Recent reviews by [Polaris] Elextra

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When "South Park" came out in the late 90's, people's reactions equal part shock and euphoria. It was an adult comedy series that joked coarse and tasteless with everyone and everything, while it was sharp social satire far more daring than "The Simpsons".

Although it has dropped a couple of "South Park" games, none of those have had the blessing from creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. that's one of the reason they set out to create "South Park: The Stick of Truth ," in which they both wrote the script.

In the Colorado town of South Park played out a bizarre story, where the TV show's most prominent figures - Cartman- Kenny - Stan - Kyle - playing fantasy war. On the "magician Cartman's" backyard, people have their base while " Elvenking Kyle" harboring elves, and they fight over a tree stick called "The Stick of Truth ." You play a newly arrived nine year old who ends up in the middle of this death serious fantasy LARP . In typical "South Park" spirit the story takes an extra absurd turn when the town get's hit by a Nazi zombie virus.

"The stick of truth" is eerily like the original, with its expressive 2d graphics and its austere character animations. It really feels like "South Park ": during the game, I get to interact with all the familiar characters, from Al Gore and goth gang to the Canadian duo Terrence and Philip.

Although the story is wicked enough to be directly taken from the TV series, and scripted authors presence is palpable. The story is a mix of a sometimes incredibly entertaining operation with video-game conventions, social satire, American politics, infantile fart humor and tasteless joke.

Sometimes it hits the humor just right and I choke with laughter: as when you finally get access to Canada and it appears to exist in 8-bit graphics, according to the old "The Legend of Zelda " formula. the jokes Sometimes miss the banter with the mile-long distance.

The game has been censored in many countries worldwide. In particular two sequences , one of which takes place at an abortion clinic, and the other one which deals with rape. i did expect "South Park" to trample over all boundaries regarding which substances may be making fun about, but in the absence of satirical sophistication, as on these occasions, it becomes just sickening.

It turns out to still be the meta fun and sometimes sharp script, along with the familiar characters carrying the game. Despite its twisted storyline and sick humor is "The Stick of Truth " namely a surprisingly standardized role play, with turn-based battles and focus on upgrading your armor. Although the childish armor and weapons makes me gigg. the fights quckly become repetitive.

The fighting takes a long time, and I tire soon to dull stare at the same attacks again and again. The missions you should perform is even more monotonous, as most is to knock down a certain number of enemies or collect a certain number of gadgets. It is a boring and totally uninspired design.

Although the game has its brilliant moments, it is uneven. Sure it's fun to watch "South Park" realized properly in the game medium, but it nowhere near as clever and thoughtful as I d expected.

Some families banished to the harsh wilderness. They own nothing but their coats, two dozen tools, a pile of firewood and potatoes that will last half a year. It is my responsibility to create a new society for them.

"Banished" is an indie developed strategy game, a sort of hybrid between the simulator "Sim City" and "Settlers". Here it is neither about building a metropolis or to defend the village against hostile tribes. Here you have to get the little people to survive by allowing it to live in symbiosis with nature.

In "Banished" it's the village's inhabitants which is the greatest asset. They are the workers, and assigning them different kinds of jobs for the community to flourish. Collecting raw materials like stone and iron are essential, but equally important is to expand the food supply . Woodcutter shed and planting trees, but you need a wood-cutter to produce firewood. Fishermen, hunters and farmers in turn produces food. The commercial harbor, the only gateway to the rest of the world, offers the only opportunity to trade for seeds and livestock.

At the same time one has to take into account residents' most basic needs - like giving people shelter. Otherwise, the population does not grow and during the winter they will freeze to death.

Death is also ever-present . Residents dies sooner or later, and everytime someone dies, it is a huge blow to the community. Building a cemetery can actually make the villagers happier, because then they have a place to mourn their loved ones. It is both interesting and striking how well the population mortality integrated into the game.

The basis of the game mechanics are simple but cleverly designed. The challenge of "Banished" is to try to balance the needs of residents with society's expansion - resources and raw materials must always be in phase with each other or else the village will encounter an massive starvation. There will be a reward in itself to construct new buildings, plant new seeds or build infrastructure because it takes time and hard work to gather the raw materials for the proposed projects.

The clear and helpful tutorial makes the game easy to understand and engaging. The interface is excellent designed: informative without being overwhelming, with movable and dynamic windows. "Banished" looks very plain and lack the artistic variety, but it is an unusually accommodating strategy game.

Despite it's ruthless thematics. "Banished" is rarely awfully difficult. Although uphill may be long on the highest difficulty level - it becomes relatively easy when the population passed the hundred.

But it is a challenging and entertaining strategy - at least as long as there is something to fight for. My involvement decreases abruptly once I managed to construct any building, buy all the seeds and obtain any livestock. Then there is simply no more to strive for.

Strategic basis is brilliant and well thought out, and while there are still things to build, it is difficult to tear oneself away from the screen. "Banished" has the potential to be even better, and I hope that the developer will continue adding content. It was after all, a long time ago that a citybuilding game as captivating as this one was released.

The Wolf Among Us is filled to the brim with choices and some of these are really important. It is something I have not experienced before, not on this scale. The Walking Dead is not even close. what really intensifies the decision making is the protagonist of Bigby Wolf. A crude anti-hero that you can role play a bit with. During my first playthrough, I chose a direct route, I had the opportunity to violence when it became so - and the blood flowed. A private investigator got a taste of my fist, another man's face I introduced into a glass bottle and then I tore an arm off. Because I'm the big bad wolf.

As the rhythmic music flows, I wander aimlessly around while dark figures pass me by. My white shirt is rumpled and unkempt, with sleeves rolled-up. My black tie is loose, but I do not care in the slightest. The neon purple lights cast sharp shadows on me and framing my bitter facial expression. Then I fall into the darkness, my eyes shimmering yellow for a moment. I lead the cigarette to my lips and takes a puff: it brightens up my face ... My name is Bigby Wolf and I'm Fable Towns sheriff.
 
It all reminds me of the series Once Upon a Time. We are in a city populated by mythical beings disguised as ordinary people - refugees from the city that obviously is not quite as it was told to me as a small child. Fable Town was a promised new beginning but the oh so familiar bureaucracy is hard on the less fortunate. It is a painful story that already after the first episode feels hopeless. No happy ending in sight, just dark storm clouds.

The Wolf Among Us is an interactive story where the gameplay takes a back seat . Even more than in Telltale Games last Games, The Walking Dead. Most time will be spent in the dialogues and quick time events, the fact is that the game is full of them. In such a dialogue driven games, it is essential that both the voice actors and the script is good. With a broad smile, I can say that Telltale Games has outdone themselves many times over. Nothing sounds contrived, it is an exceptional performance.

" The walking dead " is the same, from the fall-off comic book graphic to the point & click - mechanics, you walk with WASD and click on the subject of the investigation or to pick them up.

It is the main character who is the big difference. Clementine is more exposed and vulnerable than Lee was - she is after all still a child. But she's not just physical plant since the first game. Here she is more capable : able to handle weapons, use the environment to their advantage and have basic survival skills . This requires the need that she must use their accumulated knowledge to cope.

How and what I choose Clementine to say or do will have consequences later on. These choices - that must be done on time, is the essence of the game. The moral choices are of course the most exhausting. Should I help a character or not? Who should I save the life of? There is no right answer. But as the game quickly and well manage to establish the characters, there is an emotional effort on my part, that makes these choices grab. It gets heavy, ruthless and crippling to see terrible events pass and know that I could have chosen differently.

Clementine is superbly written, feels incredibly human in their desperation and loneliness, and proves at the same time smart, stubborn and have good instincts. Clementine was in the last game chiselled sympathetic and courageous. Here she gets an expanded emotional spectra, through the choices you make - she may, for example, behave suspiciously , sad or friendly. She becomes a much more interesting person and in the coming episodes will hopefully evolve even more.