Good afternoon! 2024 is a packed year for new video games, so I took the time to organize some reviews again. The market has an unwieldy selection of releases with variable degrees of quality. How can you possibly choose what games to play, especially when time, money, and patience have limitations? Hopefully, today’s post can help you make a few decisions if you’re on the fence about certain games. Let’s check it out! Here’s my big disclaimer today. I disagree with a lot critics regarding several major releases this year. Many outlets are hailing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as a masterpiece, but this game didn’t sit well with me. I’ll give the developer credit for creating amazing graphics and making bold choices. However, the second chapter in the FFVII trilogy has a bloated environment, middling voice acting, boring missions, an excessive runtime, awkward gameplay, and a ton of busy work. Honestly, they needed to stick with the traditional turn based structure like the original FFVII. I’m not a fan of turn based combat, but it seems to be the most appropriate structure for this game. Rebirth’s combat is a hybrid of strategy and the hack & slash model, but it still feels a lot like a turn based system because you must switch between party members constantly. Also, the story is even more confusing in the remake series than the original title. Over time, I simply lost interest. I’m sure many people will thoroughly enjoy this game. Rebirth probably isn’t the best choice for people who are looking for something in the vein of God of War: Ragnarok, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, Horizon Forbidden West, and similar games with open world environments. Don’t forget, it’s another $70 release. In general, I find this game totally overrated, but you might feel differently. I realize physical media is going away. Limited Run Games and other specialty retailers are working hard to help preserve physical media. So, I buy some of these limited releases periodically. I tried a roguelike game, called Mythforce. It takes many influences from Saturday morning cartoons, including the animation and character archetypes. The concept sounds cool, but the overall experience isn’t great. Mythforce also encourages co-op play, which doesn’t bode well for someone like me who avoids multiplayer options. Basically, you move through levels with a procedurally generated structure while killing a bunch of enemies. At the end of each area, you’ll have a boss fight. You’ll collect temporary boons that may improve health, weapons, movement, and such. If you die, it’s back to the beginning of the said chapter. The gameplay works fine, but the experience is super boring and uneventful. Eventually, you receive permanent upgrades, although progress tends to be very slow. Sorry, but cute graphics aren’t enough to motivate me. In the end, I don’t believe Mythforce is worth playing for most audiences. It might be an okay experience if you’re playing with friends. It’s only $15 on Steam, so some gamers might want to experiment. Fortunately, I found a really entertaining game with a limited physical release. GigaBash is a fun co-op fighting game that pits various kaiju monsters and giant robots against each other. As expected, this game lacks substance, but the experience is quite enjoyable. You’ll choose a monster or robot and fight through a number of rounds. The controls are easy to learn and the pacing is very fast. Each kaiju becomes stronger as you clear through the stages. The game works excellently both in single player and co-op modes. I found the story mode is a little bit short and it only features some of the monsters on the roster. At first glance, GigaBash might seem like a bare bones experience. However, it’s a total blast and a nice break from AAA RPGs and open world environments. It’s easy recommend this game to a number of audiences. The target audience is probably fans of Godzilla, Ultraman, Voltron, and similar franchises. GigaBash should also appeal to people who enjoy the fighting genre, arcade games, and indie titles. Believe it or not, it’s a pretty good live service game. So, you might want to check it out. THQ Nordic has a tendency to publish AA games with a lot of flaws and Outcast: A New Beginning is no exception. It’s an adventure game on an alien planet with an open world setting. There isn’t anything special about the protagonist or story, but you can use a jetpack, modify a couple types of guns, use a digital shield in combat, and perform quests for the planet’s natives. I enjoyed the first several hours of Outcast, but upgrades feel ineffective against enemies in the second half of the game. Some of the later missions also feel insufferable with annoying platforming, imprecise paragliding, and enemy encounters that can kill you in one or two hits. Maybe I didn’t understand the upgrade system, but a fleshed out skill tree and various modifications didn’t help me very much during the last several hours. Plus, the combat and traversal is super janky and unresponsive. Outcast seems like a missed opportunity because the game had a really good start. Given the crowded gaming schedule for 2024, this game doesn’t need to be on the top of your priorities. Some people might like this game, especially players who enjoyed last year’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Keep in mind, this AA title is an astounding $70. That’s highway robbery for a game with this level of quality. Definitely wait for a sale if you’re curious. Let’s head in a different direction with the reboot of Alone in the Dark. I’m a big fan of survival horror games and surprisingly, this one is another publication from THQ Nordic. You play either as Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood while they search for her missing uncle in the unusual Derceto manor. It’s an original story in Louisiana with some cosmic horror elements and haunted house tropes. The original Alone in the Dark inspired games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Those elements were clear to me while I maneuvered through the environment. The mansion serves as a means to solve puzzles and learn more about the lore. Portals will take you to nightmarish worlds where sneaking around the environment and fighting monsters will take centerstage. Some players may find the gameplay cumbersome, but I actually like it quite a bit. It feels like an old fashioned survival horror game with limited ammo and imperfect aiming. My review probably isn’t selling this game’s appeal very well, although I strongly recommend it for horror fans. Alone in the Dark is really scary and it’s not overburdened with a skill tree, an extensive runtime, or annoying inventory management. Try it out if you want a good scare. Sometimes retro games are fun to play. Granted, I wasn’t impressed with the Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection. This collection includes several Jurassic Park titles from the NES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and Super NES. It sounds like a good idea on paper, but these games don’t play very well. In fact, I don’t think any of the old Jurassic Park games are actually good. Depending on the individual game, they can range from ridiculously difficult, boring, or entirely broken. I used to enjoy the Genesis version of Jurassic Park during my childhood, but now it just feels confusing and difficult to navigate. One of the games is literally a shooter, kind of like the Contra series. Maybe I shouldn’t have played this collection because I saw it through rose tinted glasses until now. Ultimately, this collection isn’t worth your time and money. I know Jurassic Park is a really popular IP, but you should resist the urge to purchase this one. I feel confident that you’ll feel really disappointed. Dragon’s Dogma II is another so-called masterpiece that didn’t pan out for me. Don’t assume this game is a generic fantasy RPG with a traditional open world environment. Capcom took a lot of risks and creative choices with this game. I admire their effort, but I have multiple complaints. In a nutshell, Dragon’s Dogma II has a frustrating inventory system, no fast travel options, confusing interfaces, clunky combat, subpar graphics for a AAA release, and other irritations. You can hire pawns to assist you in combat, but the best ones require a bunch of rift stones. All characters, except you, have a permadeath system, including your main pawn and NPCs who are essential for story progression. That means you need a wake stone to revive them, which are rare commodities. Dragon’s Dogma II also has a predatory micro transaction system that allows you to buy extra wake stones and rift stones. Good luck getting through the game without spending real money unless you want to die and retry for days on end. Also, the story is another derivative take on Game of Thrones.
I don’t have many kind word to say about this game, but other reviewers disagree with me. Some gamers really enjoy Dragon’s Dogma II because it’s complex without hints or other modern mechanics. If you want to play this game, I recommend waiting for the $70 price tag to drop. There you go! Did you fair any better with games during the past couple months? What do you think about the games on this post? Leave a comment. I’m still working on Rise of the Ronin. A few games come out at the end of the month, including Sandland, Stellar Blade, and a little cozy game, called Whisker Waters. Next month is also going to be stuffed with new releases, especially indie games. So, we have a lot to talk about within the next several weeks. Thank you for supporting my work and game on!
0 Comments
Welcome back, gaming fans! The Alone in the Dark franchise is returning with a brand new reboot. This re-imagining shares many similarities with the original game, including a big emphasis on puzzles, limited resources, exploration, and challenging encounters with enemies. You choose to play either as Edward Carnby, a hard boiled PI, or Emily Hartwood, a woman who is searching for her missing uncle. They traverse Derceto manor, a mental institution that has a long and dark history. Along the way, they encounter conspiracies, shifts in reality, and Lovecraftian monsters. I was throughly entertained with my experience, but some people might find the gameplay frustrating. Here are my tips and tricks for surviving Alone in the Dark.
Shoot and Run This is a traditional survival horror game. It’s not an action horror game like Resident Evil 4 or Dead Space. That means resources are very scarce and your movement has limitations while shooting. Enemies hit hard and they can take a lot of damage before dying. So, you’re better off shooting a couple of times and then running away to the other side of the area. Rinse and repeat until the enemies are gone in a given location. You’ll take less damage and waste fewer bullets. Check the Map Frequently The map is simple with minimal detail. However, it has useful indicators. The map labels each room and major entrances or exits. Red indicates locked doors or inaccessible areas. Green means the area is now available or unlocked. Rooms become blue after you explored and collected everything. They remain pink when you still need to solve puzzles, collect items, etc. Keep in mind, many puzzles and collectibles only become accessible when you reach certain points of the story progression. Take Some Time to Explore the Environment This game is pretty scary and enemies can lurk anywhere. Granted, it’s still worth your time to explore each location thoroughly. You’ll find collectibles, health potions, ammo, and important items for the story. Overall, this little bit of effort will make you feel more secure during combat sections and you’ll solve puzzles faster. Generally speaking, the game doesn’t have timers except in a couple of sections. Explore at your heart’s content. Alternate Your Weapons Ammunition doesn’t grow on trees in this game. Unfortunately, some enemies are real bullet sponges and it’s necessary to dispose of them to unlock many areas. Alternating your weapons can be an effective way to conserve ammo. You gather a handful of weapons along the way, including a handgun, shotgun, and machine gun. The later part of the game also unlocks a flare gun. The shotgun is useful against stronger enemies. It takes a while to obtain the machine gun, but this weapon can wipe out crowds of monsters. Collect and Read Documents Some of the puzzles feel a bit confusing. It’s necessary to collect documents throughout the environment and read them. Many documents will give you hints, passcodes, and additional information. It will help you solve those pesky puzzles and move through the main story. These documents are worth your time anyway because they provide backstory, lore, and character development. Adjust the Lightening When Necessary I found some areas really dark, especially the nightmare areas that were infested with enemies. You can adjust the lighting in the settings at any time. If the lighting is too dark or bright for your preference, there’s no penalty to make adjustments. You might find enemies hiding somewhere if the environment is a slightly less dark. Also, you’ll find more resources if the lighting is better. Keep Hunting for Resources You might run out of bullets and health items during enemy encounters. I had some luck by running around the environment under pursuit. Sometimes ammo, melee weapons, and health items will randomly spawn in the environment if you’re in a pinch. This game doesn’t include a stamina meter, so keep running! Spam the Dodge Button Here is one of the most useful mechanics during combat. Considering your movement is pretty minimal while firing a gun, it’s essential to avoid enemy attacks. You can dodge incoming attacks at any time. I must say, the dodging mechanic isn’t entirely accurate. Granted, it can be effective if you dodge continually, especially during confrontations with more than one enemy. Again, you don’t have to worry about a stamina meter. Unlock Shortcuts Keep an eye on your map for unlockable doors and passageways. Shortcuts are very handy in Derceto mansion and other locations. These shortcuts can help you save time, backtracking, and avoid unnecessary enemy encounters. It’s worth noting, enemies don’t give you special items upon death. Unlike some horror games, you won’t receive ammo, health items, or EXP. In fact, Alone in the Dark doesn’t feature any RPG mechanics, such as a skill tree, increased health, or weapon upgrades. Always Carry a Melee Weapon The gameplay can be rather clunky, especially the melee combat. It’s definitely more effective to kill enemies with gunfire. With that said, you should still carry a melee weapon at all times. You can easily bring down a single enemy by mashing the melee button. These weapons break after brief use, but you can find more of them scattered through each location. Unfortunately, you can only carry one melee weapon at a time. When your weapon is close to breaking, swap it out with a new one. Talk to NPCs on a Regular Basis The NPC characters are really weird, but they have a lot of useful information. The employees and patients of Derceto manor will provide important details for story progression, collectibles, lore, and more. Some people enjoy playing as both Edward and Emily because the NPCs give different conversations depending on the protagonist. Keep in mind, many conversations are not optional. You’ll wander around lost until a specific conversation unlocks the next objective. Save Your Progress Often Don’t you hate hard crashes and game breaking bugs? Modern video games are far from perfect and many of them have a problem with serious glitches. You can save your progression manually at any time. The game also provides many auto saves throughout the story. If the game crashes or you encounter a mysterious roadblock, simply go back to an earlier manual or auto save. This method should solve your issues. Avoid Useless Mechanics A couple of things don’t work very well in this game. You can use Molotov cocktails to save ammo. However, they don’t usually cause a fire until you fire a bullet to ignite the fluid. That means you’ll waste a bullet anyway. Also, the enemies will run after you while they’re on fire. When they get close enough, you’ll catch on fire too. I don’t think the stealth mechancis are very good. Technically, you can sneak around some enemies, but they found me most of the time. There’s no such thing as stealth kills either. If you sneak around enemies, they will remain in the environment. The game has one mandatory stealth section if you play as Emily, but it works because the environment has hiding places. If You Have Enough Ammo, Kill Everything Sometimes you can’t kill every monster. In fact, a couple locations have invincible stalker enemies. However, it’s best if you can clear all of the enemies in a location. This game requires a lot of backtracking and you should feel motivated to search for resources or key story items. Your life will be a lot easier if the enemies are dead when you’re looking for puzzle pieces, collectibles, the next doorway, etc. Ordinarily, enemies don’t respawn until you reach the next area, so you don’t have to worry about extra surprises. Play Around with Difficulty Settings It’s hard to pinpoint the best difficulty setting at first. Very few modern gamers are used to old fashioned horror games. Alone in the Dark has traditional easy, normal, and hard difficulty settings. Combat feels janky, especially at the beginning. So, I wouldn’t recommend starting on hard mode. You might want to start on normal or easy mode and bring the difficulty up if the game doesn’t feel challenging enough. Luckily, you have the opportunity to adjust the difficulty settings at any time. There you go! Now you’re ready to explore Derceto manor, unlock secrets, and destroy every monster in the game. Leave a comment if you have anything to say about this post. Maybe you know a few hints and suggestions as well. Thank you for visiting my blog and happy hunting! |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2019
Categories |