Splodey
107 reviews liked by Splodey
Need For Speed: Carbon is basically Most Wanted, but with the nighttime street racing vibe of the Underground games.
Almost everything that made Most Wanted so good is here. They have made some welcome changes, especially when it comes to progression. You no longer have to complete milestones to advance. Instead, they are now optional challenges that unlock additional rewards. The game is much shorter as a result, but I don't see that as a bad thing.
Gone is the Blacklist and instead you have to take over an entire city piece by piece. This was a bit of a trend in the mid-2000s. I think it works well here, but the Blacklist approach is superior.
They've also added crew members to help you during races. They add some welcome chatter, but I didn't find their abilities all that useful. Just pick a Scout class and let them win races for you when you're behind.
"Autosculpt" was another new feature they added, but to be honest I prefer the traditional customization options of the older NFS titles.
The big question remains which is better: Most Wanted or Carbon. I think it's a matter of taste. Most Wanted has a much better story and more intense police chases, while Carbon has a much better city and progression. I'd say for me personally, Most Wanted wins by a very narrow margin, just because of the story.
In any case, both games are worth your time and you cannot go wrong with either one.
Almost everything that made Most Wanted so good is here. They have made some welcome changes, especially when it comes to progression. You no longer have to complete milestones to advance. Instead, they are now optional challenges that unlock additional rewards. The game is much shorter as a result, but I don't see that as a bad thing.
Gone is the Blacklist and instead you have to take over an entire city piece by piece. This was a bit of a trend in the mid-2000s. I think it works well here, but the Blacklist approach is superior.
They've also added crew members to help you during races. They add some welcome chatter, but I didn't find their abilities all that useful. Just pick a Scout class and let them win races for you when you're behind.
"Autosculpt" was another new feature they added, but to be honest I prefer the traditional customization options of the older NFS titles.
The big question remains which is better: Most Wanted or Carbon. I think it's a matter of taste. Most Wanted has a much better story and more intense police chases, while Carbon has a much better city and progression. I'd say for me personally, Most Wanted wins by a very narrow margin, just because of the story.
In any case, both games are worth your time and you cannot go wrong with either one.
Really good game for it's time. Game series that started it all. Expansions are really good too. Getting it to play adequately on new hardware is not too tough either. However, compared to today's standards the game is clunky and lacks some major mechanics, like sprinting and aiming down the sights. It is a classis though and should be played, just for the experience itself.
Cold Winter
2005
This starts off quite promising, with the game introducing not only gunplay but also light stealth, crafting and puzzles. Unfortunately most of it is quickly thrown away, as the game leans too heavily on its satisfying-but ultimately-nothing-special FPS combat. It's too easy on Normal, there's practically no enemy variety, and the level design is so-so. The story is not worth paying attention to. If you're really itching for a slower paced shooter, I recommend you get this for real cheap and play it for a bit, just to go guns blazing. There's some solid gore and dismemberment effects here which adds a lot to the impact of the guns. Unfortunately the shotguns feel like shit. The automatic weapons or the sniper rifle are the way to go here.
Gotham Knights
2022
Aside from the Batman IP and occasional stealth sections, nothing that made the previous games great remains. Fans of the excellent Arkham series will be very disappointed.
This is basically a third-person action RPG, similar to many games that have tried to copy Destiny. This could have been a pretty solid top-down ARPG, if only the publisher had the guts to go for it.
If you do decide to play it, only play in coop with a friend.
This is basically a third-person action RPG, similar to many games that have tried to copy Destiny. This could have been a pretty solid top-down ARPG, if only the publisher had the guts to go for it.
If you do decide to play it, only play in coop with a friend.
Halo Infinite
2021
When I was younger, I remember being amazed at the scale of the levels in Halo: CE. The second mission in particular, aptly named "Halo", was the real standout. Being able to choose your path and drive the Warthog around was amazing. I couldn't wait for the technology to catch up so we could have a seamless Halo experience from start to finish.
Halo Infinite attempts to do just that, with mixed results. Unlike other open-world games, you are not inundated with points of interest on your minimap. While playing in co-op, we found ourselves naturally stumbling upon side missions and activities to complete. Each side activity would reward you with something tangible, thus respecting your time and effort.
The overall gameplay is very tight and responsive, it feels great to play. They've also added a number of new gadgets and abilities to use, with the grappling hook being the standout. While it may seem out of place in a Halo game, it works very well and is super fun to use.
As for the story, I think they did a good job, because just like in all the other Halo games, I had no idea what was going on. Although, as @Splodey mentioned in his review, the game has a very melancholic tone and feel. I don't know if it was intentional, but it was definitely noticeable throughout the campaign.
I remember reading that the art direction they chose was a deliberate nod to the visuals of Halo: CE. I think it worked really well and I hope they stick with it for future releases.
The game can look nice at times, but it's easy to tell that it's a cross-gen release. The lack of raytracing on the PC and XSX was a bit of a disappointment, as the game could have benefited greatly from it.
I had very low expectations for this Halo title. One of the reasons I picked up the Xbox Series X was to play it, only to have the game delayed multiple times and launched in a poor state. The lack of co-op at launch was the biggest sin of all. However, they seem to have improved the game a lot since launch. I think all fans of Halo should give it a try.
Halo Infinite attempts to do just that, with mixed results. Unlike other open-world games, you are not inundated with points of interest on your minimap. While playing in co-op, we found ourselves naturally stumbling upon side missions and activities to complete. Each side activity would reward you with something tangible, thus respecting your time and effort.
The overall gameplay is very tight and responsive, it feels great to play. They've also added a number of new gadgets and abilities to use, with the grappling hook being the standout. While it may seem out of place in a Halo game, it works very well and is super fun to use.
As for the story, I think they did a good job, because just like in all the other Halo games, I had no idea what was going on. Although, as @Splodey mentioned in his review, the game has a very melancholic tone and feel. I don't know if it was intentional, but it was definitely noticeable throughout the campaign.
I remember reading that the art direction they chose was a deliberate nod to the visuals of Halo: CE. I think it worked really well and I hope they stick with it for future releases.
The game can look nice at times, but it's easy to tell that it's a cross-gen release. The lack of raytracing on the PC and XSX was a bit of a disappointment, as the game could have benefited greatly from it.
I had very low expectations for this Halo title. One of the reasons I picked up the Xbox Series X was to play it, only to have the game delayed multiple times and launched in a poor state. The lack of co-op at launch was the biggest sin of all. However, they seem to have improved the game a lot since launch. I think all fans of Halo should give it a try.
After so many years, I finally understood what all the hype was about. The only thing I don't understand is why people prefer Underground 2 to Most Wanted. The original MW blows NFSU2 out of the water, easily.
Almost everything that was wrong with NFSU2 has been fixed, and only the good parts remain. The linear progression deserves special praise, and I loved how they incorporated it into the game with the Blacklist approach. The open world is still there, but you no longer have to drive from one event to another, which saves a lot of time.
The biggest addition is the cop chases, and they've done a great job with the implementation. The cops are really fun to mess with and you as a racer have a real chance against them. The police chatter is probably the best I've ever heard in an arcade racing game.
I actually liked the story. Sure, it's a bit cheesy, but it motivated me to finish the game and climb to the top of the Blacklist.
There are only a few minor issues with the game. I found the open world a little bland and boring. I also wish they had kept the extensive customization from NFSU2.
Unlike NFSU2, I didn't use any mods to improve the pacing or balance of the game. The only mods I used were to restore the Xbox 360 visuals to the PC version.
With a few tweaks, this could have been the perfect racing game. I'm glad I finally gave it a shot.
Almost everything that was wrong with NFSU2 has been fixed, and only the good parts remain. The linear progression deserves special praise, and I loved how they incorporated it into the game with the Blacklist approach. The open world is still there, but you no longer have to drive from one event to another, which saves a lot of time.
The biggest addition is the cop chases, and they've done a great job with the implementation. The cops are really fun to mess with and you as a racer have a real chance against them. The police chatter is probably the best I've ever heard in an arcade racing game.
I actually liked the story. Sure, it's a bit cheesy, but it motivated me to finish the game and climb to the top of the Blacklist.
There are only a few minor issues with the game. I found the open world a little bland and boring. I also wish they had kept the extensive customization from NFSU2.
Unlike NFSU2, I didn't use any mods to improve the pacing or balance of the game. The only mods I used were to restore the Xbox 360 visuals to the PC version.
With a few tweaks, this could have been the perfect racing game. I'm glad I finally gave it a shot.
This is basically the same game as Need For Speed Underground Rivals, but with a few tweaks, namely the implementation of the Blacklist and the addition of cop chases.
Progression has been simplified, and you no longer have to jump back and forth between "novice" and "pro" events to progress. Still, the game doesn't respect your time at all, as most events are padded in length. Be prepared to spend nearly 30 minutes of your time in a single tournament later in the game.
I found the cop chases to be really lackluster compared to Most Wanted on other platforms. Unlike in the main game, you have no chance against the police. They always match your speed and are no fun to fight. The only way to lose them is to take the shortcuts, which they always avoid for some reason.
After playing Underground Rivals, I didn't want to spend more hours playing the same game with a different skin. Just stick to Most Wanted on consoles or PC instead.
Progression has been simplified, and you no longer have to jump back and forth between "novice" and "pro" events to progress. Still, the game doesn't respect your time at all, as most events are padded in length. Be prepared to spend nearly 30 minutes of your time in a single tournament later in the game.
I found the cop chases to be really lackluster compared to Most Wanted on other platforms. Unlike in the main game, you have no chance against the police. They always match your speed and are no fun to fight. The only way to lose them is to take the shortcuts, which they always avoid for some reason.
After playing Underground Rivals, I didn't want to spend more hours playing the same game with a different skin. Just stick to Most Wanted on consoles or PC instead.
Grid Legends
2022
A return to form for the Grid series (and especially Race Driver, for those cool enough to know). The variety is back alongside an actually interesting single-player that mimics a sports documentary style to tell it's shockingly enthralling story. While it probably wasn't enough to save Codemasters and the series as a whole, it's a triumphant final oo-rah for a series that seemed to be on the way out.
Grid Legends
2022
It's a bit sad to think that the racing game that entertained me the most recently wasn't the latest Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo, but this game. I didn't play it with high expectations, as I've tried other GRID games before, and none of them caught my attention. However, this one is so beautiful, runs so well, and its live service aspect is so unintrusive that it's hard not to like it. I found the idea of splitting it into two modes quite interesting. The story mode introduces the game in a cool way, and then you can continue in the career mode if you enjoyed the gameplay. The difficulty options are also praiseworthy.
It's just as solid as the previous titles in the Arkham series. So if you liked those games, you will definitely enjoy this one.
The biggest change is the addition of the Batmobile. It's a lot of fun to drive around the city in this thing and cause all kinds of mayhem. However, I found that it was still much faster to just glide from point A to point B instead.
The art direction and visuals deserve special praise. The game still looks amazing despite being almost a decade old (at the time of this writing).
The writing maintains a consistently serious tone, without the cringe-worthy Marvel-style tension-relieving humor. There are quite a few twists and turns in the story, though to be honest I was a little disappointed with the ending.
I avoided playing this game for the longest time because of all the negative reports surrounding the PC version. However, I didn't experience any of the performance issues. The game ran very smoothly with all settings maxed out on the PC.
The biggest change is the addition of the Batmobile. It's a lot of fun to drive around the city in this thing and cause all kinds of mayhem. However, I found that it was still much faster to just glide from point A to point B instead.
The art direction and visuals deserve special praise. The game still looks amazing despite being almost a decade old (at the time of this writing).
The writing maintains a consistently serious tone, without the cringe-worthy Marvel-style tension-relieving humor. There are quite a few twists and turns in the story, though to be honest I was a little disappointed with the ending.
I avoided playing this game for the longest time because of all the negative reports surrounding the PC version. However, I didn't experience any of the performance issues. The game ran very smoothly with all settings maxed out on the PC.
