Kasking1

I don't really play shooters (definitely not FPS), but this one is actually pretty fun. I did get it for free on Playstation Plus, but I wouldn't have felt bad paying $40 to $50 for this game. The combat and traversal are great. Harley uses Batman's glider and grappling hook traversal; Boomerang throws Speedforce-Boomerang to basically teleport; Deadshot uses a Jetpack; King Shark runs and leaps like the Incredible Hulk. All 4 characters can be swapped between at almost any time (except in main missions, I think) and all are fun to play as looter/shooter characters. The gunplay and melee abilities are fluid and the best part of the combat is synergizing Villain gear with their actual team ups in the comics. My effectiveness went from decent to exploding everything in huge AOEs after mixing Bane and Merlyn Gear with a few other Villain pieces. The story is decent and feels like a scenario ripped right out of American Comics (DC and Marvel) where no one dies forever and parallel Earths are a thing so after the main story ends, an endless sort of open-world and multiverse sandbox starts. It's definitely the kind of game where you can just keep playing forever as there's no real end (at least yet for me, as I've just gotten to some "Seasonal" play). I was shocked when I started playing this while it was free and I was bored one night because, the game is actually good! I heard so much hate for it and even critics seemed to pan it, but all of the criticism seems to revolve around three things: live-service and not being a narrative-driven game with a final ending; killing off Justice League members in the Rocksteady "Arkham" games (the title of the game is literally "Kill the Justice League" so what did people expect?); maybe too much "wokeness?" All of these things are fairly subjective and expectation-driven, but none of these complaints result in the game being bad from an objective point of view. Again, the mechanics of the game are great. The live service doesn't seem necessary to continue playing (unless that was the case before and isn't now that I'm playing on Playstation Plus -- so I could be wrong) and it feels like a Grand Theft Auto world with Superheroes. There are reoccurring mission structures but again, it just feels like GTA so I don't think that's a bad thing. As far as the Kill the Justice League aspect, it's DC comics. Honestly, no one stays dead forever and there are parallel Earths so it can end up a "What If" scenario at worst. They can always retcon the scenario as DC has often done in it's history so it's not anything to really take seriously. The "wokeness" is definitely in there and yes, if you're not a fan of such things it may cause you to eyeroll or facepalm a few times but other than that, I can't remember it being overwhelming. I have not bought any of the other 4 characters that become available after the main campaign ends, but you can choose to not buy the ones that you don't want or not buy any at all. Overall, I think such concerns were seized upon and amplified to be more repellant that the issue actually are in game but, that's just my subjective perspective and your results may vary. Overall, I can't see this game being less than a 6 because the mechanics are very strong. If you were expecting a structured game like the Batman: Arkham games, you may be a bit annoyed as the game plays more like GTA online. But if games like GTA and other looter/shooters are your speed or if you just like DC comics and want a fun experience, I'd give this game a solid 8. It's a fun time and a good, discounted game to try out. Don't believe the hate!

Stellar Blade brings back the old school protagonist from the 80s and 90s (think Schwarzenegger's Commando, Tomb Raider's Lara Croft and Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hyabusa) where the hero is very much all business with very little whining about their past to tell you who they are and what they do. Most of the character is delivered through their reaction to the challenge at hand, which is very refreshing. Eve, the hero, is a fish out of water in many ways, but very lethal and driven to accomplish her mission. The other characters in the game are very likable (Adam is thoughtful and stoic while Lilly is bubbly and excitable). These personalities mesh well together to form a cohesive unit for a likable team. The story is given to you through some cutscenes for major events, but much of the sentiment is also delivered through lore that you collect throughout the game, with characters commenting on the interesting tidbits as you progress. There are some cool plot twist and clever ideas about what caused the game's post-apocalyptic world and how people would respond to the event and aftermath. The game is semi-open world, with much of the game's main setting for progression being linear. But as you enter an area around the last human stronghold, you are thrust into a large, open area with enough exploration to keep you busy for maybe even 10+ hours of platforming and questing that offers a break from the main story while adding lots of lore and general character to the humans of this dystopia. The combat is probably the most amazing aspect of the game. It gives you the feeling of Devil May Cry meets God of War meets Sekiro, but manages to make the combat uniquely its own and it is incredibly pleasing once you "get good" at it. There are a wealth of combos to keep even the most intense gamers pleased while offering enough leeway for even casual RPG fans to muscle their way through to victory. The visuals are just about as stellar as the combat. The characters are all very cute, beautiful, handsome and/or badass in design and it's pleasing to see in current day gaming. The game received some contrived narratives about being too "sexy," but it was all overblown in my opinion. Never did I feel anything in the game warranted such talking points but as the old saying goes, there's no such thing as bad press and this "controversy" may have driven more sales than the game might have garnered as people had to come and see what all the fuss was about. The music in game is amazing. A few of the tracks can at times get a bit repetitive (vocals in background music become easily identifiable because the human brain is trying to make out the words instead of it being white noise) as you may spend hours in one area. Overall, there must be close to 100+ tracks in the game and most are great. You'll probably end up wanting to listen to many outside the gaming experience. There is a New Game+ that has been added so you can progress to more challenge and spend more time in the game world while maintaining all of your XP and items and gold. The one big negative that would've stopped me from giving the game a 10 if it just wasn't so much fun and so anime is the censorship. It was obviously hypocritical. There have been AAA games released with full frontal nudity and simulated sex scenes and one was a Sony exclusive. The game developer promised no censorship, only to release a day one patch that added covering up cleavage and hips on certain outfits that you can see actual women wear in public and yet, they added it. Then, the developer released press to say it was always their intention to change the outfits, mind you after working on the game for several years, releasing the demo and the physical disc with said outfits uncensored. So, this was either false advertising or they are being dishonest now. Maybe their hands are tied since they made a deal with a platform to help fund the game's development while not being able to disparage Sony's name. I guess that's the price of financing: your creative freedom. Overall, the game is still a must buy if you own a PS5, as it is a Sony exclusive... at least for a year as it may be released later on PC since it's selling so well. If you're like me and are willing to buy a console for a great game and in hopes of this being a series, then it's worth the $500 plus $70. I've logged in 30 hours and still have one of the game's large, open areas to explore. An instant classic whose memory may live on, forever.