Tag Archives: Video Game Reviews

video game reviews

Game Review: Blackguards 2 (Nintendo Switch)

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I received this Blackguards 2  as a review code for the Nintendo Switch. I would like to take this moment to thank Daedalic Entertainment for the opportunity, and I hope I can continue to do more reviews for the company in the future. That said, I will not let this affect my review. This will be my honest opinion of the game. 

Screenshot from my playthrough

Blackguards 2 is an action turn based-strategy RPG where you control a team of heroes and mercenaries through a series of combat scenarios and puzzles. The game focuses on Cassia, a wronged woman who seeks revenge by taking her ex-husband’s kingdom from him. Her husband locked her up and left her to die. Will she be able to lead her army and achieve her revenge, or will she succumb to her ever-creeping madness?

I had a lot of fun with this game when it worked properly. You can set traps, ambush enemies, and use the environment to earn your victory. Unfortunately, the enemy AI is inconsistent, and some levels will not work as intended. Sometimes I was greeted by tactical enemies who forced me to earn my victory. Other times the enemy would stand still while I slaughtered them relentlessly. If you are smarter than me (and you probably are) you can find ways to break the Ai and breeze through combat easily. There is also a light puzzle element that is heavily impacted by how the enemy AI chooses to act. I failed a few puzzles because the AI became ungodly.

My biggest issue with the combat was the pathing. There are levels where you will have to choose your pathing hex by hex; this will prove tedious. If you allow the pathing to be chosen for you, your heroes will run into fire or traps that will kill them instantly. Each level can also have invisible traps that require special skills to see. These will create incredibly frustrating moments as you watch your heroes die instatly for stepping on random particles. This game can become incredibly frustrating and impossible to beat if you are not careful or paying attention. 

The graphics for the game are fine, but nothing special. On some levels, the bloom and high contrast make it hard to see enemies and traps. I felt this to be especially true in handheld mode where it would be hard to see even the pathing. It doesn’t help that the camera controls don’t let you rotate the camera horizontally, making it hard to select some units or objectives. If you are going to play this game, I suggest you play this on a bigger screen. 

Customization can be overwhelming if you are new to the genre. You can buy and earn gear to customize your units to fit your play style. You can also buy skills, spells, and feats to make your heroes more heroic. I found customizing my units to be a hassle as the UI felt clunky most of the time. Unfortunately, skills and feats you buy impact combat, making dealing with the UI a necessary evil. 

Screenshot

I enjoyed the story for the most part. I adored the voice acting, although the sound mixing isn’t consistent. I thought the characters were fine although they do fall into the same tropes you are probably used to. The world-building in this game comes from conversations you have with NPCs in the hubs, but it stops the information you gather stops being interesting halfway through. The game does offer you choices to make, but I didn’t feel like they impacted gameplay. 

I didn’t hate this game, but I can’t ignore its issues. When this game worked, I had a blast! Unfortunately, the bugs make victories anticlimactic, losses frustrating, and on some levels unnecessarily difficult. This game fills a specific niche, so if you don’t like strategy games, I wouldn’t bother. If you do like the genre, I would wait for it to go on sale. It isn’t worth the $10. You can play this on Mac, PC, Xbox, Playstation, and on the Nintendo Switch.

This game is currently on sale on steam for $.99. It is definitely worth that much.

video game reviews

Game Review: SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech (Nintendo Switch)

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If you are looking for a casual game that doesn’t require much commitment, check out SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. This is a game you can throw on when you just want to chill and not have to worry about leaderboards or storylines. While there is a cute little story full of puns and silly characters, it doesn’t require your undivided attention. The story is a bit on the basic side as it hits traditional RPG tropes, but the gameplay is fun enough where it doesn’t matter.

If you like deck builders and RPGs, SteamWorld Quest is a casual entry into both. The game relies heavily on deck building and hero management, but I never felt it was very intensive. I am a terrible deck builder, but I was always able to find a deck that suited my playstyle. There are guides and lists out there if you ever get stuck, but I never felt the need to look them up. As far as variety goes, there is enough diversity in the card pool to keep things fresh without being overwhelming. 

The game also has some simple RPG elements. There is exploration, loot, hero management, and a grind that you have to consider. 

Exploration was simple. Dungeons are small with only one real path, but there will be secret rooms that will grant you loot and cards. You can always go back to a dungeon to get everything. I never did, but I never felt like I was missing anything important. Dungeons will have a few straightforward puzzles that are manageable if you have been paying attention.

Hero management is also pretty simple. You can buy or collect items and weapons that boost the stats of your heroes and give them special abilities. There isn’t much variety and you will find there is only one real combination towards the end. You can buy items and weapons with gold and upgrade your cards with materials dropped by mobs. There is a grind to consider for this game, but it isn’t terrible. I never felt the need to spend hours in an area, but you can be under-leveled for certain fights if you rush too quickly.

Combat for this game is interesting. You choose your party of three heroes from the six total you collect along the way and create a deck with the cards specific to those heroes. The combat itself wasn’t difficult, although it isn’t something you can do too passively. If you aren’t paying attention, you can die. The RNG will screw you over, but it is rare when it does. The bosses were all unique, but they do feel like sponges towards the later part of the game. There is enough variety with the enemies that you will never use the same deck. I was constantly adjusting to counter enemy resistances and immunities, and it kept the gameplay from growing stale.

You should play this game. It is a neat and chill little card game that is fine for the whole family. I played it on the Nintendo Switch, but it is also available on Steam.

Series Reviews

Halo Series Revisited

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Now that I have seen more episodes of the Halo series, I want to revisit my initial assessment. Halo is a good show if you have never seen a sci-fi show before. Otherwise, it is a generic and unimpressive attempt at sci-fi with a halo skin. If you are a fan of the game, don’t bother. It has been a while since I’ve played any of the campaigns, but even I can see that this isn’t the show you were hoping for.

My biggest issue with this show is that none of its narratives are interesting. I don’t care about the space pirates, the UNSC, the spartan project, the rebellions, or the covenant. Every storyline serves as a reminder to the audience of a better show they could be watching. The build-up to the inevitable release of the flood is so drawn out that it left me apathetic to its various important story beats. This is the flashiest show you won’t care about.

The only good that comes from this show is some of the designs. Some of the costumes, weapons, and monsters are cool to see on screen. The problem is that they rely too heavily on the audience having rudimentary knowledge about the series. There are moments where the story stops to show off its famous iconography, but it does little to the story. Instead, they are shameless reminders that this show is somehow Halo, despite how far it has diverted from its source.

 If you are a fan of sci-fi, don’t waste your time. If you are new to sci-fi, there are better ones out there. Watch Star Wars Rebels if you want something with a familiar IP that is well done. But for those who don’t believe me, watch it over on Paramount plus.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a quality sequel that you should go watch in theaters if you enjoyed the first one. The characters are well cast, the story is fun, and if you aren’t crying from how hard you are laughing, you have no sense of humor. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a fun kids’ movie that anyone can and should enjoy.

It is no secret that movies adapted from video games tend to flop. With the initial character design debacle, there was little hope that this franchise would be successful. I am glad that the first movie surpassed its expectations because I absolutely adored it. If you haven’t seen the first one, I highly recommend it. This franchise gives me hope that we will continue to get fun and enjoyable movies based on video games. 

If you haven’t seen this movie, or are on the fence, you need to go watch it. I can’t stress enough how fun this movie. The humor is great, the action looks amazing, and it is a solid sequel. Sometimes sequels lose the magic that was achieved the first time around. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 recaptures this magic and expands on it. If you are looking for a fun and enjoyable movie to watch in theaters, this is a great choice!