Like I said at the outset, After the Fall is a fun game albeit a very short one. Yes, there is an extra PvP Team-Deathmatch mode that is moderately fun if you like VR multiplayer shooters. I found it very passable, no real issue other than I just want a fan; but if you like the VR shooters like Pavlov among many others then you may have some fun in the deathmatch. The story for the game is really just an excuse to team up with friends, and that’s ok because whether you play with friends or random folks like me After the Fall does enough to make your time spent with it feel enjoyable; and really isn’t that all we really want from our video games?
However, the fantastic gameplay, the beautiful graphics, and the amazing soundtrack just to name a few things make this an enjoyable experience. That being said, if you are not a fan of difficult games, I’d recommend renting this one first if possible because it is an extremely difficult game at the outset and will require a grind to be successful. But if that doesn’t bother you in the slightest, then come on in; the dojo is all set up.
I enjoyed playing Extinction, even with the randoms who were just trying to be agents of Chaos. But I don’t think I would spend a lot of time with it, these days with so many great games as choices it has become harder and harder to want to comment to one that requires a large amount of grinding. And that is what Extraction would require, as players need to level up to unlock gear, weapons and even levels. Unless it’s telling me an epic story like God of War, Persona or Halo Infinite anymore I just wanna get in, have some fun and get out. Which you can do with Extraction, again with the right group of friends. Other than that, with difficulty spikes as a solo player, and the unstable randos players will be bound to run into online, I don’t see this being much more…which is a shame because Rainbow deserves better. Pray for Sam Fisher.
And while the story wasn’t the best, it was entertaining and that’s all I require from my media. Also, it should be noted that the controls have been updated from their old school versions which is a plus, all and all if you are looking for a creepy action adventure game with a cool main character (who is a brotha!!) and some interesting otherworldly mechanics then you should give Shadow Man Remastered a whirl.. or do it so we get a proper current gen sequel.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a pretty good game overall, while its story is simple and its gameplay not terribly difficult most experienced gamers can knock it out in 7 hours or so. The game boasts some great graphics due to the awesome sprite work, and it has an extremely catchy soundtrack; which is always a nice bonus. I think Team Ladybug managed to put out a game that has something for quite a varied audience. Those that are fans of the novels or anime series will surely find something to love, but those of us who enjoy ‘metoridvania’ type games will find a lot to appreciate as well; and who knows maybe even turn the next generation of fans onto Record of Lodoss War as a whole.
I wanted Aluna: Sentinel of the Shards to be great, as I said I absolutely love the lore and mythology presented here. The cutscenes are also worth noting as they employ a graphic novel – panel approach which as everyone knows I’m a sucker for comic – well anything. Everything else about this game though, from the graphics to the voice acting just feels very uninspired and lazy. It’s really a shame because the content is so interesting, the Incans deserve more time in the spotlight and despite this misstep, I hope they get it.
Serious Sam 4 is just fun, and in a time where real life is so very serious its nice to have a game just be fun again.
Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All ends up being a game full of wonderfully hand-drawn visuals and extremely repetitive combat. It makes it hard to really recommend this game to anyone other than those that are fans of the duo. While yes, some young kids may enjoy the overly simplistic nature of the game; anyone who is an older gamer will become quickly bored with the easy combat, and lack of new moves or attacks.
While not without its glitches, there was multiple times my minions stood around when I raised the base alarm due to an agent being detected. Or when I gave my henchman a kill command to an agent and instead, he ran to the 3rd floor and back down again which allowed said agent to escape. These things happen but don’t destroy the sheer delight of ‘trying to take over the world’. I am extremely happy that Evil Genius was brought back, and I hope that we can see more and more entries into this zany world of evil scientist and crazy dictators.
Each of the missions ends with a ranking system and various unlocks. Some of these things will only be usable in Code Fairy, while some suits will be unlocked for players in it’s older brother Battle Operation 2. I enjoyed the single player and slower pace of Code Fairy. I was finally able to get a handle on the combat and movement system that Battle Operation uses. But really the true cherry here was the fantastic story of the Noisy Fairy Squadron, watching this team start off on shaky ground but ultimately coming together and meshing as all good teams do was just the feel-good story that I needed to see. Its one that really resonates with people, and the fact that its so well done and is an all-female team is a nice chef’s kiss.
I’m not going to lie; I LOVE everything about this game. In fact, the only thing I wish is that I was able to get out of the ship and walk around as Nara. Much like the Galaxy on Fire series all conversations happen in ship, unless it’s a cutscene. But even that is not really worth counting as a strike against the game because literally everything else is such a smooth experience. While the story can get a bit confusing, if players are fans of breakneck speeds, and thrilling dogfights in space then Chorus is going to be right up your alley. I cannot wait to see what Deep Silver Fishlabs can do with a sequel to this game or even some DLC, with the world that has been created here it really would be a shame to let it go to waste.
BloodRayne 2: Revamped is a guilty pleasure game, it’s a lot of fun to toss enemies into death traps around the levels with her chain, or even go full on blender mode and dice up everything that moves. While I think that Big Boat Interactive did a fantastic job of making the game prettier, alas they did nothing for the controls which is a crying shame. While I am beyond excited that a new generation can finally experience Rayne’s journey on the new systems; I remain extremely hopeful that this means we will see a proper sequel made from the ground up sooner rather than later.
For League of Legend fans this game is a no brainer, finally you will be able to see and move around the world of Runeterra in a way that isn’t possible in LoL. But for those folks who just love a good story, interesting characters and pretty decent combat Ruined King could be that gateway game that gets into the larger world of League of Legends and its many, many offerings that are coming soon.
The biggest problem is CoD: Vanguard feels like the least innovative Call of Duty in years. I think a lot of that has to do with Warzone, and the fact that developers HAVE to ensure that their game can be compatible with that battle royale. The fact that so much has to go into making sure it all works together; I just feel like it has to be hampering the developer’s creativity. In my opinion Call of Duty as a whole need to take a year off and regroup, come back with something as memorable as the original Modern Warfare was when it launched. If it’s a matter of money (and I doubt that it is) developers could lean into Warzone, they already are making a killing on all the microtransactions but just update Warzone like Epic does for Fortnite. Then after a year surprise people with something fantastic… I know this will never happen, but a man can dream.
Visiting those strange new worlds was always fun on TV and it’s a fun and rewarding experience in Space Crew as well.
If you can’t tell, I didn’t like Doctor Who: Edge of Reality in this iteration. Had I played this in VR I think some of my issues would have been resolved, but the mistreatment of both Doctors is quite unforgivable and would be a huge issue in either version of the game. While I think it is almost as hard to make a good Doctor Who game as it is to make a good Star Trek game, I appreciate that studios keep trying different things… but this ain’t it bruh.
The changes that have been to the formula that was created for XCOM are welcome ones, and hopefully this isn’t just a one-off adventure into this universe.
If you can’t tell, I really loved Age of Empires 4. If I had to complain it would be that while I love the depth and difference in each civilization; I would like to see more added. Perhaps one with an African/Egyptian flair. And that I wasn’t able to try out the multiplayer, but it does have a nice quick match system in place where the player can choose to queue up for multiple types of matches at a time. As I said above Age of Empires 4 is the perfect mix of old and new and I really think the legions of fans who’ve been waiting ever so patiently for 16 years for a new entry in this storied franchise will find much to love here.
Turtle Rock Studios have made a triumphant return to the genre that kickstarted a whole zombie craze so many years ago. That return isn’t perfect though, issues with the controls, missing game modes and bugs have marred what is otherwise an enjoyable zombie killfest. At the time of this writing a few patches have gone out that have corrected most of the larger bugs, but there are still issues with spawning too many special infected at a time and other little issues. While these things can be frustrating, they don’t destroy the fun of Back 4 Blood when playing the game as it’s meant to be. That is playing multiplayer with a group of friends smartly navigating a nightmare filled world.
There are secret areas to explore, walls that can be broken by attacks, bosses hidden off the beaten path and so much more. And its these moments that make Death’s Gambit: Afterlife shine brightest for me, but if you are a fan of rouge-lites then you will find much to love here as well. It doesn’t really add much new to the genre but it checks all the boxes that rogue-lites require and there is nothing wrong with that.