smw119

This game is a great example of historical fiction done right. With the actions of the protagonist being called into question by adherents to the Bushido code, Jin has to adapt to the evolution of warfare that the invading mongols represent. I immediately noticed, after a few hours of play, Ghost of Tsushima has a lot of Zelda BotW DNA in it, and that's terrific. The combat is tight, dynamic and challenging, especially if played on hard difficulty. With tight gameplay, impressive performance going along with boundary pushing graphics and art direction, this game is the perfect capstone to the PS4's exclusive library as it seeks to move on to the next generation of consoles. This is a game of exceptional quality that continues to surprise me and leave me staring in wonder at the gorgeous vistas all throughout Tsushima. The most ambitious part of this whole package, to me, is the lack of any sort of level gating for missions and content. Rather than increasing difficulty by bloating the stats of enemies in a leveling system, they instead become more specialized, have more tricks up their sleeve and use more aggressive tactics the further you progress in the game. The progression is instead tied to Jin unlocking new tricks of his own and improving his own skills as you explore the island throughout the game. It creates a sense of true progression that feels rewarding, thematic and appropriate for the setting of the game. This is the most impressive game I've played in a long time. I recommend this to anyone who has a passing interest in it. i'm excited to count **** Punch along side CD Project Red, FromSoftware, Guerrilla Games and Id Software as a company who's work outshines the rest.

Coming from somebody who still has the hard copy of the original warcraft 3 reign of chaos in my closet. Thank GOD I haven't pitched that out yet. Warcraft 3 is a beloved masterpiece that holds a special place in my heart. It's near and dear to me just like my copy of Diablo 2 because it was made by a different company than Activision/Blizzard. It was company defined by passion, exceptional quality and innovation. Blizzard, you've lost yourself and I don't know if you'll ever be able to find yourself again. The choices you made in this 'remaster' are terribly disappointing and only make me glad that I can go back and play the good games you gave me and forget the company you've become. If this is the direction you're taking going forward, good luck, you're gonna need it.

I am having a great time with this game despite it's launch day issues. There are many bugs at launch. Online servers appear to be crumbling under the pressure, which is a problem that likely should have been figured out prior to launch. All of that said, I think this game does a lot to further the design of the modern ARPG. Graphics are impressive for an ARPG. Combat is aggressive and cathartic. The resource management system is very satisfying to use. Here's hoping Wolcen Studio is able to get this game working well soon before enough people are turned off of this game to handicap the potential that this game has. I love the art direction and the mechanics and controls are very tight. I have had a decent experience with this game and I'm loving it so far. I can't blame anyone for giving this a lower score though since I can only say that the issues facing this game haven't affected me personally enough to tank my experience. I would recommend it to ARPG fans that would like something different. If the idea of bugs is off-putting to you, then I would wait a week or two for the issues to get patched out then jump on board.

An incredible experience. A pondersome journey that is masterfully crafted to evoke emotions and meditation. Certainly not an experience that many people will like. If you're the type that has patience and an appreciation for the kind of deep weirdness that is Hideo's calling card then you may just fall in love with this bizzare experience... as I have.

This game is a pure joy. After following this game closely since it's teaser trailer in 2017, one question has been **** at the back of my mind. "Will this game be as good as it deserves to be"? Having played through all the Soulsborne games, and loving every one of them, my primary concern was if the game-play would hold up. I loved the aesthetic of this game and that was brought into full tilt when the character creator was revealed to, frankly, be the new industry standard. After spending 20 hours with this game, and with no sign of the end in sight, I was able to put most of my concerns to rest. I'm utterly in love with this game. I love the direction, story style, personality, concepts and artistic vision of this game. And with no signs of micro-transaction intrusion, the game looks like all of it's mechanics are allowed to function as intended. And that's where I think this game will fall short of it's contemporary peers from FromSoftware. The elephant in the room is that the combat isn't Soulsborne levels of polish. And nothing out right now is, so it's in good company. But the comparisons are levied more directly at this game because it draws so heavily on the gameplay loop that Soulsborne established. So is the combat that is here satisfying? That's the main question. And I can confidently say that it is, despite it's flaws. The controls are snappy to the point where your character seems to have no momentum and can feel "floaty", but that lends itself to a much more frenetic style more akin to Bloodborne. And when you find yourself in large scale fights with many enemies, this ferocious agility is allowed to really shine in ways that put the large mob fights in Dark Souls to shame. Soulsborne excels far above it's peers in 1 on 1 combat encounters with extremely tight weapon mechanics but usually falls short when more than 3 enemys come barreling at you. Code vein feels like the opposite. 1 on 1 combat usually allows the wrinkles of the mechanics to be felt more acutely but, when 4 or 5 enemies come at you and your partner, strap in for a flashy, wild combat encounter. The weakest points of the game I've felt so far have been the boss encounters, sadly. They certainly work and are stronger than bosses in most games but pale in comparison to the show stopping memorable fights that liter the Soulsborne series. Initially a lot of the bosses felt cheap and shoddy as my character was inflicted, continually, with status ailments repeatedly. Each boss had a different status ailment that made the fight significantly more difficult. But after digging into the decently well explained character build mechanics with it's blood codes and skill sets, I came to understand that these boss fights were trying to make me build entire class load outs specifically to counter what they threw at you. The poison boss required you to invest in poison resistance skill and poison cure skill as well as a veil with elemental resistances. The water boss would slow you and then run circles around you until you removed that debuff and build tanky to take their hits, which were very difficult to dodge. This system, once understood, allowed me to build my character out to counter these bosses and make them significantly easier and much less frustrating. If customizing your character and skills for boss encounters sounds tedious to you, however, then this will likely seem less satisfying for you. Outside of boss fights, the mob combat, exploration and level design reach levels of care that are as close as anyone has come to the Soulsborne games outside of FromSoftware. With spidering paths that loop back on spawn points 2 and 3 times very often, the world rewards your exploration and gives you that same feeling of finding shortcuts that I became to accustomed to. Each area is riddled with hidden paths, secret items and side bosses that I can only come away that familiar feeling that I love from these sorts of games. There are bugs, but they have reared their ugly head only a scant few times during my play-through such that I don't think they bear dwelling on. And with multiplayer that works at launch, I can't complain. With my astronomical expectations of this game, after 3 years of following it closely, I thought it would be impossible for me to come away from this experience as anything other than disappointed. It's my pleasure to tell you that, while not exceeding my high expectations, it has certainly lived up to them and even surprised me a few times. I'm very excited to see where this IP goes from here with a bit of polish put on the mechanics to get it closer to that Soulsborne level of quality. If this series is able to get a bit closer to that lofty bar with the charm and aesthetic prowess that it exudes in a sequel, then we'll have something game changing on our hands. As of now, Code Vein is an absolute delight that is able to stand as a valiant and satisfying first stab at an alternative to Dark Souls.

This game is a pure joy. After following this game closely since it's teaser trailer in 2017, one question has been **** at the back of my mind. "Will this game be as good as it deserves to be"? Having played through all the Soulsborne games, and loving every one of them, my primary concern was if the game-play would hold up. I loved the aesthetic of this game and that was brought into full tilt when the character creator was revealed to, frankly, be the new industry standard. After spending 20 hours with this game, and with no sign of the end in sight, I was able to put most of my concerns to rest. I'm utterly in love with this game. I love the direction, story style, personality, concepts and artistic vision of this game. And with no signs of micro-transaction intrusion, the game looks like all of it's mechanics are allowed to function as intended. And that's where I think this game will fall short of it's contemporary peers from FromSoftware. The elephant in the room is that the combat isn't Soulsborne levels of polish. And nothing out right now is, so it's in good company. But the comparisons are levied more directly at this game because it draws so heavily on the gameplay loop that Soulsborne established. So is the combat that is here satisfying? That's the main question. And I can confidently say that it is, despite it's flaws. The controls are snappy to the point where your character seems to have no momentum and can feel "floaty", but that lends itself to a much more frenetic style more akin to Bloodborne. And when you find yourself in large scale fights with many enemies, this ferocious agility is allowed to really shine in ways that put the large mob fights in Dark Souls to shame. Soulsborne excels far above it's peers in 1 on 1 combat encounters with extremely tight weapon mechanics but usually falls short when more than 3 enemys come barreling at you. Code vein feels like the opposite. 1 on 1 combat usually allows the wrinkles of the mechanics to be felt more acutely but, when 4 or 5 enemies come at you and your partner, strap in for a flashy, wild combat encounter. The weakest points of the game I've felt so far have been the boss encounters, sadly. They certainly work and are stronger than bosses in most games but pale in comparison to the show stopping memorable fights that liter the Soulsborne series. Initially a lot of the bosses felt cheap and shoddy as my character was inflicted, continually, with status ailments repeatedly. Each boss had a different status ailment that made the fight significantly more difficult. But after digging into the decently well explained character build mechanics with it's blood codes and skill sets, I came to understand that these boss fights were trying to make me build entire class load outs specifically to counter what they threw at you. The poison boss required you to invest in poison resistance skill and poison cure skill as well as a veil with elemental resistances. The water boss would slow you and then run circles around you until you removed that debuff and build tanky to take their hits, which were very difficult to dodge. This system, once understood, allowed me to build my character out to counter these bosses and make them significantly easier and much less frustrating. If customizing your character and skills for boss encounters sounds tedious to you, however, then this will likely seem less satisfying for you. Outside of boss fights, the mob combat, exploration and level design reach levels of care that are as close as anyone has come to the Soulsborne games outside of FromSoftware. With spidering paths that loop back on spawn points 2 and 3 times very often, the world rewards your exploration and gives you that same feeling of finding shortcuts that I became to accustomed to. Each area is riddled with hidden paths, secret items and side bosses that I can only come away that familiar feeling that I love from these sorts of games. There are bugs, but they have reared their ugly head only a scant few times during my play-through such that I don't think they bear dwelling on. And with multiplayer that works at launch, I can't complain. With my astronomical expectations of this game, after 3 years of following it closely, I thought it would be impossible for me to come away from this experience as anything other than disappointed. It's my pleasure to tell you that, while not exceeding my high expectations, it has certainly lived up to them and even surprised me a few times. I'm very excited to see where this IP goes from here with a bit of polish put on the mechanics to get it closer to that Soulsborne level of quality. If this series is able to get a bit closer to that lofty bar with the charm and aesthetic prowess that it exudes in a sequel, then we'll have something game changing on our hands. As of now, Code Vein is an absolute delight that is able to stand as a valiant and satisfying first stab at an alternative to Dark Souls.

This game is a pure joy. After following this game closely since it's teaser trailer in 2017, one question has been **** at the back of my mind. "Will this game be as good as it deserves to be"? Having played through all the Soulsborne games, and loving every one of them, my primary concern was if the game-play would hold up. I loved the aesthetic of this game and that was brought into full tilt when the character creator was revealed to, frankly, be the new industry standard. After spending 20 hours with this game, and with no sign of the end in sight, I was able to put most of my concerns to rest. I'm utterly in love with this game. I love the direction, story style, personality, concepts and artistic vision of this game. And with no signs of micro-transaction intrusion, the game looks like all of it's mechanics are allowed to function as intended. And that's where I think this game will fall short of it's contemporary peers from FromSoftware. The elephant in the room is that the combat isn't Soulsborne levels of polish. And nothing out right now is, so it's in good company. But the comparisons are levied more directly at this game because it draws so heavily on the gameplay loop that Soulsborne established. So is the combat that is here satisfying? That's the main question. And I can confidently say that it is, despite it's flaws. The controls are snappy to the point where your character seems to have no momentum and can feel "floaty", but that lends itself to a much more frenetic style more akin to Bloodborne. And when you find yourself in large scale fights with many enemies, this ferocious agility is allowed to really shine in ways that put the large mob fights in Dark Souls to shame. Soulsborne excels far above it's peers in 1 on 1 combat encounters with extremely tight weapon mechanics but usually falls short when more than 3 enemys come barreling at you. Code vein feels like the opposite. 1 on 1 combat usually allows the wrinkles of the mechanics to be felt more acutely but, when 4 or 5 enemies come at you and your partner, strap in for a flashy, wild combat encounter. The weakest points of the game I've felt so far have been the boss encounters, sadly. They certainly work and are stronger than bosses in most games but pale in comparison to the show stopping memorable fights that liter the Soulsborne series. Initially a lot of the bosses felt cheap and shoddy as my character was inflicted, continually, with status ailments repeatedly. Each boss had a different status ailment that made the fight significantly more difficult. But after digging into the decently well explained character build mechanics with it's blood codes and skill sets, I came to understand that these boss fights were trying to make me build entire class load outs specifically to counter what they threw at you. The poison boss required you to invest in poison resistance skill and poison cure skill as well as a veil with elemental resistances. The water boss would slow you and then run circles around you until you removed that debuff and build tanky to take their hits, which were very difficult to dodge. This system, once understood, allowed me to build my character out to counter these bosses and make them significantly easier and much less frustrating. If customizing your character and skills for boss encounters sounds tedious to you, however, then this will likely seem less satisfying for you. Outside of boss fights, the mob combat, exploration and level design reach levels of care that are as close as anyone has come to the Soulsborne games outside of FromSoftware. With spidering paths that loop back on spawn points 2 and 3 times very often, the world rewards your exploration and gives you that same feeling of finding shortcuts that I became to accustomed to. Each area is riddled with hidden paths, secret items and side bosses that I can only come away that familiar feeling that I love from these sorts of games. There are bugs, but they have reared their ugly head only a scant few times during my play-through such that I don't think they bear dwelling on. And with multiplayer that works at launch, I can't complain. With my astronomical expectations of this game, after 3 years of following it closely, I thought it would be impossible for me to come away from this experience as anything other than disappointed. It's my pleasure to tell you that, while not exceeding my high expectations, it has certainly lived up to them and even surprised me a few times. I'm very excited to see where this IP goes from here with a bit of polish put on the mechanics to get it closer to that Soulsborne level of quality. If this series is able to get a bit closer to that lofty bar with the charm and aesthetic prowess that it exudes in a sequel, then we'll have something game changing on our hands. As of now, Code Vein is an absolute delight that is able to stand as a valiant and satisfying first stab at an alternative to Dark Souls.

Though the volume of content is admirable and justifies the price tag, the experience overall is on the tedious side. I'm a big fan of the multiplayer in splatoon 2, it's satisfying and dynamic enough to keep my interest but the single player offerings have always been a struggle for me to get through. The single player experience in this game is very hard and can be extremely frustrating. I was able to push through it because I wanted to have the ability to play as an octoling for cosmetic purposes, but I wouldn't do it again. Unless the cosmetic of octolings appeals to you or you're looking for single player content that's on the more challenging side I would recommend against getting this. And if your only reason for getting this is the cosmetics, then you'd better be prepared to complete the single player portion of the expansion because you will have to unlock the ability to play as an octoling and the only way to do that is to play the single player through to the end. Thankfully this expansion is not required as game play updates for this game are free. So you wouldn't be missing out on much if you gave this a skip

With the series rebooted there's a lot of aspects of the old Mario Parties that have been discarded to make way for the positive elements to make their return. With a large roster of new mini-games, all of which have been good in the 11 hours I've played so far, it's hard not to recommend this game. If you're a fan of Mario Party games then this is one of the best installments in this storied franchise and will not disappoint. If you're looking for a game loaded with dumb fun that's made to be played with friends then you could do a lot worse than this especially when it eventually goes on sale. And with the addition of a 2v2 coop mode, a first for this series, this makes for a great date night game for anyone out there looking for something to play with your plus one! Me and my wife have been enjoying this every evening since this came out, and seeing as we haven't filed for divorce yet I'd say this game is getting this mode right!

Is it THAT good really? Yes, it is really THAT good. This is the new bar by which games of the future will be measured.

Intensely charming, nonverbal storytelling is prevalent throughout this title. With an art style that makes one feel like their alive inside a children's book, there's a lot of quality on offer here. Though the game is simple in control and concept, each of the mechanics introduced is used in clever ways which makes this game feel like a complete, if brief, experience. There's a consistency of tone in this title that is grim and haunting without being overtly gruesome or relying on shocking imagery or startling, cheap scares to create a moody experience. There's some interesting themes that are explored in subtly ways which overall make this experience that you wont forget for years to come. There's little replay value but at an indie level price for this smaller project, you could do worse than to have this experience.

I really wanted to like this game. Unfortunately, based on repeated attempts to get immersed and invested in it, I have concluded that this game isn't really for me. But that doesn't make this a horrible title, it's just one that I found little appeal in. Being a huge fan of the 3D anime-esque art style presented here, I thought I could get into this game to tide me over during my monster hunter droughts. Unfortunately, this game didn't satisfy. Being a fan of the Toukiden series, I found myself at a loss as to why I couldn't get immersed into this world and get my hunting fix. But the answer I was left with was simple, the mechanics of GE2: RB fall short in the depth department, so it doesn't satisfy my monster hunter desires; Also it doesn't play to it's hack and slash button mashing style like Toukiden does in order to make the simple combat compelling. What's left is a game that wants to be more deep and nuanced than it actually is. It wants to be as deep as a more refined hunting experience but it ultimately can't deliver. It complicates the games crafting systems to the point of being obtuse so it doesn't capitalize on the fun, simple action that makes the Toukiden series memorable. It tries to find some place between these two extremes, but balancing the demands of doing so seems beyond the experience of the team that developed this. I want this series to improve since I love the hunting boss rush genre of games, hopefully the next GE title can get its feet under it and create a solid foundation worth building on.

A masterfully crafted hunting experience that doesn't sacrifice it's humor, soul or high standards of difficulty to appease casual western audiences. The monster hunter series has always been simultaneously cheerful, whimsical and almost playful while throwing you into the gaping jaws of massive behemoths that will rip you limb from limb. This game isn't the grim-dark saga that most western audiences may have come to expect but when you get cornered by a dragon you can't hope to defeat, the fear you will feel will be palpable and you will feel smaller than you ever thought you could outside of a FromSoftware title. But this is intentional, as the themes of this series have always been; overcoming challenges, becoming truly skilled and actually being a badass. You will start by getting decimated by a horrifying beast only to come back hours later wearing the skins of your previous kills to slaughter that same beast you used to fear. This character progression isn't told through cut-scenes; it happens directly to you, the player. The rewarding, empowering sensation is one that has to be felt to understand and is addictive by nature which is why these games are designed to be played for ages. If you want to take a dive into a profoundly deep game that will keep you coming back for hundreds and hundreds of hours, then this game is absolutely for you. If you take the time to learn how the game systems work and how the mechanics impact the gameplay and monster battles you will find a level of complexity and depth that is almost without equal. This game feels alive, the environments are hostile and the monsters will not pull their punches. But if you want to experience an action rpg with heart, soul and depth then look no further because this is amazing time to be a monster hunter.

The only question that remains in my mind is, "How can a game be this good?" I didn't think anything could live up to the hyper surrounding this title. After playing it for many hours, all I want to do is keep combing the staggeringly huge world for every single secret it has to offer. I've already made a few memories that I will never forget, and the game's only getting started. With hundreds of hours of content here, you need this game. Go and get it. I almost don't think it's possible to dislike this game, it's got everything a video game player could ever want. It sets the bar in almost every aspect of game design known. It truly is a masterpiece.

There are a number of things that hold this otherwise fantastic MMO back from being what it should be. What this game shows is that there's a lot of untapped potential that can only be fully witnessed if one is willing to jump into the excellent expansion for this game. With a myriad of truly unforgivable bugs at launch (which I did not have the misfortune of experiencing but have heard legends of) and a sloppy presentation in the story, there's too many missteps to ignore. Knowing all of these things, is this a bad game? The answer is a resounding no. The graphics are gorgeous for an MMO and the areas keep you wide eyed and give you that sense of awe which is so appropriate to games like this. The gameplay is standard fair for an MMO which is no small feat but does nothing to differentiate itself too much from the pack. There's always something to do here and it's easy to lose yourself in this world, which is what MMOs do best. But the biggest flaw in this experience as it currently stands is in the story presentation and the voice acting. You will often find yourself doing menial, uninteresting tasks just to get to the next bit of interesting content or to the next story point. While this is not unheard of in MMOs it does stick out since the story itself, until the end at least, is not particularly compelling. This lack of depth can be attributed to some of the worst voice acting I've ever heard in a video game. There are so many moments where I got invested into the story only to find myself laughing uncontrollably to the horribly bad acting in some of the most important story moments. These moments ripped me clean out of the world, broke my immersion and reminded me that I'm playing a video game. This is not why somebody plays an MMO. MMOs are designed to get lost in and when the game takes you right out of the world it's a fairly big disappointment. Now that the expansion has come out, people in the community laugh and look upon these earlier, cringy moments with endeared affection. But if one were to experience this game without the expansion or anything to look forward to after ARR, then the flaws could leave one feeling a little disappointed. If you do happen to pick up this MMO, power through the base game to get to the expansion and enjoy the game for what it gets right. The atmosphere, the mechanics and the positive community that it puts a lot of effort into maintaining. Underneath it all, FFXIV is an amazing game that I've put, literally, thousands of hours into and wont stop soon as the new expansion looms on the horizon just a few months away. Just be prepared to skip a lot of dialogue and cut-scenes as you go through the story missions. Trust me, you will be eventually if you play this long enough. But if you want to get lost in a beautifully rendered world based on Final Fantasy, then this is the MMO for you, flaws and all.

Heavensward is an expansion that provides exactly what it should, which is a large chunk of content and hundreds of hours of gameplay. The new areas are vast and inspired while communicating a sense of wonder that feels right at home with a lot of the games other areas. The new Au'Ra race coupled with much more gear, an ever growing number of dungeons and 3 new jobs to explore, there's little to say that's negative about this expansion. It does exactly what it should, it expands your experience well beyond the original ARR. Not to mention the voice acting is finally raised to a standard that's not utterly laughable like much of the base game was. If you're invested in this MMO and want even more, then this has what you're looking for.

This is the first potential challenger to the illustrious Pokemon franchise that, I think, has the potential to hold it's own. With a deep, lengthy story this game depicts a world of a much more mature and dark tone than it's kid friendly counterpart. With evolution being tied more to challenges and performing certain feats, there's a certain feeling of achievement in evolving your digimon that's not present in Pokemon's more vague evolution mechanics that usually require strategy guides to figure out. Combat is satisfying and intuitive with a healthy dose of challenge thrown in. However, the story tends to meander about a bit towards the middle sections. Some parts leave you high and dry not sure of where you're supposed to go for a certain quest and can leave you stranded for hours. And if the excuse is that you're supposed to 'sleuth' your way through those sections then I can't agree. Any segment that makes you choose between wandering aimlessly for an hour looking for an unknown location in the world or just looking it up on GameFAQs is one that's poorly designed and unfun. And when a lot of those areas tend to have the same, blue data cyber look to them, with no variety, it can be fairly monotonous to re-explore all these old areas over and over again. All in all though, if you don't mind keeping a walk-through pulled up for when you get stuck and can enjoy the game for what it gets right and forgive what it gets wrong, you could do much worse than to check out this title. There's a lot of variety in the digimon you'll find yourself facing, and to see what new mon you'll find next can be an exciting and fun experience. If a future title can use the strengths found in this game and couple it with a more refined experience, we may well see a truly remarkable game.

With a story at least as, if not more, compelling than the base game's, I can't help but be impressed by the staggering amount of extra content here. This truly feels like a sequel rather than a mere add on to this already incredible game and it ties the story up beautifully. It presents one of the most satisfying conclusions to an game, indeed any media, I've ever played. This deserves to be commended and it deserves your time and money if you played the base game. I truly cannot recommend this, I can't believe I'm saying this, DLC highly enough. Let's hope this masterwork sets a new precedent in our industry.

So if you have a purist streak in you, you'll likely hate this game on principle. If you don't then get on down to the bayou and have yourself a spooky time friend! This is an amazing game, and the only complaint a person can level at it is that it's different from the way resident evil has always been. I've never cared for many of those games past the original, so for me, bring in the spooky and throw out the old and kooky!

This game makes it into my list of good games simply on the virtue of it's breathtaking art and design. So much care was given to making this a truly immersive experience. It's unfortunate that some stilted design choices ripped me clear out of the finely crafted experience. Namely, the quirks of the second half left me speechlessly baffled as the game went from totally open world to FFXIII level linear without communicating this to the player. It wouldn't be an issue if that wasn't, literally, the rest of the game and doesn't stop until you fully complete the story. Not a design choice I object to, just one that left me trying to beat my way through it so I could get back to the open world again not knowing I could go back at multiple points. Little did I know that that was what Umbra was for. The time travelling umbra mechanic was so poorly explained that it left me utterly confused as I hacked my way through increasingly frustrating sections where my character became more and more under leveled with each passing minute. This got so bad in fact that I got stranded in the second half while under leveled and wasn't near somewhere to call umbra. This led to a very, VERY tough boss battle that I had to beat while under leveled and under gunned. All of this tainted my first experience of what is, otherwise a very well crafted story. For how amazing everything else is in this game, the lack of a proper explanation of how to manage the second half of the game seems downright amateurish. Overall though, if that aspect were better explained to allow better flow to the narrative, this experience would still be one of the most cinematic and highly polished experiences in recent memory. I'm looking forward to a second play through now that I better understand the way the game is organized. But, if I weren't a video game enthusiast, I likely would be pretty turned off by this game.

Brimming with content and quality, Titanfall 2 seeks to be the game we wanted back when Titanfall was first released a few years ago. What we have here is an offering that so far exceeds the original concept in every category that it impresses me in spite of my high expectations for it. The single player is one of the most masterfully paced experiences I've played since the early Modern Warfare Games. The multiplayer now features a permanent unlock system and does away with the burn card system all together. Progression feels satisfying and is always giving you new toys to play with as you work towards unlocking the next new toy. The abilities significantly, and smartly, change the way you play the game and result in emergent play styles that are fun and satisfying in their own ways. The presentation is polished to a satisfying degree resulting in a fairly constant, high frame rate throughout the game. The movement system, while impressively complex, is so well designed and executed that using it is intuitive and easy to understand. It's a point that easy to overlook until you look at other games that attempt to allow you to do half of what Titanfall 2 does with much less success. Combat is blindingly fast and satisfying from the moment you jump onto the battlefield till the moment you almost make it into the evac ship. My only criticism I have is that one can occasionally find themselves wandering in a barren battlefield due to running in the wrong direction after spawning. This issue will likely diminish as the prevalence of map knowledge increases over time but it can still creep up while many of us are still getting our bearings. Overall, Titanfall 2 is a game that impresses me directly in the wake up Battlefield 1 which also impressed me in a big way. It's the Titanfall title that finally does the series justice. I eagerly await to see what new content is coming in future DLC and, eventually, in the inevitable sequel.

Brimming with content and quality, Titanfall 2 seeks to be the game we wanted back when Titanfall was first released a few years ago. What we have here is an offering that so far exceeds the original concept in every category that it impresses me in spite of my high expectations for it. The single player is one of the most masterfully paced experiences I've played since the early Modern Warfare Games. The multiplayer now features a permanent unlock system and does away with the burn card system all together. Progression feels satisfying and is always giving you new toys to play with as you work towards unlocking the next new toy. The abilities significantly, and smartly, change the way you play the game and result in emergent play styles that are fun and satisfying in their own ways. The presentation is polished to a satisfying degree resulting in a fairly constant, high frame rate throughout the game. The movement system, while impressively complex, is so well designed and executed that using it is intuitive and easy to understand. It's a point that easy to overlook until you look at other games that attempt to allow you to do half of what Titanfall 2 does with much less success. Combat is blindingly fast and satisfying from the moment you jump onto the battlefield till the moment you almost make it into the evac ship. My only criticism I have is that one can occasionally find themselves wandering in a barren battlefield due to running in the wrong direction after spawning. This issue will likely diminish as the prevalence of map knowledge increases over time but it can still creep up while many of us are still getting our bearings. Overall, Titanfall 2 is a game that impresses me directly in the wake up Battlefield 1 which also impressed me in a big way. It's the Titanfall title that finally does the series justice. I eagerly await to see what new content is coming in future DLC and, eventually, in the inevitable sequel.

Finally, a battlefield that evokes that same excellent feeling the Bad Company used to give me. With a serious tone and the new Operations mode perfectly complementing the Battlefield setting, we finally have the next-gen FPS we've been longing for.

Having played the game since 3 this morning I can say for certain that I will be playing this game, and probably nothing else, for the next few months. Essentially, it boils down to being similar to Monster Hunter 4 in almost every respect with new features added in every department. The presentation is fantastic and after MH4 came out I thought the 3ds couldn't render a better looking game, but with how polished MHX is, they managed to make it look even better on the same hardware. There are loads of styles you can adopt with the new combat abilities, so much that I haven't even gotten a grasp on how much potential there could be; but I'm eager to experiment and find out. Every addition to this game feels like a natural progression and I feel confident giving this game my highest recommendation. I'll see you guys on the hunting grounds!

It appears the reviews fall into two groups. The positive group loves this game for the fresh life that this title breathes into a series that seemed to be losing momentum. The negative group dislikes this because the game appears simpler and seems to have lost features. Having played over 30+ hours now, I can say that I think the negative reviews reflect only the growing pains for this expanding series. This game bespeaks polish and genuine care for the source material. The game, while having been simplified, also throws in a lot of new mechanics that, in the end, wouldn't work with the unique needs of these fantasy factions. As such, newer, streamlined, and more intuitive campaign mechanics have taken their place. Not to mention the fact that this game does more than any other to get new players up to speed quickly. If you like both Total War and Warhammer this may well be unmissable. Just know, this game is more Warhammer than it is Total War. I think most of the bad reviews expected this to be a Total War game with Warhammer mechanics, it's not. This is a Warhammer game with Total War mechanics. If you want this to feel like a follow up to Attila, you may want to give this a skip. Everyone else should come and enjoy one of the best Warhammer games ever made.

Doom is a modern shooter with all the B.S. ripped out and replaced with fast, relentless gameplay. So if you enjoy the primarily narrative driven shooters of a more modern convention you will likely be let down by this title. The story has been strategically placed out of the way of the action; it's still there but you will need to pursue it yourself. In an era where games are trying to morph and innovate into different mediums, it's beyond refreshing to see such an old school shooter crash onto the scene in a splatter of lead, blood, limbs, and guts. Though multiplayer is average, the offering for the campaign is more than enough to fully live up to it's legacy. With a rating based on the title's potential and how well it was executed, Doom get's a 10 from me.

Now that time has taken the novelty out of the souls games, my concern was that the dark souls series had just become a soulless cash in (pun intended). What reason do we have to return to this world we've so devoutly conquered time and time again? How can I feel the same dread if things start seeming more and more familiar? One of the things about dark souls 1 that kept me so tense for so long was the fear of the unknown just around the corner. As a fan of the spiritual counterpart Bloodborne I had even more experience with the series that most. So what could Dark Souls 3 do that the other games hadn't? Only playing the game and experiencing it first hand would answer that. Now that I've experienced the game I realize what DS3 could do. Dark Souls 3 takes the best features and aspects of all it's predecessors, with a few nods to the devious demons souls, and combines them to provide a new experience. Taking the slow, methodical Dark Souls formula and injecting it with the animalistic brutality of Bloodborne, at first glance, would seem to diminish the strengths of each. But in practice what this does is take the situation where you and an enemy circle one another endlessly waiting for one to strike first and turns into an electric encounter where both combatants counter shields with kicks or lay into one another with the full extent of their stamina gauge etc. Every strategy and stance one can employ has a weakness or a counter that keeps the tension intact while speeding up the pace of encounters dramatically. Combine that with a sinister and clever AI and the results are your opponents in DS3. Every enemy demands you to take it seriously at knife-point no matter how small or under leveled they may be, which is what this series does better than any other. Having played both Bloodborne and Dark Souls for so long, I thought this game would be a familiar romp when, in reality, each enemy is cleverly reworked to force me to relearn what I spent so long learning in all the previous games. Every dominant strategy I settled into now has a glaring weakness that forced me to adapt further and try new strategies I was never comfortable trying before. This experimentation adds a lot of diversity to the game as it progresses and keeps things fresh and challenging even if you settle on a favorite weapon for an extended period of time. Taking this system and dropping it into a dark, medieval horror setting with beautifully rendered areas and very clever level designs and one can start to see what this game is about. How this game is able to keep it's focus clear and intentional all the way through is a great achievement by the development team. Nothing here feels like filler. Every area you will visit has a prevailing theme and each area is unique and different.Granted there are a lot of areas that may seem familiar due to their reference to previous areas, they are still well crafted and have their own intricacies. Being on the PC my experience has been, knowing what other's have experienced, a fortunate one. I have experienced no issues, no crashes, low load times, no bugs and no frame rate drops during my time in this game which places me firmly in a lucky minority. I can say, when this game works as intended it's a masterfully crafted experience. I imagine that issues which currently plague the game for some will be patched in the coming months. Can't recommend it more if you're a fan of souls games. If you're new, know that this game will get you up to speed fast and is the most accessible of the bunch, as hard as that may seem at first. Dark Souls has always been an experience that tears you down and builds you up twice as high. It's a tremendous experience that empowers the person who plays it patiently and diligently. Everything can be conquered, the game is still fair, but one must earn the right to move on to more exotic and daunting areas and face down more hellish nightmares. Dark Souls 3 is the sequel this series deserves and may be the finale that does the series justice, if the rumors of this being the last game of this nature can be believed. If your PC can handle the program well and it works as it was intended, this is an unmissable experience for anyone who likes any of FromSoftware's hellish journeys. As a fan of the series, I will be very impressed if any game dethrones this as my game of the year for 2016.