ZTGD's Reviews
I would like to see some improvements to AI and things in the future but with an aggressive post launch plan that includes more monsters (kemono) and story beats, Omega Force is firmly behind Wild Hearts and that can only mean good things for the monster hunting market at large.
While this is dubbed as the Definitive Edition, I just don’t see how it can be called such when it’s still missing a lot of what made Shadow Warrior 1 and 2 so good. It being a free update for current players is certainly amazing and lowering the price of the game for newcomers is always welcome, but it still doesn’t make this a great game. Shadow Warrior 3 ends up being just ‘ok’ in the grand scheme of things and especially in comparison to the games around it. Lo Wang deserves better and if the fates will it we will get to hang out with our pal Wang again soon.
After becoming familiar with its systems, Pharaoh offers tremendous city building flexibility and a plethora of challenges unseen in any other city builder. A New Era has introduced numerous quality of life features found in contemporary city building titles to an already solid classic. From sandbox to successive dynasties, with new options to tune the game to your playstyle introduced, Pharaoh: A New Era beyond satisfies.
Wanted: Dead is a mess of a game with hints of excellence strewn about. I wanted to love it a lot more than I did. Instead the game kept making me frustrated at every turn. There have been a million examples of how to make a challenging game without making it frustrating. Wanted: Dead is the epitome of the latter. It simply uses lazy tropes instead of clever game play to create its difficulty. The end result is a game that has some great ideas, but will not interest most players. I expect most to quit before finishing the first boss.
I seriously surprised myself at how much I love Monster Hunter Rise. With a campaign that doesn’t last long, just enough to train players up and then being the real game. The endgame is where it’s at and going after those high-level monsters is such a delight with or without friends playing. Even after all the time I have invested I have yet to see all of the monsters and I can’t wait to continue to discover more and the upcoming Sunbreak expansion coming summer 2023. Yep, seems there has never been a better time for Monster Hunter fans new and old and I am happy to now count myself among them.
Forspoken is a solid action RPG that sadly falls short due to some of its design. The world is just not that interesting to explore and the weird dialogue can detract from an otherwise interesting narrative. I enjoyed my time with the game and if you do dive in, I recommend simply mainlining the core story as it keeps the repetition to a minimum. If you are a sucker for tons of mindless side content though this game has it in spades. I truly wish it was just more interesting though.
Risen is packed with content and if you can get past its blemishes there is a solid RPG here to last you at least 60 hours, but I feel a lot of today’s gamers won’t even get off the beach tutorial at the beginning of the game.
One of the greatest things about this game is when you finish helping someone’s style you are met with a ‘YAAAS’ or ‘DAYUM’ while the newly fashioned perp is dancing with joy. Truly the only thing that tops it is the fashion show you get when players finish each level. I loved the hell out of Fashion Police Squad, not only did it feel familiar with its shooter roots but its premise of cleaning up the streets of fashion crimes is so unique and charmingly done that the game just exudes a swag all its own.
Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake is a standard platform collect-a-thon that is held up by its content and humor. I was smiling the entire time I was playing it and it lasts just the right amount of time. I feel like Rehydrated was a touch more interesting on the whole, but this follow-up is more than worth your time if you are a fan of the genre or subject matter. Spongebob is timeless and can be enjoyed by anyone of any age, even if your nostalgia for it is as nonexistent as mine is.
I enjoyed my time with One Piece Odyssey enough to join my sons in watching the anime. The Straw Hats crew themselves are a great group, I enjoyed the camaraderie and the jokes (even though I didn’t catch all of them). They care for one another just like any good family does and it was a touching story to see. Aside from the combat feeling overly easy for a good portion of the game, and the UI issues I would recommend One Piece Odyssey to fans of the series and non-fans alike. Especially if you are a fan of JRPG’s, this one has it all for you.
There is so much more I could say about both of these games. I got into the series with Golden and have been wanting it to expand to more consoles ever since. It is great to finally see it everywhere and I hope the series continues that trend going forward. It is by far one of the best RPGs available and should be played by anyone who has ever had a passing interest in the genre. Do not skip this collection, while Persona 3 is a little rough in this day and age it is still an amazing game and Persona 4 Golden is well, the gold standard. I cannot recommend this package enough.
There is so much more I could say about both of these games. I got into the series with Golden and have been wanting it to expand to more consoles ever since. It is great to finally see it everywhere and I hope the series continues that trend going forward. It is by far one of the best RPGs available and should be played by anyone who has ever had a passing interest in the genre. Do not skip this collection, while Persona 3 is a little rough in this day and age it is still an amazing game and Persona 4 Golden is well, the gold standard. I cannot recommend this package enough.
I wanted to love We are the Caretakers, the whole afro vibe, the music which is absolutely fire and I was even down with the idea of trying to save the environment. But the bland and boring combat makes We are the Caretakers just a chore to play; none of the attacks are visually pleasing or noteworthy and the animations feel stiff. I would love to see another game set in this world because the concept and everything is very interesting but combat and graphics would need to be overhauled because as it stands; even though this games heart is in the right place (10 percent of revenue going to the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Rhino Recovery Fund, which focuses on improving the health of rhino populations while also benefiting local people) the actually gameplay is just underwhelming.
Omegabot isn’t a bad game by any means, and proudly wears its inspiration on its sleeve, in a world where you have to be unique to stand out it stands in the middle of the pack, not great, but not at all terrible, but worth a shot if you are having Mega Man withdrawals. (thanks a lot Capcom)
That’s where I stand with Scarlet and Violet. It’s got the trappings of a great Pokémon game, but I think this is most certainly a learning experience for both the players and the developers. Hopefully, the next generation will improve on both the pacing and the technical issues found here. In the meantime, players can get a lot of enjoyment out of this outing, just remember, even though this is a choose your own adventure style game, it doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want when you want.
Crisis Core Reunion is a wonderful upgrade to the original game that makes it better in some areas while showcasing some of its shortcomings at the same time. It is also weird to release a piece of this series on consoles that cannot continue the narrative unless they swap to another console. Final Fantasy VII is a classic for a reason and I did love a lot of the games that spawned from it. The story is fantastic and it is nice to see the series return to Xbox and Switch.
The Breakers Collection is a lesson in how to bring back games and do it right. The addition of online cross play and a bevy of special features really round out this package. The fact that these games are also of incredible quality doesn’t hurt either. If Street Fighter had not been the juggernaut it was, I feel like this series might still be going. They are really fun to play even with the steep difficulty and anyone who enjoys fighting games owes it to themselves to snag this collection. It is available everywhere and cross play just sweetens the pot.
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider stands out among the pack of games looking to capture that 16-bit nostalgia. It is not just an art style. There are so many pieces that go into making a modern retro game and JoyMasher continues to prove they are better at it than most. I highly recommend this game and don’t let it slip through the cracks. It is definitely one of the better ones available.
Having only a handful of enjoyable minigames means players will end up playing the ones they dislike more, and the horribly paced board game component makes the journey getting to those minigames feel like a slog and then to not have GARFIELD VOICED IS JUS- let me calm down. Even at the ‘value’ price of $39.99 this feels overpriced, if you are a huge Garfield fan wait for a deep sale before picking this one up.
From what I’ve played of Divine Knockout I think its going to be a lot of fun while it lasts. I am always wary of getting behind Hi-Rez games because they have a habit of going hard on this project when they are popular but then support will peter off and eventually die thus killing the game. Outside of Smite I think their other two big franchises Paladin’s and Rogue Company are on life support. I am rooting for them with Divine Knockout though, its easy to pick up nature and attractive art style will hopefully help it to garner an audience that will allow it to stand the test of time, or at the very least until they can put my man Zeus in the game, once I can get him they can do what they want.