#I don’t get to play on PC very often so I gotta use my Steam Deck 🙃

[blackbutterflyrift]

I would like to introduce my Rook. Damari Ingellvar 👉👈

Growing up her closest friends were the spirits and wisps in the Necropolis. Like Taash mentions during her argument with Emmerich, Rook’s necromancy is more focused on spirits rather than raising corpses, but her research is actually very musically inclined. They say music is the language of the soul so of course she has to find out how and which spirits react to certain pitches and musical compositions. Naturally this has led her to learn how to play a few instruments. So she’s often found in the Lighthouse’s music room and that elven bass in her room isn’t just for show. It’s not uncommon to hear her humming a new tune to herself especially when she’s in a good mood and is completely focused on a task. Of course depending on what that task is, her humming might come off as endearing or creepy. Kind and optimistic she’s usually supporting her team and allies wholeheartedly and tries to lighten the mood with some sarcasm and jokes. That said she can be surprisingly daring sometimes. Probably why she was so interested in a certain demon possessed assassin. She always did like dancing with demons.

[thisyearingaming]

2011 - This Year in Gaming

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - Nintendo DS, January 11th

A quirky adventure game where you are fucking dead, and you gotta work out who killed you. Ghost Trick is like Ace Attorney at first glance - it looks similar, and is made by effectively the same development team. Give it a shot on iOS.

Dead Space 2 - Multiplatform, January 25th 

Dead Space 2 was the undisputed king of alien horror until Alien: Isolation released. Yeah, you battle massive acid-spitting aliens, but it’s the necromorph babies you’re gonna be shit-scared of. It isn’t quite as unique as it’s predecessor, but it’s definitely much better to play. Bring your brown pants.

The Nintendo 3DS Releases - March 27th

The 3DS was like magic when you first fired the 3D slider all the way up - then it became a gimmick you never used again. Releasing with a few decent launch titles and being able to boast Street Fighter IV as playable, the 3DS arguably didn’t really pick up much steam until a few months after launch. While more powerful than the original DS which was six years old at the time, I can’t remember being particularly interested in it at the time.

Portal 2 - Multiplatform, April 19th 

Valve’s final single player experience until their jump into VR was a bloody good one - very funny and amusingly written with the best Steve Merchant performance since The Ricky Gervais Show, Portal 2′s puzzle solving adventure is rarely a chore to play through, and has thousands of custom maps courtesy of the Steam community.

L.A. Noire - Multiplatform, May 17th

Rockstar’s foray into adventure games has stood the test of time as an enjoyable and often startling journey nto the seedy underbelly of 1947 Los Angeles - as Cole Phelps you’ll threaten a Jewish man with the gas chamber, arrest a paedophile instead of a clearly guilty father, quote Hamlet to a prop skull at the scene of a car crash, destroy thousands of dollars of property, and yell at a child whose mother’s just been murdered. Great fun!

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Windows 

CDPR hit it out of the park with a fantastically improved sequel to 2007′s Eurojank diamond in the rough The Witcher, and really introduce Geralt of Rivia to more people for the first time with this game. A branching story that sees Geralt hunting Letho, the killer of King Foltest, and allying either with smelly hippy elven leader Iorveth and his terrorists who don’t appear in the sequel or the very cool but quite racist Vernon Roche and his special forces group, who are supporting characters in the sequel.

Alice: Madness Returns - Multiplatform, June 14th

A surprisingly charming, unsettling dive into the fractured psyche of the Victorian equivalent of an actual goth gf, Alice is a sequel to American McGee’s Alice from 2000. Surreal as fuck and absolutely drowning in atmosphere. Just don’t look at any of the YouTube comments on videos of the soundtrack. Rather bizarre show...

Duke Nukem Forever - Multiplatform, June 14th

Sometimes it’s best NOT to bet on the Duke. I bought this game to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I did neither - DNF is fucking boring, and I blame it ALL on Randy Pitchford’s devotion to ruining things I like. DNF could’ve been brilliant - either embrace your heritage like Doom Eternal would eventually do, or make it into a “last hurrah” kind of thing where Duke realises he’s getting old and can’t kick ass forever. The greatest disappointment of the 2010s so far - but worse would follow with it. The King is dead - hail to the King, baby.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Multiplatform, August 23rd

The piss-tinted prequel to 2000′s excellent conspiracy RPG Deus Ex, Human Revolution is like smashing Robo-Cop into a world where Detroit is not a humanitarian disaster zone. Adam Jensen, the gravelly-voiced biomechanically enhanced security chief of David Sarif, is dragged into a world of American conspiracies involving FEMA death camps, the government enforcing martial law in US cities and massive Chinese conglomerates plotting to control the world. Just like real life! DXHR is my favourite in the series for its design, atmosphere and narrative.

Dead Island - Multiplatform, September 6th

Eh. Wasn’t that good. Notable for having the most misleading fucking trailer since Metal Gear Solid 2, but nowhere near as fulfilling upon release. An open world zombie survival game with a focus on melee weapons more fragile than your granny’s second hip. Oh great, now there’s a dead kid on my page. Thanks, Techland!

Driver: San Francisco - Multiplatform, September 6th

A game you literally can’t buy anymore, DSF was incredible to play when it came out and has only really gotten better with time. It’s still so unique for a driving game that I’m surprised Ubisoft have had the good sense to just leave it and not go pants-on-head retarded with the franchise since. Nick Robinson had to buy Subway gift cards just to purchase this game. 

Batman: Arkham City - Multiplatform, October 18th

Arkham City was so cool at launch and it still is today. A proper Batman epic with twists, turns, and the most addictive combat arena for years. This whole thing is gold from start to finish, except for the Harley Quinn DLC. I can’t even go into detail about it here, but I fucking LOVE this game.

Sonic Generations - Multiplatform, November 1st

Sonic Generations is the best Sonic game since 3 & Knuckles, but has now unfortunately convinced Sega that not only do people despise the Adventure games, they also really want to see Classic Sonic and Green Hill EVERY GODDAMN DAY. Generations is like a proper celebration of Sonic’s history, even including stuff from every reviewer’s favourite punching bag Sonic 2006 - I really like Generations and it has a stellar modding scene on PC.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception - Sony PlayStation 3, November 1st

The “finale” of the Uncharted series until Naughty Dog decided it wasn’t. Uncharted 3 may not be as tight as Among Thieves, but it’s just as enjoyable. As quipping invincible action hero Nathan Drake, you’ll ruin historical artifacts and “incapacitate” about 4000 guys in your quest to find Iram of the Pillars, chased by Cruella de Ville and her mercenary squad of a million faceless Englishmen. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Multiplatform, November 8th

God I was so excited for this. World War 3 never looked cooler, and then it came out - and it wasn’t that good. It didn’t feel as epic as MW2, not as well-written as MW, and not as interesting as World at War and Black Ops. Multiplayer was... fine? I think this is the point where most people realised that Call of Duty was basically downhill from here.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Multiplatform, November 11th

See this paragraph? You can read it. Another installment in Bethesda’s cross-franchise “Little Lies” series, Skyrim has been released more times than China’s created a pandemic. But it’s still really good and when you rub it the right way it comes all over your screen like a particularly excited storyteller, ready to point in the direction of adventure.

Super Mario 3D Land - Nintendo 3DS, November 13th

Yeah this was the point I decided I wanted a 3DS. It looked incredible and so fluid, and it really was! Playing this was great fun. That’s really all there is - I can’t be funny about it, nor overly critical. What do you want from me?

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations - Multiplatform, November 15th 

I didn’t like this when it came out - I thought the new graphic style was bad, Constantinople was dull, and the music was too different. Ezio was angrier, older, and the complete lack of any supporting cast from Brotherhood had me thinking this was a game that nobody wanted to work on - but now that I’m older, I can see this for how good it really was. Revelations blends the Ezio and Altair stories together, culminating in a satisfying emotional climax. 

Saints Row: The Third - Multiplatform, November 15

This video speaks for itself.

Minecraft - Windows, November 18th

There’s something beautiful about those early builds of Minecraft. Quiet, unassuming, and riddled with potential for exploration. I could talk for hours about the first time I was thrown into Mojang’s survival experience, about how I still get a bit weepy hearing Wet Hands by C418, about how shit-scared I still am of the mines and caves. Minecraft is immortal, and always will be. 

[gear-project]

.  .  .

Videogame QandA Survey.

Source @8bitrevolver

1. First game you played obsessively? Tetris NES / Gameboy

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Legendary Wings / Guardic Gaiden / Guardian Legend / etc.

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My older sister. (She was bad at Mario games.)

4. Who do you play with now? Netplay mostly.

5. Ever use cheat codes? I am a sem-religious Hex-editor whenever I get the opportunity.

6. Ever buy strategy guides? I used to, but Art Books and Material Books are superior.

7. Any games you have multiple copies of? ...Guilty Gear.

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Rarest: Final Fantasy Tactics, Most Expensive: Gundam Breaker 3 (because of DLC, but it's worth it)

9. Most regrettable purchase? Super Street Fighter IV

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? I've gone to them, but I never waited THAT long.  Lines were pretty short for me.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? All the time.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games? In College, sure.  It's a social stigma even with my family.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Overwatch (Not real in to FPS, sorry.)

14. Favorite game music? Aside Guilty Gear, I liked songs from Sega Genesis Era (Arrow Flash).

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? A Gear Mark Seal (should be obvious why).

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Very few IRL friends live near me... unfortunately.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game? Almost... well, they lost interest in the game at least.

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? Not in a million years.

19. Favorite handheld console? Anything with Guilty Gear on it.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Guilty Gear (any title really).

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? Kid Icarus (sortof), Megaman Zero to an extent.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? When I can afford to.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Gundam Breaker series.

24. First Pokemon game? Red (never played them much and lost interest).

25. Were you ever an arcade game player? Yes, back when the Arcade Scene still existed in my home town.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? Oh yes.  They're always out to fight me.  But they never win, lol.

27. Game that makes you rage? Any hardcore survival game (Dark Souls for example).

28. Ever play in a tournament? Not in any majors, but I did go to one once.

29. What is your gaming set up? 3 consoles + PC hooked up to an HDMI switchbox and an ASUS Monitor.

30. How many consoles do you own? I think close to 7, but some are retired for good.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes.  VR/Oculus too.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? I tried a Demo of Voltron once... but it wasn't that great.

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? Yep... It was crap, so I don't wanna talk about it.

34. Do either of your parents play video games? Nope. Never.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? Never worked there, but I used to like going to Funcoland back when it was still in business.  Now I frequent Record Head.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? I sweat over my games on hot summer days... and my eyes water if I stare at a screen too long.  My controller gets greasy so I gotta clean it more often.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? I was never fond of Megaman games, I just lacked the skill to play them, loved the music though.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? GalGun Double Peace

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Valkyrie Profile 3, dear lord...

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? They can be disorienting, and they're more or less for novelty if you ask me.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into? FPS, Sports, RTS, Sims, Low-quality Indie Games

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Don't insult me, I am a Gaming Connoisseur!  Joust would be the first game I ever played.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? I multi-task usually.  My grades were rarely effected.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? NEO GEO / Samurai Showdown III

45. How are you at Mario Kart? I rarely play.  I prefer Rollcage and Wipe-Out Pulse/HD Fury.

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Blehhhhhhh.... boring.

47. Do you like competitive games? To some extent, though I like Hybrid cross-genre games the most.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Hours and Hours and Hours... I'm meticulous.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Depends on my mood and if I can use multiple save files.  I like pushing my boundaries.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? That's a secret!

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? All the time.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? I never begged... actually I just looked at stuff in a window or kiosk and they 'got the hint'.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? Depends on what kind of content it is... but if it's substantial it's worth it, even as an alternate outfit.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales? I wish I could.  I need a Steam Console one of these days... or a decent Gaming PC.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? I am not that sadistic.  I take all my frustrations out in Fighting Games.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? Never played it.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? Yes.  BlazBlue Central Fiction is my most recent Platinum.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? Gundam Breaker, Guilty Gear, Valkyrie Profile

59. Do you play any cell phone games? Don't own a Cell phone, so nope.

60. Do you know the Konami Code? Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? I very rarely sell games unless I loathe them.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? Anything with Guilty Gear (or BlazBlue) on it.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Yes.  They're overrated though compared to social gaming.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? Whenever I can manage it.  Especially a Tate Monitor for Vertical Shmups.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? I owned them, but I usually kept save backups whenever I tested anything.

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? Nope, can't say I have.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? Most of my gaming stories are long-winded, so not really.

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? Most of what they have is junk, to be honest.  I'd sooner buy candy.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? It hasn't been MADE yet! *grin*

70. Very first game you ever beat? Super Dodge Ball / NES (I very rarely ever beat NES games so I'm proud of that game).

[terryblount]

Resident Evil 3 Review: Slash that Price!

Resident Evil 3 (2020) is a glorified campaign expansion based heavily on Resident Evil 2 (2019). Most of the locations, items, weapons, and enemies reuse RE2 assets. Likewise, the engine, gameplay, and much more are borrowed from RE2.

What’s worse, so much is cut from the original 1999 game, and the actual story is very short. As such, RE3 would be a respectable experience at half-price, but the full-price cost is more insulting than ingratiating. Therefore, unless you’re a die-hard Resident Evil fan, wait for a half-price sale and then enjoy RE3!

Resident Evil 3 is impressive and gorgeous, but sadly the experience lacks depth.

Having already jumped to the conclusion, I suppose I should add a few more details for those who are still interested. First, you need to know that RE3 is actually two games. Quite literally, your purchase gives you two separate Steam games: Resident Evil 3 (the campaign) and Resident Evil Resistance (a curious 4v1 multiplayer mode with loot boxes and micro-transactions).

Let’s begin with what everyone cares about: the campaign.

Call of Resident Evil!

Let me offer you an incredibly simple way of understanding the story experience: Resident Evil 3 is the Resident Evil version of Call of Duty. It’s good (if slightly dumb) fun for about 4 to 6 hours. There’s a constant energy, with a grab-bag of explosions, set pieces, dramatic talking, and mayhem. Once it’s over, there’s not much that lingers in your memory, but it’s an entertaining enough ride.

You’ll be seeing a lot of Jill screaming and barely hanging on. We’re talking intense action!

Now, it may sound like I’m not that enthused by the campaign, but actually I had a great time with it because I enjoy a nice Call-of-Duty-esque linear romp from time to time. Just understand: RE3 is not survival-horror like the beloved RE2. No, RE3 pushes your mind to the backseat and encourages you to run, crawl, dodge, duck, and weave through a much less sophisticated action version of RE2. You’ll even revisit several iconic locations from RE2, but this time you’ll be in-and-out in minutes, off to your next bombastic scene.

Cut Content & Replayability

I have a confession: I’ve never played the original Resident Evil 3, so my review is purely based on my experience with this new incarnation. However, the internet tells me much content was cut from this remake. Missing locations. No branching paths. Limited costumes. A lack of story-flow. Absent game-modes. The list goes on.

Tying into the cut content is the limited replayability. There is only one linear campaign in RE3. It is exactly the same every time. This is very unfortunate. RE2 gave us two campaigns, each having two slightly different paths for a total of four playthroughs. There’s nothing like this here. At least there are higher difficulties to clear and coveted S-Ranks to obtain via ultra-fast playthroughs.

On a more positive note, after you beat the campaign you unlock a ‘Shop’ option where you can purchase bonus items for further playthroughs. You earn money for the shop by completing challenges related to Achievements and goals like ‘kill X enemies with X weapon’ or ‘finish the game under X time.’

Here’s some of the items you can buy for subsequent playthroughs. Gotta collect them all!

The purchasable items themselves range from stat boosts to new tools to new weapons. It’s a nice addition to a game that is starving for content, and the ultra-obsessed players will likely put in another 10 or 20 hours replaying the campaign a dozen or more times to unlock everything. The rest of us will maybe attempt the campaign once or twice more (perhaps with a few user-made mods) before fatigue sets in.

Graphics, Performance, & Technical

RE3 performs basically exactly like RE2, so I’ll refer you to that review for the details. I’ll sum up by saying RE3 runs extremely well on PC and is a great, gorgeous port. I had no performance issues, although I did have to install a special codec to get the in-game videos to play.

This is Jill’s bedroom. It’s quite messy, but isn’t the graphical fidelity and lighting nice?!

I’d give kudos to Capcom for another technically-fantastic PC game, but RE3 is basically a reskin of the RE2 engine. So good job not breaking anything?

The Multiplayer: Resident Evil Resistance

As if the corporate suits at Capcom felt some twinge of guilt at charging full-price for what is clearly a limited product, they’ve thrown in a ‘free’ 4v1 multiplayer mode to perhaps trick encourage people into buying an overpriced product. The problem is we have a glut of other free multiplayer games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, and Fortnite. So a tacked-on product like this just isn’t good enough in the year 2020.

Resistance features excellent environment design and eye-catching visuals. So that’s good.

That being said, Resistance does have some truly inventive ideas to it, and I found myself intrigued by the depth of strategic options in each session. Indeed, if the stars align and you get a great group of players, there’s some very solid enjoyment to be had. I could see Resistance being a ‘cult classic’ game for LAN parties and other organized events.

However, most of the time the 4v1 gameplay fairs exactly how all 4v1 games tend to go: unbalanced, messy, and awkward (anyone remember Evolve?). Oh, and there’s often long queue times to get into matches. Oh, and the matchmaking is peer-to-peer because of course it is, so quite often you get ‘Unstable network connection’ warnings and dropped games. Oh, and there’s loot boxes and micro-transactions tied into a pay-to-get-an-advantage equipment system.

I was enjoying this match until ‘Unstable network connection…’ popped up. A few seconds later the game froze and then my computer blue-screened and rebooted. Great…

Ultimately, Resistance is a worthy concept ruined by far too many issues, so the game is best…left for dead. Then again, if you like the idea of unbalanced gameplay, micro-transactions in premium-priced titles, and unstable multiplayer connections, perhaps Resistance is the Resident Evil horror you’ve been looking for!

Behold, the abject abominations known as Resident Evil loot boxes! What a world…

Sudden Conclusion

It may seem like I hate Resident Evil 3. I don’t. I actually quite enjoyed my time with the campaign and am enjoying another playthrough. What I hate is the business decision to overcharge for something that should have been a half-price expansion.

Shoot, even Activision recently released the remastered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign for only $20 USD. So it’s not good enough to give us scraps but charge us like we’re eating a full course meal.

This is a random picture for your viewing pleasure. I will be charging FULL-PRICE for it!

I recommend to pick up the game when it goes on sale down the road and indulge in the short but enjoyable campaign, knowing that you’ve not given in to what seems to be a Capcom cash-grab.

There’s so much more I could share, but that’s all I have to say about Resident Evil 3. End of review… What? Are you surprised it’s already finished? Are you thinking, “Shouldn’t there be more stuff?” Well, now you know what it’s like to play 2020’s Resident Evil 3!

High-energy campaign

Gorgeously detailed world

Optimized & efficient engine

Post-campaign unlocks

Resident Evil atmosphere

Short campaign, cut content

Reused RE2 assets

Inventory annoyances, QTEs

Multiplayer mode issues

Bad value for the price

Playtime: 10+ hours total. Nick spent 6 hours finishing the campaign. Another few hours have put put into a second playthrough. A couple hours were thrown into the Resistance multiplayer game (until enough connection issues put an end to the fun). Nick will likely put another 10 hours or so into some modded playthroughs just for the fun of it.

Computer Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using an Intel i7-3930k CPU, 32GB of memory, and a nVidia GTX 980 Ti graphics card.

Also read the Resident Evil 3 PC Performance Analysis.

The post Resident Evil 3 Review: Slash that Price! appeared first on DSOGaming.

Resident Evil 3 Review: Slash that Price! published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[terryblount]

God Eater 3 Review: Low Effort Manic Monster Munchin’

I’d never played a God Eater before this third entry. I’d seen them on Steam, but they were all low-quality handheld console ports. Yuck! Finally, with God Eater 3, we have an entry developed for PC claiming high-quality visuals, fast-paced combat, and a serious story!

As someone who put 100+ hours into Monster Hunter World last year, I loved the idea of getting another dose of monster hunting fun, but does God Eater 3 deliver? Absolutely on the combat side; not really on the ‘everything else’ side. Let’s dive in.

Last Gen Called; It Wants Its Visuals Back

Let’s begin with the bad. God Eater 3 looks and feels like a last-gen game. I could have sworn this was a port from a 2012 or so PS3 game because it feels like the developers accidentally built the game for last-gen hardware specs.

Some scenes have decent graphics in still images, but the in-game details are quite poor.

This low fidelity feeling is especially unfortunate considering the series’ chief competitor delivered a next-gen visual showcase with 2018’s Monster Hunter World. Whoops!

Outdated & Repetitive Content

Apart from lacking visuals, the game’s content feels outdated, too. There’s only a handful of actual game environments. These are nothing more than glorified arenas without any creative twists or clever layouts. Again, this feels so much like the developers thought they were working with PS3 era memory limitations and crafted functional but boringly basic level designs.

Yes, this is an entire arena…a couple hallways and rooms.

God Eater 3 reminds me of Dragon Age 2. Anyone remember that game? It had a handful of lame arenas you’d play over and over again on a supposedly epic quest. God Eater 3 is exactly like this.

Time and time again the game will excitedly exclaim, “Look, an epic battle awaits!” What actually loads is the same exact arena you’ve played 20+ times. Seriously? Low effort!

This location is pretty cool…but I’ve seen it dozens and dozens of times.

Attempted Grand Story; Totally Tiny Presentation

The same lack of developer effort goes for the story. The game, to its credit, attempts to tell a proper story, with ups and downs, character growth, and emotional weightiness. The game even delves into some quite dark subject matters like human rights, indentured servitude, and outright slavery.

Everybody get in their places and pose for the camera, please!

I do think at the core of God Eater 3 is an appealing story of friendship and freedom that’s worth hearing out. Sure, the dialogue is all very basic and there’s no true exploration of the game’s serious themes. But at least there’s an attempt to build a logical, thought-provoking story and world. Kudos for that.

Sadly, God Eater 3 succumbs to the all-too-common low-budget storytelling pitfalls of tell, tell, tell and show basically nothing. The game ostensibly plays out across a fictional version of Europe, but it feels like a film shot in just a few set locations.

It’s almost laughable how many scenes involve your team standing dramatically across the same backdrops over and over despite supposedly traveling to all these grand locales.

There’s a big world map for the story, but there’s actually very few in-game environments.

This lack of quality presentation kills much of the story’s momentum. If you tell me there’s an epic battle before me, you need to show me an epic battle. If you say something really matters, you’d better not totally forget about it fifteen seconds after the cutscene ends. It feels…low effort!

Here’s a nice tea time cutscene. Too bad these events don’t get expanded upon…

Despite my misgivings, by the end I did care about the story and had grown fond of my ragtag group of former prisoners and oppressed people. I genuinely cared about building a future filled with freedom and peace for my friends. Moreover, the game’s got a very strong ending and nice epilogue.

Only one with the power to resonate may pilot this ship. Thankfully, I can resonate…engage!

The Gameplay Flow

This is the flow of the entire game: load into the tiny mission hub, listen to serious talk, accept an important mission, manage your gear, warp to a tiny arena, engage in a manic brawl, get your loot, maybe see a cutscene, and then get dumped ingloriously back at the tiny mission hub to repeat. It’s not terrible… just simplistic.

Ash Crawler Chrysanthemum: Home, Sweet Home

In regard to the mission hub, most of the between-mission gameplay takes place on your own mobile base, known as an Ash Crawler. There’s real Mass Effect vibes in how you can walk around and explore your crew’s living spaces, talking with them about recent events.

However, the quality of Mass Effect isn’t present. Most of the crew banter is very basic and not voiced, and there’s not much payoff for exploring your tiny base. Low effort base design, basically.

Chatting with some of my crew, discussing philosophy.

Even more unfortunately, often the game forces you to talk to specific people at your base before you can proceed on your next story mission. It would have been nice to have some marker telling you where they’re at instead of wandering around until you find them. A minor annoyance, though, since your base is quite small.

Hyper-Combat Mania!

So far I’ve given you a bunch of reasons to not play God Eater 3, but now it’s time to get to the game’s saving grace. Yes, God Eater 3 redeems itself thanks to its wild and epic combat!

I told you the combat is manic! See me doing some crazy flip while lights flash everywhere?!

Battles in God Eater 3 have a chaotic ultra-frenzied fever dream feel to them. Yes indeed, this game has brilliantly mad fighting. So fast, so furious. Monster Hunter World looks like a slow-motion creaking antique compared to God Eater 3’s hip, stylish, and light-speed stabby-slashy-crushy mayhem!

God Eater 3 versus Monster Hunter World feels very much like Sonic versus Mario from back in the day. On one side you have the meticulously polished Mario and Monster Hunter, but what Sonic and God Eater lack in quality they make up for with a cool and confident “gotta go fast” attitude!

I think I’m winning…wait: is that my lightning or the enemies? Oh well, keep smashing!

God Eater 3 will have you rushing, flipping, slashing, bursting, and linking at break-neck speeds. Jump, double-jump, zoom across the screen, panic as you flip through your items while two gigantic beasties rip you to shreds. The poor camera finds itself dragged about, bewildered, and woefully inadequate, but when combat is this crazy, you just go with it!

Thanks to the incredible versatility of the combat systems, there’s an unexpectedly addicting rush from one combat encounter to the next. A large part of the appeal comes from the countless ways to improve your play and try new things to go faster and kill better next time around.

You can break parts of the monsters for loot and fun! Pretty orange monster part particles!

Combat Gear & Fancy Moves

What makes combat so diverse? Let’s start with the fact you get both a main weapon and a ranged weapon, unlike Monster Hunter World. You also get to pick a shield type. Then you get to select dozens of unique Arts. Those Arts can be augmented and leveled up. And all your gear can have Skills (the equivalent of Monster Hunter World’s Jewels) installed on them.

Naturally, you can also craft and upgrade your gear using monster parts. There’s numerous upgrade trees and paths for each weapon, just like Monster Hunter. Then there’s the four elements, allowing you to have weapons on hand for every monster murdering occasion.

You get a lot of strange loot from each mission. It’s all a bit confusing at first.

Beyond your gear itself, there’s many more combat moves than you’ll find in Monster Hunter World. You’ll be side-stepping, lunging, and performing crazy aerial combat that feels very much like the Devil may Cry series, interestingly enough.

To put it another way, if you enjoyed the freedom of movement of Monster Hunter World’s semi-flying Insect Glaive weapon (my personal weapon of choice), this is what every weapon can feel like in God Eater 3. When you can quickly fly around the combat space, why ever go back to boring attacks on your feet? Ponder that one!

Here’s one of the nicest looking locations. I enjoy zooming around and seeing the sights.

It’s All About Speed-Eating Delicious Gods!

In God Eater 3 we’re all about eating (called devouring) gods (big monsters), and I choose to believe God Eater 3 is called such because it does the god eating three times as fast as other games!

Everything is designed to get you into combat as quick as possible. You can get a mission, get in the arena, and get to fighting within a minute of loading the game, which makes this game perfect for quick-fix gaming.

Load the game up, start devouring monsters, and do it all over again as fast as possible!

What also cuts down on the tedium this genre is often know for is the removal of all that boring hunting for monsters so common in that one series…what’s it called…oh yeah, Monster Hunter. Basically, God Eater 3 serves up the monsters right in front of you, so get devouring!

The combat does have some issues. Many monsters fly about the arena at too-fast speeds with annoying area of effect attacks that often cancel your commands. The targeting system is wonky, and the camera doesn’t help much either. Sometimes combat does devolve into button mashing, but skilled players will learn how to deftly deal with even the most seemingly unbalanced encounters.

So Many Confusing Systems

Another problematic element with the game overall is the over-implementation of strangely worded gameplay systems. You’ve got Burst Arts, Burst Arts Effects, Engage Mode, Link Bursts, Acceleration Triggers, Charge/Quick/Air Devours, and a bunch more systems. It took me a good 10 to 15 hours to finally come to grips with what in the world the game was babbling on about in regard to all this.

There’s a lot of gear to equip and terms to study. (Yes, my weapon is called “King Baboon.”)

Music & Sound

There’s some standout music tracks in God Eater 3. You know the problem with them? Here’s a hint: it’s the same problem with all the content in the game. Yep, repetition. The excellent tracks get played over and over for every emotional or victorious story scene. There’s just not enough variety.

Sound design is minimal. Like most of the development, the game gives you just enough sound effects during combat to make things feel semi-powerful, but there’s almost no environmental audio touches. Cutscene audio has the basic stuff like footsteps, clinks of swords, and bangs of bullets, but that’s about it. Passable but not passionate (the effort…it was low).

One of the many short cutscenes between battles. Clinky clank!

Smart AI Teammates & Multiplayer

One of God Eater 3’s best features is your actually intelligent AI teammates! Perhaps the developers didn’t get the memo: AI teammates are supposed to be stupid and infuriating, duh! Yet somehow this game never once frustrated me with dumb AI. If I was downed in battle, my AI teammates would always rush to rescue me.

Throughout the entire game my companions would heal me, buff me, and help me in every single battle. They’re even powerful and capable of killing many monsters by themselves. Any Monster Hunter World player will tell you your companion AI in that game is infuriatingly stupid, so score a huge point for God Eater 3! Massive kudos to the developers!

We’re all being very serious here…meditating on how best to devour more gods.

Besides AI teammates, you are able to engage in either story-based multiplayer missions or larger 8-player “assault” missions with matchmaking (AI will fill the empty slots, thankfully). Honestly, most people will want to play this game solo since the game already features robust AI teammates. But if you’ve got a good friend to play with, that’s always fun of course!

Technical Performance

On the bright side, this game runs like a champ. It was rock solid for me, with nearly perfect framerates. This is expected given the very dated visuals and lack of complicated rendering techniques, but it’s nice all the same to have a game run very well. So kudos to the developers for delivering a quality PC game with acceptable customization options.

Difficulty & Controls

You’ll probably find the game to be pretty easy if you’re an action game aficionado. I never once in my entire playthrough wiped (had to restart a mission). You get ranked for how efficiently you complete missions, and I probably triple-S ranked (the top rank) about 75% of the missions on my first try.

Just getting another SSS rank in 5 minutes or less. It’s pretty easy, really.

Granted, I’m a serious fan of the Devil may Cry style genre that God Eater 3 borrows heavily from, but I was surprised at the ease of progression compared to Monster Hunter World. In that game I wiped many, many times, so in a way God Eater 3 was a nice change of pace. I liked being able to breeze through the game without worrying about all the micro-management of items and gear, like in most Monster Hunter games.

The game is definitely designed for a controller. The mouse movement is very sensitive, and there’s far too many weird button combinations to make keyboard usage very friendly. Even the default bindings on the controller are a bit weird. Thankfully you can rebind just about everything. I’d recommend changing the guard button to something much less obnoxious.

Dude, Where’s the Armor?!

One very lacking element in God Eater 3 is armor crafting. In fact, there is zero armor crafting. There’s zero armor at all, to be precise. There is optional cosmetic clothing crafting, but these top/bottom items are a bit boring (realistic jackets, tank tops, cargo pants). It’s like you’re shopping at some trendy shopping mall…what is this?

Do you like my raincoat and oddly-taped cargo pants? I got them on sale!

The armor department is yet another way God Eater 3 proves how woefully deficient it is compared to Monster Hunter World. Where are all the awesome looking armor sets to prove how much of an elite hunter I am? Oh…I guess the developers couldn’t be bothered to implement all that…what’s the term I’m look for here? Oh yes, low effort!

Warning: Scantily Clad Girls & Large Breasts

Yes, God Eater 3 continues the dubious anime stereotype of scantily clad girls and jiggly boobs because clearly breast physics is an important development priority over more battle locations or monster armors, right? Methinks they’re pandering to the sexualized anime crowd.

Then there’s the captain of your ship, Hilda. She’s a very strong and smart and capable woman with great voice acting and good writing. Hilda’s basically classy and awesome, but the developers gave her enormous scantily clad breasts for some reason.

Hilda is an excellent character, but her visual design egregiously clashes with her persona.

To add insult to gravity-injury, they didn’t even give her a bra…and put her in an almost bursting top. Seriously, her breasts are so large she may need breast reduction surgery. A lot of people don’t realize the very serious health problems that come along with being in the extreme end of the breast-size bell curve. Maybe God Eater 3 is trying to raise awareness of the issue? Yeah…I’m sure that’s it…

Concluding: God Eater 3’s Target Audience?

God Eater 3 is the perfect case for discounted games. The developers have chosen to give us a content-limited, low effort version of a Monster Hunter game. All told it only took a little less than 30 hours to finish every mission and obtain the highest rank gear. That’s lightning-quick compared to other games in the genre.

Besides all that, they haven’t even reached current day graphical standards. Plus they reuse the same arenas and monsters over and over. Yet they have the audacity to charge full price. Nope!

You’ll be seeing a lot of monsters up close and personal. Over and over.

However, many Monster Hunter fans will absolutely love the ultra-fast change-of-pace from the more plodding and tedious Monster Hunter World. There’s a real scrappy charm to this sort of budget monster hunting experience. It’s a bit of a palette cleanser, letting you chomp up and devour a few gods here and there before returning to the real-deal Monster Hunter World experience.

The Final God-Eating Verdict

God Eater 3 is very much a guilty pleasure sort of game. I really did love playing it, even though the whole time I fully recognized how lacking and lackluster many of the elements are. There’s fun to be had here, and the story is compelling enough that I kept dreaming of what could have been if the developers had put as much energy into this game as Capcom put into Monster Hunter World.

I just devoured this god known as Anubis. He was quite delicious. Next!

When its rival series can deliver a full-fledged modern-generation, immerse evolution of the series, God Eater 3 is simply too limited, too aging, and too stuck in the past to compete. It’s a darn shame, too, because what the genre really needs is a merging of Monster Hunter World’s quality and expansiveness with God Eater 3’s story-building and hyper-fun combat.

Once God Eater 3 goes on sale for 75% off or so, then I’d say it’s a real value and worth your time. For now, it’s probably best to avoid paying such a high price for such a low effort production.

Addictive, manic combat

Smart, helpful AI teammates

Colorful cast of characters

Comfortable mission grind

So many weapons and skills

Lengthy story, many missions

Strong ending, nice epilogue

Technically solid, runs great

A scrappy charm to it all

Very repetitive gameplay

Not enough diverse locales

Locations are basic arenas

Every mission is the same

Lacks armor crafting

Reuses enemies too often

World needs show, not tell

Outdated visuals and design

Sexualized anime stuff

Playtime: 28 hours total. Nick blazed through the main story and every optional mission in 24 hours (not nonstop!). Another 4 hours was spent farming for the best end-game gear. And that was that!

Computer Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using an Intel i7-3930k CPU, 32GB of memory, and a nVidia GTX 980 Ti graphics card.

Also read the God Eater 3 PC Performance Analysis.

God Eater 3 Review: Low Effort Manic Monster Munchin’ published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/