70Ravenz

One of the least ‘casual’ games I’ve played in a long time, and I love it! I mention casual, because my other favorite game this year is Dave the Diver, about as casual and accessible as they come, Baldur’s Gate III is completely the opposite and it took me several hours to get a decent handle on the mechanics of the game. And what I mean is that this game is so much more than just a CRPG with a good story and very advanced combat system. It’s an amazing story and numerous side quests, a point and click adventure, a true D&D roll playing game with dice rolls on the screen, a deep tactical strategy game and all set to an amazing score and better than average graphics. I am actually surprised that there are not some negative reviews only because it is not a quick play or easy to get far into in a couple of hours. I think that’s a testament to the story telling and how even though complex, players are compelled to keep playing to see what’s next. Great game!

I love this game for its game design and gameplay. It takes all the best of souls games (exploration, challenging, etc) and it’s a little ugly at times, but I am ok with that. It does look a bit last gen graphics, but I would take this over most other open word games just don’t compare. I have about 50 hours in and only through 2 main bosses and several sub bosses. I keep replaying old areas to find new things and secrets. Avoiding internet walkthroughs and really taking it all in. This is my GOAT. This is why I play video games. I have thousands of PlayStation hours on other games and a thousand Steam games played and this game is hands down my favorite. Update 270+ hours in and definitely GOTY and still likely one of the best games of all time.

This is a very solid souls-like game of an alternate history of the French Revolution where the demons/monsters/enemies (including your player character) are highly advanced automatons powered by intricate clockwork mechanisms and weapons. It's a very unique take and 10/10 for setting and atmosphere. Too early to tell if level design will become more complex, but simplistic in my first couple of hours, but may be more of a tutorial. 6/10 Gameplay is a bit different, but not so much that it is contrary to the muscle memory you may have from most other Souls games 7/10 I'll come back and write more, but so far this may be one the most underrated games I have found in a while.

Over 30 hours in and game continues to impress. Game has some fantastic platform puzzles (some are VERY challenging) blended with open world exploration and very fluid combat. They did not make the game mechanics overly complicated, but then took what they have and just made flow and work well. This is my favorite new IP in years. The only reason I didn't rate higher is the script/story and voice acting could be better. As for the puzzles, they are mostly putting character in a get from point A to point B, and start off easier with weight a switch down with a box sort of thing and eventually have you dodging mythological lasers and timing arrow shots and speed running courses with time limits to get to point B or treasures . Other challenges are the boss fights which can be challenging, but aside form dying, you can replay over and over until you figure it out. Although there is a solid main quest, many of the NPCs you engage with and/or rescue have their own quests and there are some special puzzle quests outside the main that are amazing! AAA title not getting attention it deserves, but glad to see User scores higher than critics.

Overall, I found this to be a good game. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but I have yet to experience anything truly memorable, and in the end, it felt very repetitive and and grind. It's saving grace is the gun-play and basic stealth mechanics are fun. Just not original. ***BIGGEST PRO: It was fun riding around on a motorcycle in the game ***BIGGEST CON: Lots of repetitive missions and game-play (what you do in first 5 hours is pretty much same you do in hour 10) *** Extremely derivative of several other games. Specifically, it felt an awful lot like Mad Max in the Pacific Northwest. There is a main, story quest, but much of the story is introduced through flashbacks that you have to watch, but no participate in. The map consists of a number of "regions," each with a set number of "Get rid of 'x'" or "Find 'y'" quests to help you level or gain trust at various camps to provide discounts at shops and upgrades. These are literally the same quest/activity over and over. It all felt very mechanical to me, and never felt invested in my character. Night day do not feel inherently different. So many aspects that felt all a bit incomplete and half-baked. But, it is fun to play and run around and shoot monsters and take out enemy camps. Update December 2020. On PS5, this game is a solid 8. Finished main story and ready to replay as it looks and feels like a different game. Same drawbacks with overall game but PS5 takes it up another level.

Absolutely nails Dark Souls / Demon’s Souls atmosphere, story exposition, and overall game play “feel”, introduces some very fresh mechanics, yet feels dated, especially in the poor textures and muddy graphics. HDR setting is in menus and does not work. Hoping for patch. Frame rates seem low. I’ve been in several areas of the game and feels very copy/paste in look and feel and lacks variety. Enemy placement is static with a few moving in small routines back and forth, but it feels setup and not organic in any way with designers placing choke points and traps in not so much surprising ways, but expected ways. Bosses at first seem very hard, but once you determine pattern and best way to attack, it becomes a boring fight as many are just damage sponges. Second fight with one boss was a no hit battle, but still took several minutes.

Except for some minor annoyances, I will remember this game for some time. Since this is the generation of nothing really new, except for flashier graphics and lots of remasters, I feel like this game takes elements of so many last gen games and combines to make one heck of a Action RPG / Shooter! 3/4 Fallout New Vegas and remaining 1/4 to BioWare Mass Effect, Borderlands, and a pinch of Bioshock. Very fun. Not game for those looking for dedicated shooters

This is a good, but not great game. I got this game as part of September PlayStation Plus subscription, and had very low expectations due to reviews, and the fact that it was a free subscription game. However, maybe some of the bugs and frame rate issues have been addressed, it plays decent on PS4 Pro. Let’s start with what ****. Load screens. Although save points are convenient, the time to reload is similar to Bloodborne after it first came out, before it was patched, if anyone can remember that. There are a couple of boss fights that take a few tries to learn how to get passed. ****. Game freezes/pauses to load areas. If you run to quickly between areas, the game will freeze for several areas to load next area. Worst examples actually freeze and you can see I drawn areas pop in. Unrealized Game Mechanics. Without spoilers, your character learns different abilities. One ability I felt like I used almost the whole game and then later abilities seem like there to just progress to different areas. There are some combat mechanics with these abilities, but never felt as polished as it could. Main characters personality. She just isn’t like able.. Graphics. Not good by this generations standards. However I still play Bioshock, BatMan, and Dark Souls so gameplay over graphics any day in my book. What I like. Exploring. It is really cool. Lots of verticality and areas that interconnect and secrets. My favorite feature of the game. Combat isn’t half bad. It’s not great though but ok. I liked the overall gameplay, but I totally get why many can’t stand it.

This game oozes immersion, but not in ways one might think. There were moments in other games, such as God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn where the pieces came together to tell a compelling story, but not since The Last of Us did I feel as emotionally engaged and so immersed in the game. What is amazing is that the elements and game play are very simple, nothing new, and almost casual. It's not open world and it's almost on the rails at times as levels direct you from point A to point B. Puzzles are for the most part simple, and combat and stealth nothing new. It's not even a long game. However, the framework that holds it together from the music to the graphics to the pacing is scripted, acted, and directed to perfection. Beautiful game on so many levels.