Kraven

I’m glad to see this remake live up to the lofty expectations it had. The original is one of my favorite games of all time. I’ll definitely be picking this up on release day, but man, we are about to be drowning in games in the next couple of weeks. This, Cronos, Hell Is Us, Silksong, Trails in the Sky, Demon School, Gears of War. All of these games are either releasing on the same day or a week apart. And that’s not even all of the games - they are just the ones I could think of from the top of my head.

@Haruki_NLI I would normally agree, but this trailer looks fantastic. I have a feeling they will pull it off.

Wow - this looks really cool! I hope it has a strong narrative.

I’m glad I can finally play this on PS5, and being the most up to date version. I played it when it came out on Xbox and loved it deeply despite it missing some features. Hopefully, this will feel like a fresh new playthrough.

I can’t wait for this game. Between the Trails Of and Ys games, they are the perfect comfort food for me during difficult times in my life. They hold a special place in my heart.

@4fold I know, right? I kept checking the PS Store, fully expecting to buy it, but it was included with PS+. It was an awesome surprise!

@Dan12836666 TLC is great, and I got the platinum for it. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in 2D action platformers/metroidvania.

It’s still not available on the PS Store, which is a bummer. I was hoping I would be able to get to play it before I head to work this morning. Oh, well. I can’t wait to get my hands on it tomorrow!

Awful name; great game.

Dang - I am definitely picking this up! It looks incredible. I’m glad to see Prince of Persia go back its 2D roots, with this and The Lost Crown.

Maybe now people will be more excited for this game. I can’t wait.

I can only assume that it will be shadow dropped - that really is the only way to make this announcement “special”.

My goodness, this game continues to impress me more every time I see a new trailer. Can we make please get a release date?

This might shape up to be the best Shinobi game yet. It looks absolutely incredible.

I’m looking forward to trying this game out. It definitely sounds like a superb game. Great review!

Solid list! The Mass Effect Collection is an absolute banger. I should replay those games again. I have the platinum for the first game, but I’d like to get the platinum for 2 & 3. I’ve also been meaning to play South Park: The Stick of Truth. It’s been on my cross media bar for ages but I just never get to it. I hear great things about it.

I finished up the platinum trophy for Mafia: The Old Country this week. I found it to be the epitome of a 7/10 game which is a compliment. I honestly would rate it higher if not for a couple of nagging issues that prevent it from excelling.

The story and characters are very well written and acted. I managed to get invested in their arc(s) and care about the main protagonist and his fate. It may have been a predictable tale, but that didn’t stop it from being effective. My complaint, however, lies with its ending. It wasn’t bad—it was rushed. There should have been a few more chapters sprinkled in to flesh out the narrative. There are character perspectives that go from adoring someone in the Mafioso family to complete defilement in the span of one chapter. It didn’t make sense. Thematically, I understand, but how we got to that destination felt diluted.

On the other side of things, I found the gameplay solid and enjoyable. The driving felt more intuitive than Mafia 1, and the combat and stealth mechanics were great, albeit uninspired. It felt like an Uncharted game from the early PS3-era, with its cover based shooting, stealth elements, and set pieces.

The only real annoyance I have with the game - and this dates back to Mafia 1 - is the collectibles. My goodness, talk about atrocious. The developers really needs to come up with a better system for how you acquire these items, particularly when it’s an limited open world that encourages you to stay on the main course by having a countdown of 15 seconds to return to the main objective if you stray off the beaten path. Guess where at least a partial amount of those collectibles are; yep, you guessed it.

Thankfully, once you beat the game there is an option for chapter replay and “explore” mode, meaning you have access to the entire world map. This sounds great in theory, but it still makes hunting for collectibles tiresome. They won’t appear on the map unless you are physically next to it. This wouldn’t be much of an issue if there was an incentive to get out of your vehicle or dismount from your horse, but there isn’t. Speaking of the map, you can’t set any markers, so you are constantly opening and closing your map to see how close you are to your destination.

What doesn’t appear on the map regardless if you are near is the infamous foxes that you can obtain. There are 50 of them total, and unlike other collectibles such as Newspapers, Saint cards, and Photographs, they don’t have a specific name registered to them. Moreover, some of these collectibles are exclusively tied to main missions, and since there is no tracker for what you have or haven’t collected in the story, good luck with the hunt.

Overall, I think the game is good to borderline great. If you’re a fan of a tight narrative with compelling characters and serviceable gameplay you should definitely try this game out. There are a few stumbles along the way with its pacing, but if you’re looking for something to beat over a weekend then you can’t go wrong with this game.

It looks cool, and hopefully it will eventually release.

I rate it a 7/10, but it could easily be an 8/10 if it wasn’t for a few pacing issues.

I’m glad I bought this game. It was an enjoyable experience, and I got the platinum trophy for it this morning.

I think it looks pretty solid overall, but we shall wait and see.

That is a great list of games! There are several titles I’ll be dipping my toes into.

I can’t wait for this, and it sounds like there will be a lot more content. And by content I mean dialogue.

I can’t wait to see how Remedy remakes Max Payne. They are a masters of craft, and the first game holds a special place in my heart. I can only imagine how incredible the game will look and feel with modern hardware which is surprising to say since the game holds up very well 20 years later.

Does it include a chapter replay? I missed one collectible in the game and I know exactly where it is at. I would love to go back and grab it to get the platinum trophy instead of playing all the way up to chapter 9.

All of these types of games are melding together. If you put a sizzle reel of all of these games and didn’t have the title in them I would assume they are all the same game.

Great review — well thought out and articulated. I enjoyed reading it. I’m personally loving the game despite its lack of evolution in the franchise, going back to a more linear direction, but bringing along PS2 limitations. I know this is a negative for many and I totally understand, but for me it’s refreshing. And while the gameplay isn’t going to really reinforce any positive feelings, I think it’s enjoyable enough. I guess I never expected Mafia The Old Country to do something new and exciting. My hope was that we would get a strong narrative similar to the first game, with great voice acting and character animations, and solid gunplay. That’s all I was looking for and I’m quite pleased with the experience.

Echoes of the End looks great, and I feel like it could be a sleeper hit. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on reviews.

@ErrantRob I also reached the final boss in THE First Berserker, intending to get the platinum, but he was too hard. I wasn’t expecting him to have three phases either. I didn’t lower the difficulty in order to beat him so my progress is haltered and will probably remain that way for the long foreseeable future.

This week I managed to obtain the platinum trophy for Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. It was a sublime experience, and only gets better once you unlock hard mode. It’s here where the game truly begins as you endure the classic difficulty of the original NES trilogy.

The last trophy was the hardest, and I’m not sure how I managed to accomplish it. In order to get the platinum you need to complete the game in hard mode. This difficulty setting introduces more difficult enemies in the earlier stages as well as more traps sprinkled throughout the levels. It’s a brilliant way to make the second playthrough feel fresh. Subsequently, you are required to do a boss rush without dying. What makes this even more challenging is that there are no health items or power upgrades. I have no idea how I did this, but it’s one of my proudest platinum trophies.

I’ve said it last week - The Game Kitchen deserves to make a 2D Castlevania game. The Blasphemous games were fantastic, and now NG has surpassed all expectations. This developer simply understands how to make 2D action platformers along with Metroidvania games, from precise platforming, challenging combat and levels that steadily progress in difficulty, rewarding abilities that are paced out expertly, and atmosphere that sucks you into their world.

I have also started Mafia: The Old Country. I am a couple of hours in but I consider it pretty good. in fact, it’s exactly what I expected from a Mafia game; a gripping narrative with solid gunplay.

I understand some people’s hesitation on the game due to its archaic design (PS2 energy) with its gunplay and stealth mechanics. From time to time it’s a cover based shooter, an on-rails set piece, and stealth sections that are mandatory but simplistic in nature. However, my question to some is: Why is this a bad thing? I’m not sure why there were expectations that The Old Country was going to reinvent the wheel in its gameplay. The Mafia games have always emphasized narrative over gameplay. That isn’t to say it couldn’t be better — it absolutely could — but I knew what I signed up for and it’s exactly what I wanted.

With all of that said, I do have one minor complaint and that is its limited open world that generally keeps you on the straight and narrow. While I absolutely adore a linear experience, The Old Country does an exceptional job of recreating 1900s Sicily that it’s a shame you can’t fully explore it because it’s a beautiful landscape that is rich with history and deserves your undivided attention. Nonetheless, it still immerses you deeply and I’m excited to see how things ultimately unfold.

@PuppetMaster This seems like classic Ninja Gaiden to me too. I think it looks incredible, and I have no worries at all on whether or not it will deliver. I do wonder if Ryu will be able to use a variety of weapons like in 2, but it doesn’t matter either way. I can’t wait for this.

Welcome back, Ninja Gaiden.

It is a well deserved game of the month. I just got the platinum for it this morning, and I can’t wait for NG4.

Heretic! Wow, a blast from the past. And it’s a cheap bundle so I’ll pick it up for sure!

I just picked it up for the Switch. It seems better suited for handheld play. I’m looking forward to diving into it later this evening. Hopefully it will come to PS5 down the line.

I’ve been waiting for this game for a couple of years now. I’m glad it’s finally releasing soon. I’ll probably pick it up on my Switch because I feel like these games are made for handheld play, but I might double dip if I like it.

It’s ranging from 7’s and 8’s which is what I expected. It appears to be a solid game — great story, good but not great combat — and that is perfectly fine by me. The story in the Mafia games is what really compels me more than anything since they are typically very well done. I’m looking forward to trying it out tomorrow.

@Oram77 All I’m asking is why you consider it a bad thing. It’s an honest question; I’m not asking for justification.

As for Clair Obscur, it’s an open world JRPG. Of course it’s going to be more time consuming that Mafia, a game that has been mentioned by developers as linear with a few open world tethers. Again, they are two different games going for different results.

@Oram77 Why is 13 hours considered bad by your standards? I think that’s a perfectly acceptable length, particularly in a medium where open world games are a constant. For $50.00, 13 hours seems fantastic.

I have high hopes for this — I hope it’s a return to form for Hangar 13.

This one is tough for me. I’d have to say RoboCop. I had a blast getting the platinum trophy. With that said, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is phenomenal, and I’m about to wrap up the platinum trophy for that as well.

I’ll be here for whatever they decide to create next.

I’m also playing, finally, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. It’s brilliant, challenging, features precise platforming and engaging combat, but it doesn’t rush you to the next transition screen. You can take your time if you want, but you also feel like a badass if you rush in and mow down enemies without being hit. There is a deep level of satisfaction due to the degree of difficulty Ninja Gaiden is as a whole. With Blasphemous and now this, I can’t wait to see what TGK cooks up next. Castlevania, perhaps? Please.

I want to start by saying I’m very easy to please when it comes to video games and thank goodness for that. Throughout my 35-years I have seen many game reviews that are either mediocre, average, or my favorite, 7/10, and oftentimes I end up adoring them. I reflect on the pre-internet days in the 90s when my parents would take me to the movie/game rental store and I’d pick out NES games based on the box art; sometimes they were great games, sometimes they weren’t, but I discovered a lot of games that I love that I later found out weren’t reviewed well once the internet became prominent.

That brings me to Blades of Fire. It has a respectable user score of 8.2 on Metacritic, while (some) critics weren’t that high on the game. Nonetheless, it clearly made a positive impression on the players, and I am one of them. I’m glad I took a chance on it despite its generic box-art because it’s the definition of “don’t judge a book by its cover”, and I’m enthralled by it.

First and foremost, it’s a 3D action adventure whilst simultaneously being a Metroidvania. This should come to no surprise considering their most recent game was a new 2D Metroid (Dread). Some people have touted it as a Souls-like, which I think is an inaccurate comparison. It may feel that way in terms of its difficulty, and believe me, it’s not even close to being that hard in terms of defining it as an entire genre built on that punishment.

The game shines in its combat, offering a wide array of weapons and combat techniques. Each weapon has its unique move-set and the way to attack enemies is based on directional hits. It’s a distinctive combat system that really requires you to experiment. And the way to acquire new weapon types is by defeating enemies a certain number of times, making you feel like you’re always progressing. However, you have to forge these weapons in order to obtain them. It’s an addictive mini-game that plays a drastic role in your success or failure in future combat encounters.

The game world itself is charming—it really does feel like that old school PS3/Xbox 360-era of action adventure games where the characters are over the top, the story is bombastic but fun, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It evokes feelings of when I played the original original God of War for the first time, and that’s probably the most accurate description for the entire game because it plays like it in terms of progression, exploration, and combat.

I have only one real complaint, and if it was handled a little bit more eloquently this game would be top tier for me; that is the level design and map. While exploration is rewarding, it’s very easy to get lost despite the game being touted as linear. There are so many interweaving paths in dense sections and it can become confusing, and the overworld map does little to help with navigation. I think it would benefit greatly with a mini map. With that said, it has Metroidvania DNA so it’s meant to be obtuse. Additionally, I’m playing on the hardest difficulty where it doesn’t show you where your next objective is, so exploring your surroundings and paying attention to dialogue is key to advancing the story.

I tried multiple times to get into this game but I just couldn’t do it. To me, it felt bloated from the very beginning, and the missions I did do were quite repetitive. The exploration wasn’t satisfying either—I wasn’t getting any environmental story telling like previous Bethesda games. I may give it another shot but I doubt I’ll buy it unless it’s on a deep sale.

I guess it’s time to go back and replay the series. The first two entries were great, but I haven’t played the third one yet. Now is as a good of a time as any to start.

I can’t wait — Silent Hill 2 Remake is in my top 5 games this generation. With that said, from the trailers for SHF it was pitch perfect in terms of atmosphere, but I thought the movement and combat looked very janky. I’m glad to see that it’s not bothering people as much which gives me hope that it’s solid in those areas.

When it comes to specs I am a “explain like I’m five” person. All I care about at the moment is the handheld and the cost of it, and if it will play my PS4-6 library natively.

@Northern_munkey I’m 35, haha. But the game is fantastic. I’m only a few trophies away from the platinum!

@PuppetMaster Exactly this. It’s challenging, but it doesn’t rush you to the next transition screen. You can take your time if you want, but you also feel like a badass if you rush it and mow down enemies without being hit—it feels incredibly satisfying due to the degree of difficulty Ninja Gaiden is a whole.