Shadowblade528
2023
This review contains spoilers
The level design, graphics, enemy variety, weapon variety, and world-building are all on par with the best souls games.
The problem is that at a certain point I felt like the bosses went from fun and challenging to just plain frustrating. The first instance of this for me was the Archbishop. His first phase was shockingly easily, but then I learned that was because there was a second phase. This was the moment when my playthrough turned a bit sour.
I was using the Salamander Dagger, and while it did do good fire damage, it wasn't hurting the boss enough. As soon as I tried another weapon, the fight was much easier. The fact that my previous weapon was barely viable didn't feel great though. The last time I felt like I had to completely change my build in a game was when I fought Malenia in Elden Ring.
It doesn't stop here though. Phase two boss fights become much more common after this. Romeo, Victor, The Swamp Monster, Laxasia, Simon, Nameless Puppet. They all felt like a war of attrition without caving and finally using Specter to distract them.
My least favorite fight actually goes to a mini-boss though. Walker of Illusions is the embodiment of my problems with the bosses in this game. If you perfect guard all of her attacks, instead of being rewarded for it, you get pushed back by Distortion and the bar just resets. Up until this point, I liked to perfect guard instead of dodging. As the game went on, I realized that playstyle was actually much worse and made the game more difficult.
Dodging is usually always better in the second half, but I had played the entire first half of the game mostly perfect guarding, so it was hard to adjust. I'll admit I resorted to Specter and throwables way more than I should have, but the game still shouldn't have changed the rules on me halfway through either.
My last complaint would be the Gold Coin Tree. If you're struggling with the game, you also get punished in the form of having to wait for more Gold Coin Fruits to spawn. With a timer similar to cheap mobile games. There are ways to speed it up, but you still have to wait or grind out the necessary ergo.
Ultimately, this is a good game that just stopped being fun for me due to the difficulty spike of the bosses in the second half, and the game suddenly deciding that dodging is the only viable way forward.
The problem is that at a certain point I felt like the bosses went from fun and challenging to just plain frustrating. The first instance of this for me was the Archbishop. His first phase was shockingly easily, but then I learned that was because there was a second phase. This was the moment when my playthrough turned a bit sour.
I was using the Salamander Dagger, and while it did do good fire damage, it wasn't hurting the boss enough. As soon as I tried another weapon, the fight was much easier. The fact that my previous weapon was barely viable didn't feel great though. The last time I felt like I had to completely change my build in a game was when I fought Malenia in Elden Ring.
It doesn't stop here though. Phase two boss fights become much more common after this. Romeo, Victor, The Swamp Monster, Laxasia, Simon, Nameless Puppet. They all felt like a war of attrition without caving and finally using Specter to distract them.
My least favorite fight actually goes to a mini-boss though. Walker of Illusions is the embodiment of my problems with the bosses in this game. If you perfect guard all of her attacks, instead of being rewarded for it, you get pushed back by Distortion and the bar just resets. Up until this point, I liked to perfect guard instead of dodging. As the game went on, I realized that playstyle was actually much worse and made the game more difficult.
Dodging is usually always better in the second half, but I had played the entire first half of the game mostly perfect guarding, so it was hard to adjust. I'll admit I resorted to Specter and throwables way more than I should have, but the game still shouldn't have changed the rules on me halfway through either.
My last complaint would be the Gold Coin Tree. If you're struggling with the game, you also get punished in the form of having to wait for more Gold Coin Fruits to spawn. With a timer similar to cheap mobile games. There are ways to speed it up, but you still have to wait or grind out the necessary ergo.
Ultimately, this is a good game that just stopped being fun for me due to the difficulty spike of the bosses in the second half, and the game suddenly deciding that dodging is the only viable way forward.
A really good expansion with fantastic payoff. It took me about 10 hours total to do the main plot and all side content. The shorter length keeps the story from becoming too convoluted like many other Yakuza narratives tend to do.
The story is very good, and comes together in a really satisfying way. The characters, artstyle, and music all have so much personality.
The puzzle gameplay is mostly good, but can be a bit frustrating at times. There are some parts with a lot of trial and error before you have any idea how to progress. The controls are really interesting and fun for a while, but become kinda clunky in later parts of the game.
If you're looking for a truly unique experience and don't mind a lot of puzzles, you should give it a shot.
The puzzle gameplay is mostly good, but can be a bit frustrating at times. There are some parts with a lot of trial and error before you have any idea how to progress. The controls are really interesting and fun for a while, but become kinda clunky in later parts of the game.
If you're looking for a truly unique experience and don't mind a lot of puzzles, you should give it a shot.
A great dlc that makes Resident Evil 4 Remake even better. Nearly all of the things that were cut in the main game have been either remade or recreated in fun ways.
It took me about 6 hours on Hardcore, but it's probably a bit shorter on Standard. Regardless, it's the definition of quality over quantity. You revisit many of the same areas in the base game, but they all have a unique twist specific to Ada. It never felt like a retread. They easily could've sold this for $20. It's a steal at only $10.
My only complaint is still Ada's voice. It's slightly better in the new cutscenes, but still sounds robotic at times. It's nowhere near enough to bring this down from greatness though. The gameplay is just so good.
It took me about 6 hours on Hardcore, but it's probably a bit shorter on Standard. Regardless, it's the definition of quality over quantity. You revisit many of the same areas in the base game, but they all have a unique twist specific to Ada. It never felt like a retread. They easily could've sold this for $20. It's a steal at only $10.
My only complaint is still Ada's voice. It's slightly better in the new cutscenes, but still sounds robotic at times. It's nowhere near enough to bring this down from greatness though. The gameplay is just so good.
This is the peak of nostalgia for me. I loved this game as a kid, but playing it as an adult made me realize just how genuinely great it is. Fun levels, incredible music, and all three characters feel amazing to control.
A very nostalgic game for me. The music and atmosphere are just so good. Even as an adult, I can't help but think of it fondly. I prefer the classic 3d platformer structure of this game to its semi-open world sequels too.
I think this is worth your time if you enjoy the Nioh games and Sekiro. I found all of the combat mechanics to be very satisfying, and the flag leveling system made exploring feel fun too.
There is a noticeable lack of enemy variety that really kicks in during the second half, but the bosses remain epic all the way to the end.
I'd recommend getting this on a console though. The PC version was a bit of a mess at times when I played it. The framerate would go from fine to terrible in certain areas. Not sure if that's been fixed yet.
Regardless, I think this is a bit of an underrated gem in a year packed with great games.
There is a noticeable lack of enemy variety that really kicks in during the second half, but the bosses remain epic all the way to the end.
I'd recommend getting this on a console though. The PC version was a bit of a mess at times when I played it. The framerate would go from fine to terrible in certain areas. Not sure if that's been fixed yet.
Regardless, I think this is a bit of an underrated gem in a year packed with great games.
2023
I enjoyed the story mode more than I thought I would. It's nothing mind-blowing, but they did a good job at getting me invested.
Characters have a lot more tools and interesting combos compared to MK11. Not to mention the Kameos, which add even more depth to everyone's moveset. I can see myself playing this game online for a long time.
My only major complaints are with Invasions Mode, and how grindy character mastery feels. Invasions just has so many fights you have to go through that can be won simply by uppercutting a few times. Only the bosses pose even a slight bit of challenge. It's better than the MK11 Krypt, but still feels like a grind due to the sheer quantity of these boring battles.
It's cool that each character and kameo gets its own progression system for unlocks, but it takes way too long. You can go through the entire invasion season and only make it about halfway through one character's mastery. Make sure you do the uppercut brutality at the end of every fight for extra xp. You're gonna need it.
This game is a step up from MK11 in both story and gameplay for me, but the grindy progression systems seem like they're here to stay.
Characters have a lot more tools and interesting combos compared to MK11. Not to mention the Kameos, which add even more depth to everyone's moveset. I can see myself playing this game online for a long time.
My only major complaints are with Invasions Mode, and how grindy character mastery feels. Invasions just has so many fights you have to go through that can be won simply by uppercutting a few times. Only the bosses pose even a slight bit of challenge. It's better than the MK11 Krypt, but still feels like a grind due to the sheer quantity of these boring battles.
It's cool that each character and kameo gets its own progression system for unlocks, but it takes way too long. You can go through the entire invasion season and only make it about halfway through one character's mastery. Make sure you do the uppercut brutality at the end of every fight for extra xp. You're gonna need it.
This game is a step up from MK11 in both story and gameplay for me, but the grindy progression systems seem like they're here to stay.
2019
The story mode is fine, but I feel like the short cinematic experience that these games always go for isn't as exciting as it used to be. The Towers and the Krypt feel like they were made just for you to grind for years before you get all of the cosmetics. That's the only reason the AI fighter feature is even there.
If you want to go for everything, including the achievements, I'd recommend going to Endless Tower, turning on an AI fighter and turboing the A button of your controller in the Steam settings. The idea of having to manually get 25 fatalities on a bunch of characters just for their victories is such a slog without doing this. Not to mention all of the coins you need to unlock chests.
It's not all bad though. The graphics are still fantastic to this day, and there is a lot fun to be had with many of the characters. Some of them are a bit lacking in move variety though. The variation system doesn't help with that.
If you want to go for everything, including the achievements, I'd recommend going to Endless Tower, turning on an AI fighter and turboing the A button of your controller in the Steam settings. The idea of having to manually get 25 fatalities on a bunch of characters just for their victories is such a slog without doing this. Not to mention all of the coins you need to unlock chests.
It's not all bad though. The graphics are still fantastic to this day, and there is a lot fun to be had with many of the characters. Some of them are a bit lacking in move variety though. The variation system doesn't help with that.
2020
My first experience with this game was at launch on a base PS4, and it was every bit as rough as you might've heard. I even got a refund on that version. I have all the reason in the world to hate this game, but I don't.
A year later, I got a PC and the game ran like a dream. I only had one glitch the entire playthrough, and it was just an object clipping inside a character's arm in one scene. That's it.
If you look past all of the controversy, the actual game is pretty good. Yes, the main story feels a bit rushed, but it's a fun ride overall. There are some really great side missions too.
It does have that open world problem of quantity over quality at times though. There's a lot of repetitive fetch quests that feel like they just exist to fill out the map.
I know I'm nitpicking despite saying the game is good, but that good impression primarily comes from one aspect of the game: the optional companion quests.
Judy, River, Johnny, Panam, and Kerry all have the best, most expansive quests. If everything else in the game had the level of depth that these quests do, it truly would've had the potential to live up to the hype.
Let's hope the upcoming improvments and DLC can push it to the next level.
A year later, I got a PC and the game ran like a dream. I only had one glitch the entire playthrough, and it was just an object clipping inside a character's arm in one scene. That's it.
If you look past all of the controversy, the actual game is pretty good. Yes, the main story feels a bit rushed, but it's a fun ride overall. There are some really great side missions too.
It does have that open world problem of quantity over quality at times though. There's a lot of repetitive fetch quests that feel like they just exist to fill out the map.
I know I'm nitpicking despite saying the game is good, but that good impression primarily comes from one aspect of the game: the optional companion quests.
Judy, River, Johnny, Panam, and Kerry all have the best, most expansive quests. If everything else in the game had the level of depth that these quests do, it truly would've had the potential to live up to the hype.
Let's hope the upcoming improvments and DLC can push it to the next level.
2023
Update: I just wanted to call attention to something that Capcom is trying to keep quiet. There's a mode in the game called Tournaments. I think some people might not even know or care that it exists.
The problem is that Capcom themselves put them in the spotlight for anyone that cares about trophies/achievements. You have to join five tournaments, and also win ten matches to get the platinum. But whenever these tournaments have been held, all of them have broken except for one. The last one that took place also worked for some, but half the lobby got booted.
A tiny percentage of people have the platinum because they got lucky and won all of their matches first try, but for everyone else the conditions for this are absurd.
They are seperated by your ranked league to make it fair, but the skill gap is huge because they mash two leagues in one. For example, if you're plat or diamond, the only league you can join is one with players that are plat 1 all the way to diamond 5. Master rank players are also thrown in there because they don't get their own lobby.
Tournaments also only happen at certain times of the day. You have to get there an hour before the tournament starts to sign up, and just hang out in the lobby. You have to deal with all of that, on top of worrying if the whole thing is even going to work in the first place.
I wasn't around for the SFV launch, but this must be what a small taste of it feels like. Thankfully, it's only one mode instead of the entire game breaking this time. It still sucks that Capcom seems to be keeping this quiet so no one knows they're messing something up. They tweeted about it a few times, but once they realized the problem wasn't going away, they stopped talking about it.
I just wish more people knew about this issue enough to call them out. Everyone knows how much they overpriced the TMNT skins, so they are probably aware of that.
Even if this gets fixed soon, it'll have been nearly three months since the game launched. It should've been taken care of by now. It shouldn't have come out with this problem when the mode is tied to the hardest trophies in the game.
The problem is that Capcom themselves put them in the spotlight for anyone that cares about trophies/achievements. You have to join five tournaments, and also win ten matches to get the platinum. But whenever these tournaments have been held, all of them have broken except for one. The last one that took place also worked for some, but half the lobby got booted.
A tiny percentage of people have the platinum because they got lucky and won all of their matches first try, but for everyone else the conditions for this are absurd.
They are seperated by your ranked league to make it fair, but the skill gap is huge because they mash two leagues in one. For example, if you're plat or diamond, the only league you can join is one with players that are plat 1 all the way to diamond 5. Master rank players are also thrown in there because they don't get their own lobby.
Tournaments also only happen at certain times of the day. You have to get there an hour before the tournament starts to sign up, and just hang out in the lobby. You have to deal with all of that, on top of worrying if the whole thing is even going to work in the first place.
I wasn't around for the SFV launch, but this must be what a small taste of it feels like. Thankfully, it's only one mode instead of the entire game breaking this time. It still sucks that Capcom seems to be keeping this quiet so no one knows they're messing something up. They tweeted about it a few times, but once they realized the problem wasn't going away, they stopped talking about it.
I just wish more people knew about this issue enough to call them out. Everyone knows how much they overpriced the TMNT skins, so they are probably aware of that.
Even if this gets fixed soon, it'll have been nearly three months since the game launched. It should've been taken care of by now. It shouldn't have come out with this problem when the mode is tied to the hardest trophies in the game.
This review contains spoilers
Not as bad as people make it out to be, but still quite flawed. My biggest issue is the structure. Joel's death needed better build-up, for one thing.
I think Abby's entire section of the game should've happened first so that the player is given enough time to relate to her as a character. Her killing Joel so early on with barely any context just comes across as shock value. Let me be clear, Abby is a good character, but the game doesn't introduce you to her properly. Lev is also a great companion that really brings the humanity out of her.
I understand that not giving us Ellie's side of the story until halfway through would've also been a risky move, but I think the story might've been better for it.
I also just don't like that we get to the height of Ellie's story at the halfway point, and then we have to play as Abby for ten hours just to get back there. It's like the game actively wants you to hate Abby before you even get to see the good in her.
I think Abby's entire section of the game should've happened first so that the player is given enough time to relate to her as a character. Her killing Joel so early on with barely any context just comes across as shock value. Let me be clear, Abby is a good character, but the game doesn't introduce you to her properly. Lev is also a great companion that really brings the humanity out of her.
I understand that not giving us Ellie's side of the story until halfway through would've also been a risky move, but I think the story might've been better for it.
I also just don't like that we get to the height of Ellie's story at the halfway point, and then we have to play as Abby for ten hours just to get back there. It's like the game actively wants you to hate Abby before you even get to see the good in her.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Update: Thinking back on all the other (and honestly much more consistent) games I played this year has made this game not age gracefully in my mind. There's just so many boring filler missions, whereas games like Hi-Fi Rush, Dead Space Remake, Resident Evil 4 remake, and especially Baldur's Gate 3 nearly reach the peaks of this game without anything feeling like filler.
As such, I've lowered my score by half a star. It's still good, but it's one of those games where remembering the bad parts really drags it down.
I also have some questions about the story that cropped up for me the more I thought about it. Indulge me while I rant a bit.
Why was Joshua avoiding Clive for half the game, but also basically stalking him? Why did Joshua and Clive never talk about Phoenix Gate after finally reuniting? I get that Clive said him being alive was all that matters, but does that mean they should just never again talk about the most pivotal night of their lives?
Also, why did the writers think letting Jill get captured not once but twice was good storytelling? Why did Barnabas need to speak in such unnecessarily flowery language?
Those are my main gripes, but I could list many smaller ones. I wish I loved this game, but it gets worse the more I think about it.
As such, I've lowered my score by half a star. It's still good, but it's one of those games where remembering the bad parts really drags it down.
I also have some questions about the story that cropped up for me the more I thought about it. Indulge me while I rant a bit.
Why was Joshua avoiding Clive for half the game, but also basically stalking him? Why did Joshua and Clive never talk about Phoenix Gate after finally reuniting? I get that Clive said him being alive was all that matters, but does that mean they should just never again talk about the most pivotal night of their lives?
Also, why did the writers think letting Jill get captured not once but twice was good storytelling? Why did Barnabas need to speak in such unnecessarily flowery language?
Those are my main gripes, but I could list many smaller ones. I wish I loved this game, but it gets worse the more I think about it.
2022
The stale bread of multiplayer games. A new name, and a very slight graphical update. Everything else is pretty much the same it's been since 2016, minus one player on each team and one new mode that kinda sucks. There's another new mode coming, but let's be honest, it won't be saving the game.
Get ready for a drip-feed of heroes, maps, and barebones story content that lasts like 15 minutes. Instead of, you know, the actual substantial story mode that was promised.
I should also mention that, despite being free, this game wants your hard-earned cash now more than ever. Remember those barebones story missions I mentioned earlier? You'll have to pay $15 for them now. Also, if you don't want to spend money for instant access to a hero, you'd better be ready to grind.
This isn't one of those fun battle passes. It's one of those where you play for hours and barely level it up. You gotta dedicate your life to it by doing daily challenges consistently.
Nah, I'm good Blizzard.
Get ready for a drip-feed of heroes, maps, and barebones story content that lasts like 15 minutes. Instead of, you know, the actual substantial story mode that was promised.
I should also mention that, despite being free, this game wants your hard-earned cash now more than ever. Remember those barebones story missions I mentioned earlier? You'll have to pay $15 for them now. Also, if you don't want to spend money for instant access to a hero, you'd better be ready to grind.
This isn't one of those fun battle passes. It's one of those where you play for hours and barely level it up. You gotta dedicate your life to it by doing daily challenges consistently.
Nah, I'm good Blizzard.
Tons of fun. Even if you're sick of zombies, I'd give this a shot. Gameplay-wise, I'd argue this is more enjoyable than the main game. I wish Rockstar would do more single-player expansions like this instead of just updating GTA Online.