TheScoundreL

I really want to give it at LEAST an 8, bc it IS a lot of fun, but there are STILL some QOL issues (even after a patch a few days ago) that need ironing out & tweaking. The mechanics are fun, & despite a little jank, it feels really good to play…but the bounds glitches, progress loss (thankfully, never much, thanks to ambiguous auto-saving) from forgetting to NOT make (Demon’s Souls style) use of the photo mode (a ‘known issue’) to peek at what’s waiting to ambush me when I’m at a ‘push on, or head back to the last checkpoint & restock heals, maybe farm a handful of nearby enemies to get to that next attribute point (level)?’ happens far too often & NEEDS fixing already. That said, I HAVE had a bit of fun exploring when I’ve jumped up at the right (wrong) spot & ended up hovering like some sort of Jedi in need of an exorcism, & can ‘fly’ around to see diff. areas I haven’t reached yet (& take advantage of bird’s eye view of the map for any missed loot). Still, I’d rather not have to live w/the issue that’s so pervasive that “unstuck” is a tab in the menu right above quit to menu. Hopefully “Oooh, Cat Souls!” $ales are strong enough for the devs to bring in an outside optimization team to fix things for them if they’re having so much difficulty? It’d be a worthwhile investment to get the game to a place where players can ‘love’ it vs. like its obvious potential. All that said - I hope to see good things for the game, devs, & (potential for a solid fanbase, given all everything in favor of the IP - it’d be a shame to see it fail). I have faith that the devs will do what(ever) needs to be done to polish it up to snuff.

Pretty awesome free expansion. Added much more than some PAID DLC, arguably, especially post NG replay value (as well as added depth to primary run, as most is accessible without having to have finished NG or started NG+). Personally, I found nothing I didn’t like & appreciate. Especially for FREE. This should earn a lot of good will from players, & hopefully draw those who put it on hold/backburner back, bc it’s a solid addition to (what should be, imo) THE Gold Standard for MetroidVANIAS that lean heavily toward Castlevania levels, feel, & gothic aesthetics. The side of Bloodborne thrown in completes the package & makes The Last Faith stand out as even more of an ideal homage to the classic-Vanias than even Bloodstained (not to take anything away from said masterpiece). Just saying; Bloodstained’s more Symphony of the Night—on, & The Last Faith is (similar to both Bloodstained: Curse of the Moons) a natural extension of the OG NES trilogy, with aspects of PRE-SOTN sequels that worked. The Awakened Ancients expansion is the perfect reason to stop sleeping on this game & experience it (for those who haven’t). Most who HAVE played it sing its praises & hold it in high regard for good reason. Enjoy!!

This is an exceptionally awesome game by any standard. The gameplay is fluid, intuitive, and just feels great. Jesse becomes a bad-ass Jedi over the course of the intriguing story & using her telekinetic powers to summon & launch objects at enemies NEVER ceases to be brutally satisfying. Definitely one of my favorite games of 2019 & the current generation of consoles in general...with one minor flaw: occasional frame-rate drops when fighting an (overcrowded) room full of **** only in certain rooms. It doesn't happen often enough to be much of a problem, as it only tends to occur if/when I haven't finished off at least half of the first wave of enemies before their friends join the party & you acquire offensive upgrades pretty early on, so it sort of 'goes away' before it has much chance to become annoying. It's hard to fault the devs for it though because Control is essentially a next-gen game that pushes current consoles to their limits. Fortunately (for me) I recently upgraded to a PS4 Pro to give my poor old 2nd hand vanilla system a well-earned retirement after it started vomiting discs back at me in the middle of gameplay, so said issue wasn't much of an issue for me at all, but I can clearly see how it could be an immersion-breaking problem for "regular" PS4 & XBoxOne's (no idea about PC's). I experienced Days Gone on both my old & new consoles, but can only judge Control by how well it runs on my upgraded unit, & I have faith in the devs' commitment to optimizing this game because of all the love they clearly put into creating it. Aside from what's essentially a NON-issue for ME, I'm having a ******* blast! I'm taking my sweet-assed time savoring my playthrough & thoroughly enjoying every minute of it, so much so that I bought the season pass when I found out it that it unlocks an amusingky weird, existing side mission, & I'm already looking forward to the 2 promised expansions. Before I ****, I have to credit the writing. The story is truly unique & interesting, with the added bonus of some darkly humorous gems to be discovered just about everywhere you venture. Solid 10/10 at full price - zero regrets for not waiting for a sale.

Don't write this game off based on (or allow yourself to even be influenced by) agenda-driven, biased, negative media reviews. Download the free demo & decide for yourself. It only offers a taste of what the full game has to offer, but it'll show you how full of **** the perpetually-offended outrage culture sheep critics are. Like any Soulsborne game; the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of Code Vein. Well worth MY $ and if you're a fan of the games that it takes inspiration from, it'll prove worthy of yours too. Even if you're not a veteran of said style of games, if you can afford to add this game to your library to support it, you'll help show those who'd rather see female characters covered in burkas than show cartoon skin that (actual) gamers aren't willing to obey their demands, follow their narrative & allow them to ruin everyone else's fun. 9/10 + 1pt for good old fan service & balancing out some of the unwarranted hate.

This game is worth everyone's time, especially if they've dealt/are dealing with depression. At $20, it's quality > quantity & is worth every penny. It doesn't overstay its welcome & is one of those rare, truly special games that every gamer (or fan of well-crafted narrative story in general) should experience at least once - not unlike 'What Remains of Edith Finch' - for originality alone. This one will stick with you - SOLID 10/10

This game should NOT be critiqued by those who were paid to rush to 'get it over with' so they can write their snarky review (focusing on sociopolitical ideals instead of quality of gameplay) & move on to their next piece - without playing though/completing the entire story to give it a fair chance to prove a worthy experience as a whole. For those of us who play narrative adventure games of this kind for FUN, it is worth every penny of our $60 investment. Solid 10/10 (after bugs patched, obviously).