ZTGD's Reviews
I’m not sure whether to recommend Happy Game or not. I think most people will be disappointed with its short play time and easier puzzles. Any fan of Amanita will definitely find joy in this new direction for the studio but will maybe be let down in comparison to past titles’ puzzles. In short, Happy Game is good, people should play it, but wait for a sale.
If you put on the invincibility, players can take down the final boss in maybe 35 minutes. It’s a quick playthrough but altering the cheats or challenging myself and trying to power through it all without cheating could result in hours of play time. For seven bucks, that’s not a bad deal. It’s a classic game that I don’t think many have heard of and one that shoot ‘em up fans will probably want to check out, and with all the features added into this release, it’s a solid package for the purists out there.
Dusk is the kind of game I could not help but smile while I was playing it. Every level was a treat to play and the accessibility options really open it up to so many people. The attention to detail in this port is also super appreciated. It really takes advantage of the hardware while not compromising the original concept. This is a game that every fan of shooters needs to play, and I cannot recommend it enough. Get your boomer shooter pants on (or off) and buy Dusk!
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a solid alternative to Smash, and it is on basically every platform. It won’t overtake the king or even make it worried, but for the lower price (I have seen it on sale for sub $20) it is more than worth checking out. I had a ton of fun with it and just wish it had a bit more content and a bright future.
Visiting those strange new worlds was always fun on TV and it’s a fun and rewarding experience in Space Crew as well.
At the end of the day, I still enjoyed my time with House of Ashes. It is the best story so far in the series and even with the issues I had with both the glitches and gameplay, this was a decent time overall. If you have played the series this far, you know what you’re getting into. If you want to give this one a shot to see what The Dark Pictures is all about, you can’t be this one’s story and premise. Just keep in mind, there will be some really strange bugs that come along with it.
If you can’t tell, I didn’t like Doctor Who: Edge of Reality in this iteration. Had I played this in VR I think some of my issues would have been resolved, but the mistreatment of both Doctors is quite unforgivable and would be a huge issue in either version of the game. While I think it is almost as hard to make a good Doctor Who game as it is to make a good Star Trek game, I appreciate that studios keep trying different things… but this ain’t it bruh.
Alan Wake remastered is something I have always wanted to exist as the original was highly under looked when it came out. It was tied to one console and frankly Remedy was not quite the household name it is today. It is one of their best games and worth checking out whether you played the original or not. It still carries plenty of jank and questionable design mechanics from that era, but the story and characters excel it past most of its own issues. This is one experience that is worth revisiting or experiencing for the first time.
Shooters had a very long hiatus before the indie scene came along. Games like G-Darius used to be tentpole titles for consoles. It is great to see them return in any fashion and I could truly enjoy a new one weekly if it was possible. It is time for Einhander and Radiant Silvergun to make returns. Keep them coming and I will keep playing them. G-Darius is a must purchase for fans of shoot ‘em ups so don’t hesitate in snatching this one right away.
At the end of the day Forza Horizon 5 is like a delicious cake that is being delivered when I already had a ton of leftover cake from the previous party. It is good and I will enjoy it, but I think it is overpacked and in need of some dynamic changes going forward. I want to feel like the series is evolving instead of just getting prettier with new locales. Even with that said, this is easily the best racing game of the year and it simply looks gorgeous. There is little to fault outside of a lack of evolution and I am sure when all is said and done I will likely invest another 50-60 hours in the game.
The Eternal Cylinder is a fever dream of a title that satisfies a lot of my tastes: exploration, puzzles, survival, lots of different abilities, truly alien landscapes, geometric shapes that desire uniformity through destruction of all of life, and hoarding. Oh, and quite a bit of heart. Nothing here feels so alien that I can’t feel something for this world except the familiar but nightmarish servants that stand out in this world. I think ACE Team has something really special here and I really can’t think of anything else that does all of what The Eternal Cylinder as good as The Eternal Cylinder does.
Rainbow Billy took me by surprise. The art style was cutesy, the combat was simple, the puzzles never overly challenging, and the story content was very warm and fuzzy and they were perfect for me. It was a breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed, and this is easily one of those perfect games that a parent and child can sit down together and have a great time while learning some of the great golden rules of friendship and acceptance.
I think the biggest standout is the atmosphere. For a game that has nearly cartoony visuals and NO gore at all (this game is rated T) it still hit those tension marks I would expect from a good horror game. I was thoroughly surprised with the entire experience and just in time for the Halloween season. This is one game that I recommend whole-heartedly for anyone looking for a good psychological horror game that focuses more on exploration and puzzles than full on combat. Don’t sleep on this one. It’s pretty great.
Lost Judgement is a step up from the original in almost every way with improved pacing, a more polished combat engine and a laundry list of fun side activities to get lost in. If not for the pedestrian detective elements, this could’ve been a new classic in the genre, and despite its notable flaws, it is still a story well worth experiencing.
The changes that have been to the formula that was created for XCOM are welcome ones, and hopefully this isn’t just a one-off adventure into this universe.
I simply don’t think this stands as tall as Super Metroid, Zero Mission, Prime, Fusion, or even Samus Returns. But to a Metroid fan it is worth playing and realize that these are problems I found with the game; other people haven’t had the same issues. However, to anyone who has never played a Metroid game before, I don’t think this is the place to start. I think it feels too different from the rest of the series (neither a good or bad thing) and the moments in the story that hit really well only do so because of everything that has happened before in previous titles.
If you can’t tell, I really loved Age of Empires 4. If I had to complain it would be that while I love the depth and difference in each civilization; I would like to see more added. Perhaps one with an African/Egyptian flair. And that I wasn’t able to try out the multiplayer, but it does have a nice quick match system in place where the player can choose to queue up for multiple types of matches at a time. As I said above Age of Empires 4 is the perfect mix of old and new and I really think the legions of fans who’ve been waiting ever so patiently for 16 years for a new entry in this storied franchise will find much to love here.
All in all, EDF World Brothers is good, but it is also just EDF with a new coat of paint and I don’t need one every year or two. I want these titles to be special and had I not had an EDF title in the last five years (let alone two) I think World Brothers would have been more exciting to play. However, as a fan of EDF it is just another EDF game and honestly had I not been reviewing it I would have likely skipped it because past the coat of paint and new mechanics, it is just shooting giant bugs and monsters. With that I will basically say that this game is on par with EDF 5. It is still fun but nothing special.
Guardians of the Galaxy is probably one of the biggest surprises for me this year.
Turtle Rock Studios have made a triumphant return to the genre that kickstarted a whole zombie craze so many years ago. That return isn’t perfect though, issues with the controls, missing game modes and bugs have marred what is otherwise an enjoyable zombie killfest. At the time of this writing a few patches have gone out that have corrected most of the larger bugs, but there are still issues with spawning too many special infected at a time and other little issues. While these things can be frustrating, they don’t destroy the fun of Back 4 Blood when playing the game as it’s meant to be. That is playing multiplayer with a group of friends smartly navigating a nightmare filled world.