Tag Archives: Video Game Review

God Eater 2: Rage Burst Review

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It’s time to jump into the big sequel to the first God Eater. Rage Burst definitely improves on some things here quick helped to streamline things. It does fall into some of the issues of the first game though and I would say the story itself doesn’t hold up as well. We do get more cutscenes technically and the pacing is quicker but it doesn’t have the same super end of the world stakes that the first game managed. So it’s a close fight with the two but in the end I would say this one gets the slight edge.

The plot continues where the first one left off. For a while, Aragami had slowed down but now new variations are appearing that are even stronger. Typical God Eaters are fairly ineffective now so you need Blood Eaters in order to tip the scales. The main character joins this blood unit and shows a whole lot of potential. Will the heroes be able to destroy all of the new aragami and save the world or will they only prolong the inevitable? The original game showed that aragami will continue to exist so long as the planet does so perhaps this is a never ending fight.

I would say the game does have you almost sympathize with the villain’s plan from the first game because of this never ending cycle. A lot of sacrifices were made in the first game so to see that the villains are stronger than ever is a bit disheartening. The new villain’s plan is a bit more insane though as she flat out wants to destroy the planet and end humanity. Sure, that’s one way to beat the Aragami but is it a real victory if everyone is dead? At least escaping into space would save some people. Still, you do understand the thought process when the stakes are this high. For all the people outside of the main human bases, they live on the brink of life and death every day.

This game also introduces a red mist that transmits an incurable disease if it touches you. It also contaminates the rain so there are more ways to die than ever before. This game focuses on the story through more of a chapter system as each character gets their own story arc before we reach the climax. Additionally, all side characters get an additional bonus story through character episodes. The amount of content is impressive as the 162 story missions took me around 30 hours and that’s considering that this time I did not do almost any bonus missions and 0 character missions.

The reason for this is because the game is considerably easier than the first game. In the first one they were a lot stingier with the materials and you had to have an incredibly strong weapon to stay in the game. In this one there are so many different power ups and ways to get strong that you can have your weapon be a little weaker to compensate. I still tried to make sure I had strong weapons in all 4 categories so I would be ready for anything but it did give me some extra wiggle room that was super important. I only used Buster Blades and Charge Spears. I didn’t bother with any other types of weapons so this way I could max them out sooner. Additionally I always stuck to the same blood art until it was maxed out.

Trust me, these decisions will save you a ton of time as you go through the game. It makes an absolute world of difference. Not to say I never died or anything though, there were a few times I was defeated. Survival missions are an example of this as you will fight in 3-5 boss battles back to back and they don’t tell you what the final boss’ weakness is. Once you’re in the fight you cannot change weapons and so I guessed wrong twice so I had to go all the way back.

In this game if you use the wrong element then you are cooked. For example with the right type effectiveness you might deal around 1000 damage per hit and then the wrong one is around 80-100. Keeping in mind that it can take around 8 minutes of nonstop attacks to put the enemy down in the first example, the latter takes so long that you get timed out. If you notice that you aren’t doing much damage, your best bet is to immediately quit and save time. Trust me, it’s the best way to salvage a bad situation.

There are so many ways to customize your character, supports, and equipment that you can spend a long time just on that. The one area where the game still suffers is in crafting as they throw over 500 materials at you and they are not alphabetized or anything. It makes searching way more tedious than it should be. I’m surprised that this wasn’t fixed yet since I’d imagine that most players would complain about it.

The other area where the game suffers a bit is in being lazy. Nearly all of the game’s minions and environments are from the first game. Around 90% of the assets are all reused which just feels like something that should not have happened. The game’s sheer length may be impressive but since it keeps on recycling everything, that takes a bit of the punch out of it. God Eater would easily be able to make it to the next stage if the gameplay could feel more innovative. I like 3D combat and even I thought it was a bit exaggerated to keep on fighting the same minions over and over again. After 160+ of them you really get the drill.

The soundtrack is pretty solid, it may even beat the first game. It’s not the biggest soundtrack by any means but it gets the job done and the opening is always fun to hear. The graphics are okay but I would say below the average PS4 experience. I did really like the hand drawn cutscenes when they would show up though. That was always an added treat.

Overall, God Eater 2 is a pretty solid game. If you liked the first game then you will like this one as well because they are so similar. In a lot of ways they are basically the same game just with a new story. So it feels familiar in a fun way and the lowered difficulty does help make the levels a lot more bite sized when going through them. There is dozens of hours of replay value as well so you’re getting a bargain here. I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Overall 7/10

Poppy’s Playtime Chapter 4 Review

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It’s time for a very emotional game. Poppy’s Playtime has been a fairly intense video game series where almost every journey ends with tragedy. Most of the characters do not get a happy ending and at this point they are just hoping to get out of this place alive. It’s hard to say how many chapters there will be but this one does feel as though we are approaching the ending. Potentially just one chapter left now but we’ll have to see how that goes. This was my first journey where it was just one chapter by itself so that was different. It does mean that the game goes a lot faster than the collection.

Chapter 3 ended with the hero finally getting close to the safe haven so things should go well from here. Poppy will go check on Missy while you go forward to save the day. The only thing you did not count on was that the danger is still ever present. Well, I guess you probably did figure on that to be honest. You’ll have to use your wits and reflexes to stay alive once more because these villains still intend to destroy you as soon as they can. There may not be a whole lot of enemies left but each one packs a punch. Are any of the creatures on your side? Or are you walking right into a trap?

Along the way you will learn a lot of lore through your surroundings as well as the various audio tapes. They can get a little repetitive at times though as it feels like the game is drip-feeding you the information much slower than before. You need multiple tapes just for the characters to be begging for their lives during the experiments. It’s pretty clear that the villains got away with a whole lot back in the lab and you can definitely see why they are all eliminated.

The gameplay itself is solid but the story does often tread into the valleys of being a little too extra grim dark. You’re more interested in the present and staying alive than the mystery of what happened before. Personally I would say the best thing for the game to do would be to keep it as secretive as possible. The more open you keep the past, the better it will work for theory crafting. I suppose its existence does give the game a lot of replay value though as I’m sure a whole lot of people enjoy going through the rooms slowly to try and find every possible collectible. Even outside of those, you will often find messages on the tables and walls .

I would say the core gameplay is platforming but there is also a lot of puzzle solving. You need to connect different objects and also piece together patterns. For the most part the game is reasonable with these but there was one puzzle involving anatomy that I thought was a little unreasonable. I had to brute force it and am still not really sure how to do it logically. The red smoke made it so hard to explore and it felt like this puzzle had a number of red herrings. That only made things even trickier. When it comes to the platforming itself, I found it to be much easier than the third game. I still did die a whole lot during the game but nothing quite as crazy as the final boss in part 3.

The toughest segments for me here were typically when I had to use stealth and get past the monster. Their hearing is quite sharp and sometimes their speeds were lightning quick. It’s why I was really grateful for all the checkpoints in the game. Without that it would have definitely taken even longer to complete the game. It would certainly be easier if we could carry a better weapon. The flare gun that the lead has is okay but certainly not the most powerful thing around. It’s mostly good for just scaring the opposition.

The story took around 3 hours to beat and we got over half of the collectibles but not quite all of them. The platinum trophy actually looks rather difficult so that would add a lot of replay value. Of course keep in mind that the game is fairly cheap even when it just came out so it makes the play time a lot more tolerable. You are still getting a good amount of value for your purchase with this one.

The graphics are also pretty solid here. The game definitely does get the horror vibe across well. Even I got startled a few times in the game when I would get caught. It’s a mix of well placed sound design as well as a color scheme that just really works with this. It’s hard not to get scared at least a little while playing the game. The soundtrack is less impressive but I do get why they would do that. If the soundtrack got too hype or something like that then it could definitely take away from the scare factor of it all.

My main complaint with the game would be that it does have the most breaks in action. Or at least it felt that way where there would be several points of listening to long monologues from the villains while you can’t move. With the audio tapes those are optional and you can still move so that’s fine but when you can’t move you wish the villains would pick up the pace a bit. You also figure they should have been able to beat the main character several times so the longer they talk, the more you have to suspend a little disbelief here. It’ll be interesting to see who the main character is by the end. By this point all signs are pointing to him not being some ordinary human.

Overall, Poppy’s Playtime Chapter 4 isn’t quite ready to give us any of the important answers but you still feel that we are getting closer to the end. There just aren’t many villains left to defeat after all and it’s also the kind of game where I’m not expecting that we will get all of the answers. Although there will likely be a lot of them that I just don’t notice during the main story so that’ll be where Youtube comes in handy. If you’ve been keeping up with Poppy then you should definitely jump in now. The game is reasonably difficult and quite intense so you will definitely be kept interested the whole time.

Overall 6/10

Gravity Rush 2 Review

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It’s been many years since I played the original Gravity Rush so it was definitely fun to continue the story here. The sequel definitely brings in a whole lot of the mechanics from the first game along with a bunch of spy missions and a much bigger hub world. There is a lot to do within the game and the story is also at a solid length overall. You’ll be satisfied with how the game goes.

The story starts with Kat in a whole new dimension. She ended up going through a portal at some point but has lost track of where Raven is. Ah well, she will keep on saving the day as normal in the meantime but she definitely needs a way out. Additionally her old world now has a new protector and for some reason a lot of people no longer remember Kat even though it’s not like it has been 10+ years…or has it? Kat will need to find out a lot of info and find it out quickly or she will be in a rough spot.

Right away the gravity controls will feel nostalgic here. Basically you can alter gravity at will and then soar through the skies. The more you play, the more you will get really good at constantly shifting gravity and then going in for the attack. If you ever lose track of which direction you’re going, you can use L1 to stabilize yourself. Trust me I had to do that many times so don’t worry about it. The battles definitely get chaotic after all.

The trickiest level to navigate in is near the climax of the game when you are flying inside a very long mountain. Because all sides of the mountain look the same, it can really mess with your instincts. As always just plunge forward as best you can and eventually you will get near the end. The game has you learn new gravity styles which also come into play here like a power mode which lets you break through walls. The power mode is pretty good and I definitely used it a lot near the end. You also have a mode that is more speed based but honestly there isn’t a whole lot of reason to use it. The main mode is still stronger and almost as fast.

You do get a final smash form that you can use temporarily near the end but I couldn’t figure out how to use it at will. No worries, it’ll happen automatically for the really important climax fights anyway. So there is a lot to get used to in terms of the gameplay but the game walks you through it really well. I don’t expect that you will feel overwhelmed or anything. If anything, they may have underestimated how much EXP you could earn. I had Kat fully maxed out rather early in the game at which point the EXP meter just disappears. I was pretty surprised to see that.

Aside from the story missions, there are tons of side missions scattered throughout the hub world. Completing those will help you get more points if you aren’t maxed out yet as well as online trophies. If you want to get the Platinum for this game you will definitely have to put in a lot of work after all. It’s definitely worth it though and adds to that replay value.

While the story goes a bit slowly at first, it immediately gets more lively once Raven shows up. She’s always good to remind you of how serious the stakes are and then we also get a lot of twists about Kat. We finally see her origin here and it goes further back than you might expect. The gameplay itself even changes for a little while there as you have to inspect things and walk around as if this was a Telltale game. It was definitely not what I had been expecting that’s for sure but it really worked and made things ominous.

There is even a long sequence of levels where you switch over to puzzle gameplay with cubes. They even got rather difficult towards the end. Admittedly if the puzzles went on for too long then I would have had a problem with them but for just being the climax, I was able to deal with it. The stealth levels were not as much fun though. There are several through the game and the AI is very picky with it. If they so much as turn around while you’re in the area then you are cooked. There were a few of these I basically had to brute force through and I’m still not sure if I technically did it the right way.

Stealth missions can be fun depending on the implementation, but for the most part they’re usually not my favorite. I find that they only really work if you are allowed to be spotted if you can quickly defeat the opponent like in Gotham Knights. Otherwise if you lose instantly then I don’t usually think they are worth the hassle. Especially since you usually have to start from the beginning of the mission and each stealth takedown takes time.

The soundtrack in the game is pretty good. I enjoyed the victory themes as well as the general battle music. They tend to be fast paced while still having a bit of a calm vibe that matches the rest of the game. The graphics are also really good. I liked the designs and the various enemy designs. The technicals definitely hold their own with the gameplay.

Overall, Gravity Rush 2 is a pretty fun game. While the story does take a little bit to get going, we eventually head towards the big climax that you would expect. The gameplay is both fun and unique with the character cast being easy to root for. I think there is a whole lot more they could do with the series so hopefully we get a third game at some point in the future. Until then, you should definitely play this one if you have not already done so.

Overall 7/10

Mario Kart World Review

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Mario Kart is one of those titles that is so famous because you can have unlimited fun with it. It’s the game that keeps on going. Well the new one for the Nintendo Switch was certainly getting a lot of hype. Nintendo was so confident in it that they basically were not coming out with any other titles for the Switch 2. It was this or nothing. Well, after playing the game I can say that it’s pretty good. I’m not going to call it amazing or anything like that but I do think they put in a solid amount of effort here. I can definitely see people playing this one for a very long time yet.

The game doesn’t have a story mode so you’ll probably jump right into the races. You can do the classic cups, knockout races, or jump straight online. I went for the cups first of course and they were definitely fun. The kind of races that you never forget because of the hype graphics and everything. At this point some of the items have been nerfed to the point where they are no longer a huge threat (Blue shell) but it’s still nostalgic to see them. Mario Kart is one of those games that is really easy to pick up and play even if it is hard to master.

A new mechanic in this game is the ability to grind off rails and different objects to get aerial boosts. I’ve seen people do some really crazy stunts with these jumps so it’s safe to say that this may have actually raised the bar for overall technical ability. I’m certainly a rookie when it comes to that so I will need to do a whole lot more training. Still, the online races are so chaotic that you can absolutely win or lose even without knowing the mechanic. With how many racers there are at once, you can even say that it is near pure RNG for the first lap or so.

As with most Mario Kart games, you probably want to stick to 2nd place for most of the race online so you dodge the worst of the items and then rocket your way to 1st at the end. Of course it is much harder to pull off that strategy than it sounds. Misplay your timing and you are basically asking to be crushed. All it takes is one wrong hit and you will fall to 8th or even lower. That is what you really need to watch out for.

As expected the graphics are really quite impressive here. The game looks like a Switch 2 title without a doubt. I enjoy the really big character roster here even if most of the characters are basically palette swaps. Yeah it can be a bit on the lazy side, but as long as it inflates the count then I’m good. We have over 140 characters in the game which is crazy and a lot of people think we will eventually have over 200 with DLC. Now that would really be a sight to see. I’ve unlocked most of them, I’ll definitely go back to get even more once they start releasing new characters. It’s definitely the benefit of being a pick up and play title.

The soundtrack is also pretty good, in fact I would say it’s a bit better than I expected it would be. One of the tracks even sounds like something out of a Sonic game which is real impressive. So Nintendo definitely showed up for this one and I would expect no less considering that this was their big flagship game. There is infinite replay value with the whole online play and everything. You never have to stop racing. I also appreciate that they keep track of some details like your race score online.

The stickers are around here as collectibles but I didn’t think they were all that good. My main problem with the implementation is that you don’t know how many are left before picking them up and additionally you can’t really show them off. We still need something more like a formal leaderboard some day to really get things rolling. The new Free Roam map is fun but definitely missing some key essentials like a map that lets you keep track of everything. The basic map we have now doesn’t do a whole lot of good.

All in all, there’s nothing to really dislike about the game. So you may wonder why it’s not a bit higher? Well, as fun as the game is, it just doesn’t feel like it’s a must play. It doesn’t quite have the style and flash that Sonic Crossworlds represents or the really cool story mode of F Zero. So this one has to rely purely on the racing gameplay which is fun, but inherently not quite as impressive. I would still play this for hours and hours if I didn’t have other games to play but otherwise it definitely tends to hit the shelf a bit quicker. It really needed a good story mode or some kind of feature that would blow you away.

Overall, Mario Kart World is definitely a really fun game. Nintendo did good here as expected. Now technically speaking it’s probably not something you need to buy a whole console for, but considering that you save $30 by getting the bundle, it’s certainly worth it if you ever plan to buy the game eventually. I’ll find myself returning to that game from time to time an right now is probably when the community will be at its best. There’s no rush since people will still be playing the game in droves for years to come but if you enjoy the racing then you should jump in. Allow yourself to be sucked into the hype and enjoy this 2025 Mario experience. It’s certainly taking Nintendo a long while to give us the next big 3D platformer after all. I suppose DK might end up being the next big Switch 2 title in the meantime.

Overall 7/10

The Sword of Hope Review

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The Sword of Hope has such an intense name that you automatically assume you are going to be playing one of the best games out there. Unfortunately I am here to assure you that this is not the case. There are some interesting ideas here and even some great quality of life features but it is all tarnished by the game’s overreliance on RNG. Gone are the skill based matches of old. Now you must effectively hope in the roll of the dice at every turn. Not a good decision to be honest.

The game basically starts with the main character needing to use the Sword of Hope to slay the villains and save the day. The only problem is that the sword has been depowered for a very long time. The hero will now need to visit the 4 legendary spell crafters to see if they can fix the sword. Along the way he will fight many powerful enemies and so taking them on will be his true challenge. He has no other party members to help him so this will be a very long journey. Can he really pull it off?

Right out of the gate I can tell you that I appreciate how there is no such thing as a game over in this title. When you die, you just get warped back to the starting village where the sage tells you to try again. You keep all of your items, EXP, and gear. So dying is only a setback and you do have quick travel to all of the main locations. Those are two absolutely great features that I can’t rave enough about. I was really impressed here and additionally I like the fact that the upgrades you obtain are permanent and make a good difference in your defense and attack power. Each level up also dramatically increases your stats which makes sense since the game only goes up to level 31.

Now here is where the cracks in the armor start to appear. The way you inflict and endure damage is done through RNG. When an opponent his you, they have a minimum and a maximum range of power that spans multiple levels. So sometimes they will deal you 1 damage, other times they will deal around 40. This makes any kind of strategy completely reliant on RG and will cause you to have to replay the battles way more often than you should. This gets more and more crucial as you get deeper into the game.

Several of the final bosses can basically take you down in a single strike. So with the Switch Online’s rewind feature you are all set here and things aren’t bad but without it I feel like people must have taken ages to complete the game. You would certainly have to power level several levels above the recommended final battle level in order to increase your odds of success. This is such a bad mechanic that it basically slashes the score right away. I cannot in good conscience call this a solid game as a result. It should not be forcing you to have to account for luck in such a constant way.

The other big problem with the game are the countless puzzles. So every area allows you to perform 4 actions, “look” “open” “use” and “hit”. You can perform these actions on every object in the room which is usually around 3-4. Using the right option on the right location will give you an item, activate a boss, or clear a new path. So this means a whole lot of clicking and there are over 200 rooms in the game. Several of them are teleporting paths meaning if you get even one direction wrong then you have to start that puzzle from scratch.

After a point this goes from being immersive and challenging to just being rather drawn out and boring. You’re not having fun when you have to worry about all of these technical gimmicks instead of fighting enemies and getting stronger. I wanted to continue with the story, not be distracted by an endless array of puzzles. If I wanted a puzzle game then I would have played something like Professor Layton instead which is far better on the puzzle aspects. Yeah, this was definitely not the title to check out.

The graphics are okay but they do have to reuse character models a whole lot. Get ready to see the same lady showing up over and over as different people throughout the same game. The soundtrack is a bit catchy though, I like the main battle theme. They actually tried pretty hard on that one which I can appreciate. The game’s soundtrack will stick in your head for a while even after completing it.

Naturally there is no real replay value within the game but just completing it will take you long enough where you won’t mind. I can at least say with confidence that the game gives you a lot of value for your time here. The main campaign is technically beatable very quickly but good luck solving the puzzles in that amount of time. Personally I think this one will end up lasting for a whole lot longer than you might have been expecting. If you do like the idea of just being lost and trying to get out on your own, then this one could be worth a shot. It’s the only way I could possibly recommend it and even then you have much better options.

Overall, The Sword of Hope is a game with a lot of potential but unfortunate mechanics really set it back. This one was definitely a real challenge to complete but unless I am having a lot of fun, the challenge doesn’t move me. If this game got a modern PS5 remake it could end up being a solid title but until that happens, I just don’t see this game ever mounting a comeback. Even with the Switch Online there are far better games and I would recommend you play one of those instead. There’s no real reason why you would need to play this game in particular.

Overall 5/10

Gotham Knights Review

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Batman has definitely had quite a few top tier titles over the years. When you think of Batman you tend to think of the best level of comic book games. This one didn’t quite get the same acclaim as the big Arkham titles but at the same time I’d say it does hold up. There is a whole lot to do within the game even outside of the story and so the replay value really hits hard. I would say it sacrifices a bit of polish for overall content and of course that won’t always be seen as a positive so I suppose it’s a bit of a case by case kind of thing.

The game starts with Batman taking some heavy injuries against Ra’s and is forced to settle for a draw as he blows up the Batcave. With Batman dead, the rest of Gotham’s heroes have to suit up and defend the city. Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin, and Red Hood will have to team up for this one. They find out that Batman was looking into a crazy conspiracy involving an organization that controls Gotham from the shadows. This was such a big secret that it cost the Dark Knight his life, so his successors must solve it or die trying. This won’t be easy, but they understand the risks.

The gameplay is your classic 3D brawler. You have a lot of different attacks up your sleeve and will also be dodging a whole lot in order to counter blows. One thing I was surprised about was the lack of a block button. Dodging is your complete form of counter attacking here which is different from what you’d normally expect. Still, it works pretty well and after not being allowed to dodge like that in God Eater, I was glad to go back to my spamming ways. Most of your super attacks are locked behind side quests so I had to make do with the default ones. They are good enough though. The main story is fairly long even if you are only focused on doing them and not touching the side quests.

Counting the side quests, it feels like there is a very impressive amount of content here. It certainly feels longer than the main Arkham titles at the very least. The fact that the side quests also have a lot of cinematics is also pretty fun. At one point I had skipped so many side quests and such that there were no random mobsters to interrogate which held me back during chapter 6. I had to randomly defeat a few Clayface minions which let me go forward. It’s a pretty decent mechanic though because the heroes should be penalized for not defending enough civilians.

I will say that navigating the city isn’t quite as fun as in Spider-Man since you can’t just leap through the city. Arkham City was much easier in that respect. The motorcycle is cool though, it just does take much longer. Locking the fast travel points behind side quests is diabolical but it does encourage you to at least do a few of them. I ended up doing at least a few of them because it would save time in the long run.

Then you have different forms of currency and materials which you use to get new suits, weapons, and projectiles. You can also get mod chips to put inside of them, although I never had gear good enough to equip any so I had to go with the defaults. The equipment was a nice touch though because it adds further incentive to go exploring. The more you do that, the stronger you get. I always like when a game rewards you for these kinds of things. Yeah there is definitely a whole lot of replay value here so you can bet that you will be adventuring around for a long while. Getting the Platinum looks like it could be rather difficult though.

The graphics are pretty solid. I’m not a huge fan of the art direction at times as a lot of the humans look rather generic but the costumed fighters are good. The game does a good job of making all of the dozens of suits and equipment match the art style as well. It may not be the most colorful game but it still does look good. The soundtrack is definitely more on the dull side though. Not many memorable tunes here so you will end up forgetting them rather quickly.

While the game is definitely centered around having multiplayer, I think they should have added AI allies for when you’re playing solo. It would have been nice to have seen the other characters fighting too since otherwise it doesn’t feel as much like an ensemble game. I mainly played Nightwing the whole time so to me this was basically a Nightwing solo title. Of course I could have switched and such but I already had Nightwing leveled up really well so at that point I didn’t want to switch. The fact that all 4 characters have their own unique fighting styles is cool though.

The game’s only real weakness for me could be that the mechanics are really not explained very well at all. Installing mods is really confusing and likewise the map has way too many icons that look similar. White triangles are mobsters, white upside down triangles are for the freaks, yellow triangles are corrupt cops, etc. Your world map gets real cluttered real fast. There had to be a better way to display all of that information. Again I would point to Spider-Man where the map never feels as imposing. Additionally it’s just easier to do a ton of side missions because of how quick they all are there. This game doesn’t move at quite the same high speed because while the combat gameplay is very smooth, the hub world navigation can be a little rough at times. Get ready to run past buttons when you just meant to walk past them.

Overall, Gotham Knights is a great game, it was better than I expected it to be. The game is definitely very combat heavy so you really need to like the style though. Ultimately I found it to be very rewarding as you actually feel it when you level up and get stronger. It’s a great template for a title and the story is also good. There’s really not much else to say about this one. As long as you enjoy really good action titles then you should have a good time and while you may feel overwhelmed at first, just take it one mission at a time and gradually the main map will become a lot emptier.

Overall 8/10

Marvel Rivals Review

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Marvel Rivals is a game that really got huge. For a while there is seemed like everybody was playing it. I would say it is even still huge right now. They keep on adding new characters and of course the gameplay itself is fun enough. That said, I don’t quite get the appeal the way that most people do. To me the gameplay is fine but not something I would end up being stuck to for a long while.

There isn’t a real story mode here of course so you’re really just thrown right into the mix. I was glad to have a tutorial though and did take advantage of that. Basically you’re in a team battle and either have to protect something or attack it. You win based on which team achieved their objective. Whenever you die you are able to switch characters on the fly. It’s pretty nice that you aren’t locked in so you can constantly be switching. The only real restriction is that you can’t have two people using the same character and that makes sense since it could definitely get real confusing real fast. So this way you sidestep that problem completely. As a result I got to play as numerous characters even over the course of a few matches.

The characters are divided into different classes and all have different ways of playing. My favorite character was easily Human Torch. It felt nice being able to fly around and deal out devastating blows to my opponents. I contributed quite heavily in the first match where I scored over 30 KOs. We won that round and it was the perfect way to start. I doubt Torch is one of the most broken characters or anything like that but his moveset is absolutely solid. Whenever you have a projectile fighter like this, you can bet that I’ll enjoy them.

My second favorite character was Groot. He may not be able to fly but his long reach works great as a main attack. I would say the only real downside is that his special moves are a bit boring. He can summon walls to bock incoming attacks which is pretty nice but it doesn’t actually deal damage the way I would like to see it. At the end of the day you need KOs to win here and you get KOs by dealing damage. Still, I got in my share of KOs with the standard attacks.

I definitely didn’t end up mixing well with the brawlers. For example I died fairly quick when playing as Captain America, Wolverine, and Thor. It was just hard to get in close to the other team before I would be taken down by everyone waving around their lasers all the time. I’m sure there are methods to making those characters work but it was definitely a real tough trick for me. A game like this definitely has a lot of RNG as well of course but I won’t deny the high level of skill too. Good aim will go a long way here. The same goes for memorizing where all the health items are at. I’m guessing they are randomly generated but still limited to a few locations rather than just being anywhere.

The graphics are definitely really good. Some of the character designs will certainly take some getting used to though. They really went quite different with a few of them like Wolverine. That said, it’s a consistent art style and I wouldn’t say the designs are bad. I would definitely get used to them after enough time playing the game. The soundtrack is less noticeable with all of the shooting and everything. It seemed good to me but again I’m not sure with how much confidence I can really say that. Either way I guess it’s not ultra important.

I mentioned a few times that the gameplay isn’t super addicting to me and I’ll quickly explain. There is no single player combat mode here and no individual life system. So this means in the team combats everyone has unlimited lives until the match ends. For me a game like this is always way more fun when you have your own life. I know this doesn’t reflect in sales numbers which is why many games have gone away from that model but I still miss it. I’ve never liked the idea that I could be playing amazing and dealing tons of damage and I can still lose because the rest of my team let me down. It just doesn’t feel like this is the way the game ought to be played.

I would at least like the option of a single player mode here. Start out with 25 fighters or something and no extra lives. If you lose then you lose but that’s it. I would find it all to be way more engaging and challenging. Additionally it would force you to get good. Then if the mode doesn’t do well they can always shut it down later. Still, that’s just what would make me enjoy the game better. At that point I’m basically advocating for a completely different title so it’s not a very reasonable request. Just an explanation on why none of the Overwatch titles have ever stuck with me. I do hope this game continues to be successful though because it’s at least pretty fun to watch.

Overall, Marvel Rivals is pretty good. It’s not really a game that would hold my attention for very long but there is definitely a clear audience. I also imagine it’s the kind of game that gets to be way more fun when you know other people wo play it as well. Once you build up that community spirit then it’s really off to the races. You just want to get in there and have fun. As the character roster continues to grow, the game will only get more and more fun. I’m rather curious just how many characters there will be by the end. It seems like a game that could easily get over 50 characters by the end. The toughest part will probably be picking enough unique moves where nobody feels like a clone character.

Overall 7/10

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Review

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This is one of those games I sorta forgot existed for a while there. I think it was technically a big deal but yeah it really vanished. It’s one of those very cinematic games where you get to embrace the story over gameplay but there is still a good amount of gameplay to be had. It’s a fun title but as a result it is also one of those games where you won’t really have much to do if you want to just have fun playing it later on. The cinematic part also means the game will probably be moving a bit slower on a second playthrough although of course it’s all towards the goal of making the first playthrough as good as possible.

The story starts off pretty fast with the Guardians getting into trouble as per usual and now they owe the Nova Corps a whole lot of money. Star Lord gets them to give the Guardians a few days to pay off this fee but even then it will not be easy. We’re talking an incredible sum after all so now they are going to have to scam some folks. Perhaps the legendary monster tamer lady will be a good target. Meanwhile some dark forces are approaching the universe and seek to destroy the Nova Corps. This includes some people who are very important to Star Lord.

The story may start out fairly small in scale but naturally it is a classic save the universe story by the end. It’s a solid story all the way through and you should be very engaged. This is where the cinematic approach works well as there are endless cutscenes here as you go off on your quest. The combat gameplay that we do get is also a lot of fun. You have to really strategize on how you will use each member of your party as well as their various abilities. Particularly until you get to the final chapters where you learn the revive spell. Until then you always have to watch out because a few lucky shots can pull you under.

Personally I always tend to go with a few familiar options instead of trying everything. So I would use everyone’s super, then their O move which seemed to be the strongest ones. I wouldn’t even bother with the other two options. You always have quite a few methods of attack here so at least there is no reason to worry yourself. If something’s not working then try something else. None of the enemies should pose enough of a problem where you can’t figure it out after some troubleshooting. In some ways the platforming could be the toughest part like how I would end up falling more than once.

The graphics are pretty solid here. It’s going for a bit of a live action look but with enough colors where it still feels enough like a comic. The energy effects are nice and the whole time you really feel like a big budget was put into the title. Just look at all of the songs they were able to squeeze inside. You will hear a lot of music as the game goes on and they’re all fairly catchy tunes. You also have the ability to play a mixtape once per fight that completely restores everyone’s health and super attacks. It’s a rather broken ability I must say, but I like how it ties in with how much Star Lord enjoys a good tune.

The game also has a few different fake outs which was really fun. That always adds to a game and the plot twists will keep you guessing as well. I would definitely enjoy a game like this for the Avengers and X-Men at some point. I would say Spider-Man already has this treatment with the big two games that came out a while back. You can tell a whole lot of stories with this although I imagine it probably takes a long time to produce one of these games.

I ended up getting most of the trophies during my normal playthrough and I can’t say that I was really doing much out of the ordinary. It can be nice to play a game that is really generous like this one. There are also a lot of bonus elements and collectibles that don’t even relate to any trophy. This is an especially nice point because it means true collectors can have fun doing a lot of extra exploring while people who want the Platinum can still get that without too much hassle. It’s a win/win for everyone involved.

If there’s anything I would have liked to see, it would have been having more of a hub world. Letting you go back and forth to the different planets on a whim to have fun and of course grind out some levels with the minions. The game has a level up system but you actually max everyone out in the game fairly early and at that point the EXP just vanishes entirely. I suppose this is a decent way to control your level and make sure the player doesn’t get too broken but they probably should have added a wider range of abilities for you to power up. It’s super rare that you play a game where you reach the level cap with everyone like this.

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely a fun game. It is a pretty decent length too and there is some replay value with all of the different dialogue options. I doubt you would really go as far as to try and hear them all but the game does deserve a lot of credit for just how many they put in here. It must have taken a long while to record every piece of dialogue. The Platinum seems relatively easy to get but will still take some work. If you like a good action title then you should definitely pick this one up.

Overall 7/10

Survival Kids Review

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Survival games never really tend to be my thing. There’s just not a whole lot to them gameplay wise and of course it can also be pretty rough to get any momentum going because of how realistic the game is going for. Give me a fun arcade style any day. With that I can really be having a lot of fun and it could be like a collecting type of game. Certainly a big improvement over this one with how narrow the whole thing is. Ah well, at least I can say I’ve played the game now.

You start off with a big accident and then the main character makes it to an island. He must now try and survive until help can arrive but he has literally nothing. So you now have to scrounge around for wood, food, drinks, a backpack, and many other items. There are also many wild animals out there which would be all too willing to make a nice meal out of you. So this kid is in a really tough spot but he’s not someone to be underestimated. Where there is a will, there is a way.

First off the graphics are definitely nothing special. This is an older game so I get it but it’s just not the most impressive looking title. I do enjoy the overworld though which reminds you of Pokemon in a good way. I appreciated that and it’s not like you’ll get lost or anything like that. The items all look clear on the hub world after all. This is about where the positives start to vanish though. I’m generally not a fan of survival games and this one is really just no different. It takes forever to do anything and it feels like you’re trapped in a cycle. As with most things, I understand the appeal of it but it definitely doesn’t work for me. I don’t want to just be running around trying to grab things for as long as I can. I want to get to the point where the game is really fun.

You’re left to your own devices immediately with a ton of menu screens that take forever to get through. For starters I grabbed a backpack to put things in but then it fills up almost immediately. I merged different items and got advanced items like a baseball set but what am I gonna do with that? Your top danger will immediately be the fact that you need to eat and drink at regular intervals or you will die. I found a water container but couldn’t find any actual water. So once my character got real hungry it was over. There was just nothing I could do at that point and so I lost. It turned into a bit of a spiral of doom for me with no way back.

I did grab some food but all of it was spoiled like the raw meat or not safe to eat like the clams. Why are clams not safe to eat? I know I don’t eat them in real life but I figured that technically they would be safe. I suppose I underestimated exactly what happens with those clams. I also wouldn’t say it was a whole lot of fun to fight the various animals running around. They were all just minding their business after all and weren’t trying to cause any trouble. Why did I have to take them out of the running so decisively? Maybe surviving at this price was just too much.

The only time a survival game works is admittedly on the mobile where you are matching fruits and that unlocks resources to help you stay alive. The gameplay should be kept separate from the survival gimmick and then you actually have a chance at a high quality game. A survival title mixing in the gameplay and everything just seems like a recipe for disaster in my opinion. Maybe one day there will be a survival game that I have a lot of fun with but it definitely wasn’t this one. It’s not a game I can ever see myself going back to.

Overall, Survival Kids is really not for me. It could be worse but it could also have been way better. At no point while playing the game did I feel like I was having a blast. It’s all too limited and while it feels like the kind of game that would quickly start to get more and more fun as it went on, I need a quality beginning to really get me invested. Without that, it just feels like I’m basically stuck. Give me a quality platformer or something like that any day.

Overall 3/10

Gradius: The Interstellar Assault Review

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Gradius definitely looked like a fun game right from the jump but I was still surprised to see that it had a bit of a real storyline going for it. We got actual little cutscenes between levels and a real ending. So I was impressed there and it helps make up for how short the game is. There are only 6 levels here after all, although the game is exceptionally difficult so it will feel like a lot more than that at different points.

The main story sees you fighting off a powerful alien invasion. These creatures have the advantage in sheer numbers as well as technology. You will be using a lone plane to try and take them all down. The game is a 2D shooter where you can gain new weapons and abilities as you go through the levels. It won’t be easy without a doubt but you will certainly be able to help even the playing field this way. The key is to make sure you don’t grab the wrong weapon because it overwrites the one you had on previously. Some weapons can be combined though. As you gain item boxes, you see which slot is highlighted and pressing the A button will give you that ability. The letter stands for each one, L for Laser for example. So choose your abilities carefully and you should be all set.

Personally my favorite combination was the laser blasts with the shield and rocket. It covers your front pretty well and the shield also buys you a little time. The lasers seem to do a little less damage than the spread shot machine gun but I liked the speed. So you will need to find the right combination that works for you and then the rest will really come into place. Additionally, it’s fair to say that you need fast reaction times here. Most of the bosses revolve around you hitting the weak point but that’s the area where it rapid fires all of the attacks from. So if you don’t watch out then you’re gonna be in trouble.

The graphics are definitely more on the old school side. They’re not terrible or anything but they won’t be standing out. When you recommend this game to someone, you’re probably not going to be talking about the graphics. At least I doubt that you will. Instead it will come down to the soundtrack. That part’s okay but nothing too memorable either so maybe instead just focus on the gameplay. It’s a simple but effective game with how it controls. It’s easy to pick up but difficult to master.

There isn’t really any replay value to be found here so you should keep that in mind. Of course if you’re playing it on the Switch Online then that is more of a non factor since you won’t have to pay anything extra to check this one out. Instead you can just dive in and enjoy it. As long as the game is fun, it helps to override the length to an extent. It’s still not going to make a name for itself as one of the top NES titles or anything like that but I would say it is still good enough in the end.

Overall, Gradius is a good game. It’s not really anything to write home about but at the same time I give it points for just being a fun title. No real gimmicks or desperate attempts to try something new. Instead it settles for just being a fun space shooter. Perhaps that is a result of the game being fairly old so this was still new territory or the devs were just that confident. Either way it is a title that has withstood the test of time and I can really recommend it to any gamer.

Overall 6/10