Marc-Antoine Bergeron Cote's Reviews
Punch Club 2: Fast Forward brings some interesting new features to the first opus in the series, with more enjoyable training sessions, interesting side missions, especially in the first part of the game, and a whole new universe to explore. Humor is also on the agenda, with the integration of many 80s inspirations. Nevertheless, the title suffers from a marked sense of repetition in the second half of the game. Not to mention the technical problems that completely spoil the adventure for players who don't realize until very late that they have a problem in their adventure.
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F1 Manager 2023 remains a fun experience for all fans of management games and Formula 1. The title features a fairly comprehensive team manager career mode. Nevertheless, the new features lack polish, and I would have appreciated the option of starting a career in lower categories before moving up to the premier class. Especially as Frontier Developments already has the licenses for the latter. The title is mainly aimed at players who haven't played the previous opus, while the lack of new features could put off older players.
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Venba is a unique experience that clearly offers a different way of telling a story. While gameplay isn't the title's masterpiece, it's still fun to understand the recipes and try to complete them. Clearly, the title would have benefited from more stages in the preparation of dishes to prolong the adventure. In a way, while the game doesn't do anything particularly bad, we're left a little disappointed. Perhaps I'd have liked the gameplay phases to have been a little longer, even if this shifts the way the story is told. There's no doubt that the Visai Studios team is talented, and we'll have to keep an eye on their next projects!
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Construction Simulator is without doubt the most complete opus in the franchise, developed by the Weltenbauer studio. The missions are varied, there's dubbing for the campaigns, and there are two zones large enough to vary the fun. While there are a few machines that are more difficult to handle, the overall experience is pretty fun, especially since it's possible to play with 3 other people. The tasks may seem, and sometimes are, repetitive, but the accessibility options mean that there's something for everyone. The title is clearly recommended for simulation fans, but also for those new to the genre.
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Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes Definitive Edition propose sans doute la version la plus aboutie sans pour autant dénaturer l’excellente expérience originale. La campagne est toujours aussi excellente alors que la jouabilité propose un défi assez relevé même pour les habitués du genre. Le multijoueur de son côté est très équilibré et il encourage les joueurs à monter les échelons. Sur Nintendo Switch c’est presque parfait, même si j’ai été surpris de constater que cette version n’est pas commercialisée sur console de nouvelle génération. Néanmoins, j’espère qu’avec les portages des dernières années et maintenant cette édition définitive qu’Ubisoft (qui détient les droits de la licence) offre la chance à un studio de créer une suite à cette aventure.
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Sold at a low price, Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine is certainly not the experience that fans of the Super Meat Boy franchise have been waiting for. The title offers an original variation on the puzzle games of the same type, with a world that's as well-realized as ever. Nevertheless, balancing and latency problems detract from the overall experience that the Headup Development team is trying to deliver. The idea isn't bad, but it lacks a little polish. Not to mention that it's more than a little strange to see this kind of game for the franchise when gamers are still hoping for a proper sequel to the first opus.
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Crash Team Rumble is a lot of fun, and you'll enjoy trying out the different character classes, even in single-player mode. Its pleasant gameplay and successful art direction won't be enough to keep the title alive for months if the developers at Toys for Bob don't add content soon. Despite its lower retail price than a traditional AAA, I'm not convinced that the game will work when users will regularly have to dig deep into their pockets to obtain the season pass. My advice, perhaps, is to wait for a discount unless you're a huge fan of the franchise.
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This year's edition of F1 23 is far more complete than last year's, with the return of the story mode, improved gameplay, the arrival of a central hub with several ways of racing, and the introduction of the red flag. Codemasters undoubtedly has what it takes to convince players to pay for the game this time around, despite the absence of an update for F2 or the lack of novelty offered by the career mode.
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LEGO 2K Drive is a fun title that will bring back many memories for older players, but also allows younger ones to race in a colorful and humorous universe. The universe of this famous license has been well transcribed, and it's always fun to explore Bricklandia while destroying the scenery along the way. Unfortunately, the game's pleasant gameplay is hampered by zones that require loading times, microtransactions to obtain additional characters and the second part of the campaign mode. The title should nevertheless appeal to fans of other LEGO games looking for a new experience.
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Stranded: Alien Dawn offers a rather advanced management experience that will please many fans of the genre, even if it doesn't reinvent anything. The tutorial is almost too comprehensive, but does a good job of preparing you for your game. Neophytes may find the numerous management elements a little confusing. The developers have provided sufficient content, even if the variety of the bestiary is rather limited. While the overall atmosphere is rather successful, the same cannot be said of the console gameplay, which is rather difficult. I strongly advise you to play the PC version, which is much more enjoyable.
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The Lord of the Rings: Gollum unfortunately doesn't live up to the expectations placed in it and announced. It felt like a game that hadn't yet found its feet. The basics are in place, but you quickly get the feeling that you're doing the same thing over and over again, and moving forward without much interest. Yet the universe and the environment created around it allow you to immerse yourself in the world of J.R.R Tolkien. The technical problems, however, break this immersion, which fails to make up for the other problems. I wouldn't recommend Gollum in its current state, and I hope the developers manage to improve it. Otherwise, the title will be quickly forgotten by gamers.
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Hotel Renovator is overall not a bad simulation game experience. The title developed by Two Horizons takes several elements found in the competition while adapting the overall experience. The decoration of the rooms is really fun and you don't feel the hours passing. It's a pity that we are constantly interrupted in the story mode and that the management of the lighting effects doesn't allow faultless modifications. It would also have been interesting to add visual guides to place our objects in a more uniform way. The regulars of the genre will be charmed by the proposal while the neophytes will try to understand why the game is interesting.
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Redfall malheureusement tente beaucoup de choses sans en réussir aucun de manière parfaite. La jouabilité tente d’être rapide, mais nous sommes confrontés à des ennemis qui ne bougent pas et qui proposent très peu de difficulté. Les développeurs ont intégré un système de compétence qui n’apporte pas de réel changement dans le déroulement du jeu. Le scénario tente d’être mystérieux, mais il y a très peu de cinématique pour nous immerger correctement. L’ambiance de son côté est plutôt réussie, mais gâchée par les nombreux problèmes techniques. Vous l’aurez compris, le titre développé par Arkane Austin n’est pas profondément mauvais, mais il n’est pas non plus profondément bon. Si vous n’avez pas un abonnement au Game Pass, il est préférable de passer son chemin.
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Mojang Studios and Microsoft can be proud of their success in adapting the massive Minecraft franchise into a brand new adventure. Minecraft Legends offers a strategic experience that mixes cooperation and confrontation. A complete campaign mode perfectly accompanies the wonderful cinematics designed by the studio in addition to the additions already planned for the coming months. If the gameplay is not perfect and we can feel a little frustrated during our games, the title remains a great introduction for the neophytes of the genre. On their side, the regulars should also find their account with the PvP modes.
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Meet Your Maker reminds me a bit of Mario Maker, but much more violent and serious. The player has the opportunity to exercise his creativity and it is fun to go through the levels to complete them. There is nothing wrong with the gameplay, which is responsive and precise. Nevertheless, I still don't know if the game will have the opportunity to shine for several months. While the developers have already planned, and announced, additional content, I have the impression that the content generated by others will not be enough. The experience benefits from being in the PlayStation Plus program since its official release, but will it be enough to make up for the feeling of repetition that sets in within a few hours?
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MLB The Show 23 has the same problems as other sports simulation experiences in recent months. The series seems to stagnate and doesn't bring enough novelties to push fans to pay for it every year. While we were used to the SIE San Diego team innovating every year, this is no longer the case. The integration of the shared save, the presence from the release on the Xbox Game Pass service or the excellent storylines mode featuring The Negro Leagues are not enough. If the gameplay is still as good as ever, it is not possible for me to recommend the purchase to a player who already has last year's edition. Not to mention that the title still doesn't offer translation in languages other than English.
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Terra Nil proposes a strategic adventure around the environment and allowing us to give the complete power back to nature. The concept is very topical and succeeds in immersing us completely. The challenge remains more difficult than it seems and you should not be afraid to start over in certain phases. On the whole, the adventure remains quite short and it would have been interesting to push the idea even further. Nevertheless, the gameplay and the atmosphere are addictive, making it difficult to let go of the game. If you are looking for an original city builder, the title developed by the Free Lives team is clearly made for you!
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DREDGE offers an original single-player adventure and a whole new concept of fishing adventures that we could have. While the storyline takes an important place, the developers let the player discover at his own pace. The system of management and improvement of our trawler works well and adds a little challenge to our adventure. The biggest flaw remains in the repetition of the tasks performed, I would have appreciated a little more diversity in the fishing activity itself. Nevertheless, the title offers several hours of gameplay and a story that we can't wait to discover.
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With very high expectations, Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacy manages to surprise the player both in terms of its narrative and the fully explorable universe. The title offers dozens of hours of quests in addition to the little secrets hidden everywhere. If you are a Harry Potter fan, there is no doubt that you will be charmed by this successful adaptation. Flaws such as certain parts of the interface or the underused equipment system do not allow the overall experience to be tarnished. Hats off to the studio team at Avalanche Software who had a huge order and managed to meet the challenge. No doubt more content will be added in the future especially with the current commercial and critical success.
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When a sequel is proposed, it's not always easy to find the right balance between new features and keeping what was already working. Even if PC Building Simulator 2 doesn't bring a lot of novelties, the title manages to refine what was already a success before. Whether it's in the gameplay or in its visual rendering, the game is more precise and includes much more detail. Nevertheless, the experience is not perfect and remains repetitive. Despite the added customization, it often feels like the same sequences are repeated. This is especially true at the beginning of your adventure when you don't have access to all the features. However, I have already spent many hours and I intend to continue my adventure. The regulars will be delighted while the neophytes will be entitled to a game much more accomplished than its predecessor
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