ZTGD's Reviews
Rise of the Triad is back, and it makes me happy, but if you didn’t have nostalgia for the series, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. The game hasn’t aged as well as others from its era and sometimes it moves TOO frantically for its own good. Still, I love the era where even the most obscure title can somehow be resurrected, and I am glad it exists. I just don’t recommend diving in unless you have a soft spot for the quirky shooter from its original release.
I’ve said it on the podcast a few times, I love Fae Farm. Having the 4-player coop is truly icing on the cake as these games are so much more fun with friends, being able to divide and conquer to accomplish tasks is the preferred way to play these cozy games for me. Fae Farm has managed to breach my top 10 list for 2023 which any REAL gamer knows is just an absolutely bananas year for the medium. Not every game has to have realistic graphics, all-star voice casting or even an animal mascot and I think Fae Farm proves that in a year of bangers just being a fun, smart, cozy game can be enough to stand out.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is the definition of a perfect sequel. It keeps what made the first game work and improves what didn’t. I loved this iteration much more than the original and can see myself playing this for a long time. I wish the cars were more available and not packaged as DLC, but I get why they are doing that. I wish I got some carry over from the first game, but on its own Unleashed 2 is a great time that I cannot recommend enough.
I wanted to love Hellboy: Web of Wyrd as a lover of beat-em up games but more so as a HUGE comic book fan, sadly the game just fell short in a few too many areas. As I said the art style is just beautiful to look at, I cannot understate how amazing it looks but once you start moving and the weird frame trick issues pops up everything just comes apart for me. Lance Reddick made for a fun, threatening, caring, funny, thoughtful portrayal of Hellboy, and whether that is attributed to Mignola’s writing or his own talent it was a fantastic take on the character. It’s just so upsetting that the rest of the game was not as strong as the narrative.
I had a lot of fun finding out the various ways I can mix and match spells and the different gun types, but the narrative in Wizard with a Gun is lacking. Honestly the game feels like it is really just meant to be played with a group of friends, which it does feature 4 player co-op. Having the extra guns with a different set of bullets would make some encounters WAY easier but more to that just having a person to play and talk with would do a lot. The gameplay loop isn’t bad it just wears then if you are playing solo, if you have a group of friends who enjoy games like Don’t Starve Together or even Ark then you all should take a look at Wizard with a Gun. Its unique blend of sandbox and twin stick shooter is a lot of fun for a while alone but I can see it being endlessly fun with friends.
To make matters worse the game didn’t work for like a week after its launch due to its reliance on an always online model. Server issues plagued users on all systems, some people weren’t able to redeem their items that they had paid extra for, it was just a mess. Oddly enough, I was able to play before launch which means I didn’t get to play with real people as I gave up trying to play the game after day 3 of it not working. While I never was able to compete a heist that didn’t devolve into a shootout, I am sure there will be those pros that can. As I type this the servers are still working and Starbreeze is reporting millions of players; and I wish them well but I am gonna take my cut and get off here. Hopefully next time their game is functional at launch.
Spider-Man 2 is easily the best PlayStation first party game this year. I went from thinking it wouldn’t make my game of the year (to be fair it has been a stellar year) to definitely being on my list. Insomniac has truly evolved this series into the best franchise currently on the PlayStation platform. This entry is no different and it combines the best of both of the previous games and takes it to the next level. The main story is simply outstanding and one of the best superhero narratives I have ever played. The visuals are stunning and it is immensely fun to play. I cannot recommend this enough and I expect it to be at the top of a lot of best of lists come the end of the year.
I wasn’t a fan of The London Case, admittedly I am not a huge fan of Hercule Poirot outside of live action media though. But for me this game just felt unpolished and perhaps rushed, which maybe it was because as I write this a new Hercule game is set to drop this very week. Again, this is a sequel in a series that I haven’t played so this may be an improvement I don’t know, what I do know is that for someone who enjoys mystery, adventure games The London Case shall remain unsolved for this fledgling detective.
Lords of the Fallen is a marked improvement over the original and the mechanic of traversing between two realms makes it feel unique among its contemporaries. If not for a handful of questionable design choices and an overall lack of polish, this could have been something special.
The Crew: Motorfest is just that, a celebration of (almost) all things that have a motor. There are a ton of cars from dozens of manufactures, even a DeLorean which I am currently saving for. I am not a race guy, but I had a lot of fun with Motorfest, especially once I unlocked the vehicle switching. Being able to go from a car into a plane at the press of a button is dope, while I wish the developers had tuned the controls for all the vehicles instead of just focusing on the cars; I never had a real issue controlling the planes, boats or off-road vehicles. But if you are looking to catch some beautiful Hawaiian sun, drive some of the most beautiful cars you’ve ever seen, then The Crew Motorfest might be for you.
Wild Card Football has pleasantly surprised me I must say, I was already intrigued with its blend of strategic card games and the game of football. But to finally play it and see that the card game doesn’t detract from the football game but instead enhances it and makes it something totally new and fun to play. The on-field action is quite solid as well, not as accurate as Madden and not the rules free slam fest that is NFL Blitz. But the play calling is tight, and easy to understand with a handful of runs, passes, trick and defense plays to choose from. Anyone who is burnt out with the simulation style football games should check out Wild Card as it’s a blast to play.
Blasphemous 2 scratched an itch I didn’t even realize I had, I am not a fan of soulsbourne games, but I think I AM a fan of roguelikes, especially this one that took the best parts from the metroidvania genre and expertly weaved with the ‘Souls’ type combat. Boasting a strange and evocative narrative that is presented with beautifully painted and animated cutscenes that look like works of art hanging in the Louvre, Blasphemous 2 is itself a work of art.
I didn’t really talk about the story on purpose, and that’s because its extremely short. While I enjoyed my time with High on Knife, that time is only a few hours to see the story and maybe one more to wrap up side quests and things. And as fun as the new pinball type B.A.L.L. gun is, I had hoped for something that would add a new weapon and a new personality to my arsenal. Alas, the BALL gun is worked by three chubby members of the blue man group and only ever talks in ‘meeps’ and ‘oops’. Again, gun is DOPE and adds a lot to the gameplay, just wish it was voiced like the others. The most damning thing here though is the narrative just abruptly ends. I don’t want to spoil it but while the developer’s kind of make a joke about the ending and how it just fades to black; the overall experience just left me with a lot of questions and an unsatisfied feeling in my stomach.
The production values are unmatched, but I found myself growing bored playing this game, and I really enjoy sim racers.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is an interesting entry in the series. On the one hand I adore the streamlined approach to the story. I like being able to invest in this world in a smaller, more focused package. The return to stealth is a turn-off for me though. I have truly enjoyed the more action-focused entries as of late. Still the quality is here and tying this into Valhalla was a smart idea since that was the most recent game. Fans of the lore will have a great time, but those that never clicked with the stealth approach of those early games may find this one a little hard to crack into.
Smurfs Kart is a decent racer that is a nice alternative for consoles without Mario Kart. It simply doesn’t have a lot of staying power though. I was done with the game before I finished the main tournament mode and I didn’t find myself coming back to collect stickers. Some type of unlock system or some more unique and inspiring tracks would have gone a long way. Still if you love the Smurfs and enjoy Mario Kart, you can’t go wrong with this one.
NASCAR Arcade Rush is disappointing in a lot of ways. I was really just wanting a simple Daytona-style arcade racing game and instead I got an uninspired and frustrating kart racing game with little to keep me coming back. I wanted to love it, I tried to love it, but at the end of the day I went back to better games in the genre. I really want the arcade racing game to have a renaissance, but with entries like this, I doesn’t look likely in the near future.
Gloomhaven was a tough one to review not because the game itself is bad, despite feeling clunky to navigate using a controller; no, it’s just after playing for many hours I realized that it’s just not for me. Its systems are deep and allow some great tactical plays to happen. The game allows for players to enjoy with four of their friends but much to my chagrin it doesn’t have a quickmatch function; so sadly, I was playing solo. I think with friends this would be more fun, just like playing a session of D&D is more of a blast with friends. I would recommend this version for those like me who were intrigued with the board game but just know that Gloomhaven is not for the timid.
The very worst offense of it all is that normally, when a game is bad, I would have to suffer through it once and get to move on. In the case of Loop8, it forced me to experience the same exact terrible content over and over again by its very design, breeding a sense of resentment towards a game I haven’t felt in a very long time.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a fantastic companion piece to The Expanse show, telling a prequel story with so many weighty decisions that include the lives of various crew members is “classic” Telltale. Even when players make a seemingly good choice you can’t help but think about what sort of negative connotations its going to yield later down the road. I enjoyed virtually every moment of The Expanse, this is Telltalle at their very best anyone who is a fan of their past work shouldn’t miss this series.