For anyone hoping it would bring a little modern fluidity to a long-stagnant genre, you might have to moonwalk upwards from this one. But for Ragers, it’s a sturdy score-attacking blowout to while away some hours, perfecting your flying knees and enflamed uppercuts, arguing over who deserves the trash salad.
If I have to fight through listless combat, buggy UI, and an onslaught of juvenile gags to see one of the many endings, I’d rather leave the snowfields of Colorado behind. To hell with the consequences.
So yeah, it has more than a bit of roughness to it. But hoo boy, do I admire its spirit, its extra-ness, its enthusiasm for small-scale RPG design.
The game is also, yes, small in stature, it is one-note, it can be enjoyed in one sitting until you reach the crest of conditioning and competence, if not completion. It is single-minded to the point of being playable with precisely one digit. You might play it for a single day, as I did, have a wonderful time covering yourself with blood, and be satisfied to never touch it again. But if these are flaws they are also proof of focus and refinement. Disc Room might be readily slept on, but if you are the kind of tough game obsessive, a connoisseur of arcade death, or a bullet hellion who cannot resist the call to mastery, these rooms should be approached wakeful and willing and ready to die.
In the end, I do think it is too “hurt me plenty” for me, only just. The sensation of being slapped right back to the start every time and having to repeat the opening level is as likely to produce a frustrated sigh as it is to inspire a “one more go” mentality. In this case, new minibosses have started to appear to offer some variety. But I’m probably bowing out, at least for the time being. That’s okay. I can appreciate the knuckle-cracking attitude of improvement-by-death while also being ready to lay down my demon razor and die no more. You win this one, ScourgeBringer.
But CODBLOPS: Cold War doesn’t reach the levels of self-awareness required to overpower its poor taste. It feels written to justify the actions of ruthless men and doesn’t offer the most basic character development required to give its deathsquad the benefit of the doubt. As a game, it’s a predictable ride. As a piece of fiction, it is servile.
A raucous shooter that goes beyond its portal gimmick, with first-rate arenas and gutsy gunfights.
A time-looping shooter with funny dialogue and a very powerful boot, where stealth is just the thing that goes wrong before a good fight.
A sometimes wonky skating game that makes up for its jank with birbish moxie.
A sinister and excellently crafted card game with a darkly comic underbelly
A rough-hewn roguelike that fails to stand out
In the transferral to true roguelike, Darkest Dungeon 2 has got a little lost in the woods. But from what I've glimpsed through the trees, it'll be a handsome coach when it finally arrives, done and dusky. I'll happily hop aboard then.
A rickety storyline can't stop this from grappling back lapsed fans with its open world and nostalgic gunfights.
OlliOlli World's platforming skateventures are skin-blisteringly good. This game may become responsible for hundreds of game pads laid low by kickflip-induced stick drift.
Hero's hour is a jumbled fantasy strategy that hides a detailed realm of tiny rioters
Little Orpheus is an adventure that dazzles the eyes and diverts the ears but fails to impress the thumbs.
An isometric homage to Zelda that is loyal from top to bottom.
Sparse laughs can't win Borderlands a new fan.
A swish sci-fi RPG full of decent folk and just the right amount of scum.
A deep and chunky world that sets itself apart from other roguelikes