- By Ash
- in Reviews
Deep Rock Galactic is probably the most accurate representation of space Dwarves we're ever going to get. The four characters are a rowdy and almost permanently drunk bunch that enjoy mining for precious minerals, unleashing wanton destruction against anything non-Dwarf shaped, spending unbelievable amounts of time taking care of their luscious beards, and most frequently of all, shouting something about Karl.
So if you curious how all of this madness translates into actual gameplay, as well as how Deep Rock Galactic compares to the rest of the objective focused co-op games, allow me to give you my thoughts now that I'm well and truly addled from huffing flamethrower fuel for the past two weeks.
- By Ash
- in Reviews
When taken at face value, Remnant: From the Ashes is probably the most depressingly generic game in all of existence. It's a post-apocalyptic, co-op focused third-person shooter with numerous Dark Souls inspired elements, randomized levels, and naturally, a heavy emphasis on crafting. In other words, it looks like half of the Early Access games on Steam!
However, Remnant is anything but generic or unpolished. It manages to combine all of these highly varied elements into something far greater than the sum of their whole, with the end result being a thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly challenging action-RPG. So if you're wondering just what makes Remnant so interesting, as well as where exactly it falters, allow me to share my thoughts now that I've gone through two playthroughs.
- By Ash
- in Reviews
The Winds of Magic expansion has now arrived, bringing with it the largest amount of new content Vermintide 2 has ever seen. It added the Beastmen as a brand new enemy faction, Weaves as pre-set and highly challenging new mini-levels, an absolutely brutal Cataclysm difficulty setting, five new weapons to explore, as well as one new Beastmen themed map.
There really is a lot of content on offer, though the big question now is whether all of that content is actually good enough to stand under scrutiny. So if you're wondering just where Winds of Magic succeeds, as well as where it falls flat on its face, allow me to share my thoughts after spending a week getting repeatedly stabbed by the Beastmen!
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Earth Defense Force 5, much like the rest of the series, is an interesting anomaly. With mediocre visuals, obtuse mechanics and terrible voice acting, one would think that Earth Defense Force 5 would be unplayably bad, yet the truth is actually quite the opposite. It is so unapologetic with its premise, so completely over-the-top with its action, that it manages to successfully transform some of its worst problems into the main attractions!
So if you're wondering just what Earth Defense Force 5 has to offer, as well as what sort of genuine problems it might have, allow me to share my thoughts now that I've spend a weekend blasting apart giant spiders and punching Godzilla in the face.
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, much like the classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night from which it draws a great deal of inspiration, is a combat and exploration focused Metroidvania game. In other words, you can expect to spend most of your time carving a path through numerous bosses and enemies, messing around with a giant assortment of weapons and abilities, and perhaps most importantly of all, using said abilities to open up new shortcuts or to simply explore previously inaccessible areas.
A fairly old formula at this point, but one that has managed to stand the test of time quite well! So if you're wondering just what Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has to offer, as well as how its newly redesigned visuals have fared, allow me to share with you my thoughts after a rather eventful playthrough.
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Warhammer: Chaosbane, much like the Diablo series from which it draws a great deal of inspiration, is a fantasy hack and slash that's all about cleaving through untold hordes of monsters in search of ever-increasing amounts of randomized loot. A fairly simple formula, yet one that has managed to stand the test of time with resounding success!
So if you're wondering what exactly Warhammer: Chaosbane has to offer, as well as how it compares to the rest of the ARPG genre, allow me to share my thoughts after playing it for the past week or so.
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Outward is an exploration-focused RPG that doesn't treat your character like they're anyone truly special. Instead, it just shows you the door to a wide-open world, gives you a pat on the back as you leave in search of treasure, and then laughs while you get devoured by a pack of hyenas. A ruthless experience to be sure, and one that many will not be able to stomach, but it's certainly a captivating one once you realize that all of the tools needed to survive are right there - you just need to figure out how to make the best use of them.
So if you're curious about what exactly Outward has to offer, as well as how it compares to the rest of the RPG genre, allow me to share my thoughts after a rather lengthy and eventful playthrough.
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Warhammer: Chaosbane, much like the Diablo series from which it draws a great deal of inspiration, is a fantasy hack and slash that's all about mowing down large hordes of enemies, messing around with a variety of abilities and classes, and naturally, collecting more loot than even the over-the-top Warhammer Fantasy races could ever hope to carry.
If you're wondering what all of this looks like in gameplay terms, as well as how Chaosbane compares to the rest of the genre, allow me to share my thoughts after playing through the Closed Beta. Before we begin, it is important to mention that Chaosbane is a work in progress, so don't judge its faults too harshly as the developers still have a few months to get everything squared up and ready for launch.
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Unlike the most recent Resident Evil 1 remaster, the Resident Evil 2 remake is not exactly a faithful recreation of the original horror classic. In fact, the new Resident Evil 2 has changed so many fundamental aspects of the original that I would say it's fair to treat them as two similar, yet still rather distinct games. However, while the Resident Evil 2 remake has definitely altered the formula, I am very glad to say that it not only manages to reach all of the same heights as the original, but occasionally even exceed them!
So if you're curious about where exactly the two versions differ, as well as what the Resident Evil 2 remake has to offer, allow me to share my thoughts now that I've spent a good chunk of time exploring its zombie-infested hallways.
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Gwent's singleplayer campaign Thronebreaker was supposed to arrive nearly two years ago, but due to a series of unfortunate circumstances it ended up being delayed over and over again. By the time Gwent's second major rework was announced around half a year ago, I was just about ready to write Thronebreaker off completely. As such, I hope you can understand just how pleasantly surprised I was when Thronebreaker not only came out, but ended up being a pretty darn enjoyable game as well!
So if you're curious about what Thronebreaker has to offer in terms of gameplay and story, as well as where exactly it falls flat on its face, allow me to share my thoughts after a rather long and eventful campaign.