The Partisan Spy's Reviews
Journey To The Savage Planet (JTTSP) is an EXPLORATION, COLLECTING and SHOOTING game. These 3 elements have similar weight during gameplay if you play as an explorer and not focused just on completing main missions. The missions are divided into 3 sections: main, side and collecting. While the main missions take you through the storyline of the game, the side and collectible missions unlock perks that improve your character and gear. JTTSP won't defy your abilities as a gamer, the PURPOSE OF THE GAME is to offer you a fun and enjoyable challenge.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is not a typical game. It is first an ANIME SHOW and then a game. In other words, you will WATCH the animated series and play some parts of it, mainly during the fighting moments. It is divided into 4 sagas which cover the DBZ story from Vegeta to Majin Buu. The feeling of "playing the game" is stronger in-between the main missions when you can travel around the zones to train, collect items, do side missions, build machines, and complete achievements. To keep loyal to what DBZ is, at most part of the gameplay you will be FIGHTING. Combat controls are really simple and favorable to the use of special attacks. The RPG portion of the game looks complex at first, but as you play the game you will understand it's simple and complementary. And remember, having fun with this game is directly related to whether you like the TV show or not.
Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory (P:HM) is a 3D top-down camera game that can be played with a controller or POINT & CLICK actions. During the entire game, you have control of your character and, on missions, of other 3 teammates, each one with a different set of skills. The game happens around the Friend Computer, responsible for assigning the main missions. You will interact, shot and choose what to say to NPCs. To feel involved with the game a fair amount of READING is necessary. P:HM has much more of ACTION than of RPG as you can play the game by only mastering its mechanics. Even though the RPG elements can make missions easier, they have low influence on the gameplay results.
Wattam is a FAMILY game, really easy to play. Every element of the game was designed for CHILDREN around their early childhood to understand. It is full of cues during gameplay, puzzles are simple and mechanics are basic. Which doesn't mean it will be extremely easy for kids, the challenge is still there. For us, adults, the challenge is not completing the game, but to be able to RECONNECT with the child we once were. To play "correctly" and understand Wattam you need to become a kid again and let yourself laugh about the most simple things of life.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is much more an ACTION than an adventure game. The balance of genres keeps the game loyal to what a Jedi really is. The adventure elements are "breathers" to all the action in the game. In-between running, jumping, climbing and intense close combats, there is a story, easy puzzle-solving, and collectibles to explore. Besides all features that could be listed, the MOST RELEVANT aspect is how this game makes you feel. The gameplay takes you into the movies to live an adventure as a Jedi.
As obvious as may sound, it’s another Need For Speed (NFS) game: you DRIVE, BUILD and CUSTOMIZE awesome cars. NFS Heat is divided into 2 modes: Day and Night. The first mode rewards money and the second reputation, XP for character levels. The NIGHT MODE carries the function that gives the game name. HEAT is a "wanted system" as you have in games like GTA. It goes from 0 to 5 and the higher you get, more cops you will attract and more XP will be rewarded. Bigger the risk, bigger the reward. Your “taste” for the game genre is key to set your expectations correctly as 100% of the gameplay you will be driving or setting-up a car. The set of storyline missions is short, but there are tones of things to do at NFS Heat (collectibles, race modes, time trials, jumps, drifting...).
The Outer Worlds (TOW) is an RPG shooting game where the story REALLY matters. Half of the game you are shooting and the other half talking to NPCs to make moral decisions. Actually, forget that... There is no RIGHT or WRONG way to play TOW. You can do anything, kill anyone. You can do zero talking and shoot everyone at sight or be diplomatic and try to complete the game with zero kills. It's all up to you! To add more variables to the complexity of the “FREE WILL", the game has companions, an entire RPG module (attributes, aptitudes, skills, and perks) and a variety of armors, weapons, mods, and items. All of which, when well combined makes every choice easier.
Zombieland: Double Tap - Road Trip is BASIC. The character carries one gun and one throwable item, which can be swapped by other weapons found along the way. The entire gameplay is AIM and SHOOT at zombies, there is no change to that. The storyline has 10 missions and one boss in the middle of the trip. Added to that, there are 5 side missions and 3 Horde waves scenarios. As story missions are completed, the game gives the option to repeat it in higher difficulty. The entire game can be completed in 8 to 15 hours, including all achievements.
First of all, keep these two things in mind: Ghost Recon Breakpoint is an ONLINE game (even in PVE mode) and it brings a MEDLEY of almost every feature seen on the shooting genre. The game maintains the basis of the previous title (Wildlands): tactical shooter in an open world and brings tones of features. While doing the basics (shoot, collect, craft, manage inventory), you will also level character, class, gear, weapons, skill tree, reward system and much more. The game can be an endless adventure for some or OVERWHELMING for others. There are several SMALL BUGS that don't interfere with the gameplay but can become annoying after a few hours.
The JOY of this game is directly related to your ability to laugh at simple and foolish things. The game's cuteness, vocabulary, story, references, and jokes are there to bring you that innocent smiles while you play. CAT QUEST II is a CASUAL RPG. Simple, easy and fun. A great game to introduce new and young players to the RPG genre. The only UNBALANCED thing on the game is the number of items vs its content. The game seems short to the number of weapons and gear you can equip. You can complete the game with no need of using half of it.
SHOOT, LOOT and MANAGE inventory/character. These are the 3 main things you will do in Borderlands 3, no need to say the shooting is the big one. If you have any resistance to one of these elements, this may not be your game. The first hours of Borderlands 3 felt like playing Borderlands 2 on a different map. As game progress and “NEW” elements are introduced to the gameplay the feeling fades away a bit. But every “new” element in the game is not new to the FPS genre. Borderlands franchise carries this expectation and is not fulfilled in its third title. Balance your expectations about that and you will have similar fun you had with Borderlands 1 and 2.
You control a clan of primates and the game was designed to make you feel as one while playing it. There is almost NO EXPLANATION or tutorial of how the game works, neither mechanics or how to progress. There is no game trigger to "push" you to do things. You can spend thousands of years eating herbs and drinking river water. As humankind evolution has been, it's your will to learn and explore that expands the game possibilities. The biggest condition to fully enjoy Ancestor is to master its gameplay and after that, build a flawless LINEAGE. Beyond that, if you like SELF-LEARNING and solving problems by TRIAL AND ERROR, you will immediately have fun with this game.
Rad is simply HARD. The juvenile look and feel of the game can give an opposite first impression, but this is not a lay back and chill game. The objective is really simple: complete all 6 levels of the game without dying. Death means starting over (it can also be qualified as a ROGUELITE genre as some elements are saved after death: currency, unlocked items, and NPC upgrades). To have fun playing RAD, you need to accept the gameplay challenge instead of considering a reason for frustrations. There is no game tutorial, levels have different versions of themselves, character mutations are RANDOM, hp restoration is scarce, etc...
Best way to explain Age of Wonders: Planetfall, the combination of Risk and Chess, two strategy board games in one. From above, RULE the empire and move your army. On the ground, engage in battles and control your units to kill the enemy or CONQUER a colony. This is a knowledge and thinking game, your gaming reflex and trained muscle memory means nothing here and will barely be used. There is an entire universe of information to LEARN, progression is slow and rewarding to those who have fun learning. Matches are LONG, 25 hours of gameplay covered only the tutorial session, 2 PVE quests and the beginning of a PVP match.
A COMMON FPS game with impressive graphics, that's Wolfenstein: Youngblood. It brings nothing new to the game genre, something expected from the franchise that carries the title "grandfather of 3D shooters". The game is not an open world, neither a mission-based. It's an "OPEN MISSION WORLD". You can travel around the city blocks as you wish but there is no reason to explore as you will only find the same dynamics, Nazi soldiers to kill. PC players: before buying the game make sure you have a top tier PC or patience to custom the graphics settings.
You've watched it, now you can be the LEAD of the story. Stranger Things 3: The Game (ST3) is based on the new season of the show. If you still hadn't had enough, the game can help extend your hype feeling. Obvious or not, ST3 was developed for fans, so being a fan is an influence factor on players experience. On the practical side, PC mechanics are different from Console versions. Game on PC is based on POINT & CLICK which influences gameplay experience and difficulty.
The Sinking City (TSC) is an invitation to read, listen and be part of a STORY. Even though it's classified as an Action-Adventure, most of the game is about reading and listening to the story. All other game mechanics (character, combat, npcs, missions, etc...) can be found in other games made in a similar or better way. To play TSC, you need to like a SLOWER game pace and see pleasure in searching for things at your screen.
Game knowledge, strategy, fast thinking and luck is what you need to be the last of 8 players in a Dota Underlords match. You are against the CLOCK at this game but the more you learn, the less time will be a problem. Learning curve is really slow but it doesn't seem to be a problem for the gaming community. The Auto Chess category looks to be the next big thing. If you have DOTA 2 experience, you'll start with an advantage, as heroes and items are based on it.
ADD another playing condition for this game: COMMUNICATION. It's not essential to win (like most PVP games), but it makes the game 10 times more fun. HELL LET LOOSE puts you in the middle of WW2, headphone & mic make this experience even more immersive. It's not a 5v5 where a higher skilled player can carry the entire team, Rambo in this game will die. To live and win this 50v50 battle, follow orders and respect the line.
Older ones will be nostalgic about it, younger ones will see it as an "old-new" way. Some will even risk saying it is a remastered version of GTA 1 & 2. The fact is, 20 years have passed and GTA 2 has become a CASUAL GAME. As it is American Fugitive. It’s an extremely EASY game that allows you to chill, lay back and play with the measure of violence it requires. Set expectations correctly, and you will have a good time.