Karl Smart's Reviews
Saban's Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Mega Battle is a cheap cash in and the price reflects it. However the game is so bad that it's not worth buying. My recommendation is wait for it to hit one of those PS+ or Games with Gold free game deals and then maybe think about it.
Umbrella Corps is the type of game that you would expect to get for free through Steam or Playstation Plus, it's not something that you would pay $30 for. I love Resident Evil and I'm usually willing to forgive CAPCOM for making cash-in titles for the most part, but there is no way I can recommend anyone including hardcore Resident Evil collectors give this game a try. AVOID LIKE THE T-VIRUS!!
We Happy Few is a game that promises to be one hell of a good story drive ride from start to finish, but what we got was something that is so full of bugs and crash issues that it completely ruin the experience. Frankly We Happy Few needed to spend more time in development than it does being played. When something like this starts on Kickstarter, sometimes it just need to stay there. We Happy Few’s story is a highlight and should be an animated film more than a less-then-playable video game.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 could have been up there with the best retro collections published in the last few years, however, Konami has shown that all they care about by releasing a quick cash grab with no decent extras or even the best versions of the games included in the collection. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is an example of how NOT to treat beloved franchises that could still draw money by the name value alone… I hope Silent Hill isn't next.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands shows that the whole World of Warcraft game is really showing it's age, not to mention that since losing a lot of their key development people from the Blizzard side like Chris Kaleiki and many others, leading to this being a more "by the metrics" Activision based game experience than what Blizzard is renowned for. For a lot of people, the heart and soul of World of Warcraft is dead at this stage, but since it is still early days, future patches and content additions can revive the game into a playable state for those who are still addicted to the game after over 16 years… But only time will tell at this stage.
Money aside, Street Fighter V: Championship Edition doesn’t do much to fix a long list of problems that the fighting game community has pointed out about this game since the beginning and doesn’t look like they’ll do anything about it either. Long term fans will know to avoid this like the plague, diehards would have all of the content already at triple the price, and newcomers are smart for waiting out to buy this game cheap.
NBA 2K24 shows that there is a bigger problem with gaming today. While you can get a good game out there if you decide to make it into a “games as a service” model with the main goal being purchased over skill, the game itself gets lost under an avalanche of hate because of corporate greed. NBA 2K24 is the game that shows this to be true. As a game, NBA 2K24 is the same great game it always is, but the hard push for you to open your wallet hurt the game too much overall… And Michael Jordan is the GOAT.
Evil Dead: The Game is a game that is great in concept, but makes the same mistake that other games looking to dethrone Dead by Daylight make: Focusing on one franchise and expecting it to carry the whole experience. Evil Dead: The Game has a solid foundation but stagnates very easily due to a lack of variety in gameplay objectives and maps. Not to mention it relies on people working together in order to win as one side, which doesn't work without a solid communication system that everyone actually uses or a community that actually wants to work together.
Diablo II is one of those games where you could recommend till the cows come home, but Diablo II: Resurrected, on the other hand, is one of those remasters where you should expect something more than a fresh coat of paint. Diablo II: Resurrected should have been a game that was a true remaster, fixing the remaining few issues with Diablo II, but instead is another horrible remaster from Activision-Blizzard that removes more than it adds to the overall game and experience.
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.
Sorry SEGA fans, but this collection doesn't feel like anything more than a cheap cash in.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.