ZTGD's Reviews
While the story is a bit too predictable for my tastes, everything from the visuals to the combat felt very polished from beginning to end. It's quite unfortunate that this is likely the last game Imageepoch will release, but perhaps they will rest well knowing that they went out on a high note.
Hearts of Stone is a fantastic addition to the Witcher 3 world that feels as if it was always a part of the game. It keeps up with the quality that one would expect. It's refreshing in dialog, hilarious at times, inventive in its quests, and even after 70 plus hours in the core story, coming back to this world was extremely easy and welcomed.
There's a lot to like in the world of Zestiria, and fans of JRPGs will no doubt find a lot to like here, but at the end of the day it's still just another Tales games. Nothing more, nothing less.
I had my doubts about Chibi Robo, and was this close to not even trying it out. The video game player in me gave it a chance though like it tends to do, and I was really surprised. It has issues, but ones that I can easily overlook, not just to throw caution to the wind but because it just didn't affect my overall thoughts and feelings while playing the game. I was having a good time the majority of the time, and it strikes me as a unique platforming experience at the end of the day. It's cute, charming, and very Chibi, and that's just how I like it.
Fallout 4 is once again another Bethesda game that people will talk about for numerous years. Just like with Skyrim, this game is open, full of mysteries waiting to be discovered, and open for a mod community that can bring it to life even more, and with Bethesda announcing mods coming to the consoles as well, there will be even more to see and do in the coming months. Until then, you have yourself a well tuned, fully featured wasteland to explore with a great look, improvements, and tons of new features. Sure, it has some issues here and there, but with this amount of fun content to explore I could look past most of it. Fallout fans will be in love once again, and RPG fans shouldn't think twice about picking this up. It has something for pretty much everyone.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a stellar title for the fall season, and a sequel that addresses most of the complaints about its predecessor. Crystal Dynamics is really knocking it out of the park with the reboot of Lara Croft and I cannot wait to see how it evolves over time. Anyone with an Xbox One needs to pick this title up. It once again makes a solid case for my top ten list of games of the year.
Even with its missteps, I really enjoyed Need for Speed. It tried to return to form in some aspects and it really scratched that itch I was looking for with a car customization game. It handles how the player wants it to, and while performance can be spotty in some instances, it's still a great looking and playing racing game.
MX vs. ATV Supercross Encore is a bad game. This hurts me considering I have been an avid fan of Rainbow's titles since the PS2 era. They were always dumb fun with friends, and now they have slowly become an attempt to cater to an audience that really doesn't care either. I wish they would go back to the more arcade-style racing and focus on fun more than realism. Now excuse me as I boot up my copy of Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild.
There isn't much wrong with Original Sin outside of the fact that there simply may be too much of it. In a time when games are releasing on a weekly basis, this is a daunting experience that requires the utmost dedication. Still, for anyone who loves the turn-based genre, it doesn't get much better than this. It is a game I can see myself really digging into more once the rush slows down, there is simply so much to explore, and the world is interesting enough to keep players engaged for well over 100 hours.
Rodea the Sky Solider has an interesting story and cast, with a colorful world that is fun to fly around in. Yet that flying around should feel even better, and it just lacks that polished feeling. It's a unique game and one that reminds me of early era games I played back the Playstation or Nintendo 64. It's 2015 though, and I can't overlook all the various issues that bring the experience down, making it feel like more of a relic then a new game released today. It's tries to do new things and soar high, but it ends up staying rather grounded and is only recommended to folks looking for a unique but flawed experience.
Obviously, fans of Borderlands will get much more out of it, but even if you haven't played the first person shooter RPGs, you'll still have a great time seeing this world in the eyes of a couple of cons. It is well acted, has tons of style, and brings a great story to the table. I highly suggest this adventure game to both fans of Borderlands and fans of adventure games.
Even for eight bucks, I don't recommend this title. It's buggy, annoying, frustrating, and really just not fun to play. If there is one redeeming quality I could possibly give it is I like the art style of it. That's about it. The mere fact there is an achievement for playing a race with six people locally is laughable. If you want a fun arcade racing game like this, I say stick to Super Off Road. The fact I'm suggesting playing an NES game over a current generation game says it all.
It's not the smartest, prettiest, or smoothest point and click game ever made, but it's the best faithful iteration of the Adventure Time franchise brought to gaming consoles. Fans surely won't be disappointed and even folks that like the genre might find some fun moments in the land of Oooo, WHOA Algebraic!
For anyone that missed the original release of Darksiders II, I implore you to give it a go this time around. It is a fantastic game that stands the test of time. I know this is the season for all the new, big games to drop, but if you never got to step into Death's grimy shoes, I cannot recommend this game enough.
Overlord: Fellowship of Evil is disappointing in a time when no game can afford to even be mediocre. Fans of the original games may be tempted to give it a chance, but I implore you to avoid this game at all costs. There is nothing redeeming about this title. It is a shadow of its former self, and not even a good rip-off of the genres it is trying to imitate. This is one Overlord whose rule deserves to be revoked.
Halo 5: Guardians is a fantastic step for the series. 343 Industries proves it knows the series, and this being the first official game on the Xbox One, it stands out as one of the pinnacle games for the console. I can see myself playing this MP long into next year, and it feels good to have the classic back in action without hiccups or issues. If you own an Xbox One this is a no-brainer, Halo 5 is a must-have game.
Upon the light has a nice visual look and some interesting, if typical mechanics. The idea of light and darkness playing reverse roles is something I find interesting, but the puzzles and gameplay are what will bring people in to play. There is a slim story here but it's just a serviceable means to get to the end of the levels, nothing really more. Its feels more suitable to be a game you'd play on your phone or on a tablet versus consoles, but it's still enjoyable while it lasts. I'd like to see a bigger game with a broader scope from the team in the future, as the idea behind it is one that can be expanded in the future. Puzzle fans might want to take a look, just be sure to stay out of the light.
Bedlam is an interesting experience, and one that older gamers can probably appreciate a bit more than the younger generation today. Even with my experience of older games, this is an experience that reminds me how much gaming has evolved over the last few years, and for the better. It's a nice idea, and in a world where gaming could use more inventive narratives, it succeeds. It just isn't a very fun game to play, and that's honestly missing half the point. If the idea behind the game interests you enough, read the book it's based off of instead.
At the end of the day, Rising Tide accomplishes precisely what it needed to for the Civilization franchise: it provides a good reason for those players who drifted away to potentially jump back into Beyond Earth, and it provides a timely injection of new content for those players who needed something more to continue sticking around. There are still flaws with the overall experience, but based on this reasoning alone, Rising Tide must be considered a success.
In the end, Saint Seiya: Soldier's Soul is really for the fans of the series. Fighting game players may get some out of it, but only if these arena-based games are your forte. I know a lot of people love them, and I have seen many great fights that take a lot of skill to pull off. There is some strategy involved. There are tons to unlock and a decent amount of story to go through, but really this caters more to the hardcore fan base and even then, while it is enjoyable in some aspects, there are some rough things in it. The AI is bad at times, and the online can be laggy.