Jason Rodriguez's Reviews
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris lets you meet a robust cast of historical characters. Unfortunately, many of its features and mechanics feel severely lacking. The concepts that it tries to introduce are either poorly implemented or limited in comparison to other games.
Tribes of Midgard has a lot of interesting concepts, from Norse Mythology inspirations to facets from other genres. Unfortunately, it's dragged down by poor pacing and rushing just to complete objectives. It's better if you have friends who also enjoy it. Unfortunately, as a solo player, you'll start wondering if there's anything else to look forward to.
Grime is a stellar offering that stands ahead of the pack in both the Souls-like and Metroidvania subgenres. Its challenging combat and platforming mechanics add unique quirks that make for a refreshing experience. It does have a few notable flaws, but you'll have a great time in its bizarre world.
Eldest Souls will punish you with its difficulty, but you're going to love it thanks to refreshing combat mechanics and ridiculously frantic boss fights. However, you might encounter a few issues due to visual miscues, and replayability is solely dependent on how much you wish to rerun tougher encounters.
With a combination of multiple features and mechanics from different genres, as well as a setting that's steeped in mystery, Chernobylite attempts to be the jack-of-all-trades. Unfortunately, a mediocre combat system, repetitive mission structure, and dull gameplay loop lead to questionable results.
Overall, F1 2021 still provides an unrivaled and amazing racing experience thanks to its MyTeam and Career modes, as well as a multitude of options to help fine-tune your racing style. Unfortunately, it's marred by a disappointing and disjointed Braking Point flagship story. Moreover, the improvements and changes to existing modes aren't as impactful as I had hoped. As such, if F1 2021 isn't as compelling if you extensively played last year's offering.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights does have a few issues. Overall, though, it more than delivers thanks to vibrant visuals, top-notch Metroidvania platforming, and challenging Souls-like combat.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 still manages to offer a decent romp with its blend of stealth and action. Unfortunately, it relies too much on "long shot contracts" as opposed to the sandbox-oriented exploration of its predecessor. Likewise, given a multitude of challenges in each level, the autosave system becomes noticeably restrictive.
Ambitious in size, scale, and scope, Edge of Eternity offers a somewhat enjoyable romp that could last you over 40 hours. Sadly, it's also very rough around the edges, and poor pacing can be detrimental to your experience.
Wasteland 3: The Battle of Steeltown has a few notable flaws, and it's also a fairly short romp. However, there's enough content and tactical depth to make you want to keep adventuring in this post-apocalyptic landscape.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister has a few notable problems, and it starts to stumble the closer you get to the finish line. However, it still manages to offer an engaging and highly customizable experience that will keep you entertained for many hours.
Think of King of Seas as yet another spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Pirates! It has all the tools needed to keep you entertained for many hours. Unfortunately, it's also lacking in certain departments, leading to a more streamlined approach that can't compare to the classic.
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis has several mechanics and concepts that look good on paper. Unfortunately, general clunkiness when it comes to the UI and controls, as well as a lack of attachment to your characters, lead to a rather uninspired romp. Once you're finished with a single playthrough, there's barely anything that's interesting to look forward to.
Though there are a few minor issues, Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids gives you a lot of reasons to continue Eivor's journey thanks to a lush and vibrant land to explore. Fighting the druidic cult is also a treat owing to their usage of wild animals, poisons, and flames. The additional activities you can do, such as building your trading posts and finding collectibles, add more hours to the experience.
Subnautica: Below Zero presents an exciting adventure as you explore the unknown. Whether you're trekking through the snow or diving down unfathomable depths, there's a feeling of dread as you try to survive, and a sense of wonderment as you discover something new.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends has several interesting concepts that, on paper, might seem refreshing for the genre. Unfortunately, clunky combat mechanics, questionable design choices, and a tedious gameplay loop lead to a rather monotonous experience.
With multiple game-breaking bugs and hotfixes that either don't resolve the issues or come a little too late, Buildings Have Feelings Too is an awful mess that needs to be avoided.
Oddworld: Soulstorm offers a refreshing take as a reimagining of an old classic. It provides platforming goodness, a bit of trial-and-error with situations, lots of secrets to find, and thousands of Mudokons to save. Sadly, it does have some noticeable shortcomings related to its controls, friendly AI movement, and save system.
Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace suffers from a bland and unspectacular combat system, a questionable sanity gimmick, and a litany of technical issues that are too glaring to ignore. Although it's an adaptation of a board game, you might as well call it a "bored game" due to the tedium and frustration you'll experience.
Spacebase Startopia has cutesy and cartoony xenos milling around, but that's all it has going for it. From questionable mission objectives and monotonous micromanagement, to audio hiccups, technical woes, and a lack of direction, it's a simulation of the doldrums of alien life.