Within the previous and current generations, there have been a surprising amount of action, adventure, and even platformer titles, which have incorporated ‘light RPG’ mechanics into their core design to extend playtime or add artificial depth to their gameplay loops. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is not one of those games. This is a pure RPG, where painstaking effort has been poured into ensuring every facet of the gameplay, combat, and world design completely immerses the player into its medieval setting. Sometimes this can result in mild, or even palpable, frustration, particularly in the early hours, where it is especially brutal,…
Author: Arman Siddiqui
Arman Siddiqui
Arman is a writer who enjoys his broad spectrum of entertainment, with the specific exception of any anime ever conceived. He likes his physics in video games and still mourns the lack of GOTY recognition for Fire Emblem: Three Houses at the 2019 Game Awards.
Functional. That is the greatest praise I can give Star Wars Outlaws. It is not a broken game where the Stormtroopers are phasing through walls or spawning right in front of the player. It (mostly) works. The blasters fire. The speeder bikes move. The imperials get shot. But there is not much here that feels inventive or evokes a feeling of awe from the player. Instead, there is a lasting feeling of sameness that is tough to shake. The standard open world tropes: menial side activities littered around the map, vast stretches of barren land on planets – it is…
In recent times, I have really warmed up to games that don’t overstay their welcome. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, now remastered in glorious quarter-of-4K resolution, is a great example of designers understanding the appropriate scope for a project and delivering a game that is consistently engaging within that measured scope. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD comes with a solid visual uplift over the 3DS original. While it may not hold up next to current generation releases from the average AAA developer, the excellent art direction, coupled with new, detailed assets and richer lighting, make a relatively strong impression, considering the Switch’s…
Another year, another victory. WWE 2K24 builds upon last year’s efforts to deliver a phenomenal celebration of pro wrestling spectacle.
Ghostrunner 2 is an excellent demonstration of how to expand a sequel, without foregoing what made the original a blast in the first place.
Link’s return to Hyrule is captivating, wildly dynamic and a moving demonstration of exceptional game design.
Bursting at the seams with style and combat variety, Bayonetta 3 is another excellent instalment in a franchise that refuses to disappoint.
A sad successor to a brilliant Tale