Despite having some of the best combat I have seen in a 2D game and loving the dark and dreary art style I just couldn’t vibe with Have a Nice Death the same way I have with other games in the genre like Hades. While there are a few weapons to try and some combos to create with curses, It just never reached the same heights as the latter did for me. I will say that the writing here is top notch, and the commentary on display whether on purpose or not was genuinely funny. While I may not have loved this game personally, I do think there is a lot here for others to love not the least of which is the jingle that plays when Death spawns back in his office after having to RIP (Rest In Paperwork).
Deceive Inc has a new and unique premise and an engaging gameplay loop but its lackluster combat which is going to be inevitable in each match just pulls this otherwise killer spy simulator and sends it out to Die Another Day. While it has the benefit of being unlike any of the other hum-drum deathmatch games out there at the moment, I just hope that it can find a large enough player base to stand the test of time.
I can see what this team was going for with this game, but sadly Romancelvania is a jack of all trades but master of none. If this was a straight up visual novel, I think the experience would have been richer, but with the lackluster combat, wonkiness of controlling Drac themselves and the last few contestants just feeling like they were thrown in the mix; I come away wishing for better for this game. It’s not a horrible game, but its not really a good one either, if you want to experience it for the laughs just know that it will come with the tears of having to deal with the combat.
End of the day the only thing I really loved about Saga of Sins was the graphics and art style. The combat was passible but overall just felt very simple for my taste and maybe it was the fact the game focused on the seven deadly sins but I kept getting a Dante’s Inferno vibe. Delving into a world presented in stained glass only to save the town that is stained in sin is some clever wordplay but even with the great graphics and art style, Saga of Sins just didn’t do it for me. I did enjoy the innocent levels more than the action-oriented ones but even that isn’t enough to save this one’s soul in my opinion.
Pretty early in the game players will get a bird companion who will also help with puzzles. She can be instructed to pick up and place items and will use other things in tandem with The Hunters bow to open new routes and solve puzzles. The Pathless is a very solid action-adventure game, one that arguably is something that Xbox lacks. While a two-year-old game won’t set the world on fire in sales; I can recommend this to those folks who may have been waiting for this release on Xbox, the bright colors and almost anime-like graphics and exceptionally well-done soundtrack make for a chill and mostly rewarding experience.
I can’t recommend Digimon World: Next Order and honestly I have begun to question why I liked it as a kid. I am sure it had to do with the later cool evolutions that happen but there are better games and even anime’s that showcase this better than having suffered through this game. While seeing some of the old faces brought back some nostalgia in the end it was just that, and the game was just a chore to play… literally.
Laying the groundwork for the Hogwarts that we know and love, it was great seeing the genesis of some of the more common things in the wizarding world. But the games presentation of its choices; in making them seem dire and dare I say ‘world shattering’ only to then have them add up to a big fat pile of nothing in the post-narrative game is just a cop out that sucks. But hopefully we can see this wrong righted as well as some Qudditch in a sequel, that is if JK Rowling can manage not to have the brand erased from existence.
I would like to see some improvements to AI and things in the future but with an aggressive post launch plan that includes more monsters (kemono) and story beats, Omega Force is firmly behind Wild Hearts and that can only mean good things for the monster hunting market at large.
While this is dubbed as the Definitive Edition, I just don’t see how it can be called such when it’s still missing a lot of what made Shadow Warrior 1 and 2 so good. It being a free update for current players is certainly amazing and lowering the price of the game for newcomers is always welcome, but it still doesn’t make this a great game. Shadow Warrior 3 ends up being just ‘ok’ in the grand scheme of things and especially in comparison to the games around it. Lo Wang deserves better and if the fates will it we will get to hang out with our pal Wang again soon.
I seriously surprised myself at how much I love Monster Hunter Rise. With a campaign that doesn’t last long, just enough to train players up and then being the real game. The endgame is where it’s at and going after those high-level monsters is such a delight with or without friends playing. Even after all the time I have invested I have yet to see all of the monsters and I can’t wait to continue to discover more and the upcoming Sunbreak expansion coming summer 2023. Yep, seems there has never been a better time for Monster Hunter fans new and old and I am happy to now count myself among them.
One of the greatest things about this game is when you finish helping someone’s style you are met with a ‘YAAAS’ or ‘DAYUM’ while the newly fashioned perp is dancing with joy. Truly the only thing that tops it is the fashion show you get when players finish each level. I loved the hell out of Fashion Police Squad, not only did it feel familiar with its shooter roots but its premise of cleaning up the streets of fashion crimes is so unique and charmingly done that the game just exudes a swag all its own.
I enjoyed my time with One Piece Odyssey enough to join my sons in watching the anime. The Straw Hats crew themselves are a great group, I enjoyed the camaraderie and the jokes (even though I didn’t catch all of them). They care for one another just like any good family does and it was a touching story to see. Aside from the combat feeling overly easy for a good portion of the game, and the UI issues I would recommend One Piece Odyssey to fans of the series and non-fans alike. Especially if you are a fan of JRPG’s, this one has it all for you.
I wanted to love We are the Caretakers, the whole afro vibe, the music which is absolutely fire and I was even down with the idea of trying to save the environment. But the bland and boring combat makes We are the Caretakers just a chore to play; none of the attacks are visually pleasing or noteworthy and the animations feel stiff. I would love to see another game set in this world because the concept and everything is very interesting but combat and graphics would need to be overhauled because as it stands; even though this games heart is in the right place (10 percent of revenue going to the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Rhino Recovery Fund, which focuses on improving the health of rhino populations while also benefiting local people) the actually gameplay is just underwhelming.
Omegabot isn’t a bad game by any means, and proudly wears its inspiration on its sleeve, in a world where you have to be unique to stand out it stands in the middle of the pack, not great, but not at all terrible, but worth a shot if you are having Mega Man withdrawals. (thanks a lot Capcom)
Having only a handful of enjoyable minigames means players will end up playing the ones they dislike more, and the horribly paced board game component makes the journey getting to those minigames feel like a slog and then to not have GARFIELD VOICED IS JUS- let me calm down. Even at the ‘value’ price of $39.99 this feels overpriced, if you are a huge Garfield fan wait for a deep sale before picking this one up.
From what I’ve played of Divine Knockout I think its going to be a lot of fun while it lasts. I am always wary of getting behind Hi-Rez games because they have a habit of going hard on this project when they are popular but then support will peter off and eventually die thus killing the game. Outside of Smite I think their other two big franchises Paladin’s and Rogue Company are on life support. I am rooting for them with Divine Knockout though, its easy to pick up nature and attractive art style will hopefully help it to garner an audience that will allow it to stand the test of time, or at the very least until they can put my man Zeus in the game, once I can get him they can do what they want.
Crossfire: Legion does a great job of evoking great memories playing better games in the RTS genre. It does very little if anything to innovate and leans heavily on the tracks that many other games have laid before it. But what hurts it most of all is the fact that there is NO A.I. matchmaking, which means that if players want to play the game, they must use the multiplayer option which seems to be on its way to being abandoned at this point. So that leaves players to repeat a lackluster campaign filled with generic characters (whom they utilized some top tier talent such as Ashly Burch who is wasted here) and cliché plots. Crossfire: X was my first introduction to the world of Crossfire and as you can read in my review it was a terrible first impression. And now with Legion being the mess that it is I think I may not give Crossfire a third chance to disappoint me.
I can’t say enough good things about Marvel’s Midnight Suns, while I knew this was going to be a strategy game of sorts, I was pleasantly surprised with how deep its systems got for those that really want to dig in. The way that characters can be equipped and built out offers so much flexibility for players it is really astounding. And all of that directly corresponds with the relationship/friendship system. As players continually build those relationships they will be rewarded with various attacks, and buffs when using that hero. Not to mention the fantastic story that is built here, and while some will find some of the social elements a bore there is a payoff for a great deal of the interactions. Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a game that will demand your time and attention, its not a quick experience but it is just that, an experience one that is nicely balanced in its fantastic story and above average action for a perfect melding of what makes superheroes so cool to being with.
This game wants to be Dead Space really, REALLY, bad, but what’s interesting about that is I haven’t even finished the first Dead Space game and I can see it. Is this a bad thing? No, it’s really not as Callisto Protocol isn’t a trash game at all, they tried some new things with the controls and stuff some of it worked but for me a lot more of it didn’t. The game’s depiction of excessive violence is fun but even it wears on to the point of feeling overboard, especially when you think why they have giant grinding machines in the open like this in the middle of a prison. The story, while predictable, was an enjoyable adventure, but as far as graphics this game looks incredible. But as most of us know by now, looks aren’t everything and so it is with Callisto Protocol.
RWBY: Arrowfell isn’t a terrible game, it just doesn’t feel like this game lived up to the pedigree set forth by the teams involved. As I said I am not a fan of the source material, so I am curious to see what fans think but as a fan of side-scrolling adventure games sadly I find this one is lacking in the essence that arguably really makes this genre fun and its combat. There just really is no joy to be found in the combat here and that’s really a shame.