If CI Games should solve the performance issues on PS5, Lords of the Fallen is nothing less than one of the best Soulslike games so far. The game might be very similar in some of its basics, but cleverly makes use of its dual-layered game world that makes Lords of the Fallen stand out from the often trite Dark Souls clones.
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If you are looking for a Pokémon game without combat but with atmospheric staged mystery cases and a humorously presentation, Detective Pikachu Returns could be exactly your cup of tea. Well, if it's not a problem for you, that the gameplay is mostly totally unchallenging.
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Assassin's Creed Mirage is a nostalgic trip to the past, dressed into a modern graphic robe. It combines a more lineare action-adventure approach while providing a lot more freedom than in its role models like Assassin's Creed II. This way, Mirage is made for long-term fans of the series. But because of some inauthentic gameplay mechanics in combat and stealth, it cannot fulfill the highest expectations.
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Overall, "The Crew Motorfest" is a solid open-world racer. Above all, the arcade-heavy handling and the associated racing action are right. The engine sounds and the detailed graphics also make a lot of sense and create a good racing atmosphere. From a purely visual point of view, the game does not come close to its obvious role model "Forza Horizon", but offers an overall greater variety of games. The enemy behavior is also a bit better and more comprehensible - with a mixture of real AI performance and rather smaller rubber band effects, which mainly work to the advantage of the game on the lower difficulty levels. On the other hand, there is sometimes a lack of comfort. The included microtransactions and the always-on compulsion, which is simply superfluous for users of the solo offer, including the relatively quick expulsion in case of inactivity (at the time of testing), also cost additional points.
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Armored Core 6 is a successful sequel, combining the regular series' formula with some huge inspirations especially from Sekiro. It is fast, intense and challenging, later on maybe a little bit too challenging for average gamers.
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With Atlas Fallen, Deck13 delivers a fine and highly customizable hack-and-slay-like combat system. There is generally a great gameplay-flow, too. But with its partly blank game world and weak story the game can't fulfill the highest demands for an action RPG.
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With several minor improvements F1 Manager 2023 might be more than just a small update. But overall these small changes don't make the sequel a much better game. In sum, it's enough to keep the pure solid level of its predecessor, nothing more, nothing less.
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Not only by abolishing the most frustrating function, Pikmin 4 becomes easier than its predecessor. But that is just one negligible part of the truth. The other is that Pikmin 4 delivers the best, biggest and most complex overworld levels including a diverse set of underworld dungeons with very special challenges. Beside all the other minor and major improvements, Rescue Pup Oatchi dye alone is a huge enrichment by itself. The game also does a great job concerning all the things that made Pikmin such a beloved series with its clever, often puzzle-like strategy gameplay or its sweet and just wonderful presentation. For series' lovers and fans of the genre, Pikmin 4 is a need-to play.
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Unfortunately, the plot and characters don't come close to the predecessor.
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Master Detective Archives: Rain Code overall does a good job combining elements of adventure games, visual novels and mini-game-based action titles, with a minor lack of being too less demanding. The cases could be very suspenseful, but for this, the storytelling is too lengthy. In the end, not least the game lives from its exaggerated characters and its, in parts, twisted humor.
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Final Fantasy XVI is a great RPG in nearly any aspect, concerning atmosphere, graphics including spectacular effects, twistful story or the fantastic soundtrack and voiceover. But the real star of this epic adventure is the combat system with its fast, fluid and diverse action, inspired by Hack-and-Slash dye games. Any fight is fun peaking in overwhelming bosses and mind-blowing Esper battles.
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The Nintendo Switch version of the Farming Simulator brings some of the new features of its "big brother“ like seasons or production chains on a lowered level. Beside that and some new comfort features, that simultaneously reduce your freedom, the game is a disappointment not just concerning its weak quality into graphics and performance. If you're a fan of the series, you might be able to overlook some of the issues, but impossibly all of them.
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Miasma Chronicles could have been a great tactics game, because it has anything, it needs for that. But the game throws a wrench in the works with its bad balanced normal difficulty level, that should be too difficult for most gamers, while it's too easy below that level.
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Tears of the Kingdom doesn't clear up all the potential flaws of its predecessor, but the game succeeds in doing much more
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With "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor", Respawn Entertainment delivers an overall good successor. The new skills and weapons or fighting styles fit in well and enrich the already great systems for fights or parkour options. There is also a little more gaming comfort, for example in the form of a fast journey between the meditation points, although some basic functions are strangely deactivated by default, i.e. they have to be switched on explicitly. In the end, however, "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" is not stronger than its predecessor. This is also due to the story that has been bobbing along for a long time or the rarely spectacular boss fights. Above all, however, the technical condition is responsible for the ultimately even slightly lower rating than "Fallen Order". Although the problems practically never reduce the playability, they regularly depress the atmosphere slightly. Especially those who already liked the predecessor can strike without hesitation and at least hope that the developers will get the performance under control in the long term.
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With Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp both GBA classics remain great turn-based strategy games that are complex and accessible. The scope is also greatly motivating and amazing with at least 45 hours only for the two solo campaigns. The presentation is nice, but cheap, but does not change anything about the gaming fun you'll have, even if you're not a fan of the genre.
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As expected, Dead Island 2 is not a game that extensively scores with complex gameplay in a regular sense. You mostly kill zombies, but in a never seen before marked brutal and detailed diversive manner. And the last is the core of a great first person zombie action game and the reason why you need to play it, regardless if you prefer playing it solo or in online co-op mode.
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Curse of the Sea Rats benefits a lot from its nice looking cartoon graphics, the well done voice acting and by staying true to the Metroidvania genre at least in most aspects. There are also a lot of optional secrets to find with many references to game classics like Monkey Island, Worms or The Legend of Zelda. The major weak spot is the combat system, that largely fails of being satisfying and well balanced.
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The new Resident Evil 4 is just one of the best game remakes so far. Capcom finds a fantastic way between modernizing the game and implementing new (and more comfortable) features on the one hand and staying true to the classic and various elements that Resi fans have fallen in love with. If you're a fan of the original or just like action-based survival-horror games, you need to play it.
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As a more or less classical rail shooter, Dark Pictures Switchback VR is no complexity monster – and it's short concerning a single playthrough. But the simple and good working gameplay mechanics are nothing less than a perfect match for VR. The shooting trip also benefits from its scary atmosphere while particular connoisseurs of the core series will enjoy the similarities.
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