The Sims 4 is a very complex game. This shouldn't be surprising, the series is known for it and the various possibilities in character creation alone more than indicate this. In the course of more than seventeen years a lot has changed, the AI is quite good and the possibilities, as said before, enormously diverse. Like in real life there are many connections to consider. If the player creates a lazy Sim, he shouldn't be surprised if he loses his job after three days. If the Sim is phobic about commitment, it will be difficult to start a family. After a certain settling-in period, not least because of the controls, the Sims are quite entertaining. The player can determine the characters and their actions himself and realize his fantasies in the game. Something to fight the Sims games always have with the extreme extent of the predecessors by numerous published extensions. For example, if you have played The Sims 3 with some expansions, you will miss some things in The Sims 4, although the basic game The Sims 4 itself offers things that were not available in The Sims 3. Nevertheless The Sims 3 was in some respects a bit more extensive and well thought out. But for newcomers Die Sims 4 offers a successful entry into the series, especially on consoles. The one or the other consolero might be overwhelmed by the numerous menus (in the beginning). But don't be put off, that's the motto here.
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Torus Games (Ben 10, Beast Quest) and Outright Games (Ben 10, Adventure Time: Pirates of The Enchiridion) deliver a nice game, which realizes the template optically really well. With the current dubbing troupe you get the absolutely right feeling. But as a connoisseur of the series one is a bit disappointed that the title song was not integrated properly and what is most disturbing and noticeable is the fact that the furry friends are damn quiet. Ryder makes comments and finds some actions "Pfo-tastic" or "Fello-menal", but one waits in vain for the typical sayings of the little quadrupeds or other expressions. There is no real story, or at least no thread to start with. That wouldn't be too bad, if you told the missions a little more attractive and interactive. So the whole thing is already very simple. PAW Patrol: On a Roll is the right game for the little ones, as true fans of the furry friends they will love it. But even some children will quickly feel underchallenged and bored here. A game for the whole family is it rather also not, there above all a cooperative play mode would have been meaningful, or stop any motivating challenges. There is no real playful variety, side tasks or exciting story twists. The playing time of two to four hours is also very manageable, and there is virtually no replay value.
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Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is one of those typical Titles that are just kind of mediocre, but can still be fun. After two played missions I already had the word "secret tip" on my tongue, only to have the apparent certainty after the third mission that we are dealing with "tons of wasted potential". Nevertheless, I wanted to know how it goes on, what kind of equipment and abilities there are still to discover and against which opponents I may use them. For tactics fans the title is definitely worth a look. Since it's not a full-price title either, you can definitely overlook the somewhat minimalistic scenery here.
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Metal Gear Survive is literally a double-edged sword, or at least it can be. Whoever approaches this with special expectations and the hope for a typical Metal Gear game will be bitterly disappointed. But if you're really up for a thrilling survival adventure and bite your way through the first few hours, i.e. the complete introduction and tutorial, you can really have fun with this game. Especially the long term motivation will be a decisive factor. The bottom line is that Metal Gear Survive is a solid title that suffers from the big name and some strange decisions in game design.
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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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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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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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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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"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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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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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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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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The developers of Quantic Dream had already shown with Fahrenheit how to create an exciting interactive thriller and how such a concept could look like. With Heavy Rain, they had landed a really big hit and made sure that many players are immediately excited or beam with anticipation when they announce a new project. Even if the technology of the game has gotten a bit outdated, it doesn't diminish the fun of the game. The hunt for the Origami Killer is simply an incredibly exciting thriller and an absolutely terrific gaming experience. It's a bit surprising that the DLC "The Taxidermist" was not included, other remastered releases have done better. On the other hand the absence of this mini addon is not a big loss. If you already own the PS3 version, you don't have a compelling reason to switch to the PS4 version. Anyone who hasn't experienced Heavy Rain before and likes such games is highly recommended to catch up on this title.
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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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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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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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Once again Quantic Dream has succeeded in delivering a gripping story and integrating it into a great interactive film framework. Even after years the presentation is still in the absolute top class, thanks to the great adaptations even on the PlayStation 4. This gaming experience is not only for fans of Heavy Rain a clear recommendation worth. There is nothing more to say about it.
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