COGconnected Outlet Image

COGconnected

Homepage
3921 games reviewed
74.9 average score
78 median score
48.7% of games recommended

COGconnected's Reviews

80 / 100 - Unicorn Overlord
Mar 7, 2024

This is very much my kind of RPG. One where I can tend to a massive roster of fighters, a sort of garden of fantasy violence. The combat is simple to execute yet endlessly deep, with new layers constantly revealing themselves. The art direction is fantastic and the gameplay loop is terribly addictive. I found the story perfectly okay. It’s an effective vehicle for bringing me more battles in an organic fashion. I like the writing, though I recognize it’s more style than substance. Truly, Unicorn Overlord plays to its strengths. If you also long for a battle system so compelling it obliterates the rest of the game, then you can’t miss this one.

Read full review

Mar 7, 2024

Although its vehicles and goals are a bit different than in MudRunner or SnowRunner, Expeditions’ more compact mission structure works equally well. The beautiful and intricate puzzle-like environments offer multiple routes to success when coupled with the game’s tools and toys. Armchair adventurers looking for a mild vicarious thrill behind the wheel will find it, as will virtual driving veterans willing to push their skills and understanding of physics to the limit.

Read full review

83 / 100 - Last Epoch
Mar 5, 2024

Last Epoch straddles the midpoint between familiar accessibility and depth. There is plenty enough character customization to reward experimentation and repeated play. The basic, addictive ARPG loop is compelling, even if the narrative is a bit muddled. Once past the first few overly familiar hours, Last Epoch starts to really come into its own as an excellent hack-and-slash with lots of potential and staying power.

Read full review

70 / 100 - Skull and Bones
Mar 5, 2024

Skull and Bones does what it set out to do quite well. Combat is fun, the upgrade system is rewarding, the environment is engaging, and the sound design is phenomenal. But everything that it doesn’t do sticks out like a sore thumb. A next-to-non-existent narrative, repetitive one-trick missions, and a lack of anything pirate-related other than sailing a ship hurts. To its credit, I enjoyed my first twenty or so hours more than I thought I would. But it’ll take a significant, focused effort from Ubisoft to maintain interest over the years to come.

Read full review

85 / 100 - WWE 2K24
Mar 4, 2024

WWE 2K24 develops on the solid foundation from its predecessors. Each thoughtful tweak and refinement improves the gameplay to faithfully replicate the television experience. New additions help to bolster the package giving you plenty of options to engage in the world of wrestling. While it sticks to the established formula, it’s still a confident step in the right direction.

Read full review

86 / 100 - The Thaumaturge
Mar 4, 2024

The more time I spend with The Thaumaturge, the more I settle into it. When you spend more time with any game you are bound to notice the edges of things, the literal and figurative invisible walls. But The Thaumaturge was more like a pair of shoes. As I learned the restrictions of what you couldn’t do in the game, it focused me towards things I could do, and they were all awesome. If you have been craving a dark fantasy RPG where you get to play as a John Constantine type, I have good news, The Thaumaturge is it. Anyone looking for their next interesting and original RPG, this is it!

Read full review

90 / 100 - Balatro
Mar 3, 2024

Balatro is addictive. I’m not much of a poker or deck builder player, but I find the combination of the two irresistible. If you have an interest in either, then this game is sure to entice you. Especially since the game is out on every platform and is available now.

Read full review

88 / 100 - Tamarak Trail
Feb 29, 2024

A good roguelike leaves you as enchanted as you are frustrated. Tamarak Trail is a good roguelike. If you don’t play this game, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Play Tamarak Trail.

Read full review

Feb 27, 2024

3D platformers can still be done well, it turns out. All you have to do is focus on the action, fix the camera in place, and fine-tune the controls. Things like the narrative still need your attention, just not as much of it. I was pleasantly surprised by this game. Penny’s adventure is well-crafted, colorful, and tons of fun. The challenge level gets pretty high, sure. And the controls are still built for speed. But this is all part of the package. If you’re looking for a new 3D platformer, Penny’s Big Breakaway should be at the top of your list.

Read full review

78 / 100 - Pacific Drive
Feb 26, 2024

Pacific Drive is a unique RPG and survival crafting game in a landscape choked with unimaginative copycats and clones. That alone makes it worth checking out. Its story, atmosphere and basic loop are engaging and satisfying. At the default difficulty though, its design and mechanics can frustrate in ways that neither skill or time can overcome. Pacific Drive offers a refreshing RPG experience but the ride is sometimes bumpier than intended.

Read full review

Feb 22, 2024

This Final Fantasy VII project is a massive undertaking of an impossible scale. A single release stretched into three games? Preposterous. And yet, so far the team is totally nailing it. The first game was a smash hit, and Rebirth runs laps around it in almost every way.

Read full review

Feb 22, 2024

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is a wonderful homage to an awful console. It faithfully captures the iconic aesthetic but also manages to deliver a solid platform adventure. Although it’s short and sticks a little too close to its inspirations, connoisseurs of the industry will lap up the humor and enjoy this trip down memory lane.

Read full review

90 / 100 - Helldivers II
Feb 22, 2024

Regardless of the early-day technical issues, Helldivers 2 is an absolute blast… When it works. The high-octane, exhilarating, take-no-prisoner approach to fighting off horde after horde of enemies is utterly fantastic. Tight gunplay, excellent coop, varied and rewarding missions, and a fun upgrade system all come together to create a perfect blend of shoot-em-up chaos that I simply can’t get enough of. While server issues continue to be a considerable nuisance, I can’t help but wonder what Arrowhead Game Studios have cooking for Helldivers 2 in the years to come. Now, step forth, Cadet. The day ahead is uncertain without you.

Read full review

85 / 100 - Solium Infernum
Feb 22, 2024

The original 2009 Solium Infernum was a unique take on turn-based strategy. League of Geeks’ 2024 update preserves and polishes what should have been a familiar classic. Solium Infernum is a complex game more about politics, double dealing and uneasy alliances than fights on the battlefield, though there are those, too. This is a game that might be too dense for more casual players, but patient strategy gamers are in for a treat and a good, long season in hell.

Read full review

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League drips with potential but never lives up to the Rocksteady pedigree. I had fun with its story, at times being genuinely left on the edge of my seat with what could happen next. Most of the performances – Kevin Conroy being the best of the bunch – also kept me engaged and entertained with the narrative. But the endlessly unambitious gameplay loop grates on me like nails on a chalkboard. Envisioning this as a live-service game with years of life ahead of it is impossible. It’ll be interesting to see if Rocksteady can ever make Suicide Squad feel more entertaining than a bullet to the head.

Read full review

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story is a much more ambitious game than most crafting RPGs. It’s accessible to most patient gamers, too, whether they’ve played League or not. The crafting elements are good, if occasionally opaque. Unfortunately, the game’s unvaried tone and extended length padded out by some dull quests takes away some of the fun.

Read full review

76 / 100 - qomp2
Feb 19, 2024

Qomp2 is a wonderful puzzler that is packed with innovation. It’s a refreshing twist on a beloved classic and serves up unexpected elements from start to finish. With bosses, switches and much more, this game of patience and skills is a blast. While it’s only a short ride and lacks real replay value, each bounce is a joy due to its sleek design and intuitive gameplay. I truly hope that this sparks a new wave of spiritual sequels, rejuvenating iconic Atari titles, much like what this game accomplishes for Pong.

Read full review

Feb 14, 2024

The puzzles in this game are clever, well-constructed, and satisfying to solve. At the same time, the platforming can be frustrating. The jump mechanics take some getting used to, and the controls don’t have that Mario feel. But this too is a sort of puzzle to solve. You’ve got to learn the basics all over again, in a way. Once I accepted this, Mario vs Donkey Kong really opened up for me. I took my failures in stride. I pushed for perfection whenever possible. Soon enough I was having a great time. For longtime Mario fans new to this series, this new paradigm might take some adjustment. But I assure you, this investment of time and effort is worth it.

Read full review

Feb 13, 2024

For veteran gamers, Tomb Raider Remastered I-III is a great time capsule of a very popular trilogy of games that moved the action/adventure genre forward. For recent gamers, this collection is an excellent way to experience the games that the modern action/adventure games of today evolved from.

Read full review

80 / 100 - Ultros
Feb 12, 2024

Ultros is a game with a very strong visual identity, trippy theme and a few unique mechanics, like its gardening system for upgrades and abilities. Strip away the psychedelic art and gauzy narrative, however, and you’re left with a somewhat familiar-playing 2D Metroidvania. That isn’t necessarily bad, but I wish the game’s combat and exploration matched the imagination of its art.

Read full review