Bogdan Popa
I can totally understand why Journey To The Savage Planet has been received with mixed reactions by gamers out there. It somehow created high expectations on the fronts it’s not necessarily interested in, such as combat.
I don’t know about you but Unbound feels precisely what the doctor ordered for the Need for Speed franchise. Heat has more or less left me hoping for more, and now that Unbound is built based on the success of its predecessor, it all feels like a complete game.
Modern Warfare II is almost a perfect game. But the almost part is more significant than you’d be tempted to believe, and unfortunately, it sometimes makes the game a work-in-progress.
In many ways, Gotham Knights is a game that does everything differently from the previous Arkham games, and maybe this is the reason why so many people seem disappointed.
If you’re a casual NBA player, there’s absolutely no doubt you’ll find this year’s release a little bit overwhelming. There’s a lot that you need to discover, starting with the playing modes and ending with the gameplayer itself. NBA 2K23 comes with a huge learning curve for new players, but at the end of the day, this is only a good thing in the long term anyway.
It’s hard to judge NHRA Speed for All based purely on the gameplay experience, pretty much because this would make it one of the most disappointing releases of the year.
Train Valley is most of the time a great game to play, especially if you’re only interested in a simple railway management system that doesn’t come with a complex approach.
F1 22 is without a doubt one of the best titles of the year in the racing sim world. Excellent graphics that take full advantage of the PS5 hardware power, the updated regulations, the new Immersive feature that makes it possible for gamers to control their cars when the Safety Car is on the track, and the pit stop experience overall, all make the game provide an even more realistic Formula One experience.
MX vs ATV Legends is a great game, there’s no doubt about it, but on the other hand, it’s pretty clear that it can’t be considered a finished title at this point.
Despite coming with its very own set of cons, Sniper Elite 5 is still brilliantly glorious. It’s indeed repetitive if you want to always take the fastest route to complete a mission, but at the end of the day, the more time you spend doing everything right, the more Sniper Elite impresses.
But at the end of the day, Farm Manager is, as I said, not only a major upgrade over its predecessor but also a great way to see what the life of a farmer is all about. And since you end up learning a lot by simply playing it, no matter if we're talking about crops, animals, logistics, or machinery, Farm Manager 22 is definitely worth trying out.
At the end of the day, Agent Intercept is a fun game to try on a rainy weekend day, but I don’t think too many people would play it again after completing the story mode. And unfortunately, this doesn’t take more than a few hours once you learn how to be a lethal agent.
Gunborg: Dark Matters is in many ways a fun game not only for those who have already fallen in love with platformers but also for those who are new to this genre. In many, it’s a fun yet extremely challenging side scroller whose only shortcoming appears to be the very short story and the weird control system that takes some time to get used to.
At the end of the day, if you're a big fan of ACC and want to get the best the game has to offer, this new-gen release is exactly what it's supposed to be. It's one of the best racing sims ever created, and the new-gen improvements are exactly what ACC needed in the first place.
But at the end of the day, it's essential to always know what to expect. GRID Legends isn't by any means supposed to be a racing sim. It's still an arcade title, and as long as you have this mind, there's absolutely no chance you'll end up disappointed.
Unfortunately, DW9E is clearly a title that's first and foremost aimed at fans, and to them, it just feels like a half-baked release. Koei should have used the one extra year for further polishing, so be ready for an avalanche of negative reviews when the game launches tomorrow.
So at the end of the day, it's hard to call Farming Simulator 22 a perfect game. It could be, and I'm pretty sure the mods will once again improve this great franchise in a way that Giants Software should study closely and keep in mind before the next version is launched. Yes, it's just a matter of time until modders end up delivering this must-have polishing, but of course, this isn't the right way to go for such a popular franchise.
Riders Republic is an action-packed game that's not only exciting to play but also very fun to discover, pretty much because depending on the route you choose, everything feels new and fresh even if you're not playing it for the first time.
The gameplay continues to be chaotic and the team-playing vibes are almost non-existent if you're not playing together with friends. Portal is pretty much the only solid selling point right now, and unless the new Battlefield urgently receives massive improvements, it could easily turn into one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
So at the end of the day, NHL 22 just feels like a transition to a kind of gameplay that would eventually feel even more real, probably not this year but in the upcoming releases. It's still fun to play, and the graphics are clearly the best improvement on new-gen consoles, but otherwise, those who want to get the game on old-gen wouldn't necessarily notice a massive refresh.