Reviews
DOOM: The Dark Ages Review
May 09, 2025
I loved DOOM (2016), but when it came to DOOM Eternal, it was a game I tolerated but didn’t really like. With DOOM: The Dark Ages, I feared that I wouldn’t like it, especially for a game with such a focus on parrying. Those fears have been allayed, because I wholeheartedly love this top to bottom. The Dark Ages feels clever and timely to be an action FPS with a parry system that feels like nothing else, where the action never lets up and doesn’t disappoint. DOOM: The Dark Ages lets you ripeth and teareth in the days of future past with great impunity for an unforgettable campaign of carnage.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Review
May 05, 2025
I remember when I first sat down with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion back in 2006, it was just such a jaw-dropping and fantastic RPG experience. It was my first time with a Bethesda RPG, and I was hooked. So much so that I ended up getting 100% of all the achievements on Xbox 360. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is more than a simple remaster, but it manages recapture the feel of playing it like it is the first time. And if it is your first time, you’re in for a real treat. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered stands as one of Bethesda’s best RPGs and a world filled with wonderment and danger.
South of Midnight Review
Apr 25, 2025
Compulsion Games have a deep understanding and execution of narrative elements that keep you hooked. South of Midnight is yet another entry that allows you to invest into its characters and world; though the combat leaves something to be desired, I was compelled to see the game to its end. South of Midnight is southern tapestry full of folktales, heart, earnestness, and it has been worth the wait.
The First Berserker: Khazan Review
Apr 14, 2025
“I wish I had a time machine”, I murmured during an online call with some friends. I could feel their anticipation of what I was about to say next. Give up on writing to become a woodcutter? “So I could see fewer ‘Khazan has fallen’ screens”, most burst into laughter followed up by “Lucas, you should stop playing those games”. They are not wrong. “First Berserker: Khazan” was the next one in a long line of “souls likes”, “Nioh-likes”, “punishment machines”, however you want to call it. Yes, dear reader, it is one of those games. Yeah, you know the one. The type of action RPG that had a massive surge in the past decade. Stamina meter, punishing bosses, character customization, learning attack patterns and—hopefully—beating a boss after 30 or 40 attempts. The thing is, “First Berserker: Khazan” is both this type of game, and isn’t.
Monster Hunter Wilds Review
Apr 11, 2025
If you haven’t jumped on the Monster Hunter train by now, you’re certainly aware of its incredible rise to status and fame in the West over the series’ past several releases. Capcom’s continued bid to make the Monster Hunter franchise more approachable and playable to more people, while constantly refining the grand formula has resulted in what is probably the most tightly balanced version of Monster Hunter yet. I would go as far to say that it’s the best Monster Hunter ever, if it wasn’t constantly getting in its own way. Instead, it’s a baffling mix of incredible fun and handwringing boredom that eventually reaches its potential after a whole lot of stumbles.
Commandos: Origins Review
Apr 09, 2025
The last proper Commandos game we had (not counting the recent HD remasters) was Commandos 3 back in 2003. That’s a long time for this series to lie dormant. Though thankfully the real-time tactics genre hasn’t been as quiet, seeing resurrections across various games in the last decade. Commandos: Origins inserts itself quite nicely into the fold, thanks to the new internal development studio to Kalypso in Claymore Game Studios. Commandos: Origins is a faithful prequel feels like a fitting return full of challenging missions that will exercise the trial-and-error gameplay that feels like a modern classic.
Breakout Beyond Review
Mar 31, 2025
Breakout Beyond literally turns Breakout on its side for a stylish take on the classic brick breaker. At the helm is Choice Provisions, the people best known for the BIT.TRIP games. It’s unfortunately style over substance, as it is missing a few core components, and a bug that prevents the infinite mode from being endless. That said, Breakout Beyond is still a good experience for new and returning players of the classic Atari game.
Spilled! Review
Mar 26, 2025
Earth Day is just a month away, but Spilled! could be a perfect companion to that. It’s a game that reminds me of the early 90s and how ecocentric and focused we were as a people. We were told to save the ozone (we did), cut plastic rings apart to save the dolphins (still have to), and we had the Captain Planet for everything else. Spilled! doesn’t have any overt messages, but it does help bring awareness while also being a fantastic compact, cozy, and concise clean-up game.
KAISERPUNK Review
Mar 21, 2025
There is a subset of games that I like to call “spreadsheet games,” ones that probably have a spreadsheet inside for you to sort of track what you are doing. Games like “Factorio,” “Hearts of Iron IV,” or even “Anno 1800” fall into this category. “Kaiserpunk” also falls deeply into what my friends like to call “Sicko Games.” Games with layered mechanics so deep that even when you’re starting to grasp what you’re getting into, you’re gone. And, reader, I was gone.
Atomfall Review
Mar 21, 2025
Taking inspiration from the real-life event of the Windscale fire that befell Northern England in 1957. Atomfall is a playable “what if” scenario based on that event that avoids retreading familiar ground we’ve seen in other games about nuclear disasters. And Rebellion have really hit a six with this extremely British survival game. Atomfall is a compelling first-person adventure full of mystery and intrigue that’s unlike anything else, and one I’ll be returning to soon.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review
Mar 20, 2025
It has taken a long time for the Assassin’s Creed franchise to finally explore Japan, a location that fans have eagerly been waiting for. Thankfully the game makes full use of this popular historical backdrop. The idea of an Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan is as thrilling as one might expect, delivering an experience that blends historical intrigue with the franchise’s signature open-world stealth and combat mechanics. While Assassin’s Creed Shadows builds upon the successful formula of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, it introduces a few changes aimed at enhancing the player experience such as the two distinct warrior archetypes: the stealthy and agile Shinobi Ninja and the disciplined but formidable Samurai Warrior. This dual-character approach adds some variety to the gameplay and bridges a gap between the more stealthy nature of classic Assassin’s Creed titles and the brawler feeling of the more modern games. While some changes are clear improvements, others are questionable but despite any uncertainties, the game has left a lasting impression on me. Assassin’s Creed: Shadows stands out as my favorite entry in the series to date, successfully bringing together the best stealth elements of the franchise with the long-awaited setting of historic Japan.
FATE: Reawakened Review
Mar 19, 2025
For me, there’s nothing more nostalgic of dungeon-crawler action RPGs like FATE. It was lighthearted alternative to Diablo that also ran in web browsers – 2005 was a wild time. FATE: Reawakened mostly succeeds at recapturing the memories and feelings playing, but the current state is rather buggy. The current FATE games are playable today but are visually lacking, FATE: Reawakened closes the gap of time to be a remaster that doesn’t change too much to be more like how you remember it. FATE: Reawakened goes back to a time when loot was plentiful, pets were loyal, and the grind was a satisfying one.
Expelled! Review
Mar 11, 2025
Expelled! comes from the folks at inkle, the folks behind 2021’s Overboard!. In that game you were guilty as sin, and had to disprove your guilt in a brilliant reversal of the detective game. Here you have to prove your innocence, and it’s a whodunit of insurmountable odds. Expelled! is much better and more expansive experience than its guilty counterpart. There’s plenty of cleverness and bright ideas to go around, so much so that it deserves a spot on the Dean’s List.
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH (PC) Review
Feb 27, 2025
How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish I could play that one game for the first time again?” How often have you enjoyed a game, movie, tv show, or book so much that you long to be able to experience it fresh again? I bet there are a few things that spring to mind; we’ve all got our own lists. What if it actually was possible to experience something you love for the first time again? I don’t want to oversell it, but Final Fantasy VII Rebirth manages to deliver exactly that.
DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Review
Feb 26, 2025
The Dynasty Warriors series has been a long-standing franchise, even outlasting some real historical dynasties and earning widespread popularity. The most recent mainline entry, released in 2018, along with its Empires version in 2022, provided enjoyable experiences despite some technical flaws and divisive design choices. Now, the series is undergoing a significant transformation with Dynasty Warriors: Origins, a reboot that prioritizes gameplay refinement. This latest installment recaptures the excitement I have for the series and is the most fun I’ve experienced in a Dynasty Warriors game since enjoying the co-op in Dynasty Warriors 2-4 with my brother, delivering one of the most engaging entries in years. However, while Origins revitalizes the classic formula, it may introduce changes that come at a high cost for longtime fans.
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