ZTGD's Reviews
The very worst offense of it all is that normally, when a game is bad, I would have to suffer through it once and get to move on. In the case of Loop8, it forced me to experience the same exact terrible content over and over again by its very design, breeding a sense of resentment towards a game I haven’t felt in a very long time.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a fantastic companion piece to The Expanse show, telling a prequel story with so many weighty decisions that include the lives of various crew members is “classic” Telltale. Even when players make a seemingly good choice you can’t help but think about what sort of negative connotations its going to yield later down the road. I enjoyed virtually every moment of The Expanse, this is Telltalle at their very best anyone who is a fan of their past work shouldn’t miss this series.
Mortal Kombat 1 is a great game that feels like a step back in the extras. They are all here but shoved into one mode that I found more cumbersome than enjoyable. The grind to max character levels needs to be tweaked, but with the promise of support for years to come these are things that can be ironed out. The fighting itself is outstanding and the story mode is the best it has ever been. It is easy to recommend this game, it doesn’t quite hit the mark of best MK game of all-time, but it delivers where it counts the most. I look forward to seeing how the game evolves over time. A new MK game is always an event and this entry is no exception.
It’s a real shame that the reputation of this franchise has evolved over the last 5 years from the standard of the best of what sports games can offer to a shining example of its worst excesses. Comparing this game to MLB The Show, another game that offers microtransactions, only increases how egregiously 2K exploits players through rigging everything from the on-court gameplay to traversal from quest to quest to encourage additional spending despite already having collected the cost of a full priced game up front (plus that sweet State Farm money). While several of the changes present in this years game are disappointing (including the inexplicable decision to dumb down MyCareer) there are some good things here. Unfortunately (to paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, a first I believe for this site) the ever-present feeling that I’m being milked for every dime I can spare speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what any of the improvements say.
All the pieces come together in the end: the design, the story, and the gameplay. Despite brief hurdles with the combat sections this is one of my favorite games of 2023. I actually hope Team Reptile makes a sequel that fixes the combat and maybe changes up how bikes, boards, and skates play a bit because this game was so much fun to play. I went from having no interest in this game to being absolutely enveloped by it. I bought it for a friend. Forget Jet Set, go Bomb Rush.
Lies of P comes across as the ‘Bloodbourne we have at home’ from its gothic architecture and dark and gritty themes it feels very much like the Bloodbourne fans have been craving at 60fps. But Lies of P does enough to cut the strings that may be attaching it to Sony’s Bloodborne. Round8 and the team have carved out just enough to make this genre their own, from the tweaks to health and combat to the way recovering lost ergo works; Lies of P has become managed to indeed become a real boy.
The only real complaint I had with Gunbrella was the map system, I always felt like I was lost as I wandered around cities, sewers and more, but due in large part to the fun of traversal with the Gunbrella I never really was too angry at being lost. A large part of Gunbrella’s charm for me is its atmosphere, as I said I love the noir genre; so much so that I am writing a neo-noir novel, so I thoroughly relished my time with Gunbrella. From its beautiful pixel graphics, its fantastically smart writing, and its amazing soundtrack, Gunbrella is yet another great game in the sea of great games that is otherwise known as 2023.
Enclave is a quirky game that has some moments and I enjoyed revisiting it. I love this era where any game can come back and it is great for nostalgia. If you don’t have any fond memories of this game you might want to steer clear. This is not going to impress anyone in today’s world, but for those looking for a trip down memory lane of this obscure title, this version achieves what it set out to do.
Whew… I mean if you are a martial arts fan this game is – as cliché as this sounds it’s really made for you. A special shoutout to developer Sloclap who has certainly honed own their skills to the level of ‘Sifu’ since the already amazing Absolver. With this final update you all have sent this off into the world like Caine from ‘Kung Fu’ for all to experience and as we all hone our martial arts skills; I think I speak for all the fans when I say we can’t wait for the next fight.
Trine 5 has no reason to exist. I was shocked when the series progressed past the third entry. Still, I get excited whenever a new entry drops. I find the ten-hour campaigns a blast to play solo and even more enjoyable when friends are added to the mix. This is just a game that knows what it is and rarely tries to be anything else. I think they should dial back progression and combat and focus more on the puzzle solving mechanics as they are clearly the highlight of these games every single time. Definitely recommend this one, it was a blast to play in between so many serious open world games.
This collection doesn’t really have a game that misses. While not all household names, I guarantee if you enjoy classic titles there is plenty here to enjoy. I love revisiting stuff like Kiki Kaikai and Liquid Kids and checking out two obscure fighting games. The shooters are always fun and who doesn’t love Legend of Kage? Definitely recommended for us old folks who grew up with the greatness that is Taito.
Starfield is a great game, but it is not the second coming of Bethesda. This is exactly what I thought it was going to be and if you love their games, you will love Starfield. There is so much to see and do. So many great characters, excellent writing, and plenty of side quests and choices to make. I hate the cliché “if you’re a fan of the genre” but if a game ever matched that quote, it is this one. This is a Bethesda space opera and one of their best games to date. I enjoyed my time and was always excited to dive back in. I don’t see myself going back often now that the main quest is complete, but I had a great time on my journey. Even if it is a bit cliché
Immortals of Aveum is a decent game that takes some risks with its technology. Some of those pay off, while others hold it back. The game itself is fun if not a bit too long and it just comes across as a decent game that feels undercooked at times. I enjoyed my time with it, but I am likely to forget it come the end of the year. In an overcrowded year this big budget gamble might not pay off, but I would certainly be in for this team’s next outing. The pieces for a great game are here, just need to fit them into place.
Madden NFL 24 is a solid entry that simply doesn’t do enough to push it forward. I feel like EA really needs to take a year off, do a roster update, and build an entirely new game. This copy paste stuff continues to bring down the advancements made. It is wild that we say the same stuff every year and each year it rarely changes. Like most people though, I play it every time because there simply isn’t another option, and it isn’t a bad game, far from it, it just feels on cruise control. I want the game to get better, and it does, just not enough to warrant yearly iterations.
I freaking loved Sea of Stars, from its adorable graphic style to its heartwarming story Sea of Stars is a sure-fire hit. Even the times I ran into glitches and bugs I still enjoyed my time within its world. Sabotage studios already proved the pedigree of their studio with The Messenger but I fully expect them to level up with the release of Sea of Stars. With its enjoyable story, utterly fantastic musical score, and beautiful pixel world if you are a fan of RPG’s this one is NOT to be missed!
I enjoyed Adore for the things that it did differently with its creature collecting and real-time combat, I could have done without the roguelike systems. But even with that going against it I still had a great time playing Adore, collecting creatures, theory crafting for that perfect team and the combat system still has its hooks in me, despite the overused roguelike system.
For the fans who are invested in the series there is a lot to find in Necrom, it even works if players have taken a break and want to jump back in. I fall on the latter side of things but as much as I enjoyed my time with the new class and in the new expansion, I don’t think I will be a full-time resident. It’s not that the game is bad at all, I just think the mission structure and all the ‘fetch quests’ to gain levels were a bit tedious for me. Necrom may be my ‘arrow in the knee’ as it stands for ESO. But that’s solely a me thing, I can say with some surety that long time fans of ESO are going to enjoy everything Necrom is bringing, and they can spend the next year thinking about the bombshell that is revealed during the story until the next expansion update.
Circling back to the question that I pondered for all those years- with all the great new talent and abundant resources in tow, FromSoftware has brought Armored Core back in glorious fashion with their finest overall entry in the series history yet. Whether you’ve never heard of Armored Core before or are a die hard fan that’s been waiting a decade for a new release, this mission to Rubicon 3 is one not to be missed.
There isn’t a whole lot original about Oceanhorn 2, it very proudly wears its inspiration to the The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker; not on its sleeve but its cosplaying as Link. This isn’t a bad thing at all, as I said above there aren’t very many of these games on Xbox (which is really sad btw). More than that because it doesn’t have a rage inducing difficulty it makes Oceanhorn 2 a great game for families to play together which is something that can’t be said for a lot of adventure games lately. Some of my fondest memories is playing games with my mom watching (she isn’t a gamer) and finding a game like that now as a father is rare. So, in this sea of utterly fantastic games in the year of our Lord 2023, don’t sleep on Oceanhorn 2 – Knights of the Lost Realm.
I don’t want to spoil any more of the experience. I went from liking Pikmin to loving Pikmin with Pikmin 4. It’s just one of those games that I think is near flawless. It may have lost some of its difficulty, but I think all the things we gained in exchange are worth it.