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There’s so much more we could say about Asgard’s Wrath 2, but we would be doing it a disservice to not keep playing it. One thing is for certain, Asgard’s Wrath 2 is a pinnacle for VR and should be praised. Not all games are worth the cost of admission, especially in virtual reality, but Asgard’s Wrath 2 transcends those stereotypes and blazes a fresh trail for the medium.
Right now you can pick up the “final” version of AirportSim, but I’m actually reminded of games like Icarus. If you look at Icarus at launch versus today, it’s an entirely different game. Each week (a cadence MS Games is aiming to match) we got an update for Icarus, all focused on features and bug fixes that were requested by the community. AirportSim could use that same approach to help apply some polish to transform the game into a simulator that keeps you coming back over and over. That said, at current state it’s still very much Early Access, no matter what the version says. We’ll see if the weeks ahead can unload some of this baggage.
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is a great idea. Playing as a Ghostbuster recruit in VR is exactly what you’d have hoped for when you heard of this game, from the proton pack to the Ecto-1. Until a fix is discovered for the audio, however, the ghosts will continue to inhabit the streets of San Francisco, completely unrestricted.
There’s a lot to like in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, and there’s an equal list of things that aren’t as polished. It’s the very definition of midtier, with all that implies. There are better survival crafting games out there, but none that offer a chance to see what nameless primordial things lie below the Mines of Moria. Always hungry, always waiting.
Suffice it to say I’m excited for this game, and so much of me wants to recommend every bit of it. Right now, the performance issues make that very, very hard. I’m not sure why Colossal and Paradox didn’t delay all of it until 2024 instead of just consoles, but here we are. Much like other games that launched in a rough state, I’m certain that Cities: Skylines II will eventually be something to behold. For now, however, there’s a bit of buyer beware.
The issues Crossfire: Sierra Squad runs into aren’t dire in any case. This is still a game technically in early access (at least according to the Steam designation), so there is plenty of time for Smilegate to mold this into a killer app for the PSVR2 and PC. For the moment, it’s fun to blow off steam with, but doesn’t get much further than that.
Overall, Firewall Ultra has great gameplay elements working in its favor, but a lack of content and shameful grind and monetization systems make this a hard one to recommend at this point in time. Maybe after a few updates it’ll be ready to go, but for now it’s time for First Contact to grab another mag and get to work.
That said, Tears of the Kingdom is a gorgeous game with a wonderful art style that’s able to convey the beautiful, pastoral hills of Central Hyrule, the serene yet sad calm of the sky islands, and the dark, oppressive gloom of the Depths at the same time. It’s incredibly impressive that you’re able to seamlessly dive from the sky, through a canyon, and into the Depths with no loading screens. I did encounter a single loading hitch for about two seconds when sky diving at full speed into Kakariko Village, but everything else is perfectly smooth. Just remember to pull out your paraglider before you hit the ground.
At the time of launch, I’m incredibly impressed with what Vertigo Games has delivered. I want to spend some time hunting zombie-sicles with my friends to really get a handle on how the game plays with friends, but this already feels like a can’t-miss entry into Sony’s PSVR2 platform.
Overall, this campaign brought me back to the beginning. There’s a deja-vu here, with familiar missions and faces, but that takes you off the beaten path into something more awe-inspiring than it’s ever been. I felt completely immersed in the seven or so hours I spent with Ghost, Price, Soap, and the others I grew up with, riveted to the screen, and I kind of want to do it again. Modern Warfare II is not something you’re going to want to put down, and I get the feeling this is just the start of it.
We do need to take a beat and talk about the bugs in Saints Row, and there’s plenty of them to go around. My gun flipped around and wouldn’t fire while facing the wrong direction. The car physics are more springy than a Super Bouncy Ball. Running over a fire hydrant will shoot a tank-sized vehicle upwards and onto a nearby roof with little effort. Vehicles disappear and reappear. I even had a moment during a mini-boss where Eli went down, and once resurrected stood there doing nothing repeating his lines for being downed. That and the boss wouldn’t get to his cooldown for me to damage him, and for whatever reason I wasn’t taking any damage. And none of that addresses the current state of cooperative play.
There’s a lot to see and experience in Lost Ark, and the asking price to try it is just your time. It’s very clear that this game is a juggernaut, and even friends of mine who aren’t into the genre have had their interest piqued enough to give it a go. Here’s to hoping Smilegate, Amazon, and Tripod Studios can capitalize on an incredibly strong start and fulfill the promise buried under all these screens.
New World’s ideas come across as very solid, but the more I’ve engaged with it, the more I see problems. Those problems have nothing to do with the foundation of New World, however. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with New World besides the economy and lack of main missions, and only the former can destroy the game. The rest of the issues can be fixed with time and enough attention to the details.
Much of the best parts of Dodgeball Academia are centered around playing dodgeball, but the story bursts with fun and positive themes, even though it does meander a little bit, and throws in a few themes that aren’t fleshed out enough.
Prepare to die quite a bit, especially early on as you get used to how everything works. The game certainly rewards mastery of its systems, as you’ll need to use every trick up your sleeves to survive some of the bosses here. It’s been a while since I haven’t just breezed through an RPG, so this is very refreshing. It presents just the right amount of challenge to make you consider your every action, actually use items, and equip yourself with gear that tailors to your specific playstyle. This game is firing on all cylinders so far, and I can’t wait to share my full review with you soon after I finish the game.
The plot will instantly grab your attention and never let go. As I said before, the game starts by showing you the world ending stakes, but it quickly starts to focus on the more personal story of siblings trying to save their mom. Make no mistake, Daryon and Selene are on this journey for their family, saving the world is just a bonus. Along with this central hook come a ton of wrinkles in the plot that all tie together nicely, like the politics of each region, the corruption (because of course) present in the religious Sanctorium, and much more I won’t spoil here. Edge of Eternity fires on all cylinders, and I can’t wait to play even more. Check back soon for our full review.
In the end, Cyberpunk 2077 is an absolutely gorgeous game in search of a soul, which is ironic, given the duality of the protagonist’s situation. The developers worked extraordinarily hard on what’s here, polishing it to an absolutely gorgeous shine on PC, delivering stunning visuals…when they work correctly. They also delivered a game that is a great deal of fun at some moments, and bafflingly broken the next. With over 30 GB of updates since launch, this game needs more time in the oven. Sure, it’s better on PC, but that’s cold comfort when it’s hardly functional on other platforms. What’s clear is that this game is no more ready for release than it is for review. Major patches are already slated for January and February, and we’ll revisit it at that time to score it. Right now, buyer beware. There’s a fun game underneath all this, but only if you are playing on PC or Stadia.
There’s a lot to be excited about with Star Wars: Squadrons. It not only meets all of my expectations, it wildly exceeds them. VR support for the entire game instead of just a single mission taste makes this the game we’ve always dreamed of so many years ago. It truly is the sequel to all of those great early PC games so many years ago, but with all of the modern bells and whistles. Put simply, if you are a Star Wars fan, it doesn’t get better than this.
Runic and Perfect World have given us everything we’ve asked for – I can’t think of a single game that can make that claim in recent memory.
It’s fun, it’s fairly easy to play, and it draws you back with a need to get better, and better.