Alessio Palumbo's Reviews
I'm not quite ready to rate Atomic Heart, having only had access to it for a handful of days, but what I've played so far points to a very well-made game that falls just one or two notches short of true greatness. Still, it's a must for any shooter fan, and it's one of the most optimized games I've seen in a long time, a breath of fresh air given certain disasters released in the past few months.
Battlefield 2042 feels like the most complete Battlefield game yet, mainly thanks to the incredible depth provided by Battlefield Portal and the brand new Hazard Mode, even though it is unclear whether it'll be enough to draw flocks of new players to the franchise.
Overall, besides the aforementioned lack of instant assassinations in some cases, I do have a lingering concern regarding the depth and variety of content, an important aspect of games belonging to the open world genre. Ubisoft stated that it would always be meaningful, but I still have to check whether this will actually be the case. Other than that, though, Assassin's Creed Origins is looking great so far.
Homefront: The Revolution is a disappointment no matter how you slice it. Maybe Deep Silver Dambuster can improve it over time and when that happens, the game could be worth a purchase in a sale; as it is, though, it simply cannot be recommended with many better options available for gamers.
Sea of Thieves is a daring attempt by Rare but also a lacking one on so many fronts. While the graphics are fantastic and the game has a unique charm, ultimately the world feels empty, devoid of content and features. Sailing with friends can be an exhilarating experience at first, but when there's not much to do the fun dies down pretty quickly.
ELEX is pretty much the gaming incarnation of a mixed bag. While exploring the massive world of Magalan is an enjoyable experience and the lore easily pulls players in with lots of interesting quests, the mediocre combat, poor companions AI and severe balance issues prevent it from securing a spot in the ever more crowded RPG limelight.
It is frustrating to rate Anthem. The game looks great, plays even better and has an intriguing setting to boot. However, the fragmented world design, overabundance of loading screens and severe lack of content considerably drag down the experience, at least for the time being. Still, this is a live service game after all and the folks at BioWare have the chance to right this ship by adding enough content in the upcoming months, though it won't be easy.
With Redfall, Arkane strayed a bit too far from its roots and couldn't nail the landing. While the core gameplay is fun, and there are moments of brilliance that harken back to Arkane's glorious portfolio, most of the studio's strengths clearly do not mesh well with the open world genre, as exemplified by the disappointing safe house missions. Additionally, the writing is very uneven, never succeeding in making the player care about any of the characters, and the co-op mode adds little substance.
Forspoken is a fun action game that shines best when you're taking advantage of the great magic parkour to soar through the fantasy world of Athia and blast enemies with overwhelmingly cool spells. However, its content is underwhelming, its RPG systems are weak, and its visuals are less advanced than advertised. As such, Forspoken's potential is largely unrealized in its current state. It's still a decent romp for genre fans to go through, though waiting until it gets a discount or is added to one of the many subscription services is recommended.
Murder on Eridanos provides an intriguing story to follow thanks to its murder investigation premise, even though the DLC otherwise maintains all of the pros and cons of The Outer Worlds and its previous DLC, Peril on Gorgon.
Peril on Gorgon, the first DLC released for The Outer Worlds, maintains all of the pros and cons we've already seen in the base game. The plot is intriguing while the characters remain the true highlight, but combat is a bit lackluster and optimization underwhelming.
The Technomancer is a well made action-RPG and the best title released by Spiders so far, thanks to the additional polish and increased size of the game's content. Just don't expect to be able to explore a massive world like those in Fallout 4 or The Witcher 3 or you may be disappointed.
Warhammer: End Times Vermintide is a new take on the Left 4 Dead formula. It brings enhanced combat (particularly melee) and some RPG elements, but it loses the PvP aspect and user generated content, both critical to longevity in this genre. Still, if you have a group of friends this game can definitely provide lots of fun.
Gotham Knights is an enjoyable action RPG that follows in the footsteps of the Batman: Arkham legacy while striking out on its own in a slightly different direction. It's the most realistic Gotham City we've seen yet, even though the story is only serviceable and the performance is disappointing. Still, fans of the genre and the characters should have fun with the game.
Outriders: Worldslayer provides an exceedingly brief albeit intense story campaign, though its meat is clearly in the vastly improved endgame experience. The Trial of Tarya Gratar, the Apocalypse gear, and Ascension and PAX systems all contribute to a better, deeper endgame. Ultimately, though, the game plays exactly the same as the original Outriders and is unlikely to win over any new fans.
Outriders is a fun looter-shooter game where both the action and RPG parts of the formula are exceedingly well done. It does falter at the endgame, though, and it comes with a myriad of technical issues, not to mention an antiquated world structure; bear all of that in mind if you're looking to purchase at full price.
GreedFall is the best game made by Spiders yet and a worthy RPG in its own right. While definitely not without faults in some areas, it delivers great writing, arguably the most refreshing setting seen recently in a fantasy game, and solid combat.The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
State of Decay 2 is every bit as fun and rough as the first game was in 2013. It feels like a game that would have massively benefited from additional resources during development given its numerous technical shortcomings, but even so, its core (improved in this sequel) remains unique and fun to play, especially with friends. It's one of those titles that can be described as being more than the sum of its parts.
The Outer Worlds is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from Obsidian. The first-person action RPG features a great setting, fantastic writing and remarkable, complex characters to meet. The moment-to-moment gameplay isn't as exciting, though, failing to measure up with the best in the genre. Still, there's plenty to like here as long as you know what you're getting into, not to mention the potential to do much better in a sequel, particularly if the developers had a higher budget to work with.
Ghostwire: Tokyo may be the best game yet from developer Tango Gameworks. It's a great and meaty action/adventure game featuring an enticing universe, solid combat, and excellent exploration of the wonderfully designed Tokyo.