ZTGD's Reviews
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.
Players won’t find combat in Lifeless Moon, instead this game is made for fans of classic sci-fi, the stuff from Rod Sterling’s Twilight Zone, the kind of sci-fi that makes you think about it after you turn it off. And for all those reasons I really enjoyed this game, while I did find it overly easy at times moving through the world and the various biomes and figuring out its story was the real payoff, and if you like that type of sci-fi then you should check this one out before you get lost in Starfield.
While not quite reaching the heights of the Danganronpa series, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is great spiritual successor to the cult classic and whether this is the beginning of a new franchise or if it will be a stand-alone title, it marks a return to form for Tookyo Games.
Lisa: The Painful is just a perfect name for this game as it evokes such emotions while playing. Depending on the gamer though this dark, sometimes humorous, always shocking world could be just the ticket to see something polar opposite from say a Final Fantasy. I certainly walked away from this game not feeling the light and pride of finishing the usual RPG’s, Lisa: The Painful is a bleak experience but one that is worth it if you can stomach it.
Viewfinder is a unique game that begs to be experienced. I do wish it was available on more platforms as everyone needs to experience this unique puzzle game. I could not put it down until the end and I cannot wait to see what this team accomplishes next. There is so much here that impresses, it never overstays its welcome, and the technical achievement will be talked about for years. Definitely play this game if you have the means
Atlas Fallen does some things right as a new franchise, the world that the team has made is interesting and begs to be explored, the story is for the most part extremely well told and as I said graphically the game looks great. But the unevenness of the combat just makes avoiding fights more common than facing enemies head on. Which is truly a shame because as I said above, I love action games and had high hopes that Atlas Fallen would stick the landing. I am hoping this is something that can be fixed with a patch, because I did enjoy skating around the sands and exploring the massive levels.
Miasma Chronicles isn’t far removed from the studios previous outing with Mutant Year Zero in neither setting or gameplay. That doesn’t mean however that it’s a bad game at all, Miasma feels more polished and nuanced than its predecessor which speaks volumes of the talent at the studio. However, for me the narrative wasn’t as strong as the world itself which wasn’t helped by the feeling of an abrupt ending to the whole affair. But Miasma Chronicles remains a good time due to the mix of tactical strategy and stealth gameplay.
The team at Larian Studios are to be commended, Baldur’s Gate 3 is nothing short of a masterpiece when it comes to RPG’s.
Double Dragon Gaiden continues the trend of the series’ ups and downs. While it has some truly great designs, it has a lot of frustrating choices that hold it back. I was really excited to see a new game in the series, but it feels like they just want to build something new with each entry instead of capitalizing on what made the original so great. With the recent revival of so many classic beat ‘em up franchises, Double Dragon Gaiden just doesn’t impress nearly as much as it should have.
Graphically Front Mission: 1st Remake looks phenomenal on the Series X, small touches like working windshield wipers on vehicles and things really help to immerse players in the game and its world. The remake presents the game in a different camera angle from the original but allows players to choose how they want to play. This is also true of the soundtrack in game as the original and a remastered and remixed version is available as well. While I enjoyed the story of Front Mission: 1st Remake, the combat made the game feel like a chore. In fact, it felt like for everyone good thing I found with the game, I would end up with two negatives. I had issues with the camera control in the heat of battle, the overall difficulty on default is a tad hard (but there is a difficulty selection if you want to play on easy), missing more attacks than I hit even in melee and all these things just led to a poor experience. I think Id love to play a new Front Mission game, one that isn’t a remake and is charting its own path forward; hopefully we can see that one day.
Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 provides another dark look at war and its effects on those who are waging it. Just like in the first there are some very dire consequences to using certain abilities in game, thankfully the developers have added another option which will only disable instead of destroying, which is nice but still feels bad to use either weapon. (Im being vague on purpose but if you played the original you know what I’m talking about) While I loved this game almost as much as I enjoyed the original, I just can’t shake the feeling that this didn’t do enough to be a full sequel, so much of it is so similar to the original. It doesn’t mean Fuga 2 isn’t great though, the story is just as moving as the original and the relationships players will be stewards over with these kids is one of, if not the best thing about this series.
So much about this game is questionable, from the backwards ass way the narrative is presented to just having one mode available at launch to the inclusion of a battle pass. I don’t get it one bit, but Exoprimal is on Game Pass and I encourage you to check it out because there is fun to be had, but your mileage will definitely vary on how much you have that’s for sure.
As an epilogue to cap off a series spanning a whopping NINE games, Trails into Reverie delivers in all the areas that makes this one of the best RPG series on the market, featuring impeccable world building, compelling, nuanced characters and an enjoyable combat engine with plenty of room for experimentation. In a way, this entry feels like a reward for all those who have stuck with the series thus far and as we look towards Calvard and the future of the series as a whole, we can rest easy knowing that we’ve sent the heroes off in style, without any regrets.
There really isn’t one thing that I walked away from in Forever Skies that I absolutely hated; in fact, I found its approach quite refreshing to the genre. Having a lone scientist return to the polluted Earth is a great jumping point for some survival stories. And flying through the world was strangely beautiful at times, seeing the sun rise and set against the green sky and thunderstorms with the impressive lightning flashes and rain were my favorites to witness. Alas there just isn’t enough content currently for me to invest in this game fully, I don’t want to get burnt out on the limited content and then never come back to check out the game in all its glory. Forever Skies isn’t a bad game by any means, it’s just not a complete one and if you know that going in and aren’t bothered by it then you will have some fun in the skies.