Cons-
-As you keep progressing through you wish there were more variety in game objectives.It felt quite boring after a while.
-No one seems to be playing online.I Couldn't even find one person to play the spies vs mercs or other co-op levels.If you want to play online make sure you ask your friend to buy it too.
-While the game may say there are three approaches to each situation you would most likely stick ghost and predator(which is not necessarily bad) cause combat is extremely tough.


Score-8/10