Gamepur's Reviews
Final Fantasy 16 works on many levels, with a fantastic story and addictive combat system that keeps you coming back for me, along with incredible visuals that bring the world of Valisthea to life like no entry in the series before it, and I’m including Midgar from FF7 Remake in that comparison. On the other hand, you also have some of the MMO traits that hold it back from being a true classic, with a lot of pointless side quests and a few underwhelming game systems that feel as if they’re designed to waste time, in a game that doesn’t need its runtime extended.
Although I might seem down on Aliens: Dark Descent, there is a great game here under the inconvenience that is the main systems constantly getting in your way of trying to have fun. Balancing this out so scenarios aren’t piling on top of one another at the same time would definitely alleviate some of the frustrations I had being gated into outlandish fights. With a game where permadeath for characters is such a vital component, having bugs and technical issues that cause you to lose progress can be gut-wrenching, and it’s something I experienced far too often. Aliens: Dark Descent isn’t exactly what I had hoped for, but there’s plenty of room where improvements can be made.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life revives an original farming sim with faithful, thoughtful detail. The main mechanics are solid, the progression is enjoyable, and there is always something to do. It is a real shame the relationship mechanics didn’t feel more satisfying, as they are such a big part of the game, but all other aspects of the title are top-tier.
F1 23 takes big swings, and most of them pay off. F1 World is a solid foundation that can be built on year after year, and Braking Point is an engaging story mode you can play through once. But the general shift into more multiplayer focus without the proper tools to make it function fluidly leave this more of a game for full cockpit racing sim heads than regular race fans.
The Layers of Fear experience can be favorably compared to the Ocean House Hotel sequence from Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, with its slow build-up of dread followed by some excellent pay-offs. The gradual reveal of its story and the decaying of the minds of its protagonists is fascinating to experience in real-time, and there are even multiple endings to seek out, should you wish to squeeze more from the runtime, so long as you’re willing to endure all of the chases again.
For me, We Love Katamari defined a large portion of my childhood. Playing this wacky game for hours with a sibling, ignoring all of the grittier story beats, and laughing hysterically at the ridiculous pompadours. But as an adult almost 20 years later, We Love Katamari REROLL has allowed me to relive that part of my younger years through a much more mature lens.
To boil it down to the basics, Diablo IV is the best version of the series formula we have seen, even with a few blemishes. Everything great about the series, the combat, gameplay, loot chasing, dungeon diving action is all top-notch, and its simple yet profoundly complex and layering systems show why Diablo is the top dog of action RPGs.
Street Fighter 6 is the game that proves what disability advocates have been saying for decades: You can build an accessible game without taking away any of the depth that it has. I want every single fighting game to follow this exact lead. The game’s new systems and eclectic cast have far outshined the lackluster World Tour.
Gollum isn’t protagonist material, at least not for a video game. He is a wretched creature who only survived the events of The Hobbit because Bilbo took pity on him. If The Lord of the Rings: Gollum can be said to have one achievement, it perfectly emulates the painful experience of being Gollum, as it makes you feel just as sad and wretched as Sméagol himself. This story didn’t need to be told, as the exciting parts of Gollum’s life were displayed in Tolkien’s works, and this game only sullies the characters created by the great author with its terrible… everything.
Tears of the Kingdom is an incredible game and an experience I’ll never forget. Going in as blind as possible and uncovering everything for myself has been amazing. Even now, I’m still finding new quests, activities, and concepts to explore that I’ve never come across in dozens of hours of play time.
Tchia is like diving into a warm, clear ocean. You can see so much that’s amazing around you, a whole world you want to be part of and can feel immersed in by doing nothing more than looking. It’s not going to occupy you for hundreds of hours, and it’s not going to revolutionize games as we know them, but that’s okay. If you let it, this experience can enrich your life in ways few things can.
There is so much to love in Planet of Lana. The visuals, the audio design, and the gameplay combine to create something that feels like you just slot into it. This is a game that everyone was born to play. It’s not overly complicated, except for one puzzle, and it doesn’t try to cram lots of high-sci-fi concepts down your throat. It just exists and welcomes you to play in a way that feels natural and you never truly want to leave behind.
Amnesia: The Bunker is a meaty package that keeps giving each time a new game starts. The world feels lived in, the horrors don’t ever let up, and no matter how much players try to farm fuel for the generator, they’ll never feel safe. It’s short enough to be finished in an evening, but I expect fans to play this game for years to come. Analyzing the way The Beast behaves, the intricacies of the randomization mechanics, and the unrelenting setting that portrays just an iota of what it must have felt like to be a soldier on the front lines.
The question that Redfall leaves me with is why? Why put out such a middling game before it’s ready, especially as any buzz it would have accrued will be swallowed by other game releases? Why not save it for later in the year, after the launch of Starfield, and end the Xbox brand’s year on a high note? Why botch the vampire concept and fill the game with gun-toting soldiers? Why include a loot and skill point system only to make them so boring that leveling up and finding equipment becomes a chore? Why launch a game focusing on multiplayer and not have match-making? Why, Redfall, why?
The Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC is phenomenal. No game has ever made me feel so good about sitting down to play every time I load it up. Most titles have lulls or pain points, but I didn’t see anything in Burning Shores that didn’t feel incredible. It’s so many things, the culmination of hundreds of hours spent in this universe across two games, the most touching moment for a beloved character alongside the introduction of another who is equally adored, and a meaningful addition to the series that expands upon the lore laid out at the end of the main title.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the sequel any fan would want from a fantastic first game. It builds on everything from that point and adds the right amount of things without feeling bloated. The central story is an emotional rollercoaster that stays centralized in a human narrative of family, helplessness, and finding your own path, with the epic backdrop of the Star Wars space opera universe.
Any fan of the cozy genre absolutely must pick up Roots of Pacha. It is the perfect game for fans of farming, social interactions, exploration, and relaxing gameplay progression. Quests to unlock improvements for the town aren’t too easy but also don’t leave you swearing at a rare fish you forgot to catch one season or a difficult crop to grow. From the wonderful music and art to the addictive desire to amass wild seeds, there is no shortage of ways to enjoy the game, and I intend to sink plenty of hours into it in the coming months.
Ultimately, Desktop Dungeons: Rewind is a cleaned-up repackaging of one of the most visually basic PC games of all time, with the Dragon Quest overworld-style sprites of the original brought to life in a whole new way. The gameplay is still as gratifying as ever, with countless hours of content on offer to those who want to master the art of dungeon crawling. While it might be light on brand-new content for the veterans, it's still a filling experience for those who want to gorge themselves on numbers wrapped up in images of monsters and spells, especially one that keeps you wanting to play a little more.
OTXO is fast-paced and endlessly replayable. Even once you’re finished with the main story, you can hop into a harder difficulty and find yourself fighting for survival all over again. The way the game contextualizes powers, weapons, and even the cycle of multiple deaths makes for a game you won’t put down quickly and will never forget. Despite it being an amalgamation of opposing genres, it epitomizes style and makes you eager to master it so you can push further in just one more run.
Meet Your Maker manages to streamline the asymmetrical base building and raiding genre thanks to proficient mechanics across both shooting and Minecraft-style construction. It’s entertaining to play, whether you’re hoping in to check on how many people your base has killed and reactivate it or sitting down to raid for a few hours. You never want more because the game always gives you just that.