TheGamer's Reviews
n an alternate universe, Hitman became one of the best selling series of all time, its influence akin to something like PUBG. In this better world, where the pandemic never even happened, Hitman spawned a genre of its own - the Hitmanlike, where developers put level design and systemic play right at the top of their priority list. Alas, we can’t break through the skin of the world and reach that universe. We’re stuck here. In our world, Hitman stands alone. There’s nothing like it, and Hitman 3 is an outstanding refinement of that unique 21-year-old recipe. Just watch out for that secret ingredient. (It’s poison).
I’m V and the game is Silverhand - I can’t get Cyberpunk 2077 out of my head. I’ve had it a week and played 70 hours, which is probably about as healthy as scooping out my face and replacing it with electronics, but it didn’t feel like work. Like a digital personality loaded onto a biochip, it felt like stepping into another life for a while. It’s a life I can’t wait to relive.
In a word, Worms Rumble is great. It’s fun and as hilarious as ever, whether it be from an over-the-top-kill or the witty banter from the Worms themselves. I worry that the steep learning curve may turn some players off, but if you’re able to stick with it, you’ll have a ton of fun in the latest game from a longstanding franchise that keeps on delivering.
If you’re anything like me, your first (and only) experience with the Hero comes from playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If the Hero has appealed to you in any way in that game as a Fighter, you owe it to yourself to play Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition. I can’t help but feel like the Switch version of the game would be my preferred choice of platform, simply since I could play the game anywhere, even if for just a few minutes at a time. However, the PlayStation 4 version comes highly recommended if you’re looking to take in the incredible visuals awaiting you in the world of Erdrea.
From stoner oracles to gods who have been turned into trees, to the sheer batshittiness of its entire cast of gods and monsters, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a genuine joy to play, and a real treat for Greek mythology lovers.
If this is your first time playing Halo 4, prepare for a treat. Gameplay remains identical to previous installments, but with some additions enhancing the experience. The story is also a big highlight. With this game, it's hard not to consider Master Chief and Cortana as gaming's greatest duo. Halo 4 caps off The Master Chief Collection on PC nearly perfectly.
I don't hate The Falconeer. I don't even think it's a particularly terrible game. There are great ideas here, and in the aesthetic department, it's a resounding success. However, it just needs more. It needs more polish, more reason to keep playing, and more reliable controls to navigate its interesting setting in. I would love to revisit this world at some point, and I hope that the dev can find a way to keep me more engaged next time.
Demon’s Souls is the best PS5 game you can play at launch, and I’m sure it will go down in history as one of the best launch titles of all time. The Old One has awoken and I hope this review feeds it more souls. It deserves a full belly.
If you’re looking for another game like Anthem, this is that with swords. It might be wearing flashy armor, but its muscles are atrophied underneath.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a decent platforming game that’s stuffed with charm, if a little lacking in imagination, which is a shame for a franchise built on creativity. Saying that, if you’ve got children, this is a must-buy for some family-friendly PS5 fun.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was a risk. Not really because it took Vikings as its subject matter — people love Vikings, to the extent that loads of folks are a bit sick of Norse stuff at this point. It was a risk because it compounded the ideals of Assassin’s Creed’s origins and Assassin’s Creed Origins. Fortunately, it turns out that the best game in this series is the one that’s drawn from pretty much everything that came before it, in order to carve out its own unique identity based on the absolute best bits of its many, many predecessors.
Astro’s Playroom asks you over and over to fondly remember the memories that you and Grandpa PlayStation made together. But, more importantly, it’s a promise of new and treasured memories to come.
Because, ultimately, what makes a great JRPG isn't a fantastical journey, an epic tale of gods and monsters, or a slow fight against an ambiguous evil. To me, a truly great JRPG is a series of deliberate and intentional systems that inform each other in every conceivable way. Every stat has a place, and that stat's place informs the place of another stat, and so on and so forth. Each upgrade feels tangible, each new attack feels purposeful, and each "role" has an important part to "play". The story's place, then, isn't to pad out time or paint a vivid picture of a massive world, but to give players an impetus to engage with those systems - a compelling raison d'etre for making those numbers go up. Like A Dragon does this, and does it with great aplomb.
All in all, Age Of Empires 3: Definitive Edition is still a solid game. Its single-player content will last you over a dozen hours, and its multiplayer matches will last you several dozen more. While there is no longer that drive to farm XP for updates your Home City, the game itself is good enough that you'll be coming back for rematches time after time.
Today on PC, the campaign for Halo 3: ODST is a mere $4.99. A majority of the troopers may not be the most engaging, but the combat and music are a treat. The weapons, from the Spartan Laser to the Brute Plasma Rifle, are a blast to use. The game also brings ODST Firefight mode to The Master Chief Collection for all of your survival needs.
Rushed is basically the best way to sum up Serious Sam 4. In development for around eight years, I imagine the current global pandemic played a big role in how scattershot everything is. At its core, the weapon feel and early level designs aren't bad. There's a solid game buried under these weird choices, but Croteam seems to have shoved it out the door with little finesse.
Hades is, to put it plainly, a masterpiece. It has a refreshingly unique trajectory, tells a compelling story with an alluring cast, and has such a good handle on moment-to-moment play that it is never anything less than genuinely excellent. It’s a game that grows the more you play it, as opposed to being something that suffers from a slow descent into tedium. And for that reason, it is a genuine forever game.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 is not just a must-play title for skateboarding fans. Given its longstanding history, it can arguably also be considered an essential title for gaming in general.
Every looter struggles in the early days, and it would be naive think a studio that's never made a game of this type before would nail it right out of the gate. That being said, it's already in way better shape than I ever expected it to be at launch, and, most critically, the combat — particularly in multiplayer — is an absolute blast. I'm hopeful, and I'll be sticking around to see where things go from here.
Ultimately, Tell Me Why taught me how to not be defined by my past, and gave me the tools to thrive in the future. In a time where I needed hope perhaps more than ever, Dontnod delivered it. For that, their masterpiece has firmly cemented itself as my absolute favorite video game I've had the pleasure of playing.