Gaming Instincts
HomepageGaming Instincts's Reviews
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth provides a nostalgic trip with its enthralling story, beloved characters, and dynamic combat. However, its Ubisoft-influenced open-world design detracts from the experience, alongside technical shortcomings. Nonetheless, it remains a must-play for fans
I do not believe that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a bad game. It’s above average, but it just doesn’t feel any different from other open-world action titles I’ve played in recent years. The excellent visuals are the one thing that sticks out along with the fantastic traversal, platforming, and bow combat. You won’t find a well-written story here or a memorable cast of characters, which is a complete shame because they could have done something really interesting. But sadly, you can thank the “modern-day video game writers” for that as they would rather appeal to a certain crowd than focus on quality.
Alan Wake 2 stands as an outstanding game, albeit with certain caveats. Players must embrace ambiguity and understand that it isn’t a detective game where unraveling the mystery rests solely on the player’s shoulders. However, within its scope, Alan Wake 2 delivers exceptionally well.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s storyline was disappointing, despite the compelling characters. However, the gameplay experience is nothing short of exceptional. It’s so captivating that I found myself yearning for more of it.
One of the best compliments I can give Mirage is that it took me 20 hours to beat, not 100. Nothing about the game is intimidating, from the map size to the progression system. It’s a callback, not only to old-school Assassin’s Creed but also old-school open-world games in general. There is no hiding that Mirage was once an expansion but I will take it over a bloated open world any day.
Forza Motorsport will be receiving a final verdict of 8.5 out of 10. All in all, it’s a great game with a few weird design choices that hopefully could be addressed in the future. But the experience of racing itself is addicting, beautiful, and top-notch. It also has a ton of content for you to mess around with, 500 cars to collect, monthly rotational events to participate in, and a fun multiplayer mode to play by yourself or with your friends.
Overall, though not without its fair share of flaws, The Crew Motorfest provides a highly entertaining experience, even for someone who doesn’t play many racing games. But if you are a racing game fan looking for something new, this game might just be for you, provided that you look out for potential performance issues and microtransactions. The Crew Motorfest will be receiving a final verdict of 7.5 out of 10.
Armored Core 6’s short missions, lack of an open world, and difficulty may not be for everyone. However, from my perspective, it was difficult to find anything negative to say about it. As someone who loves compact experiences with excellent gameplay, Armored Core checked all the right boxes. Not to mention the surprisingly compelling story. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon gets a 9.5 out of 10.
Sea of Stars is a true spiritual successor to turn-based JRPGs that I believe any fan of old-school Final Fantasy titles specifically Chrono Trigger and Breath of Fire must play. I felt like I was teleported back to the PlayStation 1 days playing a classical turn-based JRPG.
I am just going to be flat-out transparent here and tell you that if you enjoy titles such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring but want a different setting in a completely different dimensional format with awesome atmosphere, sound, and music, then you must play Blasphemous 2. If you are a Souls fan, then you need to play this game. It’s simple as that.
I commend Deck13 for taking the risk of creating a new IP and wanting to make something new and unique. They have definitely achieved some of it with the combat system and the sand traversal mechanics. But that’s about it. The lore and narrative are a bit all over the place, the engine and the tech is outdated and the inconsistent voice acting doesn’t help either.
With its immersive world, addictive gameplay, and excellent multiplayer experience, it delivers an unparalleled gaming experience that fans of the series and newcomers alike will thoroughly enjoy.
Overall, I believe Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a good game. However, it’s disappointing that the level of polish and stability isn’t quite up to par. I hope that with future patches and updates, the game will become a much more solid and enjoyable experience.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Dead Island 2 and I’m thrilled that it has finally been released. If you’re a fan of the series or simply enjoy a good zombie game, then this one is definitely worth your time.
I finished the campaign and I can’t wait to jump back into the world and simply explore without objectives or my compass. It’s rare that I return to an open-world game, but Tchia’s exploration is so fun and easy. I loved being on the islands and soaking in the culture of New Caledonia.
In conclusion, the gameplay of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty creates a cool and innovative spin on the Souls-like genre that fans will appreciate. If you like games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Nioh, and Elden Ring, then you will be a happy camper.
If you are okay with spending $39.99 for roughly a 6 to 8-hour sci-fi experience then I think Scars Above would be worth your time and money. However, if it was more than $39.99 then absolutely not, but thankfully that isn’t the case here. Scars Above is a decent game for its price point, but it isn’t your next big-budget sci-fi blockbuster.
At the end of the day despite the game’s issues with an uninteresting story, unskippable cut-scenes during online play, inconsistent art direction, and some annoying technical issues that still need fixing the game is a blast to play and is a very pleasant early surprise of 2023.
Wanted Dead is a game that strives to please gamers of old. While I appreciate that, I think the biggest issue is that the gameplay loop is not polished enough. Something just feels off and overly clunky as well. Maybe I am just stupid and don’t understand the combat system, but I’ve had a healthy share of action titles in my years of gaming. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly.
Whether you are an RPG fan, like open-world games, or a Harry Potter fan – Hogwarts Legacy is a game that MUST be played. It packs a ton of replay value. It takes roughly 30 or so hours to complete the main questline and an additional 40 or so hours to finish everything else.