Arcesius
2016
What a game. The atmosphere immediately drew me in, and the fast combat was fun from start to finish.
Great boss quality throughout (obviously there are a few that are rather hit&miss), good level design despite levels being isolated, and very good DLC.
Great boss quality throughout (obviously there are a few that are rather hit&miss), good level design despite levels being isolated, and very good DLC.
2017
Nioh is the best action RPG I've ever played. And I didn't think so itinially. I went through the entire game playing around with weapons, picking up whatever gear I found and just equipping anything based on numbers alone. And it was fun, though nothing exeptional, really.
Then I got to the DLC and tried out Way of the Demon... And Nioh became an absolutely different game. Now builds became incredibly important, and I spent hours and hours theorycrafting and assembling fun builds, looking for synergies and playing through the entire base game and all DLCs on this new difficulty. It was an incredibly addicting and fun experience, and elevated Nioh to one of my favorite games.
Then I got to the DLC and tried out Way of the Demon... And Nioh became an absolutely different game. Now builds became incredibly important, and I spent hours and hours theorycrafting and assembling fun builds, looking for synergies and playing through the entire base game and all DLCs on this new difficulty. It was an incredibly addicting and fun experience, and elevated Nioh to one of my favorite games.
2016
Thumper is an unusual rhythm game. Instead of focusing on the music, it focuses on the rhythm instead. Industrial sounds go well with the overall moody and eerie atmosphere.
The gameplay itself is also really good. The rhythm always correspond to the chapter number (4/4 in Chp. 4, 5/4 or 5/8 in Chp. 5, etc..), and so what initially seems to be chaos, actually is very much ordered.
Gameplay is simple but requires fast reflexes, though thanks to the liberal checkpoint-system and quick restarts of subsections, they can be easily replayed multiple times. This is especially useful when going for S-ranks.
The gameplay itself is also really good. The rhythm always correspond to the chapter number (4/4 in Chp. 4, 5/4 or 5/8 in Chp. 5, etc..), and so what initially seems to be chaos, actually is very much ordered.
Gameplay is simple but requires fast reflexes, though thanks to the liberal checkpoint-system and quick restarts of subsections, they can be easily replayed multiple times. This is especially useful when going for S-ranks.
Guacamelee is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and is not only refreshing with its humor, but can also convince with its gameplay: The platforming makes exploration and backtracking (this is a Metroidvania after all) a joy, and combat is fast, intuitive and fun.
2016
I had a good time with this one. I generally enjoy 2D games a lot, and this one offers a grim and dark, oppressive atmosphere and fun combat.
The skill-tree is not the most intuitive though, and can be unnecessarily overwhelming for a game that is otherwise relatively straightforward.
The skill-tree is not the most intuitive though, and can be unnecessarily overwhelming for a game that is otherwise relatively straightforward.
Definitely not a game I would play solo, but one that can be pretty hilarious and chaotic in couch-coop.
2016
What a rollercoaster... The base game started out great, managed to make me want to explore the world and follow along on the journey. But after a while, the entire gameplay turned into riding around from checkpoint to checkpoint, and holding down a button whenever I was engaged in combat. Gone is the complexity from previous entries, gone is the coherent, engaging story.
The DLCs couldn't change my opinion, either. The ones related to the individual characters are not abysmal, but they are not great either. However, the Comrades Multiplayer expansion was such an awful, soulless experience..
This Final Fantasy was a huge change in direction compared to the previous entries, and one in a direction that doesn't resonate with me at all.
The DLCs couldn't change my opinion, either. The ones related to the individual characters are not abysmal, but they are not great either. However, the Comrades Multiplayer expansion was such an awful, soulless experience..
This Final Fantasy was a huge change in direction compared to the previous entries, and one in a direction that doesn't resonate with me at all.
2018
What the hell is even this game. It's not awful, but it feels more like a VR-demo than an actual game.
Absolutely fantastic game with one very clear aspect that makes it stand out: combat.
This game shows how focus can help crate something refined, engaging and enjoyable. By removing build-diversity, the devs created a game that forces the player to become good at one specific approach to combat, and the entire game can be designed around one single approach instead of having to be balanced for various playstyles.
Sekiro is, in my opinion, the closes FromSoft has come to perfecting combat in an action game.
This game shows how focus can help crate something refined, engaging and enjoyable. By removing build-diversity, the devs created a game that forces the player to become good at one specific approach to combat, and the entire game can be designed around one single approach instead of having to be balanced for various playstyles.
Sekiro is, in my opinion, the closes FromSoft has come to perfecting combat in an action game.
2019
Simple premise, incredibly addicting, skill-based gameplay. With only two swords and minimal assets in the background, Beat Saber is a rhythm game in VR, and the best VR game I have played to date.
Initially you can get used to the VR-setting as well as the gameplay by playing on the easier modes, but slowly working your way up to perfecting Expert or even Expert+ songs is such a rewarding and fun experience!
Fantastic game to show to anyone that has never played something in VR, as it can be easily picked-up by anyone and is immediately super fun.
Initially you can get used to the VR-setting as well as the gameplay by playing on the easier modes, but slowly working your way up to perfecting Expert or even Expert+ songs is such a rewarding and fun experience!
Fantastic game to show to anyone that has never played something in VR, as it can be easily picked-up by anyone and is immediately super fun.
Good game to showcase what PS VR is about, surprising platforming sequences and relatively straightforward challenges.
Astro Bot does what its supposed to do very well, but it doesn't hold up to other VR games or other platformers.
Astro Bot does what its supposed to do very well, but it doesn't hold up to other VR games or other platformers.
2016
Trackmania Turbo is my first real experience with a proper racing game. A game that starts out easy enough, but will bring you to your limits by the time you reach the final set of tracks.
Achieving gold medals in some of the black tracks was really challenging for me, and by the time I was done with all 200 tracks, I felt exhausted.
Having to get used to a different car every 10 tracks was also a bit unecessary. I would have welcomed if you could progress the campaign on each environment independently.
Achieving gold medals in some of the black tracks was really challenging for me, and by the time I was done with all 200 tracks, I felt exhausted.
Having to get used to a different car every 10 tracks was also a bit unecessary. I would have welcomed if you could progress the campaign on each environment independently.
2017
Fun and gorgeous game that suffers from performance issues. Especially the challenge runs (basic equipment, sub 5h, sub 5 deaths) were pretty fun to do.
Great game if you approach it with a lot of patience and are not expecting explosive action all of the time.
The story and character development is the highlight of this game. I even enjoyed going for 100% completion, but there are some things that could have been better. For example: mark completed challenges as completed even if done before the corresponding challenge level is unlocked.
The multiplayer however, was a dreadful, empty, lackluster experience.
The story and character development is the highlight of this game. I even enjoyed going for 100% completion, but there are some things that could have been better. For example: mark completed challenges as completed even if done before the corresponding challenge level is unlocked.
The multiplayer however, was a dreadful, empty, lackluster experience.
Fun enough for a playthrough in coop. The combat is rather mediocre, but the puzzles are fun to figure out. I liked how they changed depending on the number of players in the party, so that everyone would always be an essential part of the puzzle solution.