Evoland [Game][PC]

Amount Completed: Completed

Evoland is a game that literally changes styles as you play through it. Each time you obtain a new component the graphics and/or game play change a bit. I would have preferred more time spent in each gaming era with something that linked the changes with the game's story but instead the story provides very little motivation...

The number of game systems implemented for the game is impressive and leads me to believe the developer now has the ground work for a variety of type of games... Evoland 2 maybe?

Gut: Evoland is fun but has some long stretches where the changes are minimal. It's a quick game that is a nice flashback but nothing spectacular.

Tomb Raider [Game][PC]

Amount Completed: Complete (100%)

Tomb Raider is certainly loaded with a lot more action than the previous games. Lara slays a small army in various brutal ways as you progress through the game. I was a bit surprised by the level of violence. The game flows through a few different types of gameplay:

• Exploration - Much like the original series of games but with a cheat button to help you spot things. I actually felt the cheat button was perfectly fine to include -- there's still plenty of exploration required. This mode also includes animal hunting which was strangely fun...

• Combat - The music changes, Lara draws her weapon... and Lara goes on a killing spree until the music dies down and she puts away her weapon.
• Cinematic - Camera is in control and you move in various ways as to avoid dying while the world falls apart around you.
• Quick Time Event - Press those buttons when you are told to! For whatever reason I kept missing what the actual expected button was...

While I found the story acceptable I wanted it to be darker in some places and lighter in others. The inevitable betrayal resulted in an outcome that would have been the same whether it took place or not.

Gut: The Tomb Raider reboot is fun and stands out as a unique experience. The quick time events were occasionally annoying but were spaced out as to not make me stop playing.