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God of War: Ragnarok is a highly polished and incredibly produced but predictable entry into the series. A worthy continuation of the reboot, this is another must-play Sony title that continues to define the development style of first party studios.
This classic title gets some much needed love in terms gameplay handling, graphics, combat and more. This remake provides a much smoother experience while still keeping that nostalgic feel. It's ode to keeping close to the original is what fans will appreciate, but now the experience will feel much more complete and more welcoming for newer players in terms of controls. A fun updated survival horror classic.
A wonderful trip down memory lane, in 4k and 60FPS. Engaging combat, thrilling multiplayer and intriguing lore make Dark Souls Remastered a worthy purchase for veterans looking to polish their backstabbing skills; and a mandatory buy for those who never got around to playing the original 2011 release.
Solid Storytelling following outstanding historic events immerses players into a beautiful rendition of ancient Greece. Assassin's Creed Odyssey improves on its predecessors by providing seamless character selection and more advanced rpg elements, without compromising on its accessibility to action-focused players. Even if sometimes overwhelming in scale and possibly repetitive for those not completion-oriented, the game is worth full price given its polished delivery of unabashed entertainment.
Sekiro is a great realization of a fantastical Shinobi journey, with challenging but rewarding action-packed gameplay and intricate level design that encourages exploration. Sekiro stands on its own next to acclaimed Souls titles and puts FromSoftware on the action stage with a flourish. At first you hit a wall, then you become the wall the game hits against, and it feels wonderful.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a massive accomplishment in the CRPG space. The game has a lot of improvements when it comes to systems and mechanics, making it more accessible to new players and veterans alike while managing to deliver new and interesting content. If you've been meaning to dive into the immersive world of the Pathfinder Series, you certainly won't be disappointed with WotR.
Salt and Sacrifice is a passion project that seamlessly merges aspects of much larger games and delivers a focused and unique experience. Humbly priced, its addictive gameplay and multiplayer aspects will leave you feeling like you got a great bargain and asking for more.
Lords of the Fallen is an amazing achievement from the Hexworks team, and Souls-like fans will immediately feel at home in this highly ambitious title. Despite a few performance issues, and a handful of bugs, Lords of the Fallen is some of the most fun I've had this year, and that's saying something considering the titles that have launched in 2023.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a fantastic adventure of exploration, discovery and learning that truly engages the player with a rewarding and nuanced combat system that carries well outside of combat. Brought down by small but impactful design choices and unfortunate poor performance on all platforms, this is the game of the year that should have been, but will likely never be…
This is not the Fallout that I remember, but it is more of the type of game I would play compared to Fallout 3. The much improved gunplay trumps the lack of RPG elements and mild graphical issues within the game. The game has very mixed reviews from player to player, so I'll just say this: If you think of the game as just an RPG Shooter you will love this game. If you think of it as a sequel to Fallout 3, you will be disappointed.
Kingdom Come Deliverance is a much needed breath of fresh air for the gaming industry, and frankly one that many players will overlook, much the way Demon's Souls originally was. It's challenging, cryptic, vague and there are simply too many questions without answers for the average gamer. However, if you can stay the course and persist through the unknown, understanding that you will get the answers if you carry on, you will find a very special and personal experience that few games offer. Only three games to date have inspired me to pick up a book and actually read about the events of the game I was playing. The first was The Witcher, the second was Nioh and now the third is Kingdom Come Deliverance. Warhorse may not win any awards for this title, but they have established themselves where it matters most, in the hearts of gamers with a solid performance. They have earned themselves a warm following, and I can't wait to see what they do next. Now pardon me good sir, I have to see a bar wench about some ale.
An engaging, action-packed and even relaxing exploration of existentialism. Nier: Automata merges action and RPG as seamlessly as it switches cameras angles from player-controlled to fixed scroller. Have your pick of reading a visual novel and threading the plot together, or hack and slash through waves of enemies in a gorgeous dance - I did them all, and I loved every minute. Worth full price.
Neocore's rendition of the Arthurian tale is dark and gritty, and isn't for the feint of heart. It's tough, it's challenging, it doesn't hold your hand, but damnit if victory doesn't feel oh so sweet! Without a doubt, King Arthur: Knight's Tale is a day one buy for anyone who enjoys strategic, tactical combat that goes far beyond the decisions you make on the battlefield.
Armored Core VI is an intense, challenging and rewarding experience that surpasses any other mech style game I have played. Intricate mech customization and exquisite combat encounters makes it a definite must-have if you are a fan of the Armored Core series or FromSoftware.
Stories sets a very high bar for writing and story in a video game. Similarly, while many games tout that player decisions matter, Stories truly delivers. Visual design would rate well alone, and audio/narration is nearly perfect. The price of admission is a good deal, with gameplay developing new wrinkles through about a dozen stories to keep it fresh, which would land you about 6-10 hours of gameplay. Some players will get tired of combat sooner, some will persist for the stories. Completionists looking for platinum will likely get tired of killing ravens. Replayability's only blemish is that the game is so fast to "complete" that you pretty much need to go through a few times just to start grasping the true nature of the game. This is a small nitpick to be sure, and players will likely stick with this game for a bit to see what Reynardo will do next.
Code Vein is not Dark Souls. It lacks the polished combat and stellar world design of the legendary franchise. However, it makes up for these things with it's brilliant character customization, a deep narrative with twists and turns, and Skills and Abilities that challenge the player to defeat enemies in a way they never would have thought of before. On top of that, the cooperative multiplayer should keep you playing well after you've finished the game, and adds significant value to a game that was already worth the price tag. If you're a Dark Souls fan, Code Vein is a must buy game!
Tales of Arise combines a stunning world told with a mix of anime, cutscenes and comic strip styled conversations. The combat is fun, flashy with customisable skills in hack 'n' slash style. While the combat can feel a little unnatural with the auto-targeting and airborne moves, once you get used to it, there are some fun fights ahead. If you don't like having to choose between ranged, casting, melee in games, you won't have to worry as Tales of Arise let's you swap in different characters as you wish, keeping combat fresh. With over 40 hours of main story, side quests and exploring , this Tales entry has plenty in terms of content.
Lies of P is a phenomenal reimagining of a classic tale that manages to engage the audience with its unique setting, while keeping them on the edge of their seat with its innovative twists to solid Souls-like combat. With minor shortcomings and perhaps an over-reliance on its inspiration, it is regardless an IP Souls fans won't want to miss out on, and is arguably one of the best Souls-likes titles to date.
Well designed and fun gameplay compensate from some less than ideal control choices. An entertaining romp through the world, and at just the right length. A great value for the price and brings a little luster back to the storied game.