Hardcore Gamer
HomepageHardcore Gamer's Reviews
Tekken 7 is the fighting experience that its fan base wanted it to be.
Despite the fact that it is incredibly short, Form is one of those games that must be played by any aficionado of virtual reality. Through smart design and a superlative look, this it is one of those titles that can really show off how the medium can surpass gaming on a monitor. It's immersive, engaging and beautiful, setting a new standard for virtual reality and visual design.
Even after nearly seven years, Vanquish still has some of the best combat of any action game.
Nekopara continues to grow with each release.
Rezrog will no doubt stand as one of the lesser-talked releases of the year, yet one that poses a quite resonant and important question on the principle of planning/thinking before one acts.
Cladun Returns: This Is Sengoku! is a well done throwback to adventure games of the late 80s and early 90s.
Players can absolutely see the incredible potential of Friday the 13th: The Game. When the game works without issue, it provides a fantastic, tense experience unlike other asymmetrical horror games on the market.
From the Gallows wraps up the season on a high note, with a truly customized chapter that forces players to make intense selections regarding the characters they have grown to love, hate or otherwise care about. Telltale has continued to prove that whatever faults may have arisen in the past can be easily set aside when the final consequences end up amounting to more than just life or death.
Despite all its issues I honestly enjoyed SmuggleCraft. The tracks are a bit lonely, the challenge level is fairly low even when a mission says Death Trap and the menus desperately need another round of polish, but the courses are beautiful and fun to fly through in their detailed, low-poly way.
Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 is being published both as a standalone title with the full package (at a bargain compared to other just launched fighters) as well as a DLC pack for half the price for owners of the last game.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, by no means a flawless entry in the nearly three decade-old franchise, may well be the closest the series has gotten to somehow finding a happy medium between past legacy and contemporary appeal.
There are pros to picking up Deemo: The Last Recital on Vita. This single purchase opens you up to tons of what the mobile game has to offer without any need of DLC purchases.
Eight maps for $29.
After more than a decade and a half of these things, it would be understandable to grow sick of the formula over the countless iterations.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is a good visual novel that blends that genre in fairly seamlessly with strategy RPGs. It's far more of a visual novel than an SRPG, but when the SRPG elements come in, they're well-done.
Some folks are really into slice of life tales, and for others, it makes reading a visual novel a total slog. If you're interested in a slightly mystical take on the genre then perhaps A Butterfly in the District of Dreams will excite you. For most, however, it's an average tale which plods along with no real meaning for the majority of it. There's nothing harmful about this, and there's far worse you can play on Steam, but your hours of reading time might be better served elsewhere.
Reservoir Dogs is a classic movie that deserves a better homage than Bloody Days for its 25th anniversary.
By the end of Thumper, the speed is insane, the music wild and oppressive, and the feeling of just barely holding on to a beast that wants to send you flying so it can gnaw your bones is disturbingly strong.
Portal Knights has a few shortcomings, but the overall experience is a lot of fun. Its blend of RPG-esque leveling up with crafting and a steady learning curve keep you engaged. Those looking for a solid gateway game into the crafting sub-genre should check it out — especially if they enjoy RPGs. The music does hold things back, but every other major part of Portal Knights works well.
Mages of Mystralia is an energetic and clever action-RPG, set in a vibrant and colorful land with a dark history.