Good afternoon! Today, I'm giving you another round of short game reviews from my backlog library. Lately, I've been checking out games that didn't grab my attention when they were new. Are these games worth a revival or should they remain in the past? Keep reading to find out. Let's begin with Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, based on the popular tv show from Cartoon Network. It's not a particularly refined game, but Samurai Jack is a fun hack and slash experience that remains faithful to the source material. Players have a skill tree, a variety of weapons, and the show's classic animation style. I would say it's one of the better licensed games and a decent adventure on the Nintendo Switch, if you don't mind linear and relatively short playthroughs. You could probably complete the main campaign in a handful of hours, but I don't think it's necessary for every game to be a huge AAA production. It has a few notable weaknesses, including inconsistent controls and repetitive gameplay. Basically, you're playing through the television show, which includes specific enemies and locations. It doesn't have the most impressive boss fights and weapons break if you use them too much. I don't believe breakable weapons was a necessary mechanic and it adds a level of annoyance. However, these issues are a small gripe and I found the overall experience quite enjoyable. Samurai Jack is a nice secondary addition to any Switch collection. What Remains of Edith Finch is a walking simulator that received huge critical acclaim for its narration and artistic direction. It chronicles the tragic story of the most unlucky family in the world. Edith Finch places a bigger emphasis on storytelling and exploration instead of action or violence. Despite its popularity, I find this game very overrated. This indie title moves at a snail's pace, leaving me feeling bored and confused. The general plot and ending has a lot of ambiguity, which might annoy some players. You're going to encounter many locked doors, inaccessible stairways, and countless invisible barriers in the middle of open environments. This game is entirely linear, but it doesn't want you to know. Overall, What Remains of Edith Finch is pretty dull and it lacks replay value. I just wish the story was more engaging and clear. But if you're curious, it's available on Xbox Game Pass. Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is a Diablo clone that takes place during a post-apocalyptic version of Medieval Europe. Does this game stand tall next to Diablo and similar games? Not really, but it's not awful. Victor Vran gives players a number of gameplay options, including an assortment of weapons, powers, costumes, etc. Also, the voice actor for the protagonist is Doug Cockle, who played Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. This game is okay in some ways, but it's definitely inferior to similar releases. Over time, the protagonist becomes very underpowered compared to the enemy variety. That means gamers will have a really slow and frustrating grind with many deaths. Personally, I lost my motivation after a while. It seems like Diablo clones share the same story. Demons and monsters are going to destroy all human life during the Dark Ages unless a magical warrior stops of the Apocalypse. It never changes. Ultimately, I recommend playing Diablo III and Warhammer: Chaosbane instead. Okami HD is the remaster of a fantasy adventure game from the PlayStation 2 era. It’s a unique game with a protagonist who’s a mythological wolf. Okami has a fascinating and beautiful art style that takes influences from Japanese water paintings. The story has gravely serious stakes, but the characters add some lighthearted humor to the experience. Along the way, gamers can develop a number of upgrades ranging from new powers, health upgrades, and more. I’m not having the best luck with creature features. This game is great on a visual level, but the gameplay is very clunky and the camera moves around a lot. I must say, bad camera angles are a standard from PlayStation 2 games and it carries into this remaster. Is the gameplay fun? Sometimes, but it can also feel repetitive and tedious simultaneously. You’ll go through a lot of backtracking and the missions don’t change very much. If you get frustrated with annoying gameplay, don’t purchase this remaster. However, if you don’t mind such imperfections and searching for a different gaming experience, Okami HD might be worth a shot. Digitally, it’s not an expensive game. How many of you remember Resident Evil 7: Biohazard? This long awaited sequel changed many components of the standard Resident Evil formula, including first person perspective, a new protagonist, and different horror elements. It has an entirely different setting in the Louisianan bayou with a new enemy type, called the Molded. The environment is definitely atmospheric and creepy. Fortunately, the controls aren’t bad either. However, I fail to understand what makes this game so fantastic. Seriously, gamers think Resident Evil 7 is terrifying and an evolution of the franchise. Here are my thoughts. I don’t find this game particularly scary and the story is utter nonsense. The Molded are a big step down, even from the generic zombies in the bulk of Resident Evil games. It brings back elements I didn’t enjoy from the early games, such as tiny inventory space, ridiculously limited ammunition, and annoying stalker enemies. Plus, this game is really gross. Basically, it’s more like torture porn than true survival horror. I hope you’re not excited to explore the swamp because the bayou plays a very small part of the game. Sorry, but you’re not going to see anything remotely entertaining. That means you’re not getting mutated alligators, gigantic mosquitos, zombies covered in moss, or creatures in the vein of Swamp Thing. I don’t believe this game is an essential part of your Resident Evil collection, but many gamers love it anyway. So, it’s your choice. At the moment, it’s still available on Xbox Game Pass. I finally tried out The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a Medieval fantasy and one of the most popular action RPGs. Truthfully, I wasn’t thrilled with this game, but it has some positive elements. It has a really good RPG system, huge world building, and a big emphasis on player choice. Gamers can design their own character and head in any narrative direction they want. Skyrim has a decent inventory system and a variety of weapons. It seems like this game has a countless missions and supporting characters, which could provide players with hours of gameplay. With that said, I became frustrated with other elements. Skyrim is a really buggy game with hard crashes, stuttering, items and characters who randomly float around the screen, etc. I restated a number of missions because there was a problem, like getting stuck in walls, not being able to pick up essential items, freezing, and whatnot. The combat also feels outdated, clunky, and awkward. Granted, Skyrim was originally released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but I would expect a remaster to fix some of those issues. This game is probably fine for many RPG enthusiasts, but I felt more comfortable with The Witcher III: Wild Hunt and Dragon Age: Inquisition. We live in a world with endless choices, so I’m gravitating in another direction. Is Skyrim worth your time and money? Players might enjoy it if they don’t mind games from an earlier generation of consoles. When in doubt, try it out on Xbox Game Pass. Dragon Ball FighterZ is a fighting game that takes place in the Dragon Ball Z universe, although it has an original story. It includes everyone’s favorite characters from the Dragon Ball Z anime series, such as Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Cell, Gohan, Majin Buu, etc. The combat style isn’t very complex, but it’s fun and requires skill. Dragon Ball FighterZ has quick pacing, decent animation, fluid controls, and the show’s humor. The game also gives people a number of options in terms of both single player and multiplayer experiences. It actually has a really good versus mode where you can battle AI characters or real gamers.
Despite being entertaining, this game has a few notable flaws. The game forces you to use specific characters during parts of the story because it has an obnoxious level up system. Basically, certain characters are going to be really underpowered compared to your opponents. That means you have to pick the strongest characters from the roster. In a way, character choice is an illusion. The game also has a really weird difficulty curve. Earlier in the story mode, battles are unusually easy and lack a challenge. Suddenly, the difficulty changes dramatically and the battles become really frustrating. I wish players could select the difficulty, such easy, normal, or hard. Dragon Ball FighterZ isn’t a perfect game, but it’s pretty good, entertaining, a solid fighting experience, and great for anime fans. I recommend it, unless you don’t want to pay for a full priced game. That’s all for now! I appreciated a couple games from this post, but the rest left me feeling lukewarm. Some of these games just weren’t my cup of tea. Ironically, several games on this post were quite beloved by gamers and critics, including Resident Evil 7, What Remains of Edith Finch, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I suppose gamers have their own preferences. What are some of your favorite games? Do you think any popular games are super overrated? Are you planning to play older games that didn’t catch your eye in the past? Leave a comment. I’ll probably give you more game reviews before the end of month. Watch for more content regarding movies, games, writing, and Halloween. Take care of yourselves, have fun, and I’ll see you again next week. Bye!
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May 2019
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