Scotty90
I'm pretty big on turn based strategy and deck builders so 'Midnight Suns' scratched a real itch for me. Factor in the Marvel coat of paint, a fun story and well realised characters - meant I had a blast with this
At the same time it isn't perfect. Over-monetisation in a single player game is something I'm never going to get behind, even if it is only for cosmetics. The graphics were also a bit hit and miss. Combat looked great but outside of this, the characters looked very stiff. Getting further into nitpick territory now, but the gameplay also really would have benefited from a speed up option. Watching the same enemies do the same shit at a snail pace did begin to grate slightly once the novelty wore off
Overall, a very fun game which I nearly put 100hrs into. It's a real shame it made no money, ending any chance of a sequel
At the same time it isn't perfect. Over-monetisation in a single player game is something I'm never going to get behind, even if it is only for cosmetics. The graphics were also a bit hit and miss. Combat looked great but outside of this, the characters looked very stiff. Getting further into nitpick territory now, but the gameplay also really would have benefited from a speed up option. Watching the same enemies do the same shit at a snail pace did begin to grate slightly once the novelty wore off
Overall, a very fun game which I nearly put 100hrs into. It's a real shame it made no money, ending any chance of a sequel
2023
Easily the least amount of time I've put into a FIFA game. It's not like this was unusually awful or anything - it's just the same old stuff and after 2 decades playing everything EA brought out, I guess I may be done
2023
Madden is always gonna Madden. In many ways 24 is the same game as 23 so I'm only going to comment on what felt different this year.
The positive:
- The game is always going to be animation based given EAs outdated engine, but this was better implemented than what we saw in 23
- The game felt (slightly) less cheesy than previous versions. Plays which were never viable in 23 actually had the occasional chance of working here
Of course there was also the bad:
- Presentation continues to be dreadful
- Every update made things worse. Constantly updating sliders was a must
- Most games felt the same and on rails. The franchise continuously fails to capture the unpredictability that makes the sport special
I don't plat MUT so won't comment on that shitshow - so overall, a serviceable instalment which met my low expectations
The positive:
- The game is always going to be animation based given EAs outdated engine, but this was better implemented than what we saw in 23
- The game felt (slightly) less cheesy than previous versions. Plays which were never viable in 23 actually had the occasional chance of working here
Of course there was also the bad:
- Presentation continues to be dreadful
- Every update made things worse. Constantly updating sliders was a must
- Most games felt the same and on rails. The franchise continuously fails to capture the unpredictability that makes the sport special
I don't plat MUT so won't comment on that shitshow - so overall, a serviceable instalment which met my low expectations
2022
Taken purely as a FPS, High on Life is average at best. Gun-play and enemy variety are functional but uninspired. The story is about as basic an A to B adventure as you can get. While the gameplay loop essentially boils down to accept a bounty, buy some upgrades, kill bounty and repeat. There's no real challenge here or reward for any deviation from the main plot whatsoever - no side missions, worthwhile collectables, fun lore titbits - nada
What does make the game clever overall though is that it's self-aware. The gun-play and gameplay loop aren't meant to be revolutionary. These elements are designed to be smooth and serviceable while the humour and personality of the characters elevate the material. Ultimately, this worked for me but I enjoy this kind of humour. If you don't - High on Life needs to be avoided like the plague
What does make the game clever overall though is that it's self-aware. The gun-play and gameplay loop aren't meant to be revolutionary. These elements are designed to be smooth and serviceable while the humour and personality of the characters elevate the material. Ultimately, this worked for me but I enjoy this kind of humour. If you don't - High on Life needs to be avoided like the plague
2021
There's definitely some good here, and I can see why this series is popular - but for me the problems with 'Tales of Arise' made it too much to persevere with.
I need to qualify that this is my first experience with a 'Tales' game and first impressions were fine, if slightly underwhelming, given the grandiose intro cutscene. The story works well enough, focusing on an oppressed race of people being enslaved and then rising up against their totalitarian and more evolved overlords isn't exactly original, but the telling of this is precise and clear. The world building in general is probably the best thing about the game in truth. The gameplay is also serviceable enough, all battles are arena based and are usually quick enough to not outstay their welcome. I do though wish there were more layers to the combat as the battles are never as spectacular as what the flashy special moves would indicate. I was never at any point blown away with anything with 'Arise' but the loop and story was enough to keep me coming back, but then a grind became encouraged (which I ignored) and I was underleveled for a boss. I could've went back and farmed for a counter-gem and killed some more minions, but if a RPG wants me to retread old ground it needs to make it worth my while. 'Arise' fails here due to its small scale world, mediocre mob variety and corny characters
I need to qualify that this is my first experience with a 'Tales' game and first impressions were fine, if slightly underwhelming, given the grandiose intro cutscene. The story works well enough, focusing on an oppressed race of people being enslaved and then rising up against their totalitarian and more evolved overlords isn't exactly original, but the telling of this is precise and clear. The world building in general is probably the best thing about the game in truth. The gameplay is also serviceable enough, all battles are arena based and are usually quick enough to not outstay their welcome. I do though wish there were more layers to the combat as the battles are never as spectacular as what the flashy special moves would indicate. I was never at any point blown away with anything with 'Arise' but the loop and story was enough to keep me coming back, but then a grind became encouraged (which I ignored) and I was underleveled for a boss. I could've went back and farmed for a counter-gem and killed some more minions, but if a RPG wants me to retread old ground it needs to make it worth my while. 'Arise' fails here due to its small scale world, mediocre mob variety and corny characters
I'm a big fan of the first game, so I knew this was gonna be my thing - and 'Sparks of Hope' is a more than decent time. The game, first of all, is a solid evolution of it's predecessor in terms of combat, the turn based action flows better and every hero is absolutely viable (not something I can say about the first one). The sparks mechanic adds another dimension and the battles in general just feel much more grand in terms of invention and scale.
Thankfully the fun battles makes up the bulk of the game, which is a good job because everything else is mid as hell. The story doesn't have any of the charm of the first one and the busy work which fleshes out the gameplay on each of the 5 worlds you visit becomes old fast
Thankfully the fun battles makes up the bulk of the game, which is a good job because everything else is mid as hell. The story doesn't have any of the charm of the first one and the busy work which fleshes out the gameplay on each of the 5 worlds you visit becomes old fast
2022
Played on and off for around a year.
It's cool that a functional Diablo game was made possible for mobile, but even though I clearly missed the worst of the aggressive monetisation by playing late, its hard to ignore Blizzards grubby money grabbing finger prints which are all over this.
Enjoyed the gameplay loop enough to finish the campaign. Lost interest fast once the immortals/shadows BS became the focal point
It's cool that a functional Diablo game was made possible for mobile, but even though I clearly missed the worst of the aggressive monetisation by playing late, its hard to ignore Blizzards grubby money grabbing finger prints which are all over this.
Enjoyed the gameplay loop enough to finish the campaign. Lost interest fast once the immortals/shadows BS became the focal point
2022
Definitely an improvement on last year both in terms of game play and actual functionality. Saying all of this, it's FIFA. Everyone who buys this knows what they are getting into. No surprises that this game is essentially a re-skin of last years instalment with one or two added features
2021
Prefacing this review by saying I can't comment much on the multiplayer as I've only seen a bit of it. I suppose it's fun enough, although a little sparse in content. To be fair this sentiment echoes true for the game as a whole - it's fun but kinda empty
Starting with the good - the gunplay is as great as ever. Halo's brand of shooting shit up has always been one of my favourites in gaming and 'Infinite' delivers here. Each weapon has its place, most are fun to use and the solid enemy variety encourages you to mix it up. It was also pleasing to see a game that had functional enemy AI, rather than just mindless drones waiting to be filled with lead. The story was serviceable. I thought the Banished were decent enough antagonists, I can't comment on any character motivations because I don't have a clue what the hell has been going on in this universe since the 3rd game
The main talking point for 'Inifinite' was always gonna be the switch to a sandbox from a linear campaign. This for me is what holds the game back. Initially it was cool tackling all the points of interest on the map, but it becomes apparent fast that this world doesn't have a lot going on that rewards exploration. The best open-world games has something to set it apart, 'Infinite' fails hard in this regard
Starting with the good - the gunplay is as great as ever. Halo's brand of shooting shit up has always been one of my favourites in gaming and 'Infinite' delivers here. Each weapon has its place, most are fun to use and the solid enemy variety encourages you to mix it up. It was also pleasing to see a game that had functional enemy AI, rather than just mindless drones waiting to be filled with lead. The story was serviceable. I thought the Banished were decent enough antagonists, I can't comment on any character motivations because I don't have a clue what the hell has been going on in this universe since the 3rd game
The main talking point for 'Inifinite' was always gonna be the switch to a sandbox from a linear campaign. This for me is what holds the game back. Initially it was cool tackling all the points of interest on the map, but it becomes apparent fast that this world doesn't have a lot going on that rewards exploration. The best open-world games has something to set it apart, 'Infinite' fails hard in this regard
An interesting premise for a game which is ruined by being a shameless 'Breath of The Wild' clone, or at least Ubisoft's subpar imitation.
This necessarily wouldn't be a deal breaker but the thing is, it does everything worse than the game that inspired it. The world is less interesting, the enemy variety is lacking and the game, despite giving the illusion that there's a lot to do, is repetitive AF. I gave it 10hrs but after the 100th Zeus/Prometheus narration I had to tap out
This necessarily wouldn't be a deal breaker but the thing is, it does everything worse than the game that inspired it. The world is less interesting, the enemy variety is lacking and the game, despite giving the illusion that there's a lot to do, is repetitive AF. I gave it 10hrs but after the 100th Zeus/Prometheus narration I had to tap out
2018
Yeah I kinda feel bad for passing on this one when it first came out.
In fairness the previous God of Wars weren't my thing. I didn't find them as immersive as I'd like them to be or the gameplay to be very satisfying. That's pretty much the opposite here, the immersion and responsiveness of gameplay are actually the best things about it. The variety of character building is great and I'd wager that no one's Kratos plays identically. I went down the glass cannon route of maxing strength and runic while being pretty much single digit progress in all other categories. This resulted in a few chastising beatdowns early on, but if anything I was probably too OP come the final few missions. Obviously the game also looks incredible and the story is among the best this decade in gaming had to offer, but I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said already about this
Overall, pretty amazing. My only misgiving is that the game is maybe one or two side tasks away from being truly perfect. The side missions were fun enough, but there weren't enough of them
In fairness the previous God of Wars weren't my thing. I didn't find them as immersive as I'd like them to be or the gameplay to be very satisfying. That's pretty much the opposite here, the immersion and responsiveness of gameplay are actually the best things about it. The variety of character building is great and I'd wager that no one's Kratos plays identically. I went down the glass cannon route of maxing strength and runic while being pretty much single digit progress in all other categories. This resulted in a few chastising beatdowns early on, but if anything I was probably too OP come the final few missions. Obviously the game also looks incredible and the story is among the best this decade in gaming had to offer, but I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said already about this
Overall, pretty amazing. My only misgiving is that the game is maybe one or two side tasks away from being truly perfect. The side missions were fun enough, but there weren't enough of them
2022
I liked this a lot more than I expected given the mediocre reviews. The premise is interesting and the story is mostly well executed. Tokyo is nice to explore and there's more than enough to do. Enemy variety is just whatever, the game is kinda easy so you could just spam the same stuff over and over without any consideration about what you're coming up against. What did elevate the game IMO were the side missions, you could tell some actual thought went into some of these so it never really felt like busy-work. This meant that despite the game not excelling in any area, I was able to enjoy the gameplay loop enough to complete the main story while also doing the majority of the side stuff
2022
I'll put as much effort into this review as EA put into their sports games which is not a lot. Sooo anyway:
Pros:
- Looks nice
- Playable enough mainly because there isn't an alternative
Cons:
- The game is very exploitable and lacking realism. More of an arcadey sports game than a sim. Sliders were needed to be played with constantly after every update because more issues would be created rather than issues resolved
- Pretty much the same game as last year
- Still hugely lacking in immersion
- Even by EAs standards, the live service aspect of the game was ridiculously half-assed. Live fixtures which were one of the more enjoyable aspects previously was non-existent this year
I refuse to play MUT so can't comment on anything online. Overall, it's Madden. I played the hell out of it but I don't exactly feel great about it
Pros:
- Looks nice
- Playable enough mainly because there isn't an alternative
Cons:
- The game is very exploitable and lacking realism. More of an arcadey sports game than a sim. Sliders were needed to be played with constantly after every update because more issues would be created rather than issues resolved
- Pretty much the same game as last year
- Still hugely lacking in immersion
- Even by EAs standards, the live service aspect of the game was ridiculously half-assed. Live fixtures which were one of the more enjoyable aspects previously was non-existent this year
I refuse to play MUT so can't comment on anything online. Overall, it's Madden. I played the hell out of it but I don't exactly feel great about it
2021
Another crazy good instalment to what is an absolutely fantastic trilogy. The developers have once again totally got it right in terms of level vastness, locations and replayability. In fact they've probably taken things up another notch by adding interesting sub-stories to some of the missions that are unrelated to the actual targets. The 'Dartmoor' whodunnit mystery in particular is a delight. Gameplay and UI is also awesome. I've been playing this on and off for a couple of months and it's never been an issue just to pick up and play. The controls and feel of the game is very intuitive
The game is held back from perfection by having a slightly lacklustre story and final mission, but overall this is a blast and a great conclusion to a trilogy I'll definitely be playing again
The game is held back from perfection by having a slightly lacklustre story and final mission, but overall this is a blast and a great conclusion to a trilogy I'll definitely be playing again
2020
Deliberately didn't play this at launch for obvious reasons, but now that I finally had the chance to check this out, I enjoyed it quite a bit for what it was
The pros of the game are definitely it's characters and it's story. There's a great mission variety for an open world game and even doing run of the mill stuff like the fixer missions never got boring. The game also has great progression. You've of course got your skill trees which can alter the way you can play but the ability to also level up your character with implants really helped to make you feel like a badass
The main problem with the game and what drops it below elite standard in my eyes is how 'on rails' everything feels. The best open world games have loads of organic occurrences in it's world and there's pretty much none of this in 'Cyberpunk'. The game at times could also feel clunky as hell - especially the driving and despite definitely being more polished than what it was when released, there are still annoying bugs (mainly with the UI) and I did suffer a couple of hard crashes
The pros of the game are definitely it's characters and it's story. There's a great mission variety for an open world game and even doing run of the mill stuff like the fixer missions never got boring. The game also has great progression. You've of course got your skill trees which can alter the way you can play but the ability to also level up your character with implants really helped to make you feel like a badass
The main problem with the game and what drops it below elite standard in my eyes is how 'on rails' everything feels. The best open world games have loads of organic occurrences in it's world and there's pretty much none of this in 'Cyberpunk'. The game at times could also feel clunky as hell - especially the driving and despite definitely being more polished than what it was when released, there are still annoying bugs (mainly with the UI) and I did suffer a couple of hard crashes