VGChartz's Reviews
A delightful RPG in its own right, rather than just a good retro-like experience.
Despite corrections making for an improved all-around package, Modern Warfare II continues the series' ongoing trend of paling in comparison to its original namesake.
The combat, when it’s clicking, is genuinely fantastic for a more action-driven horror title. But much of what is built around that combat lets it down: the pacing and atmosphere are largely non-existent; the level design, UI, and checkpoint system are very player-unfriendly; and there just aren’t enough set pieces and gameplay diversions to prevent the combat from getting somewhat repetitive by the game’s end.
Setting aside various nitpicks & critiques, Batora: Lost Haven's overarching issue is making Avril's extraordinary journey feel ordinary by the end.
By combining bullet hell shoot-'em-up gameplay, Metroidvania-style exploration, and tactical deck building, developer Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team has crafted something original and unique.
Ragnarök’s fantastic narrative and enjoyable characters ensure that it isn’t getting out of here without a recommendation, but its gameplay shortcomings mean that it ultimately falls short of some of its loftier ambitions.
Several issues gnaw away at Requiem's greater potential, but its panoply of technical and creative positives connect consistently enough to thoroughly appreciate Amicia & Hugo's rat-ical journey.
The saving grace is that Resident Evil Re:Verse is free so long as you own Resident Evil Village, but does that really count as a point in its favor when this is such a bland, uninteresting offering to begin with?
Sequels can often find themselves in invidious positions; to follow on from what was already successful, while making enough changes to justify its existence, is a tricky balancing act in any form of media. If the necessary criteria are to be bigger, better, and more ambitious, while retaining the original's heart and soul, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope accomplishes that with flying colours.
This is an extraordinary effort to preserve and cherish Atari's legacy and the history of early electronic game development in general. Despite some clunkers and a few omissions, this collection is required playing for any serious student of video games, or anyone ever moved by the magic of Atari.
Ebb Software's rigid focus will immediately put off some (for fair reasons), but also earn the respect of horror fans who can stomach this grotesque world.
It doesn't thoroughly unpack its good ideas, and relies too heavily on repetitive combat scenarios and fetch quests. Still, the game's focus on character swapping and backtracking exploration delivers decent results and the quirky characters of the RWBY franchise go a long way. Ultimately, Arrowfell is neither a good licensed game nor a bad one; it sits squarely in the middle of the pack.
Kao's first expansion barely packs any punch.
Rough launch-window bugs and some design faults hinder VestGames' otherwise commendable first stab at the social deduction genre.
Echoes of the Eye’s surprising deviations wind up enhancing both the main game and its own identity.
Overwatch 2 sought to fix the deficiencies of the original game, and prior to release it really seemed like it might do that, but not only has it failed to do so, in many ways it's made the game worse.
A timeless classic.
I'm left walking away with a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth for what was one of my most anticipated games coming into 2022, even if I still largely enjoyed most of my time with it. Bayonetta 3 ultimately feels like a solid action game, but not one that was worth waiting eight years for.
On a technical level, it represents one of the better 1v1 fighters on the market, due to its approachable controls, tactical action, and balanced system of offensive and defensive maneuvers. Regrettably, the single player content and character roster that surround that strong mechanical core are lacking.
Grounded's quirky concept and adventurous personality will win over survival genre fans, but certain design and launch-window issues shrink my enthusiasm.