GAMES.CH's Reviews
It's heartbreaking because the project is courageous and good approaches are recognizable. However, the technical problems are hard to ignore, as is the stale gameplay. Still, we think the game is worth a look for fans of the franchise, if only because of the story.
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The Nintendo Switch version of the Farming Simulator brings some of the new features of its "big brother“ like seasons or production chains on a lowered level. Beside that and some new comfort features, that simultaneously reduce your freedom, the game is a disappointment not just concerning its weak quality into graphics and performance. If you're a fan of the series, you might be able to overlook some of the issues, but impossibly all of them.
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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak offers just more of the same at first glance. New monsters, a new difficulty, new maps and a new campaign to follow. Those who dare to sink their teeth into this behemoth of a game will quickly notice however, that there have been tweaks and changes to not only empower the players even further by reducing busywork and introducing new, flashy skills, but more critically empower the monsters. This adds some much-needed challenge to the game, even if the overall difficulty is still on the lower end of what fans of the series have come to expect. The follower quests need to be especially highlighted as a clever and fun replacements for the unpopular rampage quests.
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Miasma Chronicles could have been a great tactics game, because it has anything, it needs for that. But the game throws a wrench in the works with its bad balanced normal difficulty level, that should be too difficult for most gamers, while it's too easy below that level.
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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak offers just more of the same at first glance. New monsters, a new difficulty, new maps and a new campaign to follow. Those who dare to sink their teeth into this behemoth of a game will quickly notice however, that there have been tweaks and changes to not only empower the players even further by reducing busywork and introducing new, flashy skills, but more critically empower the monsters. This adds some much-needed challenge to the game, even if the overall difficulty is still on the lower end of what fans of the series have come to expect. The follower quests need to be especially highlighted as a clever and fun replacements for the unpopular rampage quests.
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Planet of Lana is exceptionally beautiful and atmospherically dense. The side-scroller offers classic platform puzzling, which gains in complexity through Lana's companion, Mui. Mui is a brave little guy - and one of the cuddliest representatives of his guild.
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LEGO 2K Drive is an absolutely enjoyable and family-friendly fun-racer in an open-world-environment. The game transports the LEGO-formula very well and along with its unique humor, LEGO 2K Drive is a racing-game that stands out. However, there are some flaws regarding the open-world-design and the implementation of microtransactions.
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Tears of the Kingdom doesn't clear up all the potential flaws of its predecessor, but the game succeeds in doing much more
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"Walkabout Mini Golf" is a veritable VR hit for a reason: The game offers intuitive, motivating gameplay and varied courses with a number of challenges. At the same time, it proves that VR doesn't have to be hectic and exhausting at all, but can be a really relaxing place that you want to return to again and again. "Walkabout Mini Golf" makes up for the lack of realism in terms of graphics and haptics with cleverly designed levels and a great atmosphere. So have fun playing miniature golf in the jungle, in Atlantis or even in space!
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Ravenlok may not be particularly challenging or deep in its gameplay or narrative, but it nails the storybook atmosphere and the child-like wonder of exploring a magical world. Clearly aimed at a younger and/or less videogame-familiar audience, this game makes for a brilliant entry point into the hobby and offers a short, polished, albeit simple dive into a fairy-tale come to life.
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Arkane Studio's Redfall stretches the very definition of what a finished game should be. It's unfinished, unpolished and uninspired in almost every regard. It feels like a dye prototype years from a full release. The few moments of Arkane's magic, when visual design of the vampires, some fun weapons and frantic co-op gameplay come together are quickly overshadowed by catastrophic bugs, bad performance and an empty-lifeless shell of a game.
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Despite some technical rough edges, "Age of Wonders 4" offers an excellent gaming experience for all strategy fans and those who want to become one. Not only does the campaign require tactical skill, but it also presents you with an interesting challenge as you create the ideal race for each scenario. The fact that you'll slowly build up your pantheon between saves and unlock new customization options for your races in a separate talent tree provides more long-term motivation than many other 4X titles.
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With "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor", Respawn Entertainment delivers an overall good successor. The new skills and weapons or fighting styles fit in well and enrich the already great systems for fights or parkour options. There is also a little more gaming comfort, for example in the form of a fast journey between the meditation points, although some basic functions are strangely deactivated by default, i.e. they have to be switched on explicitly. In the end, however, "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" is not stronger than its predecessor. This is also due to the story that has been bobbing along for a long time or the rarely spectacular boss fights. Above all, however, the technical condition is responsible for the ultimately even slightly lower rating than "Fallen Order". Although the problems practically never reduce the playability, they regularly depress the atmosphere slightly. Especially those who already liked the predecessor can strike without hesitation and at least hope that the developers will get the performance under control in the long term.
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Tin Hearts is a wonderful little game of guiding toy soldiers through the remnants and memories of a toy workshop. While a little light on challenging experienced players, an excellent level progression, heartwarming story, and downright adorable visual design more than make up for it. However, the Nintendo Switch version suffers from muddy textures and occasional stutters that pull an otherwise excellent experience down.
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A great expansion for the already convincing main game. Only the story could have been a bit more exciting and twisty. But this is whining at a high level.
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With Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp both GBA classics remain great turn-based strategy games that are complex and accessible. The scope is also greatly motivating and amazing with at least 45 hours only for the two solo campaigns. The presentation is nice, but cheap, but does not change anything about the gaming fun you'll have, even if you're not a fan of the genre.
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As expected, Dead Island 2 is not a game that extensively scores with complex gameplay in a regular sense. You mostly kill zombies, but in a never seen before marked brutal and detailed diversive manner. And the last is the core of a great first person zombie action game and the reason why you need to play it, regardless if you prefer playing it solo or in online co-op mode.
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"Chronicles" can at least partially compensate for these chin hooks with the nicely done and completely autoplay-free dungeons, the extensive companion upgrade system and the fact that the story campaign can be handled quite well without microtransactions. However, it is questionable whether "Summoners War: Chronicles" will succeed in developing such a long-term pull as its competitor "Genshin Impact". There are simply too many construction sites and a PvP component that currently seems to be dominated by whales.
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At the end of the day, Across the Valley is a tech demo to show a newcomer to VR. There is no material for long-term motivation and therefore it is not recommended except as a showcase.
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After many years of "early retirement", "EA Sports PGA Tour" is at its best. The action on the course is clearly in the foreground: The golf gameplay convinces and is pleasantly demanding thanks to stroke variations and adjustments. For beginners, there are help functions and challenges that help you overcome initial difficulties. The career mode is motivating and, with its many customization and optimization options, offers sufficient scope for longer sessions. Overall, however, this type of game is unfortunately also presented in a very unspectacular way. Even with a comparatively quiet sport like golf, there is simply more. All in all, however, "EA Sports PGA Tour" delivers well in its comeback and is technically a real feast for the eyes.
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