Recent reviews by Candy Van

Old school, zombie killin' fun.

Hampered by old AI and some tight time mechanics, but an absolute 360 classic.

Hands down one of the greatest survival horror games of all time. A must-play at this point, RE4 even holds its mettle against modern games in its genre.

A long involved campaign, plenty of weapons and items to upgrade/use, intense bosses, and a wide variety of enemies keep RE4 a riveting game from beginning to end.

In my opinion, the greatest Resident Evil game, and a top 5 in its genre. Highly recommend.

A game clearly with little thought or effort put into it. You primarily take the role of a scuba diver sent on a series of (unexplained) missions to spearfish and collect treasure.

Gameplay and visuals are serviceable; no game-breaking bugs. Very "cheap" looking interface and menus.

Not much to be found here.

Stylized visuals, an eerie atmosphere, and an interesting story make the Fall a very gripping game.

While the gameplay itself is nothing spectacular, it is at the very least serviceable, allowing you to complete your objectives and advance the story at a satisfying pace.

Those that are a fan of post-apocalyptic or dystopian science fiction should definitely take a look for the price.

Absolutely addicting.

Randomly generated levels, a variety of weapons and items, and the ability to quickly jump back into the game after dying make Spelunky a very enjoyable experience in short bursts.

Game can be frustrating, but the developers did a good job of making the controls tight enough to make it feel like it is your own fault when you die. Nice looking game, good controls, easy recommendation.

Very simplistic arcade style game, done as a homage to the famed Gauntlet series.

Be warned, not a typical Gauntlet experience, so those looking to create the original game should look elsewhere. Melee abilities, blocking, and other mechanics serve to separate this title from the source material.

Also, recommend playing with friends; can be a somewhat monotonous single-player experience.

**Binding of Isaac**

Story (6/10):
BoI's story is simple; a boy is stranded in the basement of his home, chased by his abusive Mother who believes it is God's will that her son must die. In all honesty, the story is not very important to the game, and is not a focal point.

Gameplay (8/10):
BoI plays like a standard 4-directional shooter, introducing a gameplay style that is easy to learn, but difficult to master, so to speak. The game introduces numerous enemies, and staggering amounts of upgrades and items that the player must use to utilize throughout the game. Combined with an unforgivingly hard difficulty, the average player should be prepared to die. A lot. Unfortunately, the game sometimes is hindered by its forcing of the player to only shoot in the cardinal directions, since enemies come from all sides.

The game's ability to randomize the levels/powerups through each playthrough gives you motivation to continue to play, and feels satisfying throughout.

Visuals (8/10):
The game has a cartoony, Flash presentation, similar to Super Meat Boy, that is pleasing to the eye. McMullen paints a dark picture of Isaac's basement, introducing horrible creatures and disturbing imagery that is not always as cutesy as the main character. The game is obviously not trying to be a graphical powerhouse, and it works.

Sound (7/10):
Solid, suspenseful music, combined with apt sound effects, give me no complaints about this aspect of the game.

Replayability (10/10):
BoI's entire purpose is to be replayed, over and over again. Games are very short, either because the player dies from the game's brutality, or finishes the playthrough (only takes an hour or so). Usually, a playthrough will unlock new items, reveal new strategies for the player to use, or provide some other incentive for the player to try again. The game tries to be addicting, and succeeds immensely. It's hard to put this game down once you pick it up.

OVERALL:
BoI is successful in what it tries to do; make a rogue-like arcade shooter with RPG elements that allows for many quick plays, that incentivize the player to keep going. It's a real treat to play.

8.5/10

Dead Rising 2: OTR (SP Only) *** Combining DR2 and DR2:OTR ***

Story (5/10):
DR2: OTR's story is largely the same as the other two DR installments. A somewhat bland story, sometimes perked by Capcom's characteristically silly character interactions. Overall, not a strong point of the game.

Gameplay (7/10):
DR2: OTR delivers the same Dead Rising experience that fans of the series have come to know, and sometimes love. Hordes of zombies flood the screen, and as usual, your job is to smite them using a variety of crazy weapons, ranging from laser shooting masks to chainsaw-tipped kayak paddles. DR2 and DR2:OTR really picked up from DR in the sense that they added a LOT of new weapons, which helps the game keep fresh throughout its duration. It personally never got old to smash through piles of enemies using an ever-expanding arsenal of ridiculous armaments. The added infinite mode is worth looking into, since you are unbound by the time constraints of the normal game, and given challenges to complete for money and xp, which carries over into the main game. This can be helpful if you are stuck in the main storyline.

Unfortunately, this is where the fun ends. As with previous DR installments, boss fights are tedious and cheap, escorts are constant and frustrating, and many parts of the game feel drawn out and devoid of content or direction. If you are not satisfied with killing zombies, you will find little else of value in this game.

Mechanics (6/10):
DR2/DR2:OTR's new mechanic is the weapon combination mechanic, which allows you to combine weapons into new devastating combinations. This system is unfortunately limited by your need to find/unlock blueprints to use combo weapons to their full potentional, as well as the need to find specific "maintenance rooms" where the combos can be made. A more on-the-fly system may have been easier. Otherwise, mechanics remain somewhat unchanged from DR1, and are as usual, buggy and unforgiving.

Visuals (7/10): DR2:OTR looks decent, probably mediocre, by today's standards. Edges are clean, textures are not obviously stretched out or degraded, and lighting effects are present to some degree. The technical prowess of the game comes from its ability to maintain hundreds of enemies on-screen at the same time, which still remains impressive, and a trademark of the series.

Sound (7/10):
The only comment I have about the sound is the game's tendency to have the constant moan of zombies drown out all other noise. It gets tiresome. Otherwise, the game does not have any noticeable sound achievements or problems.

Replayability (9/10):
DR2:OTR are both strong contenders in the "Replayability" category. There are a lot of weapons to unlock, skills to upgrade, and powerful costumes to unlock (especially the famous Zero armor, from Megaman). After beating the main game, I went through a second time, in order to beat down my opponents using a souped-up Frank West, complete with overpowered weapon combinations. Very satisfying.

OVERALL:
DR2:OTR is a fun, satisfying game, held back by poorly implemented mechanics, a buggy nature (see: Capcom games), and perhaps a lack of foresight.

Do you like zombies? Do you like killing them? Tons of them? PILES of them? Yes? Then you'll love this game.

7/10

A bit different than the rest of the Hitman series, in that it is more action-based.

However, excellent visuals, solid gunplay, and clever level design make this a very fun game regardless.

Beautiful environments, intricate plotlines, and deep characters make Bioshock: Infinite one of the most spectacular story-driven games ever developed.

A true treat to play.