Good evening! It might be 2025, but I’m still wrapping up the final games from 2024. I’m giving you a meaty post with 10 games. After that, we can move on to game reviews for this year. Let’s see how the 2024 game calendar finished. Unknown 9: Awakening received terrible reviews and most of them were justified. This linear action game doesn’t perform very well on hardly any level. The combat is repetitive and bland. You have a skill tree, but it doesn’t change the gameplay on a significant scale. Unknown 9 has a robust fantasy setting, although the story is confusing with running monologues, lore that requires insider knowledge, and obtuse terminology. I can’t tell you what’s happening in this game most of the time. The game has a ton of bugs and glitches that require a restart at numerous checkpoints. Some of the set pieces look pretty good, but the character animation is outdated and unpolished. This game probably needed another year in development. Nearly everything about Unknown 9 is boring and unimaginable. I’m not sure what Bandai Namco hoped to accomplish regarding this game. It was one of my biggest disappointments in 2024. Naturally, I’m not going to recommend this game, even with a deep sale. 2024 didn’t have a shortage of entertaining games. You could easily spend your time and money on something else. If you’re looking for another JRPG, Ys X: Nordics is a good place to start. I usually stick with real time combat and it works fabulously in this game. The tenth Ys game includes dual protagonists who can fight either separately or simultaneously. You don’t have to be a wizard at JRPGs t0 play this game. The RPG system and upgrades are pretty basic yet effective. Ys X has a large cast of supporting characters who are endearing and helpful. Many of them are vendors who provide important supplies. Like many JRPGs, the runtime is very long, but it remains entertaining and the story has a few clever twists. It avoids sprawling open world environments in favor of scattered zones that allow decent exploration. I can’t say the game has a phenomenal enemy variety, although it doesn’t ruin the experience by any means. This game includes navel combat, which is serviceable, especially after you add some upgrades. Ys X is a lengthy 40 hour excursion that, but I won’t complain about it. Want to know how to pronounce the title? Just say the word, “Ease.” This game is definitely worth purchasing. It’s $60, but at least you’re getting your money’s worth. I’m sure many gamers are hesitant to try JRPGs. Ys X is a great place to start if you’re less familiar with the genre. I find this game very entertaining. You should check it out. I must admit, the collective Life is Strange franchise never clicked with me, even though I love the choose-your-own-adventure genre. Double Exposure is a pretty weak entry in the series. It’s slow and boring with annoying characters. Nearly every character is whiny, self-entitled, and unlikeable. At first, I thought this game was a murder mystery. Apparently, that idea was just a marketing ploy to snag a bigger audience. Double Exposure is primarily a drama with some romance elements. It’s also setting up a multiverse in the vein of Marvel and DC with super powered individuals. I find the entire situation derivative and unoriginal. Graphic adventures rely on their stories, which is a problem for this game because the script isn’t very good. Truthfully, this game is a major step down from other entries in the franchise. I thought the first Life is Strange and True Colors were much better. This isn’t the type of game I would recommend. Double Exposure is unimpressive and Square Enix needs to learn a lesson. If you can handle scary stories, I suggest choose-your-own-adventures like Until Dawn, The Quarry, and several entries in The Dark Pictures Anthology. 2024 was a fantastic year for horror games, but Lempo was a disappointing title. I think this game might appeal to some gamers, although it’s not my cup of tea. Basically, Lempo is really confusing. The protagonist is lost in a legendary forest and some of the core gameplay elements include solving puzzles, exploring the environment, foraging for health items, and fleeing from stalker enemies. Technically, this game has a map, but it’s not very helpful. Lempo has sparse checkpointing and your health drains over time. It’s really easy to get killed by stalker enemies or natural occurrences. The game feels a bit pretentious. Is Lempo scary enough? Not really. It’s just frustrating and weird. Still Wakes the Deep and Layers of Fear are similar games, but both of them are more frightening than Lempo. That’s just how I see it. In the end, most people could skip this game. However, a small number of horror enthusiasts might enjoy the experience. Lempo isn’t very expensive. Digital retailers are selling it for $20. Just keep your expectations in check. I simply can’t resist old fashioned fighting games. The modern era has a distinct lack of 2D fighting titles. Diesel Legacy is a really fun addition to the fighting genre. The art style has a cool dieselpunk aesthetic with retro futuristic cities, robots, airships, factories, and genetically engineered characters. I find the combat fast and snappy with several new tricks for the genre. It’s easy to dash in various directions, including up and down in designated lanes. Each character has their own story with a number of challenging encounters. Diesel Legacy is quite difficult compared to some of the most recent fighting games, but it feels satisfying and the strong character roster provides ample replay value. This game has a bigger emphasis on combo chains instead of special moves, which is totally fine for me. The character stories are short and sweet without adding extra fluff. Diesel Legacy is a steal at $30. I believe the value is excellent. It’s a must play for gamers who enjoy the fighting genre. Will it appeal to casual players who don’t like fighting games? Probably not, but that’s okay. I’m sure Diesel Legacy can find an audience, including competitive multiplayer crowds. Ravenswatch is a decent roguelike game, although it pales in comparison to Hades and a few more examples. It was developed by the team who made Curse of the Dead Gods. I see many similarities between both games. Unfortunately, I didn’t like Curse of the Dead Gods very much. I found it boring and repetitive with minimal reward. Ravenswatch is a violent take on classic fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood. If you look at the box art, Red Riding Hood is also the Big Bad Wolf. The combat feels pretty smooth and some of the environments are interesting. It has a huge difficulty spike during the boss fights. I breezed through some of the regular levels and died repeatedly during the boss encounters. Ultimately, Ravenswatch doesn’t incentivize players to keep moving forward. You die and repeat the same levels on a loop. It gets old very quickly. I don’t hate this game, but progression is very slow and the gameplay isn’t entertaining enough. Maybe it isn’t fair to compare roguelike games to Hades. It was a rare masterpiece. With that said, Ravenswatch needed more variety, a bigger selection of weapons, and a better story. I suppose it might be fine for some people who love the roguelike genre. Everyone else could ignore this game completely or wait for a sale. Indiana Jones fans, rejoice! This rare Xbox exclusive is a redeemable title for the overall Indiana Jones franchise. Initially, the first person viewpoint is jarring, but it’s easy to adapt. This game is an authentic Indiana Jones experience with espionage, artifact hunting, beating up Nazis, exploration, solving puzzles, glob trotting, and Indy’s iconic whip. You can use guns, but it’s probably better to rely on stealth elements. Indiana Jones has limited health, which becomes an issue when a slew of Nazi soldiers open fire. Troy Baker sounds just like Harrison Ford, the music evokes themes from John Williams, and the overall experience feels like the original trilogy. It’s a wonderful homage to the franchise while cementing its place in a crowded adventure genre with similar games, such as Tomb Raider and Uncharted. This game is a little rough around the edges, although I can easily recommend it to any curious player. You don’t even have to buy it directly. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available on Game Pass just like the rest of the Xbox library. Check out the remaster of Clock Tower if you enjoy retro experiences, particularly horror. The majority of older games don’t hold up well today, but this one is quite surprising. I can see how franchises like Oulast and Amnesia got their inspiration regarding unbeatable stalker enemies and defenseless protagonists. Clock Tower is probably the game that started it all. This horror game has a classic point and click style, which can be a bit cumbersome during the chase scenes. You’ll explore a giant mansion while taking valuable items, solving puzzles, and running for your life. Clock Tower has multiple endings and the remastered version also allows players to rewind their failures for a specific number of seconds. It evokes images of Spencer Mansion from Resident Evil and several horror games with demonic cults. Jennifer is a clever girl who can temporarily defeat the Scissor Man by grabbing tools for defense, hiding under beds, locking doors, or climbing to safety. I’m not sure if this game will appeal to modern audiences, but you should try it anyway. It’s a great history lesson for horror buffs. Clock Tower Rewind costs $20 at digital retailers, which is a fair price. I purchased a limited physical release. Those orders were closed some time ago, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it hits Best Buy and GameStop later this year. Will any turned based game will impress me beyond Pokémon? Hard to say. The Thaumaturge was advertised as a horror version of Pokémon with a party system comprised of monsters. It sounds like my type of game on paper. Sadly, it still feels like most turn based games, in my opinion. The story is interesting with an alternate version of Eastern Europe shortly before the Bolshevik Revolution. You have a symbiotic relationship with Rasputin and other historical figures. It’s fine, but the story is very slow and the turn based combat isn’t particularly accessible to action oriented players like me. The combat requires careful strategy and players need to know what they’re doing. Is this game a great choice for players who love turned based combat? It’s probably an okay experience and that’s all. You’re going to prefer Baldur’s Gate 3 and Metaphor: ReFantazio instead of The Thaumaturge. I can’t identify a real target audience for this game. It’s incredibly tame for horror fans. Most likely, it will be forgettable and middling for the turn based crowds. I can’t say it will appeal to players who like mysteries, puzzles, or narrative adventures. This type of game might be fine to play if it drops on PlayStation+ or Xbox Game Pass. Beyond that, you’re better off spending your time and money on other games. Boomer shooters are fun, but Rise of the Triad doesn’t hold up very well in the modern era. It’s a relic of the 90s with poor level design and punishing difficulty. Actually, I don’t mind the challenging combat. The main issue is confusing navigation without a map. It’s easy to spend “ludicrous” amounts of time running around lost. Pun intended. Most of the levels look the same and you gather keys to open each area. I suppose it’s similar to Wolfenstein because you kill Nazi soldiers and infiltrate their strongholds. It’s very typical of many boomer shooters from the 90s. I can’t say anything about Rise of the Triad is original or memorable. The remastered Ludicrous version has cheat codes, which provides some novelty with unlimited ammo, infinite health, weird color modes, level selection, etc. However, these elements wear down quickly and they don’t improve the gameplay very much.
I appreciate Nightdive’s attempt to revive older games, but this trend isn’t working for me. In fact, the remasters of Star Wars: Dark Forces and Rise of the Triad are making me feel nervous about The Thing: Remastered. In general, this game might be fine for people who enjoy classic boomer shooters. Most gamers could skip it and their lives will continue without consequence. Believe me. You’re going to find plenty of fun games to play without falling back on mediocre titles. You made it to the end of my game reviews from the 2024 calendar! Are you planning to play any of these games? Did you already have the chance to play them? Leave your own little reviews in the comment section. You’ve already seen my most disappointing games from last year. Next week, I’ll discuss my favorite games of 2024. I was pleasantly surprised with last year’s selection of games. So, I’m going to divide my favorite’s list in two separate posts. Get ready for Part 1 next weekend! Thanks for supporting my content and keep an eye open for next week’s post.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2019
Categories |