ZTGD's Reviews
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a charming game that I was smiling while playing almost entirely. It will likely get lost amonth after the Spider-Man and Astro Bot mainstays, but this game is more than worth checking out. Especially for those looking for something to play with their family and friends. It is a whimsical adventure that finally makes me enjoy a game featuring Sackboy, and that is a win in and of itself.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is by far one of the best surprises of 2020. It shot directly up to the top of my best games of the year. I cannot express how much fun I had with this game. I kept coming back to it with tons of other titles calling for my attention. It is the best game Ubisoft has dropped this year and the promise of more DLC has me dreaming of returning to the world. With back to back excellent outings the AC Odyssey team continues to impress me. I cannot wait to see what they do after they wrap up the DLC for this game. Do not sleep on this title, it is one of the best of the year by a longshot.
My gripes really stem from the place of being a fan. Anyone entering Watch Dogs: Legion looking for a by the books open world game is going to find a lot to enjoy. There are small puzzles to solve, plenty of collectibles, lots of missions and I would say the shooting and driving are the best this series has ever been. Fans of the series like myself however will be disappointed by the lack of enjoyable characters as well as stand out missions and story beats. With how close Legion is releasing to Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Immortals Fenyx Rising it feels like Watch Dogs: Legion was left to fight for your attention and your money with less money put into development. I would recommend both Watch Dogs 1 & 2 as well as plenty of other Ubisoft experiences from the last few years before Legion at full price.
Moving into a new generation of consoles is always exciting. With sports games it is a mixed bag. The games always take the leap in terms of graphics, but seem to trim back the amount of features contained within. NBA 2K21 is a combination of both. While the graphics are next-level, there are also a host of improvements over the previous generation’s offering. Where it falls short though is failing to address the problems from the last gen version of the game. What we end up with is an impressive first outing that feels more like the target the team set out for early on.
With expansive sandbox levels, some thrilling stealth action, and (of course) those magnificent X-ray kill cam shots it’s easy to see why this fourth iteration of Rebellion’s popular series is generally considered the most well rounded. With that being said, the seams are beginning to show this long after the original release, and while the Switch manages to pull off the action behind the scope exactly the way you’d expect, your mileage with the middle of the road visuals and mostly bland story may vary. If you have an Xbox or PlayStation its likely you already have the game for free, as it’s included in Game Pass and was a PlayStation Plus giveaway last year. If you only own a Switch or are looking for a game of this type to play on the go however, you’ll find plenty of content to like behind the $40 price tag.
This collection is a must-own for fans of AVGN. Without the reverence for the show these are simply two solid side scrolling games that will definitely entertain but will not resonate with players as much. I found myself in pure heaven since I have watched every episode of AVGN as well as the movie. I loved the references, and it is clear that the developers really took the time to make them more than just cameos. It is great to also see these games finally making their way to consoles. Now just get me my Xbox One version and all will be right in the world. Even if it is published by LJN.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is yet another great entry in the series marred by some side steps and technical issues. I am sure the latter will be ironed out with time. I really have enjoyed all three of the latest games in the series with Odyssey continuing to be my top pick. Valhalla has a truly fantastic story mixed with visceral combat and base management. I hope they iron out the technical issues as 60fps is truly a game-changer for the franchise.
Fans of the series should really pick this one up, and from the stories I heard from players of the previous games, it sounds like this is one of the best ones for newcomers. I would have to agree. I had no idea how to play this game, but I was in, and addicted to the timer within an hour of booting it up for the first time. This is one Switch game I think anyone should add to their library.
Pumpkin Jack is a great looking game, a great playing game, and a well written game. It should not be skipped in the slightest. The Halloween aesthetic may seem out of season now, but don’t let it fool you, this game is enjoyable at any time; the minions of hell rising up to destroy humanity truly is a timeless tale. The end credits show the development and love Nicolas poured into this game, and all of that can be found in the final product. I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Jack.
While I know there are fans of the series, and from what I can gather, Tormented Fathers was actually a decent time, Broken Porcelain feels off to me. Perhaps it needed a few more months of development time to work out the bugs and maybe have a better optimized stealth mechanic, but I don’t think we’ll ever know. There is some complexity to the story and some decent atmosphere, but it takes a lot to actually get into it. If you’re invested in the series, this is a maybe, but if you’re looking for a horror stealth game, there are others to just play much better.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered is the perfect game to bring back. It harkens back to a time when racing games were simple and fun. I hope the Criterion team manages to get back to this formula. This was the last NFS game I enjoyed all around and have somewhat forgotten about the series since its release. It seems EA knows this considering this is the title they chose to remaster. For those that thirst for the classic days of the Need for Speed series, this is a solid title to add to your collection.
Ghostrunner is a game of pain and suffering. Repetition sets in. It never deterred me from hitting continue though. This marks a nice balance of forcing players to master their combat, while also intriguing them to keep going. I absolutely had a blast and cannot wait to see the upgrades on next-gen consoles. This is not a game to sleep on, just be aware it may cause nightmares.
Cobra Kai is a fun game that falls victim to a lot of the genre’s downsides. I enjoyed it for what it was, but have a hard time recommending it mostly due to the $40 point of entry. The game has enough content, but it drags at times. This leads to a game that would have been an easy win if it was priced a little lower. I understand why with having the actors portray their roles, but this game could have done better with soundalikes and a lower price point.
Hades stands not only as the finest, most well-crafted game from the exceedingly talented developers at Supergiant but as one of the pinnacles of the genre. If you never looked at rogue-likes seriously before due to differences in personal tastes and what you believe that they represent, this might be the very title to change your mind.
Transformers Battlegrounds is a decent game that is marred by being confused as to who it is aimed for. Diehard fans of the franchise like me won’t find much challenge or diversity here to enjoy. Kids jumping in might not share the same nostalgia for these characters. The game also carries a hefty price tag, doesn’t feature online play, and boasts a relatively short campaign. While Transformers could work well in the genre, I am not sure this one hits on all the right notes
Still even with these shortcomings Torchlight III is a solid ARPG that will please anyone who decides to take the plunge. I enjoyed the hours I got from it, and loved playing with friends online. I had a hard time coming back to it regularly like other titles such as Diablo III and Path of Exile, which is not good considering how old those games are.
The Yakuza series continues to grow and expand in the gaming world. I love its quirky humor and deep narratives. This new entry begins a new saga and I cannot wait to see how the story of Ichi evolves over time. If it is even half as good as Kiryu’s the studio will have another series of great games on its hands. Everything about this title feels good and for those worried about having previous knowledge, don’t be concerned. Like a Dragon is a wonderful jumping in point for the series and also one of the best titles in it to date. Don’t sleep on this game, it is worth digging into.
Raji was a decent experience. While it never stood out from the combat focused platformer crowd, it never buried itself in the crowd either. It’s fine game that I think fans of this style of game will enjoy even with the issues I had. If only the loading screen wasn’t so long, I wouldn’t have had as many issues with failing at my jumps and at the combat with several enemies. In the end, this is a different take on a familiar style of game that is just fine, but doesn’t stand out.
DiRT 5 feels like a game that is built to showcase new hardware. Still, if players stick with the frame rate mode it works just fine on the last generation as well. I cannot wait to dig in once I get my Series X, but even on One X this game is truly a looker. The game play feels fantastic, it just feels like a game that will showcase better on more powerful hardware.
Foregone is a wonderful surprise in a crowded genre of gaming. There are a ton of other titles exactly like it, but this one just stands head and shoulders above the rest. I cannot recommend this game enough. It might tick all the usual boxes, but it ticks them extremely well. I haven’t had this much reverence for a game of this type in a long time. Do not sleep on Foregone.