About the author: Scott Ellison II
- Profile
- Scott is a disabled Marine veteran, married to his wife Nicole and has three kids. Scott also has a full-time job with Fastly as the Manager of Tier 3 - CSE. Scott is most well-known for founding, and writing for Saving Content, but you can find his other work on G4@Syfygames (defunct) and GameCritics.com (active).
Posts by Scott:
Redfall Review
May 05, 2023
Redfall takes the open-world structure of Far Cry and marries it with the looting & shooting of Borderlands, and like those games can be played either solo or in co-op. This comes from Arkane Austin, the studio behind 2017’s Prey, and before that the Dishonored series – this is not either of those games, and it’s sadly not even close. Redfall has a solid premise, and while there’s glimmers of hope, it ultimately fails to deliver in all key areas. Redfall is a tragically disappointing game and an utterly low point for a prolific studio like Arkane.
Showgunners Review
May 02, 2023
Homicidal All-Stars was an apt and vastly superior name to what is now titled Showgunners , a very linear turn-based combat game that manages to keep some surprises within it. This comes from the folks behind the original Hard West and Phantom Doctrine, both of which featured great tactical, turn-based combat. Of all the games that I’ve played across the genre, I hadn’t played one with a game show or reality setting behind it. Turns out, the thing I’ve been missing was an audience cheering on my actions while a commentator gave play-by-plays of both sides. Showgunners has a wonderful presentation that does well to keep the energy high in this cyberpunk dystopian future of competitive television, and is bluntly good and shockingly gory.
Varney Lake Review
Apr 27, 2023
Varney Lake is the second in series from “Pixel Pulps”, a franchise of games that began with last year’s Mothmen 1966 . This is a game about reflection, supernatural, and living with the choices that we make. While this is a game, it’s mainly a story driven narrative that unfolds before you in text, accompanied by its 8-bit visuals and chiptune soundtrack. Along the way you’ll have puzzles to solve or mini-games to play, but the story carries forward almost at all times. Interactive fiction, choose your own adventure, or visual novel; however you classify it, LCB Game Studios’ second game is a stroke of genius in storytelling with a striking accoutrement of visual and audio to make it unique.
Age of Wonders 4 Review
Apr 27, 2023
Age of Wonders 4 ditches roman numerals for digits, but it doesn’t bring the series to modern times, it continues the long-running fantasy saga with a long-awaited and proper sequel. Triumph Studios returns nearly ten years since the last entry, and fixes a lot of the issues beyond combat and strategy that was lacking in Age of Wonders III. The wait for this follow-up has been more than worth it, and it’s a game that will have you staying for “one more turn” into the wee hours of the night. Age of Wonders 4 is a sprawling fantasy 4X RPG and tactical combat masterpiece that pushes the series forward in big ways.
SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless (2022 Edition) Review
Apr 21, 2023
The SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless (2022 Edition) is an impressive gaming mouse that promises a 200-hour battery life and sports a lightweight look. It fulfills those promises with uninterrupted gaming sessions and being able to forget that you’re even using a mouse at all, because it’s so light. It has a wonderful construction, despite it looking impossibly sturdy, and it’s breathable design keeps things comfortable even in the most intense situations. The end result is that the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless (2022 Edition) is a magnificent and reliable ultralight wireless gaming mouse on a budget for wireless.
Desktop Dungeons: Rewind Review
Apr 18, 2023
If you haven’t played the early 2010s original from QCF Design, a real treat awaits you in Desktop Dungeons: Rewind . It’s the same game, with all-new artwork, some new twists, and still has the rock-solid gameplay that’s made it so beloved over the years. It’s a game I’ve had perpetually installed since it came to Steam, and I’ve been continually going back to all this time. Returning players can link their existing desktopdungeons.net account to utilizing their kingdoms and saves from day one, or start fresh. Desktop Dungeons: Rewind is a roguelike puzzler disguised as a tactical dungeon crawler with a dash of humor, for what is nearly unlimited adventures for decades to come.
EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Review
Apr 14, 2023
The PGA TOUR series from EA SPORTS has been on hiatus for the past eight years, and its resurrection with the simply named PGA TOUR is mostly a return to form. If nothing else, its release is perfectly planned with The Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Course. While the timing is great for capitalizing on sales, there are parts of the game that feel rushed to meet this deadline. Though it falters in a few spots performance-wise, the gameplay is the best since its last outing and a better presentation and feel than its competitor, but not without its challenges. Revitalizing the old EA SPORTS vs 2K SPORTS rivalry makes for a solid, if flawed golf simulation in this reboot of PGA TOUR.
Wartales Review
Apr 12, 2023
Wartales is an RPG set in a medieval low fantasy open-world from developer Shiro Games that is continually impressive. The world is expansive, the characters and quests are interesting, and you’re writing your own story as you go along. This actually reminds me of Battle Brothers , only in 3D, in that there are quests that have an affect on the region with their own storylines as you control a band of mercenaries. I also find it to be comparable to something like Heroes of Might and Magic , because of the way you across the overworld map in real-time and have to manage your resources carefully – the marriage of these two styles of games is beautiful and one to remember. Wartales is excellent at letting you author the story you want to tell, and allowing you to discover things at your own pace for an immersive and satisfying open-world RPG.
Meet Your Maker Review
Apr 04, 2023
Behaviour Interactive has excelled at the multiplayer 4v1 format with Dead By Daylight . Now in Meet Your Maker , it’s an excellent asynchronous game featuring levels created by other players. Consider it a more deadly and gruesome version of Super Mario Maker . The game operates off of three pillars: building, raiding, and upgrading. You can focus on one or the other, or straddle between both for maximum effectiveness, but both modes of play are really fun. The genius lies in the tools Behaviour Interactive gives you to not only make hellish layouts, but to outwit what others have made and come away with the core of the facility alive. Meet Your Maker is a frustratingly good game that will have you coming back for more pain and punishment from strangers around the world to attain a successful extract, even if you die trying.
WWE 2K23 Review
Mar 17, 2023
You wouldn’t know it by looking at the blank cover of WWE 2K23 , but this year’s entry is all about John Cena. The now legendary wrestler has entered his twentieth year with the company, and is easily the most loved and equally hated man in all of wrestling, largely in part to his success. This thought can also be said about the WWE 2K series as a whole, a love / hate relationship with the fans that you can now appreciate for all its accomplished this year. Visual Concepts have really fine tuned what worked with WWE 2K22 and eschewed what didn’t. WWE 2K23 is a sim brawler that has really found its footing, and gives the series the necessary attitude adjustment it has needed.
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