Like most RPG’s Jax will not save the world alone, Elex 2 does offer some companions to take along on the journey. Only one at a time can accompany the player but because the AI is so laughably bad in this game, they really only serve a purpose as a ‘meat shield’. Honestly, my companions were getting dropped more than they were hitting enemies in almost every instance. It was about this time that I really began to wonder what people were talking about when they praised the original game so much. Maybe it is that much better than this one, but Elex 2 is pretty bad. Worse than that I personally didn’t find it fun, no disrespect to those that love it. As I said at the outset, I don’t mind ‘janky’ games, but Elex 2 was just ‘bridge too far’ for me.
Sadly, as it is, I can’t really recommend this to anyone because whatever little good it may do, the bad outweighs it by quite a bit.
As for me, I’ll give this a few patches and come back and see if the game has improved because right now, I most assuredly did not get caught up in CrossfireX.
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.
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.
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.
Babylon’s Fall is not an awful game, its just not a very good one and while I would never tell anyone what to do with their money, I will strongly suggest you avoid this one as it’s fate will surely be the same as the tower for which its named.
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.
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.
I don’t hate Disney Speedstorm, worse I just feel kinda cheated. I didn’t mind that it was a F2P game, but the fact that the founders pack doesn’t unlock everything available at launch is disappointing. Especially when you look at how much grinding has to be done to get a toon up to a receptible level for multiplayer races. I loved the tracks and the music that blasted over them but being hit over the head constantly with so many of these free to play mechanics just makes this game frustrating to play and its really a shame.
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.
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.
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.
Aside from the art there isn’t much to love here, SBT can be one of those games that players can use when they want to turn their brain off and just move and shoot. But beyond that it’s just another day in the release of a Warhammer game; if you listen to the podcast, we make the joke about how they come every other week and only 1 is ever any good. Even for the price of $19.99 this game feels overpriced, there just simply isn’t enough game here even with the ability to play 4-player co-op. With the sluggish controls and aiming, and no real change in gameplay other than scenery this one may not please The God Emperor of Mankind.
I wanted to like The Last Oricru very much, I was intrigued by the fish out of water story, but the abrasiveness of the main character and the basic feeling combat just killed it for me. There is a case here for a strong presentation, the vistas and some of the levels were a joy to explore, also the fact that the game kept what felt like a solid 60 fps was a big plus in this ‘next-gen’ age but there was always something just keeping me from really enjoying myself. Be it the so-so story, the wasted use of souls mechinics or just Silver himself, sadly The Last Oricru just doesn’t add anything new to the genre.
I am extremely sad at this reboot of Saints Row, while I wasn’t a huge fan of the absolute bonkers nature of the 4th entry, even if I did love the 3rd. With this reboot I feel like Volition missed a huge opportunity evolve this series for a new generation, not just of consoles but for gamers. As it stands, this game comes off just feeling like its clinging to the tone and design choices from the 360; even the graphics in this reboot from 2022 feel dated and frankly Johnny Gat deserves better.
I wish them well, and truly hope that the fans of this long running franchise get the game they ultimately deserve because as it stands this just feels like it could have been so much better with a bit more time in the oven. MX vs ATV Legends is by no means a horrible game, as I said the thrills of the motocross racing and stunts is a high point, as is the racing of the dune buggy but the graphics and all of the issues with multiplayer really sully the experience, especially for someone who has been away from the series since the beginning.
It’s not that Serious Sam: Tormental is a bad game, its just one that doesn’t do anything new. In an already increasingly crowded market for indie, rougelite games this one is bound to be missed simply because it doesn’t do anything new to push the genre forward. Of course, the opposite side of that is that it doesn’t really do anything negative either, it is a solidly made top-down shooter.
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.
Its almost as if for every step forward Recompile takes, it insists on taking one back. However, the saving grace is that its not a long journey through the motherboard, that is to say it is thankfully pretty short. So those folks that are forever chasing those achievements can rack up some score here, and its on Game Pass which makes the cost of admission even better. If you enjoy ‘metroidvania’ type games and you don’t mind the issues then there is fun to be had here, and you don’t even have to go digging in the dark web to find it.