ZTGD's Reviews
Earth’s Dawn isn’t as a good as Odin Sphere, or even at the same level. It doesn’t have to be though. This is clearly a more budget focused title and it shows. All things considered, it’s one of the more fun and addicting games I’ve played this year, and surprisingly so. A game I almost didn’t give a second glance, and here I was being pulled away from other huge heavy holiday games. It offers a lot of content to work through, and for the price, players could do much worse this year.
Central Fiction adds enough characters, mechanics and fine tunes its already nearly flawless gameplay into something that feels as amazing to play as it looks. It’s currently my favorite fighting game on the market, and I have no doubt that I will be throwing dozens of more hours into it in the months to come.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is an interesting entry for the series. The parts I enjoy have been improved, and are the best they have been in years. The campaign is one of my favorites of the year, and Zombies continues to innovate and find ways to be super fun. The multiplayer though feels throwaway and not all that exciting, which is what gives the series legs.
Xenoraid is yet another shoot ‘em up that brings something new to the table. While it has aspects of a roguelike and the progression of an RPG, it still sticks to its guns as a shooter. It works and works well in that part. The shooting is tight and when learning the proper way to aim, it felt very satisfying. It has a few issues here and there, and while the look is not really fantastic, it offers up a rather fun experience, if even for a few hours.
This episode does a good job of progressing what has already happened, and what is about to occur. I am invested at this point, I have to know how it unfolds, but the wait for the fourth entry is not as painful.
Xanadu Next is a pretty decently made RPG. I had no idea it existed, but after playing it, I think a lot of fans of the dungeon crawler genre will have a decent time with it. There are a few issues here and there which I mainly chalk up to it being an 11 year old game at this point, but for the most part, players looking for a decent action RPG with a little bit of loot thrown in will find a fun time with this Japanese dungeon crawler.
While all of these enhancements and additions are nice, I still don’t feel like it is worth it for a double dip. Skyrim is still a masterpiece of a video game, but for those that spent hundreds of hours already digging through, there really isn’t enough here to recommend jumping back in. I like the mods, the new visuals are lush, but the core game remains the same. However, for those that skipped out the first time around, there has never been a better time to take an arrow to the knee. Please forgive me for that.
Everything in Weeping Doll just seems pandering to the horror crowd for a quick buck, but it’s not even terrifying; the only thing scary is how disappointingly mediocre this experience is. Ultimately I was disappointed, and even the most interested players should think twice before giving Weeping Doll any time.
Titanfall 2 is the product of a developer that took to heart all the criticism that was thrown at the original. Even though the single player campaign treads familiar ground and falters in some areas, it’s a solid effort with some great moments that I’m sure to remember. The multiplayer is finely tuned, with a great variety of modes that offer different experiences.
Big Buck Hunter Arcade was a lot more fun than I ever anticipated, and was light years beyond any of the Cabela hunting games I have played over the years. It is fast and fun, and takes me back to a time when light gun shooters were all the rage. Now if I could only get a new Virtua Cop, my life would be set.
King’s Quest has come to an end, and the series was mostly a positive experience, if not slightly flawed. As I mentioned earlier, Episode 5 really brings the series full circle, not only with this game but even with the series past. It definitely felt like one of the more difficult episodes, and the backtracking and changing elements led to some irritating moments which really racked my brain at times, but the last chapter in Graham’s story left me with laughs, brain busters, and a sense of sadness, but also hope.
Overall, Xenoverse 2 feels more in line with what I wanted the original game to be, with its flexible combat engine, wealth of compelling content and an online component that actually worked properly from day 1. Even with the issues with the frequent crashes and the dumb AI, this is still a wet dream for DBZ fans and comes highly recommended.
Pirate Pop Plus is a neat little game. There’s no going around that. The gameplay is simple but still tight and fun, the progression is there, but runs out of steam within five longer sessions. This is the kind of game that would be a nice time waster every once in a while, but most certainly not for longer sessions. Even then, with the gameplay being so simplistic, players may find themselves bored after two or three sessions. But there are some decently fun times to be had.
LI:39 is only for the utmost curious and those that want to test their patience.
There are not a lot of flashy extras outside of leader boards and multiplayer, but having over 100 classic games in one (two?) simple package is more than worth the price of admission. Even if players only boot up half the games for mere seconds, it is worth it to experience this history of the console that started the craze. I only wish Nintendo would do something similar with their games, imagine a library of 100 Nintendo games in one convenient place…
This is an astounding game. Civilization has always been associated as the benchmark for strategy gaming, and Civilization VI is now at the peak. This is as good as it gets.
Saying that the later levels in HoPiko require precision would be a gross understatement – they require absolute perfection in timing and all else. Some may like that about it, but no one will enjoy dying randomly and starting over on levels they’ve completed a dozen times already.
Infinite Air is the epitome of an OK game. Nothing stands out, and the fun to be had is minimal. Also at the $50 price point it is hard to recommend to anyone, especially with Snow being free-to-play, and Steep just around the corner. It feels like the start of the genre and not the ultimate entry it so desperately wants to be.
As I sit here and think about my time with Mantic Burning Racing, I do so with a little bit of mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s extremely fun, easy to play, and hard to master. The progression of gaining gears and XP to upgrade cars is fun and addicting. The online portion seems like it would be a blast to play, but sadly there has never been any players I’m able to find online at the same time, a shame though there is also local play if friends are visiting. Just the lack of variation in visuals for tracks and the repeating soundtrack really put a damper on my otherwise fun time. Still, Mantis Burn Racing is worth the time for arcade racing fans.
Monster Jam: Crush It! has little to no redeeming value. It plays poorly, it doesn’t look great, and it is simply not as enjoyable as the name suggests. Decades later I am still waiting on that great monster truck game. Sadly, this is not it.