Dustin Murphy's Reviews
The truth is, no matter how you look at it, Metal: Hellsinger is absolutely unique in what it does. It has tons of replayability, some of the best optimizations on the market, and a way to ensure that anyone and everyone can enjoy the title. This is, for what I would have to say, a masterpiece of its own accord.
"One of the things I can’t help but appreciate is just how well the game itself is presented. It’s beautiful, haunting, and truly takes us deep into Japanese culture, spirituality, and scenery. It’s a game where you can tell that the team at Tango Gameworks poured their hearts and souls into regardless of what element that you look at."
"With time, Battlefield 2042 has turned into one of the best shooters the series has to offer despite a few drawbacks that still remain such as a lack of bullet drop, a campaign mode, or even Rush being a default mode for fans. However, what it does to make up for its shortcomings is alleviated by the offerings that the Portals mode has to offer, making Battlefield 2042 one of the strongest titles in the franchise, and quite possibly: One of the longest lasting and a must have for next-gen console owners."
I must confess, Chernobylite is one of those games I was unsure about giving a chance. It was one that I’d watched streamers play, ultimately unsure about how I would feel about it myself. Instead, once I dove in, I was compelled to keep going despite the performance hitches. I was interested in seeing just how far the game could go, what experiences it could deliver, and just how much more unique the experience could be.
While the game does stumble a bit, it’s a perfect example of why teams such as Eidos-Montréal are some of the best at what they do. Once the credits roll, you’ll find that Guardians of the Galaxy will leave you craving more, which honestly, should come as no surprise due to how well rounded the overall experience actually is. It’s just a shame that we may have to wait for quite a while before getting another title.
It’s hard for me not to admit: KT Racing is certainly some of the leading experts in what they do. They are excellent at delivering memorable experiences, challenging races, and unparalleled attention to detail with tracks in WRC 10. The biggest complaint is that visual flaws do exist, Anniversary mode is excruciatingly painful to some, and it leads to some minor changes we hope get added in the future.
As we wrap up our review, I still feel there is a lot we can discuss about MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. The career mode being one, but to do that, we’d almost have to write an entire review just on it as the Career Mode, while slightly the same as the story, does have some minor changes to its “story” as well as what it has to offer.
While The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood has leaned less on nostalgia than originally thought, its unique additions such as the Companion system, the addition of new public dungeons to experience, Oblivion Gates, and new quest-based puzzles, it’s just enough to get a veteran player back in and enjoying what The Elder Scrolls Online has to offer. For lore junkies, this is a perfect addition as it does a lot to build up to the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
I’ll continue to say as I did before: Maneater: Truth Quest doesn’t add just a whole lot to the overall experience. It stays true to what it simply is: a lighthearted and somehow over-the-top experience that wants to draw you in for a bit more shark-filled fun. It only adds just enough to be worth the experience, which works out well for the game.
The overall approach works well in Omega Force’s favor, but also, the favor of the fans. From simplified menus to a direct story that stretches into stories with other characters, Samurai Warriors 5 takes a worthwhile note from other projects that Omega Force has worked on in the past, most notably Hyrule Warriors thanks to its focus on character development, overall playability, but also performance.
Poison Control is not a game you’ll be writing home about. It’s instead, a game that you’ll talk to your friends about in passing. It’s silly, it’s goofy, and it should be approached as a light novel that does have its moments of shooter-based gameplay. The biggest change that needs to happen is more depth to the gameplay and more depth to the game’s overall level design.
It’s a title that is rich within the lore of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, but also, it’s amazing well scripted, offering a story that is often told through the scenery itself and the overall design of the game. It’s a damn shame, however, that many may not experience Hood: Outlaws & Legends for quite some time, if at all, as it’s one that truly tries to bend the mold, do something new, and offer an experience, unlike anything we’ve seen before.
There’s one thing I have to make clear: This game isn’t trying to break one’s expectations. It’s a profoundly, if not perfectly average game that comes off as one of those very experiences. Fortunately, it’s a great way to approach the game. It’s not going to go over the top, it’s not going to attempt to fight with other games in a competitive stance.
When it comes to an all-time high for the franchise, Resident Evil Village pushes the boundaries, it attempts to build on well-established tropes the series is known for, and it does it rather well. Well enough that the series could continue on this way, using the first-person perspective to its advantage and continue delivering the jumps and scares the series is known for.
DARQ: Complete Edition will make you play it time and time again, hunting down secret encounters, secret items, and hoping you’ve somehow managed to survive along the way for the best experience yet.
While the small emotional ties to Sadness and Marianne only grow more complex towards the end, and the small performance hiccups and graphical bugs occur from time to time, The Medium is a strong title that – to some – will ultimately be held back due to awkward camera angles and the split duality emphasized by the use of split-screen gameplay to represent both the spirit world and that of the physical world.
For better or for worse, this is what we had hoped the came could have been nine years ago only to re-emerge in modern times in order to give us the experience we wanted while exploring the lands of Dalentarth.
For what it’s worth, this is where advanced players come in, as well as a bit of practice needed, to ensure you get there. That aside, this is a title that comes out as a must-have for fighting game enthusiasts looking for a ‘90s-like experience in modern times.
When said and done, even with more questions than answers left to be asked, DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part 2 does what it set out to do. It gives closure to our current story, allowing for the Doom Slayer’s story, for the time being, to conclude, opening room for the future of the franchise as there is seemingly a lot to be done with the entirety of the doom universe itself.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox has also raised the bar for future entries, making it so that one could only wonder where the story is now and where it could go in the future. Will traversal be much the same or if there are more evolutions in the pipeline in the works for future titles? We can only hope.