Duderino97

If you set aside the reviews from people who are clearly just not suited to this genre, yet felt the need to review-bomb, the numhers and reviews speak for themselves.

Spiritual successors are commonplace with the growth of indie games. Typically, even the better ones miss on some level, missing some aspect of game feel or otherwise being "off." This game does not. Perfectly capturing the slight campiness (albeit exaggerating at times) of Castlevania games, with impeccable art direction and near-flawless gameplay, I cannot overstate how impressed this game left me. A genuine must-play for any Metroidvania fan, this was one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I have had in years. Cannot recommend highly enough.

I cannot believe this game is generally positive on here. Please do not be fooled, this is a matter of sampling. This game is widely considered the worst Soulsborne, and with good reason. A drastic step back from the original in nearly every way but graphics, I don't care to belabor any of the numerous points that have been made, but please, dear reader, if you are fresh off the heels of the original and loved it, just convince yourself they decided to call the sequel Dark Souls III and save yourself from a game that will disappoint you in many, many ways.

In a statement that I didn't think was controversial until checking here,I believe this game represents the best of the newer, more accessible style of Pokémon game. Building well from the 3DS titles in terms of both gameplay and scale, this game stands strong as a fun a replayable title. While the new EXP Share system is undoubtedly a tad overpowered, I personally found that this mostly encouraged me to actually swap team members and try out new things throughout the game without fear of losing progress. This worked especially well given the introduction of Dynamax Raids, which encourage a variety of approaches and serve as a perfect post-game activity for players who don't care for competitive play. The more accessible entry to competitive play is also a welcome change, as new items and strategies have opened the experience up to many players who previously would never have approached ranked PvP. Overall, a gold standard monster collector game that stands strong as one of the Switch's must-play titles.

While the performance issues are very hard to forgive, they are far from the biggest detractor for the ninth generation of Pokémon. As a matter of fact, I propose a very strange idea. The biggest detractor of this game is every other Pokémon game on the Switch. Every aspect of this game is a step back. On its own merit, it would be good. Not great, not excellent, but good. However, with a world that feels emptier than Legends: Arceus, raids that feel worse than those in Sword/Shield, and a story that has been completely disjointed (as compared to any of the previous generations) due to a lack of controlled pacing both in terms of gameplay and writing, there is nothing here that doesn't feel worse than something. Given that the core fanbase consists of longtime players, this comparison is unavoidable, even on a massive scale. That said, there is merit to the game. A cast of new mons that, personally, I enjoy, and methods of shiny hunting being more accessible than ever means that this game hardly felt like a slog for many hours. However, it is undeniable that the quality has slipped, and for any new fans, I will definitely continue to direct them to the previous generation.

A rare game which I truly would say executes perfectly on its goals. Arcadey fun that is downright addicting, while roguelite elements and killer couch co-op keep it interesting in the longhaul. The overall unserious tone contributes greatly to an experience anyone can jump straight into and have a ball. Great on any console, but especially great as a pack & play Switch game to share with friends.

I genuinely struggle to give this game any credit beyond having well fleshed out the aesthetics of the TTG. The controls are bass-ackwards, the gameplay is repetitive, and pretty much the only difficulty (in PvE) is found in the moments you are stunlocked for the entirety of your health pool. I know it's the current hotness, and boy did I try to like it. However, my immediate frustration with poor controls then gave way to frustration for those odd stunlocks, which, within a couple of hours, gave way to boredom. Most guns feel very samey, most fights feel similarly stale, and frankly, beyond the graphical fidelity, it is *very* difficult to see where the $70 AAA pricetag is justified when contemporary games like Deep Rock and Helldivers have so much more to offer with considerably lower initial investment. Even my adoration for the games stylings and yesteryear action movie antics can't save this from being an expensive uninstall and a lamentation for yet another game that was dwarfed by its own hype.