ZTGD's Reviews
Roguebook is essentially a roguelike- deckbuilder game, with the cards, gems and relics being the loot that players will have to blend into a perfect strategy to escape. While each of the characters will start with a default deck that will be upgraded as they level up; most upgrades players receive will be lost upon death. These games depend on having a tight replay, fun and consistent replay loop and with Roguebook, Abrakam has succeeded here.
It’s not that Serious Sam: Tormental is a bad game, its just one that doesn’t do anything new. In an already increasingly crowded market for indie, rougelite games this one is bound to be missed simply because it doesn’t do anything new to push the genre forward. Of course, the opposite side of that is that it doesn’t really do anything negative either, it is a solidly made top-down shooter.
It’s crazy to believe that I can be down on a game that is really fun to play both offline and online. Somehow, Square-Enix has thrown so many things into the game that either you must pay for, or grind for weeks to unlock. It wouldn’t be that big of an issue if it was just cosmetic items, but characters who have different stats and special moves that could possibly throw the advantage to the player that paid money. I just can’t get on board with that.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is simply incredible. If you are like me and have grown tired of the series, it is time to jump back in. This is such a fresh take on the series that it feels like an entirely new game. The level of polish visually and care put into this version feels like they truly went back to the drawing board and created the ultimate LEGO game. I hope this is not their last attempt at the series. I would love a full-on DC or Marvel game in this style. Still this is a must for LEGO fans, a must for Star Wars fans, and truly a must for anyone who enjoys great video games.
Triangle Strategy weaves a mature story full of intrigue and places the player in an unenviable position of having to make some very tough choices with meaningful consequences, all the while challenging them to face encounters that will test their strategic mind. In other words, it’s a compelling good time.
With all the improvements, Godfall Ultimate Edition feels like just that; with all the previously released DLC and expansions this is truly the ultimate experience for anyone who desires to take down a would-be God.
Glam’s is a game that is hard to recommend. Players and fans of twitch platformers can most certainly find some challenge here but in the precise jumping and puzzle solving of each level. The problem is, I feel like because of the control scheme and the way it feels, it makes it even more difficult to get into. Still, people looking for that challenge and having patience can find something here. Anyone who gets frustrated easily or does not like the sound of a trial-and-error style game should avoid this one.
Gearbox did a great job of crafting the classes and making them feel unique enough to fit in this fantasy world. While I would have liked to see more synergy between them ala real Dungeons and Dragons tabletop games there is just enough here to make players feel like they are contributing to the group dynamic. With some tweaks here and there, I’d love to be given the opportunity to play in Tiny Tina’s world again. She can BM for me anytime.
With its low barrier of entry for controls and special moves; Omina is easy to pick up and just moderately difficult to master and with its rollback netcode for online multiplayer when you need a break from some of the bigger anime fighters, I recommend checking out Phantom Breaker: Omina.
I was pleasantly surprised at In Nightmare, as I said horror is not usually my thing but the subject matter here and the way it’s handled is quite masterful. I mean the whole game is extremely relatable as Bill discovers the thing that some of us have already; and that thing is that more often than not we create our own monsters via our subconscious. The situations or people we monster-fy were never as bad as we thought they were. And hopefully I haven’t said too much, because this game is a wonderful experience, despite the wonky jump button and iffy sonar system I enjoyed my time in this nightmare very much. And while there isn’t much replay value outside of trying to 100% everything; at a value price In Nightmare is more than worth it just on the story alone.
PowerSlave Exhumed is yet another outstanding port from a team with a genuine love of games from that era. I cannot wait to see what they deliver next and if you have not checked out their previous work, Turok 1 and 2, ShadowMan, Blood (please put out a console port!), and so many more are just begging to be revisited. This team continues to deliver with every game they put out and I am ecstatic for what they decide to bring next.
Minor issues aside, I loved my time with Weird West on PS5 so much so that I plan to double dip and play it again on Xbox since it’s on Game Pass when it releases. The story, characters and even the very world that Wolfeye Studios have created for their freshman outing is so very unique and dare I say ‘weird’ that you can’t help but become wrapped up in them. I haven’t enjoyed a mash up of supernatural and westerns since Darkwatch and if you played that game, you know that’s high praise.
The only issue I had with Gunborg was the games length, being able to be cleared in just over 2 hours; just when I felt like everything was coming together and all the systems clicked the game ended.
I gotta say that Tentacular is vastly different from what I thought it was going to be based on the trailers I’d seen. And this is very much a wonderful thing, because like I said I’ve played lots of games focused on destruction; which I initially thought this was. But much to my delight and surprise, Tentacular turned out to be a wonderful, heartfelt game that touches on things like being adopted, and being different and how those differences can really be a boon to those around us. Developer Firepunchd Games did a wonderful job with creating Tentacular. I very much enjoyed the gameplay but most of all the story was so touching and the sense of discovery as you peel back the mystery of the kaiju’s origins is very well done. If you need a break from constant destruction, Tentacular might be the fresh sea breeze for you.
Monster Crown is a game that I would say try out if you’re into the old school Pokémon games. This is obviously a primitive game, but offers some new things to the monster catching genre. It’s most certainly not the best game or even the most flashy game out there, but as a Pokémon style game grounded in a more traditional turn-based RPG, it’s not a bad ride.
Like most RPG’s Jax will not save the world alone, Elex 2 does offer some companions to take along on the journey. Only one at a time can accompany the player but because the AI is so laughably bad in this game, they really only serve a purpose as a ‘meat shield’. Honestly, my companions were getting dropped more than they were hitting enemies in almost every instance. It was about this time that I really began to wonder what people were talking about when they praised the original game so much. Maybe it is that much better than this one, but Elex 2 is pretty bad. Worse than that I personally didn’t find it fun, no disrespect to those that love it. As I said at the outset, I don’t mind ‘janky’ games, but Elex 2 was just ‘bridge too far’ for me.
As a brand new IP, Ghostwire: Tokyo shows a lot of promise with its strong animation work, solid combat and interesting world design, but it falters along the path to the finish line with a story arc that feels rushed along with an excessive use of typical and tired open world game design tropes.
Most importantly I expected some big improvements, and while some of the items here definitely meet that qualification the game is still stuck in a rut with respect to AI and physics/clipping issues. There’s talk that WWE may look to partner with EA on future games, so this may be the last go around for the team at 2K, but if it’s not I hope that their focus for WWE 2k23 will be on fixing some of these issues so that the solid base they’ve built can actually live up to its potential. Hopefully I’m not revisiting that sentence again next year.
Shadow Warrior 3 for is just dumb fun. It doesn’t do anything to make you think that its going to be anything other than it is. Running around with a varied array of weapons AND a sword, killing monsters while dashing and swinging around is right up there with the fun to be had in Doom Eternal. But for me it’s the humor that sets Shadow Warrior 3 apart, while not for everyone those that find comfort and chuckles in ‘derp’ type comedy will have a ball playing with Wang.
Babylon’s Fall is not an awful game, its just not a very good one and while I would never tell anyone what to do with their money, I will strongly suggest you avoid this one as it’s fate will surely be the same as the tower for which its named.