ZTGD's Reviews
As for me, I’ll give this a few patches and come back and see if the game has improved because right now, I most assuredly did not get caught up in CrossfireX.
Infernax is a can’t-miss game. I had never heard of it, but as soon as I booted it up it immediately shot to the top of my favorite games of the year. Do not sleep on this title. There is so much to love and it even has a unique mode that unlocks when entering the Konami code. Yeah it leans way into nostalgia, but it does it right. This game looks and feels great and is easily one title that will set the bar going forward.
King of Fighters XV is a wonderful addition to the series. If you are like me and are hoping for an expansion of the single player modes though, you are going to be disappointed. Still the roster and game play are excellent and the online modes are robust. This is an outstanding entry to the series and I cannot wait for more characters to be added. Now if we could just get SNK to add in some proper single player modes I really feel like KoF could extend past its niche audience.
While the technical issues of the barebones PC port and the familiar trappings of the open world formula substantially soured my experience, Elden Ring is still an impressive achievement of fusing compelling world design, exploration and combat.
As I said the future seems bright for the Pokémon franchise, I just hope Game Freak can avoid what many studios do and end up taking ‘two steps back’ after moving their game forward; but time will tell.
There’s plenty of little life improvements but to me, and I realize this is extremely biased, is where PokéMon peaked and to remake PokéMon Diamond and Pearl this well is quite something. I think it’s hard to find complaints with Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl outside of simply not liking the formula of PokéMon. There’s so much to discover and do that it comes very close to feeling like living in the world of PokéMon and I suppose that’s all I ever wanted. Let me compete with friends on whose PokéMon is the cutest, see who is the toughest, and then let us hang out in the dingy underground digging up fancy gems together. Maybe when we’re done I’ll save the world from some evil group and catch some legendary PokéMon too. It brings me back not just to my teens, but to the feeling I had when I borrowed my friend’s copy of PokéMon Red and for a game to continue this long and still hook me after all this time is more praise than I can necessarily articulate.
Monster Hunter Rise on PC is the definitive version of an excellent entry in this long running franchise and whether you are a veteran of the series or a rookie, looking to jump in for the first time, it’s the perfect opportunity to grab a weapon and start hunting some monsters.
There’s a lot to do here, but I feel like the mechanics of the game itself gets in the way of really letting the player explore what’s around, and in the end, the rewards just may not be enough to bother with a lot of them. That’s not to say I didn’t have a fun time with the game. I did. There are some great shining moments here and when the story ramped up, I was in it until the end. If you have the patience to get to it, you too can have a good time, but don’t say I didn’t warn you that it will take some time to finally get to it.
There is a ton to love here and I really loved coming back to this world. This is a must own for PlayStation owners.
Like I said at the outset, After the Fall is a fun game albeit a very short one. Yes, there is an extra PvP Team-Deathmatch mode that is moderately fun if you like VR multiplayer shooters. I found it very passable, no real issue other than I just want a fan; but if you like the VR shooters like Pavlov among many others then you may have some fun in the deathmatch. The story for the game is really just an excuse to team up with friends, and that’s ok because whether you play with friends or random folks like me After the Fall does enough to make your time spent with it feel enjoyable; and really isn’t that all we really want from our video games?
However, the fantastic gameplay, the beautiful graphics, and the amazing soundtrack just to name a few things make this an enjoyable experience. That being said, if you are not a fan of difficult games, I’d recommend renting this one first if possible because it is an extremely difficult game at the outset and will require a grind to be successful. But if that doesn’t bother you in the slightest, then come on in; the dojo is all set up.
Even when I was beating my head against a wall on a certain level, I was still having a fun time with OlliOlli World. The simple controls kept me engaged, the progression was as difficult as I wanted it to be, and the style really sold the entire experience, I think fans of the Trials or Joe Danger games should really give this one a shot and fans of skating games can have a lot of fun here as well.
I enjoyed playing Extinction, even with the randoms who were just trying to be agents of Chaos. But I don’t think I would spend a lot of time with it, these days with so many great games as choices it has become harder and harder to want to comment to one that requires a large amount of grinding. And that is what Extraction would require, as players need to level up to unlock gear, weapons and even levels. Unless it’s telling me an epic story like God of War, Persona or Halo Infinite anymore I just wanna get in, have some fun and get out. Which you can do with Extraction, again with the right group of friends. Other than that, with difficulty spikes as a solo player, and the unstable randos players will be bound to run into online, I don’t see this being much more…which is a shame because Rainbow deserves better. Pray for Sam Fisher.
And while the story wasn’t the best, it was entertaining and that’s all I require from my media. Also, it should be noted that the controls have been updated from their old school versions which is a plus, all and all if you are looking for a creepy action adventure game with a cool main character (who is a brotha!!) and some interesting otherworldly mechanics then you should give Shadow Man Remastered a whirl.. or do it so we get a proper current gen sequel.
Death’s Door is a fun adventure that offers up some really good exploration and a deliberate, yet fast combat scheme that feels both challenging and rewarding. Going through every nook and cranny of a level never disappoints and progression is handled in such a great way that every play session feels substantial. Fans of the old school Zelda style games should not pass on this one, it’s one that I believe many will enjoy.
This collection is odd due to the games included, but it still works. The upgrade fee is reasonable and the upgrades are worth diving back in. I have been a fan of the Uncharted series and these two games are truly some of the better games in the series. I have enjoyed Sony’s upgrading of their first party titles for the PS5 for the most part, and this collection continues the trend. A must have for anyone that missed the PS4 Uncharted games and a solid reason to dive back in for those that have already played them.
Grim Dawn is still a fantastic game that any fan of the action RPG style will enjoy. There are tons of customization options not only with the game mechanics, but with the character builds as well. It’s a beefy game and with all the expansions added in, this is a complete package that any RPG fan will enjoy and get a ton of time in and while the menu navigations aren’t the best in the world, it’s something that now Xbox fans can enjoy.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a pretty good game overall, while its story is simple and its gameplay not terribly difficult most experienced gamers can knock it out in 7 hours or so. The game boasts some great graphics due to the awesome sprite work, and it has an extremely catchy soundtrack; which is always a nice bonus. I think Team Ladybug managed to put out a game that has something for quite a varied audience. Those that are fans of the novels or anime series will surely find something to love, but those of us who enjoy ‘metoridvania’ type games will find a lot to appreciate as well; and who knows maybe even turn the next generation of fans onto Record of Lodoss War as a whole.
Clockwork Aquario is a wonderful example of how awesome of a time in games we are truly in. A forgotten gem that likely would have never seen the light of day makes an appearance some 30 years later. I had a blast with its simple mechanics and gorgeous art style. If you are like me and grew up hanging out in arcades far too much, this one will spark that childhood nostalgia we all strive for as we grow old and jaded. Definitely recommended.
While I’m down on this game a lot, I still think it was a decent outing. It’s a difficult game both by design and by the issues I had with it. Still, it tries to capture that old 8-bit feel and does a decent job with it. Even up to the slowdown when multiple things are happening on screen. (Is that a feature or performance issue? I couldn’t tell you) Regardless, I never disliked my time with Trophy, but I can most certainly say it could have been better with some other features and better controls thrown in.