foobar42

Apart from the performance problems that were pretty minor on the base PS5 for me this game is fantastic! I has the things that made Dark Souls 1 so special and brings some QOL features that don't stray too much from the core formula. The exploration is best in class with multiple ways that often interconnect again. The combat is weighty and difficult but fair. The whole world is full of dangers that and awesome designed bosses. My only gripe would be the main character fan service that just doesn't fit the world and narrative at all. If you're a Souls fan, especially being around since the start, you will love this game.

Play it for * intricate boss battles * anime style * responsive and versatile combat * difficulty options in a Soulslike Don't play it for * interesting level design * rewarding exploration * story, lore or characters * build variety

This is a very personal review and the score will reflect that. I'm sure that Nightreign can be a lot of fun for people interested in the kind of game it is but I personally hope that it will fail and Fromsoft will return to the genre it's best in: unforgettable single player experiences in immersive perfectly crafted worlds. And no, "just don't buy it" is no appropriate answer since fans will have to wait quite some time for another Fromsoft epic since Duskbloods seems to be in a similar vein to Nightreign. What Nightreign is: a hectic rogue like missing almost all the parts that make the other games great, such as freedom to explore, character build variety/progression and rewarding treasures to be found in the form of loot that matters or places that have meaning and evoke emotions. Having played every Fromsoft title since the OG Demons Souls the fan service is great. But apart from that I can't stand nearly every new aspect that Nightreign introduces and everything else is taken from the games before it. I appreciate Fromsoft experimenting with new ideas but this is an utter fail in my book and I seriously hope this will not be direction Fromsoft is heading.

What a marvelous game! This is exactly what I'd like the Final Fantasy series to have become. And this was possible with a team of only about 30 developers. Everything in this game shows how much passion was put into it. The story, cinematics, combat system, exploration, difficulty and world building variety are just insane. The one thing thing they could improve on would be the dialogues that sometimes feel like Hollywood clichés. But it's still one of the best games I've played in a long time. The developers dared to be great and succeeded all the way.

I'm a long time fan having played every Yakuza Game since the first at the time they were released (Japan only entries excluded). But the direction the games are going is just not for me anymore. The focus shift to silliness and mini games takes away from the mature characters and storylines the series was known for. And let's be honest: the main story and especially the ending of the last main title LAD: Infinite Wealth was already rather lacking. I very much hope for a return to form with the recently announced Project Century since it looks way more mature. But if the ship stays its course (couldn't resist) I'll have to say goodbye to one of my favorite gaming franchises.

The microtransaction controvery is totally overblown. No purchases needed and I'd say they rather spoil the experience than improve it. The bad part first: the performance is really in need of improvement on the PS5. There can be quite a lot of stutter when battles become convoluted and the way NPC simply pop in out of nowhere in towns is irritating. But that aside the gameplay is such a nice blend of old school roleplaing coupled with a great action battle system. Exploration is almost always rewarding and it seems like there is usually more than one or two ways to tackle quests without much hand holding. All in all, everything I want from a great RPG of its kind!

BG3 is a very mixed bag and since so many reviews seem to intentionally overlook the bad parts I feel the need to highlight them. A lot has been said about the positive aspects like the epic story, length, characters and freedom of choice already. But what made me take a lengthy break after about 140 hours into act 3: * there are really many technical issues on the PS5. Every conversation begings with the characters lacking about 40% of their textures which is absolutely immersion breaking for me and some bugs make it necessary to restart the game * everybody is super horny which feels forced and sometimes results in outright second hand embarrassment * there really is an unprecedented freemdom of choice but there were quite a few times were character reactions seemed totally out of place or did not appropriately consider the things that took place * inventory management is horrible and I can't see how it can be explained with realism or truthfulness to DnD mechanics when there are some convenience functions So yeah, I really like the game and I hope many developers try to replicate the good parts but it has some serious problems and I don't feel that reviewers adequately pointed them out.