Karl Smart's Reviews
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is one of those games that people are going to find their own value out of. For me, the story campaign was a great experience, and the Zombie mode is always a fun bonus. Graphically the game is one of the best I've seen on the market for any video game of this cross-over generation and would recommend people who have high-end PCs or Next-Generation consoles give the game a play. However Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War does nothing to change the reputation of the online multiplayer mode, from the push to buy season passes to a very toxic community, this would be the only huge negative I would point out, which will upset a lot of die-hards. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a game the die-hards will love, but won't do much to convert new players to its fold.
WWE 2K23 takes everything that was considered an improvement in WWE 2K22 and just copy/pastes it over and expects people to buy it for 2 things: A Cena showcase mode and one new match type. While WWE 2K23 is still a solid game, you can feel that there just wasn't enough of that drive that made WWE 2K22 such a good game after WWE 2K20 almost tanked the franchise. WWE 2K23 could do much more than just be a roster update of a game, if only they didn't rely so heavily on the past.
LEGO 2K Drive is a great racing game. The world that is built using a combination of LEGO bricks and real-world objects is stunning and looks like some kid or LEGO hobbyist, made this world in their own home. However, once the game tries to do something that is not racing using a racing control system, that's when the wheels fall off this particular LEGO racer.
Injustice 2 is a fine game. It's basic enough for newcomers to pick up and play but still has depth for experienced players to explore. The story mode is the best in the fighting game genre and really warrants more. However the whole experience is crushed by an experiment to bring mobile game style random bullshit into console games and ultimately makes the game forgettable once something else comes along.
Friday The 13th is a game of amazing frame work. For a game that revolves around the slasher killer and victim dynamic, it falls short due to just being about one killer and one movie franchise. If there were more slasher legends and more locations based on other film franchises, then you'd have a truly killer game; but at this time we just have another dud of a reboot.
Pure Farming 2018 is a "as the box describes" experience. If you love farming, or want to learn about farming, then Pure Farming 2018 is going to be perfect for you. Heck, if you want an afternoon of doing next to nothing, then this also works for you. But unless you have the passion for farming, it's hard to recommend Pure Farming 2018 as a video game.
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is exactly what was promised: A celebration of the arcade culture that made Street Fighter great. However, there feels like there was a lock of effort put forth in the selection of the version of each game placed in the collection. Going with the base bones versions when people know there are much better versions out there to play just isn't good enough for the hardcore fans who will buy this game on day one.
Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is one of those "Be careful what you wish for" games. While it has all the improvements that would be considered the bare minimum for Rockstar to put into something, it also exposes the ages of the titles, making the cheapness appear worse than it is. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is barely worth it for returning players, but is perfect for first-timers to this trilogy of games.
The King of Fighters '98 is one of those games that will always be remembered for being the best of the series, and The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition continues to show why that is so while adding some modern networking improvements to make sure that it will be played online by the hardcore player base for a long time to come.
Sifu is one of those games that sounds amazing in concept but is flawed in its execution. Playing as the unnamed martial arts master feels badass when it works, but once those deaths start to pile up, Sifu becomes such a punishing game that, more often than not, it will see you rage quitting the game for something more balanced and refined.
Capcom Fighting Collection brings us a good batch of arcade-perfect ports that are themed into a package that is great if you just want those specific titles to play at all times, but with 6 of them appearing in Capcom Arcade Stadium 2, and one already in Capcom Arcade Stadium, Capcom Fighting Collection comes off as a quick cash grab that really should have been pushed out as another DLC pack for either Capcom Arcade Stadium release. Your mileage is going to vary on how desperately you want 3 games that haven't seen a release since the 1990s… and by the looks of it, will never see a release again.
WrestleQuest does a good job of taking something that you wouldn't think would fit as an RPG game and makes it work. The world is amazing, the characters, and cameos are really going to invoke the golden era of Professional Wrestling. However, once you rip that nostalgia away you are left with a very bare-bones RPG experience that gets boring very quickly.
If you're looking for a Resident Evil title, then go give Resident Evil Revelations 1 or 2 a go. Hell, even Resident Evil 5 & 6 are closer to a Resident Evil game than this game is. However, if you're wanting a scary VR experience, then this is the perfect game for you.
Agents of Mayhem should be a good game, however it seems like Deep Silver wanted to do another Saints Row game and did things that way instead. Unlike when Capcom did this with Resident Evil and created the great Devil May Cry series, Deep Silver just made a Saints Row game with a different label on it. You'd think that after so many games in that series that we would get something different, but we didn't.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic is one of those games that is held back by two things: The community, which has become so toxic that it cannot be saved, and a company that only listens to its Top 1% of the player base (Streamers and hardcore raiders). Wrath Classic could have been the game that returned World of Warcraft back to its glory days, but listening to the wrong people, has doomed the franchise back into its darkest days, ruining one of the best experiences with it.
Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection is a bare-bones collection featuring the early days of Jurassic Park games. While there are some minimal quality-of-life enhancements added to the overall product, it's the same we expect from all retro collections these days and does nothing to stand out like other offerings have. Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection is good for people who don't have the time or money to track down the consoles and games themselves and just want to play the games on modern hardware.
WWE 2K24 is a fun game with some of the best graphics in a wrestling game ever made. However, the game is too bloated with game modes, many of which you are forced to play in order to unlock content you already paid for. 2K Games needs to stop nickel and dimeing players after the fact and refocus on giving players the best experience for their dollar.
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite tried so hard to be Marvel vs Capcom 2, one of the best entries into the franchise, but ends up falling short in terms of roster, character depth and gameplay. A lot of interference by Marvel's overlord: The Mouse; leading to a lot of fan favorites and X-Men characters being left out of the line up. The story, for what it is, isn't anything near the depth and interest that other games like Tekken 7 and Injustice 2 have done this year. Capcom was once the innovator and leading name in fighting games. While the Fighting Game Community might get some mileage out of the title, the casual player has already moved onto the game that does the Marvel vs Capcom formula right: Dragon Ball FighterZ
Sorry SEGA fans, but this collection doesn't feel like anything more than a cheap cash in.
Just Cause 4 is just more of the same. The physics engine that has been around since Just Cause 2 is still fun to see in action, but that's about it. There is nothing new about Just Cause 4 that makes it stand out from other entries in the Just Cause series. The Extreme Weather system that was meant to make a huge difference in Just Cause 4 just isn't used enough for me to care, and outside of things going BOOM, the game just seems like more of the same.