To be fully transparent, I do believe this is a great game, and the direction it’s headed in is promising. Doubling the player count, introducing open-world design, adding more environmental interaction, showcasing new water tech, real-time weather, day and night cycles, and the introduction of new racing mechanics all point to a true generational leap over its predecessor. However, the open world just isn’t utilized to its fullest. It feels like something’s missing and there is not much to chase. Instead of rewarding players with shallow collectibles like stickers, there should’ve been deeper, more engaging activities with far better rewards like hidden secret characters or some crazy vehicle that has maxed out stats for doing everything that free-roam has to offer. The $80 price tag stings even more when you realize how much more could’ve been done with the foundations they’ve built.
Overall, it’s a faithful remaster that longtime fans will likely appreciate. However, newcomers might be put off by its pre-rendered environments, frequent camera angle changes, overly cheesy and bad voice acting and a combat system that clearly shows its age when compared to more modern titles such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, or Ghost of Tsushima. This is a game best approached with an open mind and a willingness to experience a retro Capcom title from a very different era in game design.
The best way to summarize DOOM: The Dark Ages is that it lets you live out the ultimate fantasy of a testosterone-fueled, steroid-pumped gym bro who goes to space and slaughters demons—and nothing can stop him. There’s truly nothing else like it on the market right now, especially in today’s overly sanitized, pussy ass snowflake-infested gaming landscape. So thank you, Bethesda, for delivering the ultimate male power fantasy we all deserve.
Ubisoft had the potential for a standout game, but their greed and baffling choices—chief among them the forced inclusion of Yasuke—undermined the pacing and shattered what could have been a cohesive narrative and fluid gameplay experience.
Overall, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a decent entry that offers a fresh take on the beloved hack-and-slash franchise. However, it is important to note that the series remains a niche experience, appealing primarily to players don’t mind overly repetitive games.
Shadow of The Erdtree is an excellent send off to Elden Ring. Whatever it is that you’ve loved about the original game will be included here. Whether its exploring beautiful new areas with awesome interconnected level design or finding that one gorgeous vista where you can just stand around and gawk at the insane sense of scale. You will encounter plenty of challenging of new challenging bosses and optional bosses. You will discover new builds, new items, new weapons, summons and magics to use for your current and future playthroughs. There is plenty of replay-value here as I’ve previously mentioned Shadow of the Ertdtree is about as big as Limgrave with tons of things to discover.
Ninja Theory tried to deliver a fantastical experience through Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga and I believe they’ve succeed in that from a story and presentation front. However, as a gamer, I wish the gameplay was a bit more involved from the linearity the developers tacked on.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth provides a nostalgic trip with its enthralling story, beloved characters, and dynamic combat. However, its Ubisoft-influenced open-world design detracts from the experience, alongside technical shortcomings. Nonetheless, it remains a must-play for fans
I do not believe that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a bad game. It’s above average, but it just doesn’t feel any different from other open-world action titles I’ve played in recent years. The excellent visuals are the one thing that sticks out along with the fantastic traversal, platforming, and bow combat. You won’t find a well-written story here or a memorable cast of characters, which is a complete shame because they could have done something really interesting. But sadly, you can thank the “modern-day video game writers” for that as they would rather appeal to a certain crowd than focus on quality.
One of the best compliments I can give Mirage is that it took me 20 hours to beat, not 100. Nothing about the game is intimidating, from the map size to the progression system. It’s a callback, not only to old-school Assassin’s Creed but also old-school open-world games in general. There is no hiding that Mirage was once an expansion but I will take it over a bloated open world any day.
Forza Motorsport will be receiving a final verdict of 8.5 out of 10. All in all, it’s a great game with a few weird design choices that hopefully could be addressed in the future. But the experience of racing itself is addicting, beautiful, and top-notch. It also has a ton of content for you to mess around with, 500 cars to collect, monthly rotational events to participate in, and a fun multiplayer mode to play by yourself or with your friends.
Sea of Stars is a true spiritual successor to turn-based JRPGs that I believe any fan of old-school Final Fantasy titles specifically Chrono Trigger and Breath of Fire must play. I felt like I was teleported back to the PlayStation 1 days playing a classical turn-based JRPG.
I am just going to be flat-out transparent here and tell you that if you enjoy titles such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring but want a different setting in a completely different dimensional format with awesome atmosphere, sound, and music, then you must play Blasphemous 2. If you are a Souls fan, then you need to play this game. It’s simple as that.
I commend Deck13 for taking the risk of creating a new IP and wanting to make something new and unique. They have definitely achieved some of it with the combat system and the sand traversal mechanics. But that’s about it. The lore and narrative are a bit all over the place, the engine and the tech is outdated and the inconsistent voice acting doesn’t help either.
With its immersive world, addictive gameplay, and excellent multiplayer experience, it delivers an unparalleled gaming experience that fans of the series and newcomers alike will thoroughly enjoy.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Dead Island 2 and I’m thrilled that it has finally been released. If you’re a fan of the series or simply enjoy a good zombie game, then this one is definitely worth your time.
In conclusion, the gameplay of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty creates a cool and innovative spin on the Souls-like genre that fans will appreciate. If you like games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Nioh, and Elden Ring, then you will be a happy camper.
If you are okay with spending $39.99 for roughly a 6 to 8-hour sci-fi experience then I think Scars Above would be worth your time and money. However, if it was more than $39.99 then absolutely not, but thankfully that isn’t the case here. Scars Above is a decent game for its price point, but it isn’t your next big-budget sci-fi blockbuster.
At the end of the day despite the game’s issues with an uninteresting story, unskippable cut-scenes during online play, inconsistent art direction, and some annoying technical issues that still need fixing the game is a blast to play and is a very pleasant early surprise of 2023.
Wanted Dead is a game that strives to please gamers of old. While I appreciate that, I think the biggest issue is that the gameplay loop is not polished enough. Something just feels off and overly clunky as well. Maybe I am just stupid and don’t understand the combat system, but I’ve had a healthy share of action titles in my years of gaming. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly.