HZD Remastered looks AMAZING on the PS5 Pro. It was always a superb game, but of all the ones I’ve tried on the new hardware so far, this stands out at the top. Well worth the $10 upgrade. They did more motion captures and put a lot of work into this. It is not just the same game with boosted resolution or something. Definitely check it out.
The graphics are incredible, and it performs well even without performance mode. The cartoonish look in the previews is misleading. The combat is excellent, rivaling the best action games. The class system, skill tree, and specializations offer many play styles. The game starts linear but opens up to a huge, amazing world to explore. I can’t put it down. If you like action RPGs, don’t miss this.
After completing the game, I strongly feel it’s underrated and deserves a lot more credit. It has flaws, but the storytelling, performances, graphics and uniqueness make it worth the playthrough. There are surprisingly great moments and environments, especially later as you progress. I think people expect it to be another Resident Evil, but should understand the history of the game and how this allows us to appreciate it through a modern lens. While there are some areas that could have used more work, there is thoughtful attention to detail in others. I appreciate the voice acting when reading clues and collectibles, something seldom found in even bigger budget titles. The developers clearly gave it their all, and I hope they have the opportunity to take any lessons learned and make their next game even better.
WHY is it ALWAYS resolution + slow fps or high fps + bad graphics? For the love of god, there should always be a BALANCED option in every game. Great game, mediocre upgrade that took WAY TOO LONG to be of this quality. Why did it take so long? For the projected sales and hype around the new TV show? At least it was a free upgrade, and it’s better than nothing, but man… it could have been a lot better given YEARS AND YEARS wasted probably doing next to nothing, just waiting around until managers, the board and marketing decided the time was right. I’m so sick of the corporate bureaucracy killing good games and trying to find every way possible to monetize. Just make good games and people will buy it, and that’s enough! Just leave it alone at that. Art shouldn’t be tainted with greed. It just looks like politicians selling bibles.
Fallout 4 is a good game, and I’ve spent hundreds of hours playing it since the original PS4 launch. However, this upgrade is extremely lackluster, which warrants downgrading the score a bit. For one, this took way, way too long. Presumably, they just waited until the time was “right”, meaning when they could predict the most hype and sales, which surrounds the TV series debut. The graphics are only slightly better than the PS4 Pro, while still being locked into 30fps in “graphics” mode. There are still NUMEROUS bugs, and new regressions. This was not a thoughtful fan pleaser or labor of love, but your average cash grab. Still, it’s far better than nothing, and the PS4 version had become unplayable on PS5 thanks to no 60fps support. If you have never played, absolutely do and you’ll love it. I’ve just already been there, done that, and this doesn’t add anything good enough to make me want to play through again. If it had come, hmm, two or three years ago like it should have, maybe I’d feel different, but it’s a day late and a dollar short.
Update: I got a shiny new PS5 Pro, and let me tell you, the new Versatility mode makes it like a whole new game. Somehow, it looks better than Quality mode while running at 60fps. They’ve ironed out the bugs, and if I could go higher than a 10 I would. Original review below. Simply breathtaking. I’ve waited so long for this, and not only does it not disappoint, but it far exceeds all hopes and expectations. The original FF7 raised the bar in the 90s, and today the second installment of the remake is setting a new bar for what a Final Fantasy game should look like, and any RPG for that matter. The graphics are stunning, but that’s just icing on the cake. The sheer scale, immersion and amount of stuff there is to do is what’s so captivating. FF7 Remake was outstanding, but it was very linear. The pivot to open world has been done spectacularly, and while many like myself are weary of huge empty and dead maps, there is no degree of that here. Running through rocky grassland with Cloud is satisfying as he can now jump, climb, swim and roll through a world with few artificial barriers. The battles and Synergy system takes it up a notch. Beyond that, the story of FF7 is without question an all time masterpiece that is still relevant today, if not even more so. The characters are so lovable, and NPCs have managed to make me laugh this time without being too cringe. There are a few bugs that the devs will need to iron out in the coming weeks, like floating foliage and an at times blurry performance mode (I am playing on Graphics), but this is a MASSIVE 150GB game from a relatively smaller team than other, similar AAA devs. There is so much to love that any of these issues are easily forgiven. I highly recommend and am a very firm 10/10 because of how the game goes above and beyond what’s expected - you are getting more than your money’s worth compared to what you pay the same for lesser titles. What an amazing comeback for the FF franchise! Square Enix, take a lesson from this team and build upon this in the next one.
One of the best RPGs I’ve ever played, and by far the best since The Witcher 3. The level of detail, from graphics to mechanics, is astounding. Not only does it reassert the relevance of turn based combat, but in so many ways it’s better than most real time action games. You can speak with almost any NPC in the world - and there are many - and they will perform not just great voice acting, but beautifully expressive motion captures. The world and characters are interesting, and there is infinite replayability. The way they got such a complex game to work so well on a console controller is an absolutely incredible UI/UX achievement. I’m blown away at every turn, and after 40 hours of play, I’ve only scratched the surface. If this doesn’t merit a plethora of GOTY awards, I don’t know what does. The bar has been raised and that could not be more welcome in a gaming era rife with disappointment. There’s a learning curve for those unfamiliar with D&D, but it’s well worth taking the time to acclimate.
Creative excuse for a dead and empty world? Check. Soulslike difficulty to stall your progress? Check. Maximum profits from minimal effort? Check. Cashing in on a fad? Check.
Wow. This is one of the most amazing, life changing Final Fantasy entries ever to be introduced to the world. I rarely feel so much emotion while playing a game, and there are just so many breathtaking moments. There are certainly things which could transform it into one of the greatest games of all time, such as better side quests and things to do, or just imagine what an open world would have been like—yes, we are bored of poorly executed open worlds, but that isn’t an issue with the concept and promise of them. That said, Final Fantasy 16 still manages to raise the bar for the franchise in so many ways, and significantly so. It is still absolutely Final Fantasy, despite its transformation from turn based to full action, which is done with perfection here. Clive’s abilities are smooth, fun and not confusing like past games. Honestly, I think it would have been just as good without the M rating- one of the best things about the series was its ability to evoke strong emotions without the usual bloodlust or profanity. It does this sometimes awkwardly, but they’re doing what they can to win over a new generation that’s used to Game of Thrones and Mortal Kombat fatalities—a rather disgusting side of humanity that harkens back to the Roman colosseum and public executions by the French guillotine. Why do we enjoy watching this? That aside, this is a significant leap in the right direction overall, and we look forward to where this takes us in the years ahead.
Here’s the thing: we are acutely aware, and are growing wary, of games that find creative ways to have empty, ghostly worlds. The reason for this approach is that it’s much more work, much more costly to create a living, breathing world in a game. Due to greed, the empty-ghostly world is now a cliche that gamers like myself are incredibly bored with. Other developers also throw in “very challenging combat” as a barrier to progress, requiring even less put into a game. Meanwhile, we are now asked to pay $70. With each empty world or “Soul’s like” game (to be clear Ghostwire: Tokyo is not the later, only the former) we are less likely to hand over the cash. Eventually we will lose interest in gaming entirely.
Wanted to play the single player campaign while waiting for Final Fantasy 16 to release since I’m bored with everything else. Read some reviews saying it was solid so I thought why not. Wow, when I launched the game, for a moment I thought there was no single player because I had to create an online account and navigate through several layers of micro transaction menus wanting me to purchase some skins or in game currency. Finally I found the campaign somewhere hidden away at the bottom. Once I finally figured out how to play the game, the graphics were decent but the gameplay simply BORING. Not only does it not bring anything new, it’s a few steps backwards. This seems to really embody everything that‘s wrong with gaming now. You pay $70 for something that just tries to sell you more stuff. They spent more time on that than the game itself, probably. I’m so sick of this getting worse and worse. I’ve decided to personally boycott developers who do this. I won’t buy these games anymore. They’re mediocre to begin with, and when you add the micro transactions that come from free mobile apps for your phone, it takes it down several more notches, which is why this “2” is an honest one.
Stop using the excuse that this is being “review bombed”. This is real frustration and burnout from online only micro transaction games. I paid $70 to play single player. The forced online is to tempt you to want to show off vanity gear to other players, making you purchase. DON’T DO IT.
The graphics on PS5 really aren’t bad. It even offers raytracing that runs at an acceptable frame rate. The characters have a certain art style that’s kind of cartoonish, which may contribute to the perception of just “bad”. I think the reviews are unfair and people are probably saying things without playing. That said, the main problem I’ve experienced is simply boring gameplay. So far, it seems only the most tedious and repetitive cliches of gaming have been added— scale a marked area of the wall or cliff, hide in the tall grass, collect 8 name tags and turn them in. They understand Lord of the Rings, but I guess not modern gamers. Honestly, I don’t know how it could have worked anyway, since Golem isn’t known for being adept in intense combat in the way Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor/War was so great. I guess if you want a story, you definitely have it, and it’s a good one, but you might be fairly bored climbing and crawling around doing almost nothing between the good parts.
Everyone looks fresh out of high school and the game clearly caters to young Star Wars fanatics. I thought I would give it a try because all the critics are praising it “9.5 / 10”. I loved Titanfall 2, and being that this is a Respawn game I thought there was a good chance I’d really enjoy this, maybe with the true spirit of Star Wars finally returning after being muddied by so many attempts at reboots by Disney. The last game I liked was “X-Wing versus Tie Fighter”…. anyway, the game has you climbing walls and grappling like spider-man everywhere. There is wall running similar to Titanfall but in the 3rd person. Honestly the parkour and wall climbing stuff is kind of old, and beyond that you’re just slashing away with your lightsaber. The Force abilities are “meh”. If you’re a big Star Wars kid you’ll like this, but otherwise IT IS EXTREMELY OVERRATED, even with all the bugs fixed! Funny thing about bugs these days, as with Cyberpunk 2077, is it takes away from how the game is just an ok-ish game.
Love it- looks great and extremely entertaining. Could have been better without the last gen support and UE4, but there will be the next one. Played through as Jacob and found him to actually be funny, which is refreshing after a lot of boring, cringy characters in other recent games. The zombie gore is disgustingly detailed, and there’s no shortage of ways to take them on, either with weapons or the world. Overall, I think this game is highly underrated. I decided to wait to look at reviews until after I played through, and I’m pretty shocked at the negativity. I was expecting an 80 at least. I know it sounds cliche, but I think reviews absolutely are rigged and bought. Just keep doing what you do and I’ll keep buying your games.
This game is insane. The artwork and attention to detail are astounding. There are not usually so many detailed animations with interactive pieces in a first person shooter. The lighting is gorgeous, especially outdoors. Reflections looks great. It’s definitely not just a Bioshock skin, and even if it was it would still be cool- Bioshock is excellent. Taking all the best from several
of the best shooters is always a great idea, and I want to see more games like these. So far, my only complaints are that you can’t view a controls map, and the English voice acting of the protagonist could be better. The gameplay is solid, looks great and feels great. The way you pull items from filing cabinets and drawers magnetically is really cool, sort of reminding me of Control. Great job and thank you! Update: hours in and I love this even more. The way they added so much cool variety to the lock picking is so cool and refreshing. So much better than the same old thing over and over in all games with lock picking. Enemies fly out and start to try and repair a turret you just took out, and it makes it more fun and interesting. I’m blown away by all the hate in reviews. They obviously worked so, so hard on this. It’s the best game I’ve played to date on my PS5, definitely best of 2023 so far.
One of the best examples to date of market research gone horribly wrong. Time to go back to the drawing board and plug your ears when Twitter starts to tell you what we want. The game performs terribly. There is a team that had great ideas, but their engineers failed to make it a reality. The writing **** because it’s not what they wanted to write, just what they thought they needed to. Look, why care what Twitter says if people are still going to buy millions of copies? Stop being so afraid, if that’s the issue. My suggestion would be to have real Black Americans write the story if you’re going for a Black New Yorker. The fake Black American thing is way more insulting than it is inclusive.
When I bought a PS5, it was so exciting– all the cool next gen games that will come! Now, remasters and remakes, with some sides of cross-gen games, have been all we’ve gotten. Other than that, massive disappointments, like Forspoken. Next up we have Resident Evil 4. At least most of these remakes have been done well, and Dead Space is on par with the best RE games. However, even the original game was just decent. I wouldn’t consider it an all time classic. I guess if you were too young to play it on PS3, this will be a good fresh experience. It’s definitely much better than The Callisto Protocol. I just feel slightly bored playing this, as good as it is. Time for some new stuff that doesn’t flop so hard like all the non-remakes of late. I mean come on… put some effort into it and stop being such babies with your 4 day work weeks and wellness days. The industry could use a swift kick in the rear.
So underrated. Well deserved 10/10. The story is extremely detailed and well told. If you ever liked turn based RPGs like Final Fantasy, the combat is fun and grows on you especially as you develop more skills. My only disappointment is that I did not buy the game when it first cane out.
One of the most underrated games in recent memory. Nearing 2023, the graphics may be just good enough to pass for a truly modern game, but what it lacks in beauty is more than made up for in gameplay. A great detective story combined with fantastic marshal arts fighting, as well as a world packed with immersive content, surprises and impresses you at every turn. The English dubbing is much better than most- often you expect to cringe, but not here. Characters are interesting, funny and charismatic. Being able to experience Japanese culture in a game at this level of quality is a real treat.
How does the best game ever made get better? It comes to a new generation of hardware, free of charge. The game is an absolute masterpiece, same as the original Polish novels it’s derived from. Anyone who gives this less than an 8 is probably confused, biased or a troll. You need to experience the full 100+ hours to know what you’re talking about, and many of us have more than once for damn good reasons. The addition of 3D audio on PS5 is outstanding. You hear the difference everywhere. When walking through a tavern, you can hear exactly where voices are coming from in a crowd. Fights are more exciting. The graphical improvements are significant, and performance mode seems to be the best experience. Buttery smooth, like they say, which now seems essential for sword fights. Quick Casting is a big improvement upon the original selection wheel. You don’t have to pause or think- just a press and it’s any sign you want without interruption. Walking up to destructible objects and pressing R2 + X for Aard is a pleasure, along with setting things ablaze with Igni. I would have paid for this upgrade in a heartbeat- no exaggeration. I almost want to pay something anyway, to support these massive masterpieces of games. I want to show that this is an investment well worth making so we don’t get smaller, lesser games in the future. Anyway, thank you CDPR for making this free. If you have never played The Witcher III and you’re a fan of RPGs, man are you in for one hell of a ride. Just pay the man.
Having played through three times- as well as those in-between the years partial playthroughs that tend to happen- including both expansions, I can say with absolute certainty that the Witcher III is a complete masterpiece of epic proportions. I love every minute, every quest, character and detail. It is true that not everything is totally perfect, but it just doesn’t matter. When the PS5 version releases, I will play through again, starting from scratch, and then again on New Game+. There will never be another Geralt of Rivia in gaming. Not in today’s age, when old white guys would never fly. Especially the White Wolf. Relish it for all it’s worth and relish it some more. I love Ciri and would play a new game with only her, but Geralt is what powers the original games, just as he’s the central to the books. Geralt makes the game, and the Netflix show. Btw the game is better than the show so please stop trying to make the game more like the show.
Why are people such spoiled babies? If you liked Dead Space that much better it’s because you were a kid and basically all video games seemed better. If you experienced the same things now you’d be giving them 0 and saying they’re a horrible disappointment. This game is really good- a solid 8, but giving 10 to help counter all the stupidly low scores. The graphics and 3d audio are fantastic, and runs buttery smooth on PS5. For Unreal Engine 4 it is very impressive. The devs did great work on turning it into something closer to UE5. The story and characters are solid, and the combat brutal and terrifying. Honestly, it could have been just as good without all the disgusting death scenes. We really shouldn’t be so entertained by it, like we’re all serial killers inside. Anyway, the dodge and GRP mechanics make it interesting. No running around mashing buttons to roll around to dodge (which is horribly old, honestly). Well worth the purchase on PS5.
This is arguably one of the best games ever made. The thought and detail put into each moment is spectacular. I have no idea how this can be rated so much lower than so many lesser games. The graphics are breathtaking, the action sequences incredibly complex, smooth and detailed. Stealth options like wall clinging and covering Laura with mud add something more than your typical crouching in the shrubbery status quo. Laura is incredibly lifelike and they could not have done a better job. Kudos to Crystal Dynamics for a job so well done, they more than exceeded all expectations for what you get for a $50 game. Even scenes that most players only glimpse for a few seconds have so much loving detail. Millions of people love your games like I do- do not listen to the haters.
Took a turn in the wrong direction compared with 1 and 2. Almost all of the things that made it fun and interesting have been removed and replaced with repetitive arena combat. We didn’t want it more like what the kids think of as an “old school shooter”. We want all the things we used to wish our old school shooters had, like fun skills, combos, upgrades and elemental damage. I didn’t want a wannabe Bethesda Doom. I wanted the new and improved Shadow Warrior that I saw in the last two games.
Loads of fun, and despite all the shortcomings I have not been able to put it **** gameplay is very well tuned and picks the best from other action games like Doom and God of War. It’s well worth the pickup— just do not expect a graphical showcase. In “Quality” mode, it seems kind of low resolution, but the frame rate is very smooth and obviously much higher than 30fps. It’s Unreal Engine 4, but without the significant improvements we’ve seen in other recent games using the engine. Anyway, the combat is extremely satisfying. This, to me, feels like an action game of the past (in a good way) but with features we always wished they had, like a generous skill tree and weapon customization. This could really be an AMAZING game if it had instead been built on UE5 and gotten a little more love. I feel bad for the developers because they’re getting negative reviews for the visuals alone, without much regard for all the thought and love put in.
Unpopular opinion maybe, but I think it’s a little boring. They reused too many assets from the first game. There is too much of the same look and feel. Somehow, the axe combat isn’t as satisfying, which was one of the best things about it. There is WAY too much Atreus, who is now playable. It seems like a way to sell more copies by targeting a younger generation. Grab the old God of War fans and the kids, more $$$$. The graphics are not actually that great, unless you’re on a PS4 and seeing it pushed to its max potential. For a next gen game, it’s pretty dated, despite reviews saying it’s a technical marvel. All that said, it’s mostly executed just as well as the first game. If you never played it, play that first.
Another load of **** The steampunk-ness from the mid 2000s and Assassin’s Creed merges with this idea that you should sit on the edge of your seat mashing the dodge button in order to get your money’s worth. The kids eat it up with their false sense of accomplishment from twiddling their thumbs faster than ever.
It’s been well established that a “remake” literally means the game was entirely remade, with different CONTENT, like Resident Evil or Final Fantasy 7. This is just a well done remaster. Even with the facelift and haptics, however, it feels like the same old game. The original PS3 version, at the time, had mind-blowing graphics for that generation of hardware, pushing the console to the limits of what’s possible, but this PS5 version is nowhere near that level of experience. It just looks more like a crossgen type of game- like Part II. I was hoping I wouldn’t remember a lot of the story and areas, but I found myself remembering exactly when/where a workbench would appear, and knowing exactly what would happen next. If you’ve never played the game, it’s 100% with zero doubts worth it, but for anyone who’s been there, done that, it’s a total rip off. Especially with no multiplayer! Sometimes a movie that you’ve seen 1000x times in 1080p, even if it’s really good, still ends up boring you in 4k. Because you’ve seen this one too many times already.
Another disappointment in an era of disappointing games. They must have gone on a hiring spree and only picked up mediocre junior devs. Even if all the bugs are fixed you’re left with only a mildly entertaining goat simulator that you tire of after 5 minutes.
Look, just the fact that it’s on mobile means it’s a blatant cash grab from the start, but then you toss in the micro-transactions and it only gets MUCH worse. The game itself lacks imagination, and I’ll never adjust to touch screen controls. Diablo and Blizzard are dead, have been for a while. It’s time to ignore them and move on.
At first, it seems ridiculous. Then it really, really grows on you. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but this game makes me feel different inside. Goodness radiates through the characters and their friendship, their common goal to save the planet. It accomplishes so much with less of the modern day staples. Playing this game gives me hope for our future. I know that sounds pretty cheesy, but there has to be other people who feel the same. This game is a planet saving hero in its own rite.
Think about it for a minute: the only way developers like Rockstar will continue to build epically massive games like this is if they continue to pay off over a long period of time. You pay the same $60 up front as you give for a much, much lesser game. Think about “Returnal” or something by comparison, made by a much smaller team with exponentially less funding. We need to show our support for games like GTAV, The Witcher 3, etc. Otherwise, all we’ll get are low budget games with big marketing campaigns– the definite trend of late. The Russian army is mad because their tanks are stuck in the mud and they’re out of petrol.
Every once in a while you try out an old game on sale that you skipped back in the day, only to find it’s one of your new all time favorites. That’s L.A. Noire for me. It’s not perfect, but all of its shortcomings and boring driving can be forgiven because the story, immersion and overall vibe are outstanding. I really hope Rockstar develops a sequel or remake for next gen consoles.
For the first few minutes I was really excited, because the combat was impressive. However, the more I played the more I realized this is not a AAA title and it seriously lacks content and story. This is not a Final Fantasy game. It’s a “rougelite” designed to rip you off by replacing content with difficulty that slows your progression. There’s no world to explore, just level stages you iterate through. You “talk” to NPCs through MENU OPTIONS from a map in-between stages. This is cheaply made and sold at the same price as an actual AAA game. It should be $29.99 at most. DO NOT ruin Final Fantasy by turning it into another Nioh / Dark Souls / Returnal rip off. Don’t be fooled– the increased “challenge” is only so they don’t need to add more content for you to progress to. I should have known better when I saw it was Team Ninja.
This industry will not fool us all. FromSoftware’s games are designed to slow your progression with cheap difficulty in order to hide the fact it has less content. Less money can go into making the game, but fans line up to hand over the same wad of cash they’d pay for a real 21st century video game because they poor money into advertising with images that teenagers will think looks just so cool. Wow, it’s dark! The GOT dude is involved! Swords and magic! The whole gaming industry and reviewers are on board because there is more profit in it for them. Don’t be a dumb kid, and don’t buy any more of these kinds of games. See it for what it really is. If we keep buying in, these are the only kinds of games we’ll ever get. Do you really want this to be the best there is? 96 metascore, 10/10? When you buy these games, you give them your “yes” vote. The future of gaming is in our hands.
Rating systems are broken. I don’t know why I’m even here. Anyway, it’s honestly a fantastic game. Everyone is being a big baby. The PS5 version is good enough that you can focus on all the highs like story, action, environment and immersion, instead of bugs and crashing. If you haven’t played, now is absolutely the time. The bad reviews are all butt hurt dwellers who can’t get over 2020. Yeah, it **** for a while. Greedy investors and mediocre developers are ruining games left and right, but you can fight back by not pointlessly preordering to give them your money before you’ve even played.
The game has so much going for it. Mind blowing graphical beauty, extremely lifelike character animations in conversations, sophisticated combat and unique skill tree options, intriguing story and of course Aloy, the somewhat meek and goofy yet so utterly lovable Nora girl-genius-champion-savior. Not everything is perfect. The minigame, “Machine Strike”, isn’t nearly as good as the one in the Final Fantasy 7 remake expansion, or even The Witcher III’s surprisingly awesome “Gwent”. If the pieces animated like “real” machines or something, it might be better. It’s just a bit boring, and it’s hard to make our which pieces are which even on a 50” 4k tv. That’s so minor though- who cares, you don’t have to play it. The game would be a 10 if there weren’t a few things that lacked polish, and a few more bugs than I typically see in a Sony first party game. Usually you can depend on nearly flawless games on day 1, as it should be. However, they’re not anywhere near game breaking or experience ruining. There are just a couple of things where you’re like, huh, this might have been a bit rushed. Blame the pandemic. Anyway, Forbidden West has much more to see and do than Zero Dawn, and while it lacks some of the mystery in Aloy’s outcast beginnings and the history of the machines, once the game opens up beyond the starting area you begin to understand the scope of changes for the better. Once you’re gliding down from those cliffs with your shieldwing and you’ve spent enough skill points, you’ll get it.
I’m changing my original review because this game has grown on me and deserves much more credit. I loved the first game, which time has proven to be a classic hit. The original game released to mixed reviews and landed in the 70s on metacritic. Dying Light 2 continues to surprise me at almost every turn. There is much more beneath the surface than what it seems. Yes, there are some bugs, which will be fixed. Yes, the game should perform a little better and at a higher resolution, but that could be improved as well. The game has great parkour mechanics and combat action. When you run and jump, a high pass filter is applied to the music. The 3D audio is pretty damn good, and the art style is definitely unique. I’m enjoying the game and looking forward to improvements in upcoming patches.
The game looks absolutely stellar on PS5, and the 3D Audio really makes all the difference in realism- far more than I expected. It exceeded my expectations. If you’ve never played, $49 is well worth it. I don’t completely agree with charging $10 for existing owners of both games, but at least there is an upgrade path. The storytelling and cinematic style are top notch. I know there’s a movie coming out, and honestly it’s a terribly idea simply because the game is better than any movie could possibly be. That’s the issue- it’s just too good. Naughty Dog crushed it with this one.
I feel ripped off. I paid $60 for what felt more like a 3-hour RE2 DLC. There were no improvements to inventory, weapons, etc. In fact, there were downgrades. Way too short, and much of it was linear, practically on rails. There’s a ton of potential, but potential doesn’t count. It started out fairly strong, but it seems like they ran out of funding or something. I love RE games, so this kind of apparent cash grab is alarming. RE2 included so much more. You could play through as either main character, experiencing the game in new ways, and there were bonus ghost missions. This game is one and done. I deleted it immediately after seeing you can’t play as Carlos or anything.
The graphics are very last gen. It’s very much like a PS4 game that supports “game boost”, only with a minimal amount of raytracing support added on. I don’t particularly enjoy the characters. The crafting system is kind of lame. The weapons don’t feel super satisfying. Takedowns are bloody and brutal, but then there is no blood on the bodies or ground- which I take is to save memory on old hardware or something. It just adds to the lackluster visual experience. Overall it’s not that bad ****, it’s just one we’ve already played too many times. It’s also highly manufactured, with team leads and agile development coaches, board meetings and lots of bureaucratic policies that inevitably show through no matter how much funding there is. Throw money and efficiency experts at it- you know the drill. Money and success ruin games. “A Ubisoft original”.
I’m going to guess the positive reviews are from nostalgic fans of the original. I’ve never played, but seeing as there’s been a huge dry spell of games lately I thought I’d try it out. I’m a fan of this genre, and since I’ve been gaming for over 30 gears I’m no stranger to dated gameplay. However, I just find this unplayable. When I use L to move Alan across a bridge, for example, he jiggles back and forth from left to right, almost like a glitch. That alone, to me, just totally kills the vibe. I know this is a remaster, not a remake, but man… could have stood to smooth out the movement controls a bit. It’s pretty damn terrible. The compression and quality of the cutscenes is really bad, too, to the point where I would almost rather skip them . I could really get into this if these issues had been fixed. I don’t see how it would have ruined the game to make some improvements here and there. Maybe these game remastered should introduce different game modes, giving you a choice between original and improved gameplay. That way, hardcore fans won’t have a meltdown while new ones can enjoy some sanity. I quit the game and am now regretting the $30, but I might give it another chance if I get bored enough.
I played this on PS4 Pro, then some of it again when I finally got my hands on a PS5. There are noticeable differences between the two, but really nothing major. The game looked outstanding on the Pro compared to other PS4 games, but on the PS5 it’s nothing spectacular, relatively speaking. I guess this is the problem with cross-gen, right? Developers always say there’s no compromise, but come on… how dumb do they think we are? At the end of the day they want to sell as many copies as possible. Again and again they’ll say new generations of hardware will open up countless new possibilities! Bigger, better worlds, etc. etc. Which one is it? No compromise, or you need the new hardware to reach new heights beyond the same game with better rendering? I think the game is far too short. Why are games either too long, or too short? It’s one of those big unsolved mysteries. This was my first experience with adaptive triggers on the PS5, and it really makes a difference! I was pleasantly surprised to find it’s not gimmicky in the slightest. I like how they toned things down slightly since Biohazard- that game had a gross, Texas Chainsaw Massacre kind of vibe that almost made me delete it. If that game really gave you pleasure, please go see a psychologist- you are not well, amigo. There’s being scary, and then there’s being grotesque. A game needs to be fun, not a grueling, painful chore that leaves you feeling like
you need to take a shower. I loved all the characters in The Village, but Ethan Winters is sort of a rube- his voice and some of the things he says are kind of cheesy, like how he calls the sisters a “bunch of crazy witches”. Did they mean to make Ethan like one of their geekiest players or something? Come on, our protagonist must have some balls to go through this rather than curl up and hide in a hole somewhere. I love the zones, and their variety, despite being a little on the small side (like Ethan’s balls). The castle probably looks the best out of them all, which also might be the largest and harkens back to classic RE games. This review is getting too long… Overall, this was a good game and is definitely worth playing. It’s just not a 9 or 10.
I played Diablo I on DOS as a kid in 1990s, and Diablo II on a bulbous red CRT iMac in 2000. They were both dark and outstanding games for their times. I was disappointed with Diablo III, how they used their cartoon design language borrowed from World of Warcraft, and how they essentially made it a remake and sequel at the same time (you travel to the same areas in the same order, dungeons and world aren’t bigger, etc.). This remaster is the exact same game as the original, but with shiny new graphics literally running right on top of it. I’m finding that I enjoy it still much more than I expected, especially the further in I’ve played. I’m giving it a 10 because they did a perfect job of doing exactly what was intended– leaving the game exactly as it was, but updating the graphics to the modern day equivalent. If you’re young and never played old school games like these, it might not be for you. Keep in mind that the gameplay is still from before September 11th, 2001 happened. Don’t expect too much when 20 years of revolutionary advancements in gaming have been achieved since. With that in mind, this game is actually pretty fantastic. I don’t think the L2+touchpad option to switch to the original game video is gimmicky at all. Maybe it’s because I’m super old, I dunno. Diablo III was already practically a remake, so this didn’t need that to happen. I’m hoping D4 will lose the WoW appeal and return to true form. It seems like everyone feels that way, fan of the originals or not. The graphics should he more… evil
There is a lot about this game I like, and at first I had fun exploring and taking it all in, but it all boils down to too much of my time wasted doing the same thing over and over. At first, the procedurally generated world makes it interesting, but then you start to realize it’s all the same and most of it never comes together in a meaningful way. Laser obstacles will appear in random, pointless places and it’s all pretty obviously randomized at times. In Returnal you need to spend hours prepping for a boss battle, finding items and artifacts that will give you a better chance, and then it’s most likely you die and have to start all over from the beginning. The more of the world you unlock, the longer it takes to try again. I eventually made it past the first couple of bosses, but when I died a few times of on the third (and some on my way there) I gave up. I spend all day hard at work– that is a challenge. Being a dad is a challenge. I don’t need this repetitive, time wasting challenge on my PS5. I feel like this was mostly a waste of money. I’ve decided I’m not buying another game like it. Deathloop is out now, and even though IGN gave it a 10/10.. No thanks.
