ZTGD's Reviews
In conclusion, Homeworld 3 shines brightly in its graphical prowess, offering a visually captivating journey through the depths of space. However, its shortcomings in storytelling, controls, and AI behavior prevent it from reaching the heights set by its predecessors. For fans of the series expecting a seamless blend of compelling narrative and refined gameplay, Homeworld 3 may leave much to be desired.
Horizon Chase 2 is a solid sequel that adds some new pieces that make it a worthy sequel. I do wish the track design was a little better and the upgrades worked across all cars instead of having to dedicate it to the one I am driving. Still there is a lot to love here, the soundtrack, the speed, and the pure arcade excitement. If you have any reverence for games from the arcade era, this is a no-brainer. Definitely worth checking out.
As a collection, both Monster Hunter Stories games have received an excellent glow-up. The visuals both look great with enhanced graphics, and I loved the newly recorded voice lines for the characters. Hardcore series fans may be put off by Monster Hunter Stories’ easier combat that can be mastered quickly but I had a good time with both games. Finding and then training the monsties made me feel like a kid again playing Pokémon for the first time. I think that younger fans will find more to enjoy here, with its simplified combat and less mature story, Monster Hunter Stories’ is a low barrier entry into the larger Monster Hunter Universe. Despite its shortcomings, this one is worthy of the hunt.
Capes has a really neat idea for sure, superheroes are still the hot thing and putting them in a tactical game is a cool idea. Unfortunately, the execution here was less than stellar; lackluster voice acting, dull combat, and heroes that frankly just don’t feel heroic. If you are looking for heroic, tactical action you’d be better off looking elsewhere; this isn’t the game you’re looking for.
I’m not kidding when I say that the possibilities are endless in Blockbuster Inc. Players have the freedom and tools to create a movie of their dreams. With a large variety of costumes, sets and more at their disposal there are thousands of films to be made here. It can be almost overwhelming if I’m honest, however the game has a great tutorial that will help to ease players into the swing of things. I loved my time with Blockbuster Inc, filled that hole that The Movies had left so long ago. Its awesome to see this underserved genre in gaming seeing a resurgence; Hollywood Animal, Movie Tycoon among others, has fans of movie-making games eating good this year. Don’t sleep on Blockbuster Inc, as the first one out the gate; its an utter blast to play and create movies in this world.
I came into Astor: Blade of the Monolith with all the hope and promise simply because it was NOT a souls game. I still love it for that, but as much as I enjoyed the bright and colorful vistas, the vivid and detailed graphics and the cute characters; I just can’t get past the clunky feeling of the combat. Late game weapons and abilities make things feel better but never perfect. Despite the combat and the forgettable story, I did have some fun in Astor: Blade of the Monolith at the end of the day; the cuteness of the characters won the day.
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is a solid entry if not a forgettable one. I wanted to love it more than I did, but in the end just found myself pushing through just to see it end, and not necessarily because I was enjoying myself.
I know I have been critical of the developer in the past, and while I, myself didn’t really vibe with their marketing techniques; at the end of the day developer Digital Cybercherries’ freshman offering is a joy to play with others. It can be rather difficult alone due to having to defend multiple towers, but with others, online or split-screen I cannot deny this is a fun game. Its not going to set the world on fire, but for a group of buddies on a weekend; this one will definitely make you smile.
I came away impressed with Fabledom, it offers something unique and new to the city builder genre. Some of the humor was a little dry for my taste, but its impossible to deny this games cutesy charm. It’s a very likeable and chill city builder and aside from the AI still needing some work; despite being in EA for a year, Fabledom is a relaxing and wholly enjoyable game.
Even with my somewhat minor complaints, I walked away from Killer Klowns from Outer Space wholly impressed with the gameplay, the faithfulness to the movie and the graphics. For a budget title this is a great looking game, textures on the klowns faces are lifelike and creepy, cotton candy that is literally on everything as the match progress has a light and wispy look as one would expect. With everything that this game is doing, for me; Killer Klowns from Outer Space feels like the best version of these asymmetrical multiplayer games. I love, love that the team at Illfonic found a way to keep players engaged even after they died in game. With a great balance between puzzles, scares and fun; each match was a blast to play, even if I have yet to escape as a teen. Burnt out on DbD, tired of being turned into chili by Leatherface and his fam? Killer Klowns from Outer Space deserves your attention, I just hope it retains its player base.
Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga is an amazing achievement visually. The performances are second-to-none and the music is just as impressive as the visuals. For anyone that loved the original and knows what to expect going in, this will be a treat on so many levels. This game delivers on so many facets it is hard not to marvel at it. It is also on Game Pass, so if you have a Series X|S or a decent PC, there is little reason not to check it out. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait seven years for Ninja Theory’s next title.
PO’ed is a game most people have never heard of, and even those of us that do rarely talk about. It was always relegated to that game where you hit farting butts with a frying pan on the schoolyard, and since nobody (outside of myself) had a 3DO, most people had never even heard of it. Still, I love revisiting these classic shooters, even the ones not so fondly remembered. It was a different time and games like these were an exception instead of a rule, and that made it exciting. Keep doing what you do Nightdive, I will buy and play each and every one of them.
Having never played the original, I can say that I enjoyed Freedom Planet 2 even if the combat annoyed me at times. The Sonic like speedy traversal of each level was a joy to complete, the real issues only crept up when combat was needed. While it was nice to have some advanced moves, given how fast FP2 plays; the combat kind of felt out of place. Floaty combat with the high speed makes the boss battles frustrating; If people can get around that, they will find that Freedom Planet 2 is a peek into Sega’s heyday, with a cheesy story and heroes that ‘gotta go fast’ if you are in the need for some Genesis vibes, take a trip to Freedom Planet 2.
Braid was an iconic game for its time and revisiting it has been a treat. Say what you will about its creator, but most of the issues are not present in this package. This is still a game I think about regularly. It really defined a service and elevated indie games to a new level when it came out. Solving these puzzles still felt magical all these years later. If you have never played this title, do not skip it, even if you have it is worth revisiting. There are certain games that feel timeless, and Braid is easily one of those.
By far and away the best thing about Tales of Kenzera: Zau is its narrative, Surgent Studios have proven themselves to be quite the masterful storytellers. A story tackling grief, acceptance and loss is rare in this day and age and the team have done extremely well of making it relatable. Not only that but the world and imagery in Kenzera is some of the best I’ve seen and I hope that this is just the beginning for these tales of Kenzera, as I am certainly ready for more.
El Shaddai is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. If you never had a chance to check it out, it is now available on Switch and PC, or you can dig up a copy on 360 or PS3, but the main point is, you should play it. It just oozes creativity and some of the best art design in a game. I was excited for each new area, the combat, while repetitive, is fun, and it has a story that remains interesting throughout. Find a way to play this game, it is more than worth the price of admission.
I hadn’t heard anything about Heading Out before it landed in my lap for review, and I am so grateful it did. I absolutely loved the gritty, 70’s feel of the racing and multiple vehicles. And I already gushed over the awesome soundtrack and radio personalities, as a fan of the talk radio in the recent GTA games this felt right up there as far as production value, content, and laughs. Mix all those things together and you end up with one mesmerizing road trip, that fans of the genre will be glad they took.
I’m so glad that Top Spin has made a return after such a long hiatus, but I wish it had come back in a more polished and rounded-out form. The game feels rushed to market and comes up short of its full $70 price tag (up to $120 for the Grand Slam edition that includes the Centre Court passes and some other cosmetics). It’s saved by its excellent on-court gameplay that stands among the peak sim tennis games and the amount of fun you can have playing local multiplayer with friends. If you’re a huge tennis fan, you’re going to have a blast smacking backhand winners and lobbing shots over charging players’ heads. A solid foundation has been laid here for a future release that expands the mode selections and puts some more meat on the bone. As it stands, all but the most hardcore should probably wait for a sale.
The one thing I was most excited about with Sons of Valhalla was the city-building aspect but sadly this ends up being a really shallow experience. As a fan of StarCraft, WarCraft and any number of games like that, I had hoped this would be similar but on a 2D plane. There is no real depth or strategy that takes place when building the city or training units. If you have a lot of big units, chances are you will prevail. I didn’t hate my time with Sons of Valhalla, I had just expected more from it.
I enjoyed my time with Sand Land, the adventures of Beelzebub and team was often times funny but really had a great story to tell. I loved the banter between them, and even helping to build up Spino City, which opens up new venders. I wish the team had put in more interesting side quests and enemy types but even though it felt kind of repetitive, as I said I had fun in Sand Land and that’s what it really is all about anyway.