#gamereview

[top-video-games-reviews]

Assassin's Creed Shadows: 10 BIGGEST Changes to Know

Everyone is excited for Assassin's Creed Shadows coming on November 15, 2024. It's a new chapter in the series, set in Feudal Japan. The game will mix history with modern tech for amazing visuals and a deep gaming experience.

It's made for the latest consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It uses new tech to make the game look even better.

A dark and atmospheric urban landscape inspired by Assassin's Creed, featuring towering ancient architecture blending with modern city elements, shadowy figures stealthily navigating rooftops, a vibrant moonlit sky casting dramatic shadows, lush greenery climbing over stone structures, and intricate details of historical and futuristic design intertwined.

Players will explore Kyoto and Osaka, two beautiful cities. They'll play as Yasuke and Naoe, each with special skills. This means more ways to fight and sneak around.

The game will have better stealth, a new parry system, and weather that changes how the game looks and feels. Assassin's Creed Shadows is going to change the series in exciting ways.

Secure your copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Amazon now and get exclusive content before the release!”

Key Takeaways

Release date is set for November 15, 2024.

Game features dual protagonists Yasuke and Naoe, each with unique skill sets.

Incorporates ray-tracing global illumination and micro polygon technology for enhanced graphics.

Dynamic weather conditions and seasonal changes affect gameplay.

Settings in Feudal Japan include detailed recreations of Kyoto and Osaka.

Improvements in stealth and combat mechanics promise strategic gameplay experiences.

Available for early access through exclusive pre-order deals at the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store.

New Setting and Characters in Feudal Japan

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a big deal. It takes players to the amazing Assassin's Creed Shadows setting of Feudal Japan. This game is set in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. It's full of history and culture.

Ubisoft has added legendary figures like samurais and shinobi. This makes the game very exciting. It's all about Assassin's Creed historical immersion.

Feudal Japan Landscape and Historical Period

The game is set in a time of big change. You'll see beautiful landscapes with wooden villages and temples. Cherry blossoms add to the beauty.

Places like Kyoto and Osaka are very detailed. They make the game feel real. This is a true Japanese cultural experience.

Secure your copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Amazon now and get exclusive content before the release!”

Main Characters: Yasuke and Naoe

Yasuke is a samurai with strength. Naoe is a shinobi who loves stealth. They work together in a special way.

This Assassin's Creed dual protagonists system makes the game different. It's like Assassin's Creed Syndicate.

Rich Cultural Immersion in Kyoto and Osaka

Kyoto and Osaka are amazing in the game. They feel real. You'll see markets, seasons, and alleys.

This makes the game feel true to Japan's history. It's educational and fun. It's all about Kyoto and Osaka in Assassin's Creed.

Historical Setting: Azuchi-Momoyama period provides a rich backdrop.

Main Characters: Yasuke the samurai and Naoe the shinobi offer unique gameplay styles.

Landscapes: Detailed cities like Kyoto and Osaka immerse players in Japanese culture.

The game focuses on being true to history and culture. It's exciting for both old and new fans. We're all waiting for its release on November 15th.

Assassin's Creed Shadows: 10 BIGGEST Changes You NEED TO KNOW

Ubisoft has made big changes in Assassin's Creed Shadows. The game is set in Feudal Japan in the late 16th century. It has new stealth, combat, and world changes.

Enhanced Stealth and Combat Mechanics

The Assassin's Creed Shadows gameplay focuses on better stealth and combat. It has a new stealth system that uses light and shadow. This lets players control visibility and enemy vision.

Players can now crawl and use the environment for stealth. For example, they can stab through shoji doors. This makes the stealth mechanics in Assassin's Creed more exciting.

Combat in Shadows is also improved. The game has destructible environments and posture mechanics. This makes fights more realistic and challenging.

"An Assassin's Creed scene depicting a dynamic weather system, showcasing a blend of stormy clouds and shafts of sunlight breaking through, with a silhouette of a robed assassin perched on a rooftop, overlooking a vibrant cityscape that shifts from rain-soaked streets to sunlit rooftops, emphasizing the contrast between dark ominous clouds and bright flashes of light."

Secure your copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Amazon now and get exclusive content before the release!”

Dynamic Weather and Seasonal Changes

Shadows has a new feature: dynamic weather and seasons. The game changes with each season. This affects gameplay a lot.

For example, spring is green and good for hiding. Winter is cold and adds survival challenges. These changes affect wildlife and the game world. They make the game more varied and fun.

Open World Exploration and Expansive Maps

Shadows offers great Assassin's Creed open-world exploration. Its maps are huge and full of details. Players can explore central Japan and find many quests and secrets.

The game has many places to explore, like towns and castles. Each area is detailed and reflects Japan's history and culture. The game comes out on November 15, so players can explore these vast landscapes.

A vast, immersive landscape showcasing diverse terrains in the style of Assassin's Creed, featuring ancient ruins, bustling medieval towns, and lush forests under a dynamic sky. Character silhouettes in the distance engaging in stealthy exploration and parkour, with a mix of historical architecture and natural beauty, vivid colors highlighting the day and night cycle.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Features:

Stealth System: Dynamic light and shadow effects, prone crawling, and environmental interactions.

Combat Enhancements: Destructible environments, posture mechanics, and tactical depth.

Dynamic Weather: Seasonal changes affecting gameplay and influencing wildlife behavior.

Open World Exploration: Expansive, detailed maps with diverse regions and interactive environments.

Secure your copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Amazon now and get exclusive content before the release!”

Conclusion

The wait for *Assassin's Creed Shadows* is almost over. It comes out on November 15, 2024. The gaming world is buzzing with excitement.

This game takes us to Feudal Japan. We'll explore Kyoto and Osaka in detail. It has new gameplay and a story with two main characters.

The game is set in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. This adds a rich history and beautiful visuals. It uses the latest tech for amazing graphics.

*Shadows* brings better stealth and combat. You'll see weather and seasons change. It's like *Assassin's Creed Origins* but even better.

Yasuke and Naoe, the main characters, have cool skills. They make the game more fun and challenging. Players will have lots of choices.

Ubisoft is working hard on the *Assassin's Creed* series. They plan to keep making games until 2030. *Assassin's Creed Shadows* is a big step forward for the series.

More news about the game is coming. Fans are getting even more excited. This game could change the *Assassin's Creed* saga and the gaming world.

Secure your copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Amazon now and get exclusive content before the release!”

[julesisgaming]

An Informal DA: The Veilguard Review

Dragon Age: The Veilguard had the potential to be a new age masterpiece, but instead became the perfect example of an underwhelming piece of media in which the creators didn’t know how to finish what they started. Fans and gamers alike, including myself, had been anxiously anticipating the arrival of Veilguard with bated breath. Characters that a strong and tumultuous fanbase had latched onto were being revived for what was projected to be the last hoorah in the current Dragon Age storyline, and BioWare teased plot twists and immersive romances like nothing the fanbase had seen before in previous titles. Unfortunately, most of these aspects did not come to fruition, as character interactions were minimized, the writing quality plummeted overall, and the narrative favoured shock value and needless death over well crafted storylines. This lengthy review will not be spoiler free, so I highly recommend finishing a playthrough of the game before continuing on from here.

The start of Dragon Age: The Veilguard is thrilling and entertaining. The combat system was updated to reflect other RPG games in the genre with real-time combat taking centre stage over button mashing and planned attacks that we saw in previous titles. This was refreshing, although slightly underwhelming as many of the ultimate attacks and special attacks for the different classes were heavily modelled and influenced by other popular titles. As the game progressed and the story unfolded, the more companions added to the player arsenal allowed for the combat as well as story encounters to remain interesting - that is, they did so upon first playthrough. The bosses were interesting for the first 20 or so hours of gameplay and only became monotonous upon entering act 2, when most of the boss and mini boss encounters were ones you had already battled in act 1. This paired with the overall grind nature of the combat system made the RTC quite boring halfway through the second act, and like many other users I found myself with a desire to lower the combat difficulty from hard to story mode so I could get through the game a little quicker - which is never a good sign in an RPG. Combat is meant to be entertaining and challenging, while presenting the player with new opportunities and many different types of enemies to dominate over the course of their playtime - something that a game like Elden Ring does phenomenally. The difficulty setting in Veilguard is tied only to health and damage numbers, not to the AI programmed to make an enemy more difficult or upgrade their moveset. Moving from hard mode on my first playthrough to story mode on my second made this extremely obvious, as on hard mode I was in battles for 20-30 minutes whereas on story mode difficulty, the battles never broke 5 minutes which cut down significantly on the time I spent in the game. The first 20 hours of gameplay on hard mode got me to Treviso, whereas the first 20 hours of gameplay on story mode got me all the way through to the first big choice after getting Davrin and Assan, which is a massive difference in playtime despite there not being any massive change in combat besides the damage taken by enemies. 

This combat feature was also something that although I found very fun at first, became very tedious as I continued to explore areas throughout the game and was bombarded with enemies despite clearing out an area one fast travel ago. Fast travel in this game is an absolute must, and in many titles there is nothing wrong with that, although in Veilguard I think the main issue is that the map is much too big for the amount of content that they were able to fill it with. Most of the chests were duplicates of the same armour which upgraded its rarity - since unique armour pieces were found in rare chests which popped up only 2-4 times per map or discovered through completing quests and upgrading shops. Because of this, the chests and getting 100% map completion along with the statues being the exact same thing over and over again just meant that the world was heavily padded rather than being full of interesting discoverable content in the vein of Breath of the Wild. Not only that, but the fact that the game didn’t give you a trophy - at least on steam where I played - for completing 100% of the map meant that the accomplishment of doing so felt completely moot. I spent over 100 hours in my first playthrough and most of that was clearing out corruption and running around finding all of the Evanuris statues and yet the game didn’t reward me for doing that almost at all which was incredibly disappointing. Even defeating all of the major bosses left me with an empty feeling inside because there was nothing attached to them. The cool weapons and armour you got from their defeat all had a negative side effect attached to them that made me not want to wear the item at all, especially since so much of them were related to cooldown times and damage which meant that my 20 minute battles on hard mode were going to take even longer from wearing the item I had just unlocked.

Moving on from exploration and battle however, I have found that the media in the past several years has started to utilize death in a way that supplies only temporary shock value which in turn lessens the overall effect of an important death later on in the franchise or even in other titles. In traditional media, death was used primarily as an inciting incident for the protagonist or as a means of changing the overall direction of a piece of art. Take Romeo & Juliet for example, a play in which every single death leads to an even more tragic one, thus resulting in the end that we all know so well today. Each death directly caused one of the main protagonists to change their direction and take action in a way that affected the story whether positively or negatively. Tolkein and C.S Lewis are other prime examples of creators who were able to capitalize on the impact of a well timed death in their works to move the story forward in a way that was meaningful. Unfortunately, Veilguard falls victim to the age-old problem that many other titles do - if you don’t know how to end something or you don’t know how to develop a character, just kill someone off. The most strange part of this phenomenon in this new DA title is that the characters who you would suspect would be the most tied to death in a unique way aren’t even the ones who experience it in the game as you go along - Lucanis & Davrin. This is where major spoilers for the game will be discussed. From the moment the prologue ends, it is obvious that something is not quite right with Varric. While I know this twist came as a surprise to many players, it was quite unnecessary and didn’t make much sense in the grand scheme of the story. The fact that the writers held onto such an important detail until act 3, right before the ending of the game is a testament to this fact, which is a prime reason why I believe that the team didn’t exactly know how to finish what they started. Killing off Varric when he was such a staple to the DA brand and storyline did nothing but elicit tears from a fanbase who loved him. His presence throughout the entirety of the game to make players and Rook believe that he was alive seemed like a perfect opportunity to shoe in a character that they knew would hook us from the get-go. There are much more impactful ways to lose Varric that would have made even more sense for his character and given Solas another reason to tie himself to the veil alone or with Lavellan. The best solution for this is to let Varric live through the stabbing. Let him exist in the game, and when the time is right, have him voluntarily take Rook’s place in the fade prison allowing them to fix the world. This would essentially “kill off” Varric’s character, as Rook would no longer be able to travel to the fade to see Varric - but it would be a heroic sacrifice that would allow him to take agency over his own story and see his part through to the end honourably. That, or the writers could have had Varric sacrifice himself to shoot ghilan'nain in his final battle instead of permanently losing either Harding or Davrin in the fray. This option would’ve also let players experience having Varric in their party one final time before losing him forever, which would’ve been incredibly impactful. The “memory” of Varric that Solas manipulates Rook with throughout the game is overall a choice that doesn’t feel entirely backed up with accurate relationship exposition either. Varric is essentially a father figure to Rook at this point, and is so important to them that they are easily manipulated and swayed by his decisions and advice, something that wouldn’t normally happen with people who had only known each other for less than a year as the game tells us. 

Bellara, Taash, The Threads (and Neve), and Davrin/Harding are also all victims of this poorly executed trope. Death should mean something. Having Bellara’s deceased brother come back for shock value and return to her in full for 4 lines only to be immediately killed again is completely unnecessary. Taash’s mother being kidnapped and accepting them in a moment of desperation and then sacrificing herself to pull a lever is unnecessary. Damas being killed off screen so the Threads can express urgency to Neve in Docktown in a single 2 minute cutscene with no later repercussions is unnecessary. Permanently killing off either Harding or Davrin is also completely unnecessary. Every single one of those deaths is a foolish attempt at forcing emotional responses from an audience - and it works - but to what end? If most of your story is streamlined with a few moments of character death, then what is the actual impact on the player outside of a shallow reaction? What is the story you are trying to tell if characters can die off and seemingly those deaths have no real impact on the protagonist or the story at large? What is the story you are trying to tell if characters can come back from the dead whenever you need them to, in order to extend a questline or give people a difficult choice to make? These are tough questions that I’m not entirely sure of the answer to, but I think the longevity of this game compared to previous titles will most likely tell us more than we anticipate.

I have two main final critiques to get out of my system before wrapping up my informal review: the illusion of player choice and the lack of companion content.

A pet peeve of mine is when a studio delivers a game with a choice wheel and approval system that has no general effect on the situation at all. After finishing the game once and playing a second playthrough to act 2, I can safely say that none of the choices you make outside of Treviso vs. Minrathous or the final choices have any impact on the story whatsoever. You can choose the “aggressive” options in dialogue and it will lead you to the exact same place that the good option does. Sure, one of your companions might disapprove, but you can still romance them nonetheless or turn them into your best friend in the world. Their attitude towards you does not change like it used to in Inquisition or in other titles like Baldur’s Gate 3. Regardless of the dialogue choices you make, they all have the same sentiment and oftentimes the same tone even though they should in theory be different. 

This choice issue also leads directly into the issue of a lack of companion content. I know BioWare as a studio was heavily leaning towards giving the players more companion content that eventually got cut down by the EA executive powers that be, but overall even what is there is quite disappointing. The lack of interaction mechanics in the lighthouse is a feature that is sorely missed and makes the characters in the game feel less approachable and realistic. You can only communicate with them when the game allows you in a quest, you can’t talk to them on the journey, you can’t ask them their opinion on game events or the other companions, you can’t talk to your romanced companion or interact with them affectionately either. This core feature of DA games was something that set them apart from other RPGs and without it it almost doesn’t feel like a DA game at all. This paired with the questlines for the companions severely lacking in content outside of 2 story beats per character cuts deep. There are multiple quests I did with companions where I showed up with my Rook, they talked for 4 lines, the camera zoomed in on an object in the frame, and then the quest ended. It was a complete and total waste of time. Time that could’ve been spent giving us the opportunity to talk to our companions in between missions. Even removing some of the useless chests and multiple statues across the world to instead create a bit more content for the companions would have been more ideal than what we got.

Veilguard feels in general like a game that was being forced into a new age RPG box that had to cater to new fans, young fans, millennial fans, and hardcore gamers. Unfortunately when you try to create something for everyone you are often left with a title that does just enough to be pretty good in every category rather than a standout feature. The game tries its best to tie up the stories of characters we loved by sending them off with a farewell in order to set up the next generation of stories set in the same world that we’ve spent countless hours within. 

Overall, I don’t want to come across as someone who absolutely hated Veilguard (even though it definitely sounds like that.) I had an enjoyable time playing the game and thought that it was quite fun. The world was beautiful and I didn’t mind the more cartoonish design choices. I loved most of the vocal performances from the actors and thought that act 2 was well built. The characters were all unique and designed well, and I wish I got to know more about them throughout my time playing. That’s about it though. It was not worthy of a Game of the Year nomination, but probably deserved more than just accessibility. If your game is fun then that is what matters most, but to create a game that occupies space in a way that has the capacity to change a genre is more important than the work or time put into production. Especially since almost every game these days takes 4+ years to create. Veilguard falls perfectly in line with other fun, vanilla RPG games that have padded worlds and easy to follow storylines like Hogwarts Legacy. It’s a game that I’m sure people will continue to play for a while, but I know personally it’s one that I’m quite ready to move on from after 1 ½ playthroughs. I’m giving Dragon Age: The Veilguard a 6.5/10 on my scale, a respectable and fun title that I’d recommend to people who are getting into gaming, but not to those who have been avid gamers for a while (unless on sale).

[outgeekedyt]

Anime Collectibles 25th Anniversary Digivice Review - The Ultimate Digital Adventure in Full Color!

Join us as we dive into the nostalgia-packed 25th Anniversary Digivice with its brand new color LCD screen! This updated version brings classic Digimon gameplay to life with vivid visuals and modern features. We’ll take you through the unboxing, explore the enhanced display, and break down what makes this Digivice an essential for long-time fans and new collectors alike. From gameplay modes to the sleek design updates, we cover everything you need to know about this special edition Digivice!

[ryanbeardy]

Putting a spotlight on a small indie title that really surprised me. Pseudoregalia combines platforming with a Metroidvania that oozes atmosphere. It had a unique time in development and I had a lot of fun learning about it.

[ordepii]

doom (2016)

*finished in 06/08/2024

anyone can relate to the pure fun that comes from shooting demons and the power fantasy environment that creates inside of you. DOOM really is timeless, but there's still work to be done if you want to make it modern.

i like to say that ID Software's DOOM (2016) is not a reimagining of the original as much as it is a sort of translation. to me, 2016's changes when it comes to design are not trying to, well, change it, it's more like they're trying to adapt the feeling of playing DOOM. what does that mean? it means DOOM (2016) feels, to me, like what DOOM (1993) must've felt to 90s kids when it came out. it's about bringing the same intensity and adding layers of complexity to serve that intensity, something most reboots forget to do because they're so focused on aesthetics they forget the game feel.

DOOM (2016) is all about feeling. it's not trying to change DOOM, because there's no need to. the appeal is universal. what you do need are ways to engage the modern player beyond just shooting: enter the glory kills, the simple but effective rpg elements, the power ups having an even more active role, ledge grabbing, double jumping, even the chainsaw is expanded upon and given an actual function. put all that together with how the new visuals modernize and, in a way, show you what you've always knew DOOM to be. enemy designs are not adaptations as much as they are just - the same thing, clearer. more detailed. all the bloody details you had to abstract from the pixelated designs are now clearer than ever, and, surprisingly, exactly how and where i've always imagined it.

it really is an achievement. a soft reboot so on-brand and fresh. clearly incredible influential, too. if anything, i wish there was more of it. more bosses, a more clearly defined reason for switching weapons, a more dynamic use of movement beyond just jumping everywhere (this is foreshadowing because i know Eternal fixes basically all of that). still, crazy good. what a GOOD game.

[nxp-play]

Indika Full Game Play

[gamingmonarch]

"Stellar Blade: A Visual Marvel with Combat Mastery"

In the words of Hyung-Tae Kim, the visionary behind Stellar Blade, he identifies himself as a visual enthusiast rather than a storyteller. This distinction underscores the game’s emphasis on captivating visuals over narrative depth. As I immersed myself in Stellar Blade’s world, I found Kim’s perspective to be evident. It’s a thrilling journey, adorned with striking character and monster designs,…

[cannedbread95]

Slow Damage Review

Not Spoiler Free! What makes Slow Damage such an emotionally compelling and rewarding experience? To answer this question, we first need to look outwards at ourselves and the social conditions of the society we live in. It doesn’t take much insight to understand that capitalism is in a deep and severe crisis. Inflation, poverty, political instability are just a few things that have been exacerbated in recent times. And I find that art in general rarely takes inspiration from the sickness of this system. Right away in Slow Damage, the prologue dives into the economic collapse of post-Olympic Japan. Describing basically word for word what life has become for the majority of people around the world. Shinkoumi may seem dystopic, but are the material conditions on the island really that different from our own? Its clear where the writers drew their inspiration from.  

Towa is both a unique and familiar character. Compared to other Nitro Chiral protagonists, Towa certainly stands out, but why is that? I think there’s a few reasons. Towa for most of the story is really just someone trying to get by in life, and barely at that. He has few hobbies, spends a lot of time doing nothing, works a boring low wage job, wanders around. Not even mentioning his drug abuse and other destructive behaviors, its clear that Towa isn’t very interested in being alive. There are reasons for this, which are later revealed in the true route. However, Towa’s internal dialogue reveals that a lot of Shinkoumi residents feel the same way, and he’s no different. Given the staggering unemployment rate, high cost of living, and prevalence of violent crime, Shinkoumi is a suffocating place to live, especially for young people. Towa’s lifestyle may standout in comparison, but in his world--our world, he’s just the average guy. Throughout the story, Towa meets people who are just like him. People who have suffered the same exact abuse he did as a child, and who cope in the same destructive way he does. Even though Towa has familial connections to the bourgeois of Shinkoumi, his lived reality is crippling poverty. I think at times throughout the story, there seems to be not a lot going on. During the exploration component, Towa has the option of going to local shops and districts, but these movements are not necessarily plot relevant. A lot of the time, Towa just goes to places and you get to listen to his thoughts. If Towa goes to the old school candy shop, you get to hear him talk about gentrification and nostalgia (obviously in his words). Depending on what district he’s walking through, he describes the class character of the neighborhood, who probably lives in the apartments, etc. I think this is a wonderful component of the story, and Towa’s descriptions really solidify the class character of Shinkoumi. Towa’s meandering and inner dialogue are the heart of the game in my opinion.  Its not until after Fujieda’s route where Towa has regained his lost memories that he starts to find joy in everyday life. But Towa doesn’t magically heal from his trauma. In fact, when Towa is brutally confronted with his childhood, we see him breaking down and falling into the lowest point of his life. Its only through Fujieda’s compassionate intervention where Towa begins to slowly accept himself. By the end of Fujieda’s route, Towa is still suffering from daily nightmares. However, in the past when Towa would use self-harm and alcohol to cope with his trauma, instead now we see him experiencing the same distressing flashbacks, and then letting the painful feelings pass. This is not to say that he’s unaffected from the agony of his trauma. Towa still struggles from insomnia and feeling like shit in general, but at least now he wants to live.  Unfortunately, Slow Damage does not end in the revolution of Shinkoumi. I’ll admit that I was bit disappointed that nothing fundamentally changed in the resort city. Even though the two gang leaders who governed the city were removed, we are told that some other “corporation” took their place, and it was business as usual. Although anti climatic, this is the reality under capitalism. Social conditions don’t magically improve just because the scary cat lover ex-yakuza assassinates the head honchos. So basically, post story Shinkoumi is still a shitty place to live if you’re poor. But at least in each ending, we get to see Towa trying to live his best life regardless if he’s decided to confront his lost memories. Its enough that Rei, Taku, Madarame and Fujieda accept and love Towa for who he is. And this feeling is mutual too. Although perhaps more obvious in other routes, Towa openly voices his admiration and respect for each love interest. This doesn’t mean that these relationships are perfect by any means, but that these characters can be imperfect, crooked, and happy.  It was really difficult putting together a review, especially since I love this game so much. I think the point overall of writing this was to somewhat clarify why this visual novel resonated with me so well. The strong point of this game is undoubtedly Towa and getting to experience Shinkoumi through his eyes. I think in general if Slow Damage had come out ten years ago, it probably wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact on its players, or at least for me. But for me, and millions of other young people, the world has turned its back on us. Conditions are rapidly deteriorating, life has become unbearable, and like the barbarism of Shinkoumi, there seems to be no way out. But at least in Slow Damage, we get to see someone like us finding a sliver of respite in a world deprived of hope.  Afterthoughts: By the way, this game also has an amazing soundtrack, art direction, voice acting and UI. There are so many other wonderful aspects of the game that I will not mention publicly on social media platforms. But if you must know, Slow Damage is an R18 game. Slow Damage has really  elevated the Boys Love genre in general and I hope future titles will continue to go beyond expectations. I was also all over the place with this review, which is indicative of how badly I want to pop off on all the things I love about Slow Damage. 

[jeffs-gamebox]

Daggerheart First Impressions

Taking a brief look at Daggerheart Playtest document from Darrington Press. This game needs some refinement, but it looks great on paper so far. I definitely see it selling to the Critical Role audience.

It’s awesome for Critical Role fans. The playtest package can be found at this link. I’ve been in this hobby for over 40 years, and I’ve seen many games come and go. Companies with products who looked like they were going to stand the test of time are gone now. Games that looked like hot garbage at first glance are still around today. Darrington Press’ Daggerheart is still very much up in the…

[flamingtunapictures]

Honest "Death’s Door" Review - *7/10*

Tl:dr - A good game that delivers a challenging and polished souls-like gaming experience, however its choices in story/world building; repetitive dungeon structure; and lack of simple navigational tools detracted from a thoroughly enjoyable adventure for me.

OVERVIEW

Overall Presentation - A clean, polished game with well developed systems and beautiful art. Combat is challenging but not impossible, and visual style is graphic and engaging without being too juvenile.

Music - Wonderful soundtrack. Each area boasts a variety of fun thematic instruments. I found tunes and arrangements very reminiscent of Okami.

Gameplay - Challenging combat that rewards patience, with a variety of ranged and melee weapons a player can interchange fluently in battle to fit their personal fighting style. Puzzles are balanced, never crossing into so-hard-lose-interest territory. The game can be 100%-ed in a reasonable time without guides if one chooses to do so.

Despite my initial impression, the shrines were also fun riddles to solve. I loved the local pub's “hearsay” method with “Jefferson” at the Sunken Sailor. It was a fun touch of flavor and helped make the shrines feel tangible.

3 MAJOR CRITICISMS FOR DEATH’S DOOR

Game progression is extremely linear and dungeon structure lacks core differentiation. Each dungeon’s objectives are structured the same way: you explore an area and fight through mini-boss rooms to free 5 crow souls. These unlock the next power upgrade via almost identical combat challenges. This is followed immediately by ascension to the final stage of a dungeon; concluding with the boss fight. While each dungeon offered their own unique puzzles and layouts, the lack of variety in objectives started to feel more like a checklist than an exciting opportunity for discovery. It’s worth noting as well, the game is linear (Urn Witch > Frog King > Betty) as each previous level provides you with a necessary upgrade to access the next challenge.

The lack of a map made the experience of exploring vast areas (extremely) frustrating. This frustration was exacerbated in the world-scouring post game collect-a-thon. The fact that a map was not even an option was incredibly infuriating to me. I understand the creators of the game declared their creative choice “promoted as organic of a gaming experience as possible,” and aligned themselves further with the “souls-like” label, however it does not feel like an infallible decision. Take Hollow Knight to compare and contrast this. Maps were provided throughout the game but the player was also given the choice of how much they wanted to engage with, or take advantage of the map. Maps had to be purchased, making it entirely possible for a player to forgo it completely if they chose to do so. There was also a balanced trade-off of forfeiting an equipment slot to attach the Wayward Compass charm for effective use of the map. Death’s Door doesn’t even give you the option.

The game’s narrative feels hollow, lacking in any commendable character depth or motivation. Essential world lore is delivered too late, is confusing, and detracts from the drama’s overall impact. I finished the game feeling underwhelmed by the plot despite the game’s (self)positioning as a prolific drama.

(spoiler alert) - I found myself floundering to feel anything for the final act, or to really make sense of the world’s logic and lore between the end of act two and beginning of act three. From what I currently understand (having 100%-ed the game) the world, since coming under the rule of the current Lord Of Doors, became a place of stagnation… Most, if not all (?) creatures were living unreasonably long lives (past their “due dates”) because the Lord of Doors cut off Death itself from the worlds, and subsequently the Crow Commission (who had assumed Death’s role of reaping souls). With no no one reaping souls, nobody was actually dying? But then why was the Grey Crow aging with the threat of death looming over him? Or why did all the crows who got cut off from the commission die? Or how were the free-crow’s movement for that matter, that promoted the natural order of embracing death, actually fulfill their own creed? I should not be this confused or have this many questions at the explanation of the state-of-the-world after playing the game for 20 hours.

Secondly, many of the significant “reveals” in the 3rd act felt underwhelming. Starting with the “Free Crows” movement (a trope-ish rebel group that “fights the system”). Their presence and justification provided almost all the context to the world’s supposed stagnation. Thus, their late-game reveal (almost the end of act two) caused me to completely reevaluate and question if I had understood anything from the soft world-building up to that point. Their motivations felt generic as well, and lacked any kind of originality or robustness. Additionally, the pacing between defeating the Grey Crow and the sudden “call-to-arms” from the Free Crows felt very jarring and like the story was just trying to quickly wrap things up. It did not feel justified.

Death’s reveal was equally underwhelming. His reveal should have felt like a reward for the arduous efforts it took to open his door. His reveal should have left me feeling like I finally had answers… but because I was not aware the world was “stagnated” until moments before I encountered him, his presence felt confusing, and honestly, a little insignificant to me.

As for the final two bosses, the Grey Crow and the Lord of Doors, another reviewer captured the narrative's failure best: It felt like the story was telling me to care about these characters more than actually giving me substantial experience with them to want to care about them. I found myself uninterested in the final boss’ motivations in lieu of just wanting to finish the game. 

All these things considered, it really boils down to me not finding the lore of this game’s world particularly compelling*.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Death’s Door is a quick (10-20 hours, including post-game) adventure challenge that offers a polished gaming experience, and pleasant visuals and soundtrack. Combat will leave you gnashing your teeth if you don’t employ a little patience, solidifying its position as a “souls-like” game. I would definitely say it’s worth your time if you enjoy games like that. If you’re looking for a more compelling world-lore, convicting story or just better navigation support however, I would recommend something like Hollow Knight instead.

—

*Even the “truth” revealed after completing the post game did not feel like it added any significant detail or insight into the story. For how much effort it demanded to unlock, it was another narrative disappointment.

One exception exists however with the Gravedigger. He was by far the most compelling character. His sad story was the only one that drew an actual reaction from me when I realized just who “Monty” was (hint, look at the shiny-thing locket you find). His final battle was the most satisfying and his emotional departure felt wonderfully delivered.

[phoenixprjct]

🎮 Starfield frustrates by being antithetical to the genre Bethesda once pioneered - In-Depth Review 🎮

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Developer (Platform): Bethesda Game Studios (Xbox Series X)

Publisher (Release): Bethesda Softworks (2023)

Starfield is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. It desperately needs an editor to cut through all the idealistic but useless features to remind the developers that quality always trumps quantity. A rich world and fantastic side quests clash with an uninspired main quest and a plethora of performance issues that render the game's push for exploration anything but. It's a mix of the studio's Skyrim with the genre-defining Mass Effect series, but never quite satisfies those itches and leaves the player thinking of stronger experiences. I ran into a plethora of issues from glitches to outright crashes, spent an inordinate amount of time troubleshooting issues I shouldn't be worried about on console, and doing my best to accept that Bethesda doesn't seem to care to learn from lessons that have hurt them for decades.

While Starfield seems stuck between generations and intentions, it's still fun (frustrating fun, sure, but fun nonetheless). Its side quests shine and its crisp combat only gets better the more skills you unlock. Character creation and crafting your journey are both solid in design and execution, and the game does reward your investment. With all my criticism, I am excited for the universe's future and the undoubted refinements to come, but the developer's ego needs some serious attention and quality control needs a firmer, more moderate hand.

For the full review and more posts like it, follow me here and visit my site:

[nomoneytoplay]

Prince of Persia (2008)

Bought for: $1.99

Played on: PC

Release date: December 2, 2008

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher: Ubisoft

Game Type: Platform game, Action-adventure game, Adventure

Platforms: Android, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, macOS, Classic Mac OS, Java Platform, Micro Edition

ESRB Rating: T for Teen - Alcohol Reference, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence

Pros & Cons

A brand new Prince! 

Graphics are stunning.

Superb voice acting.

PARKOUR! 

The classic hack and slash the series is known for.

A huge map to explore with different paths to unlock. 

While the map may be impressive, yourself parkouring around in circles. Which at one point the world will start to feel empty.

Enemy designs are cool, however same enemy, same area.

Four unique bosses and encounters. However…..

Combat is very repetitive. 

Glowing seeds to collect all over the map.

My Experience:

Before the acclaimed Assassin’s Creed franchise was born, Ubisoft's greatest parkour master game was the Prince of Persia. An epic tale of a warrior prince and unique rewinding time ability that was always fun to do. But to create something new, Ubisoft made a total 180 on this game, no longer would the Prince be ... .uhm a Prince. But he would be a (I guess) traveling thief who has lost his donkey………one word: AWESOME! 

This new Prince is now my favorite, THAT”S NOTHING MORE TO SAY!! 

A Score of~~~

Okay Okay I’m kidding! 

Prince of Persia is a game where you are immediately sucked into its plot. Helping a young woman named Elika to stop the curse that has left her kingdom ruined and her people dead. While you are playing as the “hero” of this game, The Prince behaves more like an anti-hero than anything else, cocky, a bit arrogant and flirtatious when given the chance. This is what makes this game worth it. The interaction between Prince and Elika is so much fun, there’s a button where you can have them speak to one another at any given time. Elika will fight alongside Prince, so if you parry or activate any special move, Elika will provide a hand. But here’s the issue of this game, Elika will always prevent Prince’s death. From falling off the platforms or enemies about to deliver the final blow. 

Safely put this game has no game over!  

As amazing as this sounds, it kinda takes away from the difficulty of this game, if there really is one. You see, while playing Prince of Persia, the game does feature four interesting bosses. These bosses have some unique story backgrounds, they all were in charge of different parts of the map which gives them a cool intake of who they were. But while the part of the world is challenging and enemies themselves are unique. It will be the same boss battle hack and slash encounter over and over again. 

The maps themselves also feature some challenging paths that are unlocked through story progression. It adds more to the parkour challenge and they are a challenge. One mistake and you would have to start all over again.   

As much as I can nitpick a person’s upper strength to climb and jump all the obstacles in this game. This is (like I said) not the most typical Prince of Persia game, but I enjoyed it so much. Simple to play on keyboard, beautiful graphics and character interactions that make up for the amount of ideas this could have had. This is an adventure that your two dollars investment will be proud to spend! 

OH! It has been 15 years and he still hasn’t found his donkey…

A Lost Donkey Score of 3 out 4 Quarters. 

[ryanbeardy]

Music and games have been intertwined since the beginning. Sometimes that relationship can result in something more. In this video I'll explore the legacy of Rez, Synesthesia, and the talented minds behind this unique philosophy.

[gertlushgaming]

Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue Review (PlayStation 5)

For this Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue Review, Play as Poppy, Branch, and more of your favorite DreamWorks Trolls as you explore, smash, dance, and battle your way towards rescuing the Troll Kingdom from a melodic mastermind who’s trying to alter the Trolls’ musical harmony!

Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue Review Pros:

- Decent graphics that look like the film. - 2.93GB download size. - Platinum trophy. - You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game. - 3 save slots. - Action platformer gameplay. - A full 3D world with 360-degree camera control. - Locations are very open and do let you roam as you wish. - Many hidden areas and bonus crates. - Earn new abilities as you play like swirling your head around to damage crates and enemies, get wall jumping, etc. - Big boss-like encounters. - Gems are everywhere and carry over between levels. - Characters can be chosen or you can edit and create your own. - Local multiplayer support with up to 4 characters. - Two playable characters are from the new film that is coming soon. - Constant checkpoints. - Accessible easy-to-learn controls. - You get a good amount of health and can pick up health parts at a level. - Mini-games play a part in rhythm action sequences. - A collection of the enemies you face fills in as you take out one for the first time. - As you go through a location you come across safe areas that act like a hub, before you can use it all enemies have to be cleared out and the DJ decks activated. - Trader trolls are in safe areas and here you can buy costumes for your character. - A wardrobe is in the safe area and is where you go to edit your character. - Hidden Golden Troll statues are traded for higher-end customisation items at the trader troll. - The hot air balloon in safe areas lets you fast-travel to unlocked areas. - Kids will love the open space and the way they can progress how they want or not, Do as they want and still have fun. Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue Review Cons: - Cannot rebind controls. - The music sounds the same in every location and if it does change then it loops so much that you learn to hate it. - The platforming is not great. - Jumping feels spongy and loose. - You never know when you have hit a checkpoint. - Not all the cutscenes can be skipped or fast-forwarded. - The gems you need to collect are loose and do everything in your power to avoid being picked up. - Gems disappear really quickly after dropping. - The combat is boring and simple. - At many points of a location, the game takes control of the camera and it is not great and jarring, it then feels like you are wrestling with the camera during it. - You get very little guidance and progression feels more like you stumble upon it rather than scripted. Related Post: Shuyan Saga Video Review (PlayStation 5) Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue: Official website. Developer: Petit Fabrik Publisher: GameMill Store Links - PlayStation Read the full article