I had fun with Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, especially with the campaign. Zombies remain great and is now easier to swallow, but multiplayer - being the main selling point for a Call of Duty game - is the weakest link in the package. With a strong entry last year, and numerous online games now available that are viable alternatives, Treyarch’s approach in multiplayer this year didn’t sell a good enough case to invest more time on it in the coming months. Time will tell how the first season will go, but the initial burst of content out the gate could fall flat, making some look elsewhere to satisfy that FPS multiplayer itch.
All of these elements make Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, whether you love it or hate it, make a complete open-world RPG package. Like any large vessel with multiple shipwrights, some decisions and elements weigh the game down, but I would go as far as considering this one of the best Assassin’s Creed titles to come around in a long time.
Mortal Shell is bleak, twisted, and poses a challenge from start to finish. It will leave you wanting more, and while some mechanics weren't as fleshed out and diverse as I’d hoped, this game from Cold Symmetry is a commendable adventure that deserves the attention of those who love the subgenre.
"There are a few setbacks, but none of them so much as taint the fact that Horizon Chase Turbo: Deluxe Edition - a simple and fun experience either alone or with friends - is a solid choice worth considering for arcade racing enthusiasts."
It’s an appealing revenge story that many will love, hate, or at the very least appreciate. This is a game that may challenge your moral compass. I can foresee that this will be talked about by players for weeks, even months, making it a rare experience worth soldiering through.
Legends of Runeterra is a satisfying online card game that has the potential to be among the best titles in its genre, but the success of this game will be based on the new cards added in the future and how they balance the game while maintaining a fun environment for the community.
The expansion isn’t the best piece of content but the overall changes that came with the launch of The Division 2: Warlords of New York expansion make it a great addition to keep avid players geared up and ready for the coming content planned for the game in 2020.
This is Bungie’s first take on releasing content on its own as a studio, and just how aggressive they will be in releasing future content is still a big mystery. It has only been a few months in, but the current state of Destiny 2 shows that it’s aimed in the right direction. Shadowkeep is a reminder that not everything can go as planned, and that this new journey for the Destiny franchise can still be a bumpy ride.
The Ghost Recon series is now among the many franchises that provide just that: what started with Ghost Recon Wildlands has continued in Breakpoint, an open-world tactical shooter that feels great when the bullets start flying, but slowly loses its identity the moment you're caught in this endless gameplay circuit of looting gear to “improve” your character.
There are countless issues that made me roll my eyes, but they did not outweigh the gameplay, which is something I plan to engage in every now and then, but probably on mute or while watching a movie.
Developer Supermassive Games was on track to pioneering interactive horror in their breakout PS4 exclusive Until Dawn. Unfortunately, Man of Medan doesn't come close to matching that 2015 release. What they've provided is a dull horror story with predictable jump-scares, uninteresting characters, and a story that will leave you scratching your head and saying, "Really?"
I played They are Billions on PS4 and loved what the folks at Numantian Games created, but feel the console version is not the best way to properly appreciate this zombie apocalypse.
Days Gone has characters that make you smile, and a trusty bike ready to take you away. For while some irritations persisted during my playthrough – such as the technical irregularities that need to be patched – that its encounters provide a real sense of accomplishment makes it an open world worth exploring.
“Left Alive insists you play it smart and conservative, but the combat has the potential to get stale early on. Having to revisit past locations with different characters magnifies the lack of variety, both in combat and level design.”
They attempted at something different with Black Clover: Quartet Knights; by making it a more team-oriented online brawler. However, the lack of gameplay depth and balancing issues make it a short-lived experience for fans of the series.
The combination of tension, exploration, intrigue, and survival made for an strong artistic foundation for Compulsion Games to build their story upon. They’ve created something special here, and I hope they continue to do good story work going forward. We Happy Few’s stealth and combat, on the other hand, needed more work. While the game encourages you to seek out additional playthroughs, they only serve to cast a harsh light on the fundamental mechanics. And that’s a bitter pill to swallow.
If you've grown a sudden fondness for the Souls series thanks to recent games and have yet to play Dark Souls, you are severely missing out. Dark Souls: Remastered will test the player in every respect, just like it did when it was first released. This is a genuine classic that deserves to be revisited every few years. If a player new to the series were to ask me whether they should play this first, I would say no - leave the best for last.
Some might be bothered by Moonlighter’s grindy nature later on, but I found it to be a fantastic mix of dungeon crawling and a fun store management gameplay that made Moonlighter a treat to experience. Digital Sun crafted a perfect balance of the two main gameplay elements with a forgivable difficulty, and a cute and appealing art design that can appeal to a variety of players.
After playing all that the much-hyped game has to offer, I can now say that Santa Monica Studio has provided us with something that I didn’t think would work - a matured entry in the series that showcases a vulnerable side to the iconic, violent god Kratos. With a host of major changes, SIE Santa Monica Studio took big risks in bringing back and updating this beloved series, but their work paid off, since God of War is easily the studio’s best title yet.
This sequel is a perfect example of building from the first game’s successes while simultaneously focusing on improving where it fell short.