Qualbert.com's Reviews
Nomada Studios follow up title has gone above and beyond it’s predecessor. With deeper gameplay, vibrant colours and a heart wrenching story to boot. Although this 5 hour journey may be shorter than some would like, it doesn’t detract from its fantastic gameplay. Neva is an engaging and emotional experience that is well worth investing your time in, even if it is only for a day or two.
If you want a poignant tale of a man coming to terms with loss then Tales of Kenzera: Zau is for you. The story is the main focus here and although combat isn’t perfect it still contains more than enough fun and challenge for any player. Unfortunately the side content is severely lacking and most talisman upgrades barely help, however if you don’t want to spend over 20 hours on one game then this is perfect. Some sort of spiritual sequel (no pun intended) with a bigger focus on combat and exploration wouldn’t go astray but the Tale of Zau is just fine just on its own.
Be prepared to sink a lot of hours into Fantasian. At minimum you will need to play for about 50 hours to get to the end of the main story. There are plenty of side-quests and post-game content to significantly extend the experience if you are that way inclined. If you pick up this game, I assume you have completionist tendencies – this is a JRPG after all. Simply said – this is one of those games that every JRPG fan must experience.
Overall, my play time for Ys X: Nordics was around 45 hours. A decent length for an action JRPG, though I did complete the majority of available side quests, including the Recapture missions which can end up taking almost 20 minutes for the highest difficulty ones. If you wanted to speed run the main story only, you could probably drop the time around to about 30 hours or less. If you are an action-JRPG fan, then I would recommend a play through of Ys X: Nordics. This is unlikely to be on anybody’s game of the year lists, but it is definitely worth your time.
In the two weeks since its release, Marvel Rivals has has over 20 million players and broken several records. Taking this with a grain of salt since this is free to play, but there is no doubt that this is a ton of fun with or without friends. With a huge roster of fan favourite characters, there is an abundance of skins to choose from with even more modes, seasons and rewards to come. This also is great for those quick gaming sessions where you don’t have a lot of time or just want to play something that doesn’t require too many brain cells. All in all Marvel Rivals is a great addition to the F2P universe and hopefully it continues to grow into a worth rival of Fortnite and Apex.
Personally, I am not a fan of turn-based RPGs, usually as they take too long or are too arduous. Dragon Quest 3 Remake has given the classic game, series and myself a fresh look at what potential these genres store. With the pixel art beyond stunning, music filled to the brim with iconic tracks and accessibility for everyone, this is far more than just a shiny remake. If anyone is looking to join this expansive series then now is the time and this is the game! It’s even available on PC and Xbox! To Echo our editors statement, this is how classic RPGs should be remade!
VED is a relatively short experience, with maybe 10 to 15 hours of total gameplay if you want to experience different story branches and endings. It isn’t without its issues. Most of my concerns relate to the inconsistency between the amazing visual presentation and the poor writing/voice-over work. The unique battle system is certainly worth experiencing, and I hope Karaclan expand on this for future games.
Treyarch has managed to breath new life into an aging franchise that still contains mind blowing set pieces and a pretty solid story to go along with them. The variety and accessibility here in every mode is almost unprecedented for a Call of Duty game and will have something for everyone. It may not reach the heights of the original Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops era but it gets dam close. Aside from a few connectivity issues with online and a predictable campaign ending, this is the best CoD has been in a long time.
Overall, the battle system here in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is frantic and fast-paced. It has been a joy to re-experience the best moments from Dragon Ball Z and Super, voiced by some of the best talent in the business. Dragon Ball is a massive franchise with a huge worldwide following, so as long as the game is well-supported by Bandai Namco there should be reasonable online activity for years to come. Ultimately this is definitely a Dragon Ball game Akira Toriyama would be proud of.
Team Bloober have somehow managed to increase the tension that the original Team Silent founded down all those years ago. Carefully editing out the most frustrating parts and upgrading it to suit modern audiences whilst still giving returning fans something new to encounter. Some sequences and puzzles may feel slow or deliberately cumbersome but there are great accessibility options for all types of players to help makes things easier. This is the ultimate way to play a Silent Hill game for everyone and whatever comes next in this series will find that the Silent Hill 2 Remake is a tough act to follow.
Visions of Mana is a great return to form for the Mana series. Although it starts off a little slow after the first couple of chapters, it definitely picks up the pace. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, uncomplicated action RPG. It would be a good game to use to introduce new people to the pleasures of this genre as well. It isn’t winning any game of the year awards, but it might just be what you’re looking for.
Caravan SandWitch is a strange amalgamation of genres but somehow it’s charm, cartoon style and fun gameplay makes it all work. Whilst the intriguing story sets the scene, the real wholesome parts of the game lie with the many side quests for the distinctive characters that require your assistance. The world building surrounding the story is even more fascinating and makes you get back in the van in order to uncover hidden details about this devastated planet. With calm music, bountiful exploration and endearing individuals, this is a cosy game with the soul of adventure.
It’s been 5 years of the PlayStation 5 and Astro’s second outing on this console is brimming with charm. Whilst the 10-12 hour story is bare bones and the PlayStation theme borders on overbearing, the endearing little Bots more than make up for these slight negatives. Astro Bot feels like a direct continuation rather than a sequel, but this doesn’t subtract from the glorious visuals, smooth gameplay and crisp audio. If you played Astro’s Playroom then you may feel like this is slightly less original, but regardless, the hunt for iconic characters to feel that sense of nostalgia and the special additional levels are a joy for PlayStation fans of all ages!
Stellar Blade isn’t a perfect game. But in my view it is a great one, particularly as a first major ‘AAA’ release, and the first release for the studio on any console. Sony definitely did the right thing in snapping up Shift Up Corporation to bring them into the Sony Studios family, and I am looking forward to see what they come up with next!
Returning to this one of kind RPG world created by the talented team of 8 at The Gentlebros has been an absolute delight albeit a very short one. This can be forgiven by how much attention to detail they have placed in the pirate themed designs, sounds and of course puns. Cat Quest 3 lives up to its promise of being a seafaring adventure for all to enjoy whilst containing snippets of an overall story that fans will enjoy. Come for the booty looting pirate travels but stay for the puns and catitude!
I’m torn on this title. From the original announcement, I was excited to get my hands on something where I could test my skills online with the games I grew up with. But the majority of Nintendo World Championships’ missions are just abysmal wastes of time that are barely fun to play once, let alone repeatedly. This title does have some promise, but unfortunately in its current state I would much prefer to play any of those three games rather than this.
To close the case, this is a perfect example of “less is more” as Nobody Wants To Die provides an enthralling story that you can’t tear yourself away from. Like almost every good thriller or murder mystery, you need a good twist or ending to make sure it imprints on the viewer/player. Whilst the set up, audio and graphics is incredible, the slightly confusing ending might go over some people’s heads, especially if you weren’t paying attention. It also wrapped up everything very quickly and had me wondering if that was all there was.
Made it to the end of the review and made it out alive? Then surely you’re intrigued enough to venture into the mysterious metro tunnels. Despite its minimalist nature, The Exit 8 VR is a surreal experience only enhanced thanks to the immersion provided through virtual reality. At just over an hour long, it’s a bite-sized experience that feels less like a videogame, and more like an interactive piece of art. If you’re a VR enthusiast and have a fascination for the disturbing, you’d be mad not to enter the Exit 8 VR.
Sometimes more of the same isn’t generally a good thing, but here it’s what everyone has wanted plus more. This is the perfect example of an expansion done right, by adding a tonne of new enemies, new mandatory and optional areas to explore, challenging bosses all whilst fitting into the existing game seamlessly. From Software continues its winning streak of difficult but rewarding games as Shadow of the Erdree is officially the best rated DLC of all time. After completing it, I can definitely see why it earned that well deserved title.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a game that exceeds the previous game in the series in every conceivable way. It looks better, it sounds better, there are more minigames (WAY more), the entire adventure is significantly longer and, most importantly, it hits many of the emotional highs and lows of the (almost) unbeatable Final Fantasy VII story. We meet more of the main characters of the original game in this outing, and they are more fleshed out than ever before.