Not much time really passed between the announcement and the release, and there were also few big reports. But numerous trailers and smaller reports about details have increased the anticipation enormously. As a fan of Supermassive's style of storytelling and especially Until Dawn, I was of course very excited and had, to describe it in one word, "high expectations". Right, that's not a word at all, but still it describes it so quite well. The deviation from the rule, from the usual way of doing things. I shouldn't go into the dark cellar, where the strange noises come from - at the latest in the second run-through I literally run down the stairs to see what awaits me there. I had a lot of fun with The Quarry, although I must honestly admit that Until Dawn gripped me more overall. I felt it was creepier and the atmosphere was tighter. Also, you quickly get the impression in The Quarry that it's revealed much earlier what you're up against, there's a bit of a lack of surprise. Still, a lot is done right here, the concept fits, the presentation is coherent and in the end there is still the big reveal and slowly all the evidence we hope to have found makes total sense. Supermassive delivers exactly what you'd expect with The Quarry, on a pretty high level. One person might like one of the storylines from the previous games better, the next might have wanted some sort of new addition. Personally, I say that if they manage to continue to deliver like this, they are welcome to keep up the annual cycle that we've been seeing lately, I would even subscribe. That's why I'm already really looking forward to "The Devil in Me" and until then I'm sure to visit the vacation camp "Hackett's Quarry" again.
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Sniper Elite 5 is a very successful continuation of the series. Fans will once again be presented with exciting and challenging missions, and newcomers will find a good introduction to the series. Visually, the latest adventure with sniper Karl Fairburne isn't always on point, but the gameplay is all the more accurate. The story is solid, typical WW2 fare, without big surprises or special highlights. The drama could have been turned up a notch here. Especially the ending could have used a bit more tension. There aren't really many visible innovations, but the revised controls and the Killcam stand out, and on the PlayStation 5 there's also DualSense support. Nevertheless, Sniper Elite 5 is a lot of fun and will entertain genre fans well.
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Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a super fun and enjoyable game that I'm already looking forward to the DLCs. The story is brilliant and equally well "voiced". As you progress through the gameplay, you'll pass quests that couldn't be funnier. Gearbox has built in gags that you can only understand or recognize after a second thought. There are references to various children's shows, Star Wars and Borderlands, among others. Clap Trap is not missing either and comes with several questlines.
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Creative Assembly has done it again and created a game with Total War: Warhammer 3 that can inspire newcomers, but will also convince players who have already invested hundreds, if not thousands of hours in the predecessors. With the new factions and the sensible improvements, long-lasting fun is once again guaranteed and sufficient variety is also provided. If this will then also be the basis for an upgraded "Mortal Empires" campaign in which the previous races are added and all three parts merge into one gigantic world map, a strategy experience of unprecedented proportions can be expected here. Until then, Total War: Warhammer 3 can be celebrated as a great single work, which is really very successful.
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Buy! Experience! Enjoy! - that's basically all there is to say. If you liked Horizon Zero Dawn, you won't be able to get past Horizon Forbidden West. Everyone who is (finally) hooked by the release of the sequel is cordially invited to experience this masterpiece, but should think twice before starting with the predecessor. You definitely won't regret it, I put my hand in the fire for that. Regarding the story, there will surely be extensive discussions and comparisons about which one is better, but I won't join in. I find Horizon to be an impressive overall work. For example, Lord of the Rings only works for me as a trilogy. Not that I would now indirectly anteasern the third part (or yet?), but as a complete work Guerrilla has created here for me the almost perfect continuation.
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That might be a bit more difficult than teaching a zombie to fetch. There was a lot of trouble in the run-up, there was a lot of hype, and some of it was followed by disillusionment and, for some, almost disappointment. Yes, not everything went smoothly and we also noticed some things that I had to bring up here. It is also clear that some potential was wasted. Nevertheless, it's fair to say that Dying Light 2 is a really successful game overall, which is fun to play and entertains well at times. It's not a masterpiece, and it doesn't have to be. Just drop all the ballast of the pre-reviews, install the latest patch and dive into a successful zombie survival adventure.
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"Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy has become a really entertaining game. The way the story is presented and experienced is very successful. A good compromise is found between action interludes, exploration and narration, without losing the common thread. Those who appreciate the soundtrack and the humor of the movie will also get their money's worth here, while being brought closer to the original universe from the comics. Basically, Eidos Montréal offers excellent fan service, with enough potential to entertain players who haven't had much to do with the Guardians of the Galaxy yet.
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Now it's time for the final review and I'm extremely torn. I'll admit, I'm quite a fan of single player campaigns and I really liked this year's one. I thought the overall almost cinematic staging was great and it had some great moments. Being a sniper in Stalingrad reminded me of the great scenes in Call of Duty: World at War. But the other locations were great as well. Multiplayer is something I enjoy playing in phases. I liked Black Ops: Cold War quite a bit and found myself in battles there more often. The beta phase of Call of Duty: Vanguard put me off a bit, as I didn't really warm up to the multiplayer mode. Of course, what was shown was only an excerpt of the later scope. So this part could also win me over now in the weeks gradually more. In the end, the problem of Call of Duty is probably more and more the "egg-laying-willing-milk-sow" principle paired with the tight release procedure, which seems to be a challenge despite changing studios. With Call of Duty: Vanguard, Sledgehammer has shown some great ideas of how a good shooter can be presented.
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For me Xuan Yuan Sword 7 was a wonderful surprise, discovered shortly before release and convinced by a trailer to take a look, I was not disappointed. The game is so wonderfully unobtrusive and definitely doesn't crave the "RPG Hit 2021" trophy, and despite a fast travel system, it's so pleasantly linear. It offers pretty much all the aspects you'd expect from a role-playing game and still only has one thing in mind, which is to keep the player well entertained and I really liked that. That's why it's also a 内幕消息 for me.
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Ratchet & Clank are back and finally usher in the PlayStation 5 era! "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart" is an absolute showpiece title and stands alongside the countless upgrades and remakes as the current reference for the next generation of console gaming. I can only summarize here that Rift Apart is an entertaining, very varied adventure that uses the technical possibilities of the PlayStation 5 very well. Thanks to the fast SSD, level changes are possible without noticeable loading times, the fast and fluid gameplay and the breathtaking graphics offer a total package with a guarantee of fun.
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Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is really successful and has improved on its predecessor. Great approaches in game design, fantastic maps, great sniping, great designed missions, that's really fun.
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Need for Speed as a series is not easy at the moment, although most games were not bad at all. But with every new announcement a large part of the fans hopes that either "Underground" will appear in the name or even better that the game will pick up the concept. Especially Need for Speed Underground 2 has a huge fanbase. If a remaster is announced, the fans have a justified hope that it could be their favorite. If you leave the disappointment that it didn't happen like that aside, you have to say objectively that you made a comprehensible choice with Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. The title came off quite well, basically reflects the concept of the series and is quite fun. One will like the single player area, the other one prefers the multiplayer mode and surely there are many who find good entertainment in both variants. Visually the game is no revelation even as a remaster, if you look at Need for Speed Heat for example. But they managed to eliminate the technical flaws of the original version, like edge flickering and muddy textures, and with greater visibility, higher resolution, new environment elements and better performance they made the whole thing a fun title even in 2020. Since this is not a full-price title either, a fan of action-packed frenzies is definitely entitled to strike.
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Not only since the great air battles in Star Wars: Battlefront I wished for a great space shooter with a story. It didn't even have to be Star Wars, but the way it turned out is of course great. The fact that you can also add a great VR mode is of course mega great, because the additionally released Rogue One - Mission for Battlefront was also very strong. Here EA seems to have not only heard the call of the fans but also followed it. And Motive Studio did the whole thing really great. Yes, I have listed what I was missing or what I would have liked to have - given away. Maybe DLCs will provide us with more. You should also consider that Star Wars Squadrons is not a full-price title, but what is offered is definitely more than satisfactory and a clear recommendation to buy - but not for Star Wars fans - for them it is almost obligatory!
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You can see the gameplay pack The Sims 4 Star Wars: the journey to Batuu the basic concept strongly. Basically we send our Sim to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge amusement park and there he experiences a great stay with fun adventures and events. This is in itself also quite good, because if the classic Sims concept had been transferred to Batuu, there would have been little variety apart from strange neighbors with strange professions and futuristic furniture. Because of the two hostile factions, for which you can do tasks, there is a touch of play value, furthermore you have simply made sure with an enormous number of items that you can take further advantage of this gameplay pack. All in all Batuu is definitely worth a trip and an interesting expansion to The Sims 4, but will probably only work for Sim-loving Star Wars fans.
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"Ary and the Secret of Seasons" is a fine action-adventure in itself, which can be described as family-friendly and which invites every genre-fan to a fun and entertaining adventure. Depending on how much you sink into the trial & error vortex during the puzzle interludes and how strong the urge for discovery is, you can spend 8-10 hours with the game. Altogether there are however already some technical deficiencies, which cloud the fun of the game and also disturb the presentation. Of course the style is consciously chosen more minimalistic and it is not a full price title, but such rough carvings should not occur and one can only hope that the game will be improved in the form of patches.
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Definitely not only GTA fans get their money's worth with this game. Anyone who likes well staged action, varied missions and a freely accessible game world will have a lot of fun with this game.
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Since inFAMOUS: Second Son (2014) we haven't heard anything from Sucker Punch and if we're honest, we were more expecting another inFAMOUS spin-off than this surprise. The setting can definitely be described as unspent and the realization is simply fantastic. Ghost of Tsushima has pretty much everything we could wish for in a title like this, impressive and contemporary presentation, great story, a lot to discover (including collectibles) and a decent amount. If we had to criticize anything, it would be the sometimes questionable enemy AI and a few tiny bugs (missing triggers for side quests), which were not visible after a restart of the game and will surely be fixed. Ghost of Tsushima is a terrific masterpiece, which you can definitely put on the "You have to played it" list.
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The Last of Us - Part II was eagerly awaited, is, as expected, very successful and enormously controversial. Either way, the title is a milestone in the history of video games and rightly so. Nevertheless, as so often, it is a matter of taste whether you like the game or a certain aspect of it. There are reasons why some things are viewed so critically and sometimes even negatively, especially with this game. In my opinion, it's partly due to the grandiose predecessor, which managed to masterfully narrate a rather simple scenario of an apocalypse, make it playable and thus directly experienceable and also establish a wonderful character duo, which is extremely popular. In addition, this game is simply so damn realistic. We all know the term "playable film" and know some great genre representatives. But where we often have to deal with long cutscenes and heaps of quick time events, here we are given permanent control, at least felt. Because we can enter certain situations in different ways and defend ourselves with different weapons, we like to forget that we still follow a given path and go where they want us to go. Without a flashing arrow, without penetrating markings, only with minimalist support and following our playful instincts. There are no distorted representations here, heroes or villains in capes, enemies with distorted and frightening appearances. Even if the kill count in some sections feels as high as in Call of Duty, it feels different. Even eliminating an infected person sometimes feels "wrong". And it is for this feeling that I say "Everything done right! This game is the way it is and that is good. Not everyone has to like it in the end, that's the way it is with movies, with books and why should it be different with this form of storytelling. Apart from the fact that The Last of Us - Part II was a great game experience for me, I think it's basically worth a look and anything but lost time. "A profound orgy of violence"
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Predator: Hunting Grounds has a lot of potential that is currently not being exploited. The asymmetrical game principle is basically well implemented, but unfortunately it is thrown over by the immature balancing. The template is made for this and it is to be hoped that Illfonic will add a little more. Revise the balancing, add a few maps and please improve the technique a little bit, then the whole thing can still develop.
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Bombastic! You can't say more than that. The idea to move Gears of War to another genre is brilliantly realized and works great as a tactical game. As with Halo Wars, the transfer was successful and you have chosen exactly the right genre. Gears Tactics can easily be mentioned in the same breath as XCOM. Not only fans of the Gears franchise are recommended to take a look, but everyone who is only in the beginning of a fantastic strategy game.
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