DarkZero's Reviews
Valhalla Hills is a decent strategy title that calls up memories of the classics of this gameplay style.
While it does take its time to really get going (the story doesn’t feel like it properly kicks off until about 15-ish hours in), The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is a really fun game to play. The story moves slowly, and can take a while to get through, and while not much about it feels new, it does a good job of taking already established elements and making them into something fun.
The writing and narration combined with the beautiful hand drawn graphics unite to create a gaming experience that feels both literary and cartoonish. The player feels like her or she is fighting his or her way through a graphic novel which lends a feeling of whimsy that makes up for the sometimes frustrating gameplay. There is a lot of grinding involved in this game, but the grind is generally pretty fun. It is surprisingly addictive and great to play in the wee hours of the night.
Overall, Chronicles of a Dark Lord: Rhapsody Clash, whilst not being the best starting point to the series, is nevertheless a game worth playing through at least twice. Ahead of Kisareth's plans to bring the first two games to iOS and Android, as well as the upcoming third instalment to the main series, Episode III: Rise of Nihility, It's a very entertaining spin-off title, which I would thoroughly recommend
Simply put, of the three Umihara Kawase games now available on Steam, Shun feels like the weakest link in the series.
Unlike Vermintide, Mordheim: City of the Damned is a harder recommendation for people who don't know the Warhammer franchise, as its the type of game with a big learning curve that makes it less open for people who just want to jump into a game.
This would have been a grand release alongside the launch PS4 when there was a dearth of releases and could have come out anytime in the last 18 months for the PS Vita which has needed titles of its own.
It's a real shame, but while it might keep younger players or the bored occupied, most of the time there's probably a better choice – even if that's putting your mittens on and heading out to play in the garden.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is a game of two thirds that gives us a fantastic multiplayer experience and an ever addicting Zombies mode, coupled with a poor single player. Hopefully Treyarch's next entry can finally give us a commendable campaign to boot.
Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours is jam-packed with brilliant shoot-em-up action. It's a game that can last you a long time, and hardly ever loses its touch over that period. Pricey compared to similar games, but what you get for that is absolutely stellar.
In the end, Just Cause 3 does not make as much of an impact on the genre that it's predecessor did. But just because that is the case, that does not mean that this is a bad game, it's far from that, it's a good game that knows what it wants to be. There is bundles of fun here.
In the end, Assassin's Creed Syndicate is a far more competent entry than the much maligned Unity, but it does not entirely restore faith in the aging franchise. While Ubisoft continues to stubbornly hold onto making yearly entries with minimal changes to the core gameplay, other titles continue to evolve with more streamlined controls and visuals. If the next title doesn't take an even bigger leap forward, the AC franchise may end up lost to history in more ways than one.
Devastation isn't perfect, but many criticisms are obvious and inherent to the genre, or what the game could ever be.
It is very easy to simply dismiss Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide as a Left 4 Dead clone and leave it at that, but in reality, this is a great cooperative game that uses Valve's zombie game as a base, but then built its own personality on top of what Left 4 Dead had originally brought seven years ago. With great feeling melee combat, gruesome action, solid level design and brutal difficulty, this game is a hell of a lot of fun and is ideal for anyone looking for more first-person action to cure an itch for cooperative fun who doesn't mind grinding on the side to impress the rats with their better gear.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker takes an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach as a sequel. It feels largely unchanged from its predecessor, but the general core systems it is based on are well refined enough that it still offers a good challenge for those with the patience to tackle it.
Once you get past the idea of being a ship collector with its limited storage space and World of Warships' free-to-play expensive shenanigans, which shouldn't be that much of a negative against the game's great gameplay, World of Warships ends up a refreshing title. This is thanks to the exciting naval combat, a wide collection of warships, engrossing class types and pretty visuals, all which blend together in a rewarding time to bring a very unique type of combat to multiplayer team-based games, making this Wargaming's best World of title to date.
In the end, what should have been the next evolution in Telltale's reputation for brilliant writing and meaningful choices has instead shown how outdated the company's engine and storytelling structure has become.
Sure, all the gaping wounds that have plagued the series over the years are slowly getting fixed with each year that passes, but that does not change the fact this is a very sick series. In its current form I believe it is one that can never rise above mediocrity.
This is a very solid entry into the series and one that fills you with hope for the series future, even with all the continual negativity surrounding Konami's video games focus going forwards. It's one I can recommend wholeheartedly. What's even better is that as this review goes to press, you can easily find a copy of the game for £25 in many retailers, should you wish to give this a punt. Which you should.
This. Game. Is. Astounding. Go. Buy. It. Oh I suppose you'll expect some kind of proper conclusion. Divinity is packed with enough content to keep you going well above the seventy hour mark, and enough choices and outcomes in every situation to make you want to start a new game the minute the credits begin rolling.