ZTGD's Reviews
With plenty of small costume unlocks and new sayings to collect, Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain does have small hooks to make sure people come back day after day.
Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All ends up being a game full of wonderfully hand-drawn visuals and extremely repetitive combat. It makes it hard to really recommend this game to anyone other than those that are fans of the duo. While yes, some young kids may enjoy the overly simplistic nature of the game; anyone who is an older gamer will become quickly bored with the easy combat, and lack of new moves or attacks.
While not without its glitches, there was multiple times my minions stood around when I raised the base alarm due to an agent being detected. Or when I gave my henchman a kill command to an agent and instead, he ran to the 3rd floor and back down again which allowed said agent to escape. These things happen but don’t destroy the sheer delight of ‘trying to take over the world’. I am extremely happy that Evil Genius was brought back, and I hope that we can see more and more entries into this zany world of evil scientist and crazy dictators.
Each of the missions ends with a ranking system and various unlocks. Some of these things will only be usable in Code Fairy, while some suits will be unlocked for players in it’s older brother Battle Operation 2. I enjoyed the single player and slower pace of Code Fairy. I was finally able to get a handle on the combat and movement system that Battle Operation uses. But really the true cherry here was the fantastic story of the Noisy Fairy Squadron, watching this team start off on shaky ground but ultimately coming together and meshing as all good teams do was just the feel-good story that I needed to see. Its one that really resonates with people, and the fact that its so well done and is an all-female team is a nice chef’s kiss.
With so many games aiming for the gamer dollar it is nice to see one that could have been an easy cash-in spend so much time paying attention to the finer details. Games aimed at younger players don’t need to forget the fundamentals of what makes people fall in love with gaming. Think back to titles like Mario Bros. and how they were accessible, yet finely tuned and how it hooked an entire generation on the hobby. Kids are smarter than some developers give them credit for and I am thrilled to say that Marsupilama: Hoobadventure is one of the best attempts at the genre I have seen this year. Definitely recommend checking it out on whatever platform you own.
SMT V is a welcome return to home consoles for the series with an intriguing world to explore, filled with challenging encounters that are immensely satisfying to overcome. If not for the technical limitations of the Switch holding it back from being experienced in its best possible form, it could have been a new classic.
Despite coming from a development studio that most people see as a one-series company, Blue Reflection: Second Light is a charming RPG with a clear identity of its own with a worthwhile story to tell and I’m glad I had the opportunity to check out after missing out on the original.
I’m not going to lie; I LOVE everything about this game. In fact, the only thing I wish is that I was able to get out of the ship and walk around as Nara. Much like the Galaxy on Fire series all conversations happen in ship, unless it’s a cutscene. But even that is not really worth counting as a strike against the game because literally everything else is such a smooth experience. While the story can get a bit confusing, if players are fans of breakneck speeds, and thrilling dogfights in space then Chorus is going to be right up your alley. I cannot wait to see what Deep Silver Fishlabs can do with a sequel to this game or even some DLC, with the world that has been created here it really would be a shame to let it go to waste.
BloodRayne 2: Revamped is a guilty pleasure game, it’s a lot of fun to toss enemies into death traps around the levels with her chain, or even go full on blender mode and dice up everything that moves. While I think that Big Boat Interactive did a fantastic job of making the game prettier, alas they did nothing for the controls which is a crying shame. While I am beyond excited that a new generation can finally experience Rayne’s journey on the new systems; I remain extremely hopeful that this means we will see a proper sequel made from the ground up sooner rather than later.
For League of Legend fans this game is a no brainer, finally you will be able to see and move around the world of Runeterra in a way that isn’t possible in LoL. But for those folks who just love a good story, interesting characters and pretty decent combat Ruined King could be that gateway game that gets into the larger world of League of Legends and its many, many offerings that are coming soon.
Like I mentioned at the top this is a game that just feels like it exists. I was drawn in thanks to my connection to the Smurfs from my childhood. Playing with my son he enjoyed the game, but had little interest in learning about the characters. It feels like the game is more built to tug at nostalgia instead of bringing in new interest. Even so the core game is enjoyable enough to recommend for parents looking to play games with their kids. It is easy enough to play while also not being too simplified for the sake of being a ‘kids’ game. Definitely worth checking out for parents and kids alike.
While I have a lot of issues with the core game I am happy to see the series return. I really want to see the original trilogy get an update it deserves. Would love to play those games again as they are genuinely some of the creepiest games I have ever played, and not for the wrong reasons. Maiden of Black Water just feels like something thrown together to gauge interest in the series return. I wanted to love it, I forced myself to finish it, but I just want the series to return to its roots.
All I can really say is that I think the narrative is extremely well done and I should have expected that coming from the guy who also created Pony Island which I thoroughly enjoyed as well. The art design and the audio design are also top notch.
Circuit Superstars is one of the best surprises I have played all year. It punches above its weight in almost every category. I simply had a blast every time I jumped in. There is also plenty of depth and content to make the minimal price of entry easy to recommend. If you enjoy racing games, especially competitive ones I cannot recommend this game enough. It is the true definition of an indie darling.
The biggest problem is CoD: Vanguard feels like the least innovative Call of Duty in years. I think a lot of that has to do with Warzone, and the fact that developers HAVE to ensure that their game can be compatible with that battle royale. The fact that so much has to go into making sure it all works together; I just feel like it has to be hampering the developer’s creativity. In my opinion Call of Duty as a whole need to take a year off and regroup, come back with something as memorable as the original Modern Warfare was when it launched. If it’s a matter of money (and I doubt that it is) developers could lean into Warzone, they already are making a killing on all the microtransactions but just update Warzone like Epic does for Fortnite. Then after a year surprise people with something fantastic… I know this will never happen, but a man can dream.
At the end of the day, it’s really hard to talk about these games. I’ve reviewed two of them before and said what I needed to say there, and it still holds true to this day. Crysis 2 and 3 are great games that any FPS fan would enjoy. Crysis 1 shows its age here and there, but it’s not a rough game by any means and all three look really great in 4K. It’s a decent package for three fun FPS games with a lot going for them all for 50 bucks. If you’re into shooters and have never tried them before, or if you’re looking for a fun return to some great games, it’s hard to go wrong here.
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.