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video game reviews

Diablo IV Open Beta Impressions

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The Diablo IV open beta has just ended, and it has made me excited for its release. The art is great, the skill tree is massive, and the combat is so much fun. Even though we had limited content for the beta, there was so much to do that I didn’t have the time to get to it all. I can only imagine how much content there will be at the launch.

The beta had access to the story quests, side quests, and dungeons. I didn’t get a chance to finish the available story because I was having so much fun doing the dungeons and side quests. What little story I got to was enough to hook me to all the new incoming lore. The cutscenes in this game are beautiful, and they do a great job of setting up its grim dark universe.

Screenshot from the game

The best part of this game is how versatile each class can be. With access to a massive skill tree, players can create a character that truly fits their playstyle. I recommend that you play around with your build till you get something you like before you start looking into meta builds. I went for a werebear druid build that might not have been optimal but was a lot of fun.

Combat is a blast in this game. With the new mechanics, I had to think differently about how I approached each fight. Boss fights were a lot harder than I was used to, and I found myself having to manage my supply of potions while avoiding all attacks. It made for intense sessions that had me on the edge of my seat. Losing focus means death. 

I wasn’t able to get to max level or fight the world boss during the beta because I had so much content to keep myself busy. Diablo IV is looking to be a casual friendly MMO, but one that has enough challenging content for when you are ready to level up your experience. If you are thinking of buying this game, the beta suggests 4 is going to be a very solid Diablo experience. If I am not overwhelmed by my backlog this summer, this is a title I will most definitely be getting into. 

feature image By Blizzard Entertainment – Giant Bomb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72522405

video game reviews

Movie Review: John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

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If you’ve seen any of the movies in the John Wick universe, you have probably already watched 4 in theaters. If you haven’t, now is the perfect time to buy those tickets. John Wick: Chapter 4 delivers on its promise to be a more epic action-packed sequel, but one that brings its charm to the franchise. This time Mr. Wick wages his war against the secret organization behind it all, but will this war finally bring the peace he’s been after?

The story of this movie doesn’t matter, but the film attempts to develop its lore a bit more. Don’t expect deep character development or storytelling. Most of you are watching this movie for the death and destruction Mr. Wick leaves behind. This movie doubles down on its violence, but I will be the first to admit that it could have been shorter. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic action scenes, but some go on for too long. It isn’t enough to ruin the movie, but three hours is a long time to sit in theaters. Don’t be afraid to take breaks between the main characters; you won’t miss anything critical.

John Wick 4 has amazing choreography. This combined with its creative camera works makes for some epic action sequences. You need to watch this movie in theaters at least once to appreciate the work that went into making this movie as epic as it is. I love the colors, the scores, and the costumes that make this a beautifully vibrant and violent fantasy.

What I enjoyed most about this movie are the unique characters it introduces. While it isn’t without its faceless hordes, some villains will stand out and give this movie its charm. My favorite character in the series is Cain, played by the talented Donnie Yen. Cain is a refreshing take on the genre’s villains while also introducing an interesting dilemma for Mr. Wick. I won’t spoil what it is, but it added some of the depth the movie needed. In an interview, Donnie Yen told reporters that he worked hard to make Cain into something that wasn’t a traditional Asian stereotype. This work has paid off, and you need to watch this movie to appreciate it. 

I can’t stress this enough, if you haven’t watched this movie, go out and buy the tickets. It may not be perfect, but it is home to some of the most epic action sequences put to film. 

Image By https://community-client-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/1cdb9129-3d57-410f-9b02-ae455068a5e1/images/7add8321-683a-4f17-8951-6524948846a1.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71370823

video game reviews

Drakantos: Pixel Art MMORPG – Free, Unique, Exciting!

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All Media was taken from the official discord

I didn’t get a chance to try out Drakantos at GDC because the venue’s wifi was giving a lot of presenters issues. I did get the opportunity to speak with a couple of the game’s developers, and they succeeded in making me excited about their game. I want to take this moment to thank them for their time. I know I had a lot of questions, and I appreciate your patience.

Drakantos is a pixel art MMORPG from Brazil that will be playable on your favorite browser. I love the art style, and the trailer was enough to get me interested. The voice acting in this game is fantastic, and I recommend you check out their official discord for samples.

Unlike your traditional MMO, Drakantos will not have a character creation. Instead, the game will release with 21 predesigned characters, with more planned for future releases. You’ll be able to unlock characters through the battle pass or by playing the game. However you may feel about battle passes in gaming, they are now a feature in the industry, and there is no going back. The game will be free to play, so I won’t blame them for trying to make money. All I can hope is that it won’t become pay-to-win. Only 20 characters have been revealed so far. You can find more information on their official discord, but I will post an album for your convenience.

1 / 20

PVE for this game seems promising. The story is fully voice acted, with support coming in different languages. There will also be world bosses, events, and dungeons to help foster a healthy endgame and community. Drakantos will also have PVP arenas with weekly tournaments and a ranking system. Arenes will be 3v3, and the gear won’t matter to avoid power creep. Players will have access to the same pool of characters, making the experience more skill-based than gear reliant. Characters will be locked behind a battle pass and achievements, I just hope it’s not pay to win. I can’t blame them for trying to make money, but I hope that free to play is viable.

I will be trying this game as soon as I can. I suggest you keep tabs on Drakantos by following them on their socials. They are very active with news and updates, and they are always happy to answer any questions. You can find them on Discord, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

*I do not own any of the media on this post, they were taken from the official discord.

video game reviews

Excellence in Visual Arts: RPG Time: The Legend of Wright

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The Independent Games Festival (IGF) awards have just wrapped and it was a pretty impressive lineup of games. I got to try a few of them and was impressed by the unique collection put on display. I will be covering all the games that were nominated, but I will start. I think it is only fair to give these games their own posts because they were all so different and deserving of the same time and attention.

The winner for the Excellence in Visual Art category was the adventure game RPG Time: The Legend of Wright by the publisher, DeskWorks Inc. This quirky little RPG combines a series of genres with its unique hand-drawn art style. The game feels like it happens on top of a desktop as you shift between different game types. It is cool to see this game come to life. I can see why it has already one a lot of awards. If you are looking for something truly unique and quirky, check out RPG Time: The Legend of Wright. You can play this game on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and Steam for $29.99. Its on sale on Nintendo for $15.99 till March 31, 2023, and Xbox has it for $16.49 till March 28, 2023. Now might be a great time to pick it up if you have either of those consoles. I’ll be adding this to the games I need to try, and hopefully, come back with a full review soon. 

video game reviews

GDC Recap: Kakele

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On the first day of the Expo, I got to try out the pixel art MMORPG Kakale. This cute little MMO is available on PC, Android, and IOS devices. If you enjoy the game and wish to support it, you can buy cosmetics, support their Patreon, or become a premium subscriber for $6.99 a month. The devs suggested there might be a battle pass implemented in the future, but was assured that none of the paid options offer a competitive advantage. The premium subscription seems to only offer quality-of-life benefits like more storage, a bigger friends list, access to larger instances, and more. You can find the full list of premium benefits on the official site.

Pictures are from presskit

Kakele has five classes: berserker, mage, warrior, hunter, and alchemist. Each will have its role to play, especially when you get to end-game content. I have already made my mage and will return with my impressions once I’ve gotten far enough. Aside from your class, you choose the type of experience you want. Kakele offers two kinds of servers, one for PVP and another for PVE. For those who don’t enjoy PVP, there are dungeons, world bosses, and seasonal events to keep you busy. If you join a guild, you fight over castles that will grant you bonuses if captured. You will also need to defend the castles you capture. The game is young, but there already seems lots to do.

One of my favorite aspects of this game right off the bat is that the UI is completely customizable. You can rearrange your hotkeys where ever you want so that you can always have an optimized experience. On mobile devices and tablets, you can even move the D-pad.

So what were my first impressions? This game is super cute, and it brings me back to a time when the only online gaming I could afford was through a browser on a library computer. The art is great and easy to see, the maps are easy to navigate over, and the early leveling experience is fine. Combat at the beginning is laid back as it slowly teaches you how to play, but I can already see its potential to be complex at the end of the game. The game already seems to have a healthy population. At least in the North American servers, the starting zone is populated. The game is from Brazil, so a lot of the activity seems to be in the Portuguese channels, but with time, I am sure this will change.

It is unfair to critique the game with how little I have played it, so I will reserve my judgment for a later date. At the moment, I think the game is at least worth checking out since it is free. If you are looking for a new MMO that you can play almost anywhere, Kakele is worth looking into. You can download this game on Steam, the IOS Appstore, or the Google PlayStore. The game is a cross-play between all devices, and your saves will transfer too. 

Thank you to the devs for taking the time to talk to me about their game! I know I am small, but I appreciate your time, patience, and warm reception. 

video game reviews

Liberte – My First Impressions

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I am attending GDC this week, so my posting schedule will be a bit sporadic and more focused on gaming. I am very excited about the opportunity and will share everything I can. If you’d like to aid me on my adventure, please consider buying me a coffee
Pictures and Gifs are from the Press Kit

During GDC I was allowed to try out Liberte for PC. Liberte is a rogue-like isometric ARPG themed after the French Revolution, but this isn’t a historical game.

What sets this game apart from others in the genre is its deck-building mechanic. As you progress through the story, you find cards that will grant abilities, traits, and items. You can upgrade or swap out the cards to fit your playstyle. To play a card, you must sacrifice others to pay its cost. This creates this loop of constantly cycling through your cards to find a combination that best fits your playstyle. I was distracted by conversation and kept forgetting to build my deck. I wouldn’t advise trying to beat the game with just the basic attack.

The bit of combat I tried was a lot of fun. The dodge feels fantastic, and successfully avoiding attacks was very satisfying. I liked that unlocking new abilities changed the combat. The first ability I unlocked was a guitar bash that gave my character a nice acoustic guitar to carry on his back. I appreciate the attention to detail and love smashing my enemies with this ability. There were other fun flavor texts sprinkled throughout my playthrough that make me believe that a lot of love was put into this game.

I can’t speak on the story because I skipped through the cutscenes to get to the combat, but it seems interesting based on the summary on Steam. I did get to see a lot of the art for the cutscenes. I love the art and aesthetic of this game. One issue I had with this game is that some of the paths are a bit hard to see. I played an older build, and they might have fixed it for the release. It isn’t a terrible deal breaker, but it is something I noticed. If they didn’t, it isn’t a huge deal because there is a nice little guiding mechanic available if you ever get stuck. 

I liked what I was able to try out and will be trying to get a copy for a full review. If you like ARPGs, Liberte is at least worth looking into. You can buy it for early access on Steam now, or wait till its full release on April 6, 2023. At the moment, Liberte is only planned for PC. 

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Pixel Ripped 1978, Possibly Your Next VR Purchase

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I am attending GDC this week, so my posting schedule will be a bit sporadic and more focused on gaming. I am very excited about the opportunity and will share everything I can. If you’d like to aid me on my adventure, please consider buying me a coffee

The first game I got to try out at GDC was Pixel Ripped 1978, a VR game that lets gamers relieve their Atari nostalgia through a quirky meta experience. You play as Dot as she works alongside her human counterpart Bug, a programmer at Atari. Together you work to perfect a game, but the evil Cyblin Lord has gone back in time to make sure he is the hero of your game. Can you stop him before it is too late?

Pixel Ripped 1978 is the third game of the series, but the developers assured me that 1978 will be a standalone story. There will be references to the previous games, but you won’t need to play them to understand what is going on. You should still go out and play them, and I am hoping to make some time to try them out before the game’s release this summer.

Images and gifs from press kit

Pixel Ripped attempts to capture the love of gaming by creating an homage to its different eras. With the Atari partnership, the developers were able to implement games from the Atari era without running into licensing issues. This love can be apparent when you look at the protagonist. Dot was inspired by the many heroes from the games the creator played growing up. Characteristics from characters like Princes Peach, Link, Samus, and Megan can be seen in Dot’s design. Ana Riberio, the creator, wanted to create a strong female character that was cool because there weren’t many back then. I think she was successful. Dot is a cool character with fun and interesting powers. You can shoot with your laser, hit things with randomly generated melee weapons, and build code that changes the game. Playing the demo left me wanting to see what else she has in store.  

Pixel Ripped 1978 is an interesting meta experience where you are playing a game about playing a game. In parts, you will pick up the controller and play a game on the classic Atari in a virtual world where deal with real-world distractions. While playing the Atari, people will come to ask you questions, try to talk to you, and just try to get your attention. There was a moment I had to move my head to see around the person blocking my TV. It was incredibly immersive, and I was easily distracted by the people walking around in the background. It creates this neat dynamic between an adventure puzzle game and a simulator.

The other feature of this game is that you get to go into the game world and play as Dot. You get to move through this beautifully stylized pixel world fighting enemies. The combat in this game was arcadey and fun. The world is vibrant and colorful, and enemies are beautifully nostalgic. It was very reminiscent of the Adventure Box event in Guild Wars 2, but here you get to be in it.

This game will release on the Oculus, Steam VR, and PSVR. I tried it on the PSVR, and it was spectacular. I almost want to buy a PS5 because I felt it to be a superior VR experience to my current Meta Quest 2. Everything looked great, there was a minimal light leak, and the tracking felt great. But this isn’t a review about that. 

Pixel Ripped 1978 is looking to be a fantastic dive into a nostalgic era that everyone can enjoy. The gameplay is fun, the tone is quirky, and it is a solid VR experience. Keep an eye out for news, or try out the previous two.

video game reviews

Exoprimal First Impressions

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I am attending GDC this week, so my posting schedule will be a bit sporadic and more focused on gaming. I am very excited about the opportunity and will share everything I can. If you’d like to aid me on my adventure, please consider buying me a coffee

I got the chance to try out Capcom’s Exoprimal during its beta this weekend, and it was okay. Exoprimal is a third-person shooter where you defend against oncoming hordes of dinosaurs using an advanced exosuit. The game is coming out for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, but I only got to try out the Steam version. One thing to note about this game is that a Capcom ID is required. I am not a fan of having more logins, but at least it was easy to set up.

The exosuits are what gives this game its flavor. Each suit has its unique playstyle and role to play in a team. At the moment, there are three roles an exosuit can take: support, tank, and assault. It should go without saying that efficient teamwork in this game is more important than DPS.

The only game mode available for the beta was a type of race. Two teams race to complete a set number of objectives before ending on some light PVP at the end. A cool feature about this mode is that the losing team will get weapons or abilities that will obstruct the enemy team so that races aren’t one-sided. This makes for an interesting dynamic because while you are trying to complete objectives, you also have to worry about being invaded by an enemy player.

So what did I think of Exoprimal? The game is beautiful on the highest settings. The detail in the cutscenes, character models, and dinosaurs is breathtaking. I did notice some odd rag-dolling here and there, but nothing game-breaking. The gameplay was fun for the first couple of matches before it got stale. Changing classes does help with the monotony, but I usually filled the same role. The objectives change between matches, which is nice, but not all are fun.

This isn’t the worst horde defense game I’ve played. I love killing dinosaurs, and the world and tech look cool, but there isn’t much to this game. I am sure people who like these types of games will enjoy it more, but it is still a hard sell for $60. As it stands, it isn’t worth the money. There aren’t enough character choices or game modes to be worth the money. For this game to be successful, the story needs to be fantastic. Players will need to be hooked on the story and world before they can invest in a PVP experience that frankly has been done better and cheaper elsewhere. I am sure there will be new characters planned for after release, a mission pass, and some other carrots to dangle in front of players, but there needs to be something to justify the cost. A couple more free weekends could help to get players a taste of the game, but the game modes need to be more fun. Hopefully, as we get closer to the date, we will get a better idea of this game’s worth. The game is set to release July 13, 2023.

video game reviews

Have A Nice Death

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I don’t own these images, I got them from the Steam store

A new trailer for Have a Nice Death is out and it looks so cute! You play as Death as he tries to take back control of his company and his unruly employees. This 2D rogue-like will have you jumping across the halls of Death Inc as you use magic and items to quell the unrest. If you are a fan of platformers, this should be on your list. 

This game reminds me a lot of The Company Man, and I loved that game. The art is cute, the maps look cool, and the gameplay looks fun but challenging. I don’t like platformers, but I am willing to make an exception if I can find the time to play this. 

You can buy Have a Nice Death on early access on Steam or wait for it to come out on the Nintendo Switch on March 22, 2022. The game costs $24.99, but it’s 10% off on Steam till March 23. With how the reviews on Steam are looking, you should at least Wishlist this game for later.

Series Reviews

Series Review: Poker Face (2023)

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I just received my press pass to attend GDC! If you like what I do and want to help me out, consider buying me the coffee I’ll need to get me through the week.

The first season of Poker Face has finally wrapped up, and it was fine. If you are looking for a quirky and silly mystery of the week series to get into, this one should at least be on your list.

Charlie is a human lie detector who finds herself running from the mob. As she makes her way across the American landscape, she keeps finding herself in the middle of all these murders. Charlie is too kind to let things go unsolved, so for the first time in her life, she uses her gifts for good. Watch Charlie as she fumbles through a mystery to bring justice to crimes that would otherwise go unnoticed. But for every new friend she makes, she also leaves behind new enemies. Will Charlie ever find peace, or is she destined to be a runaway?

Natasha Lyonne’s role as Charlie is a gift, and you need to watch this series to enjoy her performance. Lyonne has the presence and charisma to make this series work. If you aren’t in love with Charlie by the end of the first episode, you weren’t paying attention. I love that Charlie isn’t the usual detective archetype that you get in shows like Law and Order. Charlie is a flawed character who will fumble through the investigation. Charlie is clever enough to make the connections, but her carefree demeanor makes her come to it at her own pace. A lot of the fun for this series comes from watching Charlie slowly put the pieces together.

The only issue I have with this series is that not every episode is good. I will be skipping a few episodes the next time I watch this season, but I see the value of watching the whole series at least once. Each episode will have important character moments for Charlie that come back in subtle ways in the future. These details aren’t so important that it affects the story significantly, but I appreciate the attention to detail. That said, the worst episode is still good enough, and the series is collectively solid. 

If you haven’t seen this series and have a Peacock subscription because it is worth the trouble. At the very least, you will fall in love with a fictional character.

Feature Image By Peacock – IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72787775