Baldur’s Gate 3 Review

Having just watched the credits roll after nearly 90 hours of time in Baldur’s Gate 3, I really don’t know where to start. There are so many experiences I want to share, countless stories I want to tell, and shocking consequences I’m still processing. I want to say everything, all at once, which leaves my brain a confuddled mess and unable to say much at all. Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of those games that transcends mere entertainment; it’s not simply a game you finish and forget about. It’s an experience that will stay with you for years.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a shining example of a talented, dedicated, and passionate development studio working to the very highest of standards. I can’t even begin to imagine the complexities of developing a game with so many moving pieces, so many variables, choices, decisions, consequences, and outcomes, and it’s delivered in such a way that nothing else really comes close.

Nothing here is really new; most of it has been done before. However, rarely does a game deliver on every single aspect of development, every promise, every expectation.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is that good.

The story begins as your hero finds themselves trapped aboard an Illithid vessel. Infected with a deadly parasite, you race to find a cure before you turn into one of Dungeons & Dragons most iconic enemies: the Mind Flayers. It’s a story that begins very black and white. If you don’t find a cure, you turn into a monster that eats brains in order to survive. Those first few moments of simplicity soon fade away to unveil a narrative that any Dungeon Master would be envious of creating.

I really don’t want to spoil anything more than has been shown in the trailers and pre-release footage, but it’s a fantastic story and one that is entirely unique to your hero. Baldur’s Gate 3 is far from the first game to feature dialogue choices but in recent years the illusion of choice has been more prevalent, decisions that appear to put the power in the hands of the player only for the choice to not really matter. Baldur’s Gate 3 is so far on the opposite end of that spectrum, the line has become a dot.

Decisions I made during my first hours of the game provided opportunities and consequences 80 hours later. Whilst exploring I stumbled upon an Owlbears nest, a cave filled with the bones and the remains of unfortunate adventurers that had trodden this path before me. It’s a fearsome creature and one I’ve encountered many times in my D&D days. Approaching quietly, I cast Speak with Animals, hoping to negotiate with the monstrosity before I became its next meal. As I got closer I noticed it was protecting a cub, so the outcome was looking bleak.

Needless to say, things didn’t go to plan and I ended up slaughtering the beast right in front of its offspring, which then began eating its mother before I’d even sheathed my sword. Rummaging around I looted an Owlbear egg and thought nothing more of it. That Owlbear cub then somehow manages to make its way to a goblin camp and can be “saved” as an optional companion to help populate your camp.

But wait, there’s more.

About 15 hours later, I stumbled upon an old lady that wanted me to steal a Githyanki egg, but there was an option to convince her to take the Owlbear egg instead. Then, about 60 hours after that, I meet the lady in Baldur’s Gate and learn what happened with the egg. This is one of hundreds, if not thousands of events that shape and alter the world of Faerun. Baldur’s Gate 3 has everything, from massive changes that shake the very foundation of The Forgotten Realms, to charming and heartwarming stories featuring just a mother and daughter, in a single home in the games biggest city. The depth and scope of the choices and consequences system is unrivaled and creates one of the most immersive and rewarding game worlds the genre has ever seen.

I know I waffled for about five minutes there, but I really wanted to drill in just how expansive this world is. There’s nothing else like it, and I lack the articulation to really do it credit. I’m a gamer, not a writer. So now that you know Baldur’s Gate 3’s living and breathing Dungeons & Dragons experience nails the narrative, how fares everything else?

Baldur’s Gate 3’s combat, not all too dissimilar to other works of Larian Studios, is the most enjoyable and accurate representation of the Dungeons & Dragons combat system in the industry today. It somehow manages to conform to the necessary rules and mechanics of a video-game whilst simultaneously allowing for the ridiculously creative and near limitless possibilities of a game that was designed to be played with a pencil, a piece of paper, and your imagination.

It’s turn-based roots will immediately turn some folk away. It’s slow, methodical, and pure strategy. Some of the battles can last over an hour, so it’s definitely not going to work for everyone. However, if the turn-based genre is one that appeals, the combat on offer is incredible. Each environment is unique, verticality and the environment play a huge role. Leaping over chasms to reach distant enemies, shooting chandelier’s down onto unsuspecting enemies below, triggering traps at just the right time, no two battles ever feel the same and while some improvements to AI speed and decision making wouldn’t hurt, the combat never got stale.

And that’s just about where you fight, that’s not including what you fight, and who fights at your side. Even now, after nearly 90 hours, I’m finding new and exciting ways of combining my different characters abilities. Throwing out an ice spell to try and trip enemies, followed up by a fireball to melt the ice, and then an electric jolt to fry anyone still standing. These powerful combinations are present across every class and the synergy potential in combat is rewarding from start to finish. I suppose you could just use Gust of Wind and knock 12 goblins off the edge of a cliff too; both work.

I’m not usually keen on games that require me to manage entire parties, as I much rather focus on developing a single character. While the micro-managing of items and inventory definitely felt overwhelming at times, the characters themselves made it worthwhile. I don’t think any of the companions are guaranteed. Certain choices you make mean you may never meet, while others mean they die at your feet, and that makes me sad.

It’s sad because each character is entirely unique, expertly voiced, and each with an intricate and emotional story to tell, and some people may never experience those stories. Every companion has their own story arc, often playing roles alongside the main story itself, but every character grows with you and changes based on their experiences. What do you do when a character you’ve grown to love for their combat prowess needs to make a decision that you find morally questionable? Do you back them up through fear of losing an ally, or is the weight of the consequence of an immoral act too much to bear? Even these complicated stories, most of which last the duration of the entire game, have multiple paths at multiple points, each offering insight into different aspects of the characters past and future.

That’s not to say that every encounter is an exhausting exercise in morality and consequence. During my adventures I had “romantic encounters” with a bear, a rather aggressive Githyanki, a flamboyant vampire, and a succubus that then proceeded to imitate my form and spread delight amongst The Forgotten Realms on my behalf. I spoke with a military-like pigeon, Commander Lightfeather, leader of the finest aerial communication regiment this side of the Chionthar. A pig who was all too eager to share its newly formed stubble, an ox that turned into some gelatinous demon of one form or another. Every counter, be it pigeon or pig, has be crafted with such care and attention. Moments will disgust, horrify, but also charm and entertain.

What’s even more remarkable is the technical state of the game. For the vast majority of the experience, I didn’t encounter any bugs. My game still hasn’t crashed once, and none of the dialogue or encounters have had any issues but unfortunately, the latter stages of the game do struggle. Exploring Baldur’s Gate, while a visual feast and an explorers playground, the frame rate is horrible, nearly unplayable in certain places. Much can be said for the final battle, while absolutely epic, it definitely needs some post-launch TLC.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is nothing short of a masterpiece. The story is incredible, the world gorgeous and immersive, voice-over and writing of the highest quality, an amazing soundtrack, everything comes together in near perfect harmony. It’s not only the best RPG of the year, it’s the RPG of a generation.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

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Sclash Review

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Posted Aug 12, 2023 by captaincamper
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Atlas Fallen Review

Roughly a year after being first shown, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment's Atlas Fallen arrives between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Does the game do enough to stand out in what has proven to be a stellar year for gaming, or will it fall by the wayside?

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 Review – The RPG of a Generation appeared first on GamersHeroes.

WWE 2K23 Review

I think the wrestling genre as a video game peaked about 20 years ago, when WWF No Mercy launched on the Nintendo 64. Some of the games that followed came close, with the best being the Smackdown VS. RAW games. As time moved forward players got less freedom, less features, and more micro-transactions. That being said, Visual Concepts and 2K Games have definitely started making steps in the right direction and a year long break for the franchise was definitely the smart idea.

Before we get into the endless bells and whistles that accompany the release of WWE 2K23, let’s dive into the meat and potatoes of the entire experience: the wrestling. When fighting a single opponent in any basic one on one match, WWE2K23’s combat is the best the franchise has seen for years. It’s fluid, fast, and impactful with the animations stringing together effortlessly. Put simply, it’s the total package. Reversals are time-based and sensitive, kicking out of pins and squirming out of submissions is intuitive and fair. It delivers in every aspect, well, until a few more folk get into the ring.

WWE 2K23’s wrestling starts to struggle when you’re playing in larger matches, with restrictive targeting and poor AI pathing being the major culprits to an otherwise stellar experience. The game doesn’t allow you to change targets while you’re stuck in animations or rolling around on the floor, making every change of opponent a mix of panic and frustration. When one is trying to pin someone when the referee spends several seconds running around chairs, tables, and other superstars, it’s a poor showing in a game that boasts so many incredible large-scale matches.

That being said, from the moment the pyro hits on the first entrance to the moment the winners hand is raised, WWE 2K23 is the best outing the franchise has seen for a very long time and the majority of issues holding it back are easily remedied.

If there’s one area of WWE 2K23 that left me a little confused, it was its game modes. There’s a good selection on offer, but while some are fantastic, others are a complete mystery. The MyShowcase mode makes a triumphant return as you follow the rise of John Cena beginning with his battle against Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand in 2006, and it ultimately culminates in matches against the likes of Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and The Rock. The presentation package as a whole is fantastic, seamlessly blending in-game action with iconic footage from WWE’s extensive archives. The combination of gameplay and archive footage is a true gem for long-term wrestling fans that recall these epic moments but even for more casual fans, seeing an in-game body slam transition almost perfectly to actual footage feels great, each and every time. The immersion is sometimes stunted with blurred faces, logos, missing stadiums, and the occasional middle finger, but unfortunately, that’s the product nowadays.

During these matches, you follow a strict sequence of objectives designed to imitate the events that took place in the real match. While immersive and exciting, certain objectives quickly become frustrating as you constantly pause the game to learn how to perform nuanced attacks and abilities. Between each match, Cena provides the narrative, explaining his emotions and motives, and discussing the outcome of each match. It’s a very rewarding game mode, and arguably the best WWE2K23 has to offer.

The other game modes, and there are a few, are more of a mixed bag. You can try your hand at MyGM, MyFaction, and MyRise to name a few. MyGM was easily the mode I spent the most time exploring, a game mode that I initially loved, only to be left disappointed towards the end. In MyGM you pick a manager and take over general duties for one of the five shows, RAW, Smackdown, WCW, NXT, and NXT 2.0. You then draft your favorite superstars and compete with the other shows to put on the best matches and biggest PPV’s.

On paper, it’s a fantastic concept and one that is so nearly executed well. However, there’s ultimately not much reason to play past the first season. Each card you spend money on staff, advertising, stadiums, and pyro effects as you attempt to build rivalries between superstars to increase your overall match ratings, earning bigger revenue numbers and garnering more fans the better the show you deliver. It’s a lot of fun for the first few hours, but it doesn’t evolve much past the introduction.

Superstars are restricted to just one singles rivalry and one tag rivalry. Rivalries can only really deliver for four to five weeks before they need to be ended. It is very rewarding trying to create WWE 2K23 versions of real-life rivalries and events, but the mode is very restrictive. There are limited match types, you can’t put singles titles on the line in anything but one on one matches. It doesn’t really recognize tag teams as actual teams, even some of the most iconic teams from the WWE Universe don’t work well as tag teams. As I started my first playthrough I was salivating at the potential, only to find that potential never reached. After entering the Hall of Fame, and being disappointed that I didn’t unlock any new managers or any real rewards at all, it’s unlikely I’ll ever return to the MyGM mode.

Other modes, while not my cup of tea, will offer a lot more value to most players. The MyRise mode, which features both The Legacy and The Lock, features two unique, narrative-driven experiences where players either take on the role of a custom female superstar looking to live up to her family name, or a custom male superstar trying to live up to the hype of a big debut in the WWE Universe. I didn’t dive much into The Legacy, but the time I spent with The Lock was a lot of fun, working alongside Randy Orton and reviving Evolution to aid with my climb to the top. Both modes feature choices that alter the story and events and there are enough branching choices to warrant multiple playthroughs to experience all of the outcomes.

Both the Universe and MyFaction modes just didn’t appeal to me. The Universe mode allows you to customize shows, build your own rosters, simulate running your own version of the WWE whilst the MyFaction just seems like a poor attempt to cash in on micro-transactions as you control a “faction” of superstars and compete in various modes and challenges. I’m sure there’s a lot of appeal for some, but I just found the mode to be rather pointless.

Playing through WWE 2K23 on the PlayStation 5 is, simply put, the best looking wrestling game ever released. The graphics, especially the wrestler models, are fantastic, and the in-ring animations are fluid and realistic. As a visual presentation package, no other game in this genre comes close.

Ultimately, WWE 2K23 has something for everyone. Whether you’re a casual wrestling fan looking to jump into the squared circle for a quick match, or a die hard WWE fan looking to create and brand your own WWE Universe, each game mode brings something new and exciting to the table – even if the depth is somewhat lacking. The gameplay and combat is the best the franchise has seen for over a decade, the customization suite offers near endless possibilities, and the community content portal is incredible. All this, but I still can’t help but feel the game was so close to something more.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

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Sclash Review

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Posted Aug 12, 2023 by captaincamper
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Atlas Fallen Review

Roughly a year after being first shown, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment's Atlas Fallen arrives between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Does the game do enough to stand out in what has proven to be a stellar year for gaming, or will it fall by the wayside?

The post WWE 2K23 Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Games Workshop began official support again with a new box set and rule release in 2016 and again in 2020, with the release of Blood Bowl Second Season. This renewed interest in supporting the IP brought a lot of excitement to the passionate community. With Blood Bowl 3 being the first representation of an official rule set since the original game, expectations were high.

Unfortunately, for much of the community, these expectations were not met. Developing a game is challenging enough, but developing one for such a passionate and dedicated established community brings with it even more challenges – and many of these challenges were not overcome.

Blood Bowl 3 Review

Approaching a review for Blood Bowl 3 is a difficult ask. I review a lot of games, but seldom do I consider myself a “hardcore” fan of such games. I don’t follow the development as close as I did with Blood Bowl 3 and I rarely have such a vested interest, as an avid player of Blood Bowl in both videogame and tabletop formats. The way in which Cyanide have handled the release provides a very different experience, depending on whether you’re approaching the series for the first time or as a long-time fan.

Blood Bowl is a turn-based strategy game in which two teams field 11 players and each attempt to score more touchdowns than the other. As simplistic as it sounds, every turn feels as though it has as much choice and strategic depth as an entire game of chess. On your turn, you choose to take actions with individual players, deciding whether to move, block opponents, pass the ball, or dodge away. It’s a constant balancing act of risk versus reward, a balancing act that can never be a sure-fire thing, you’re only ever one failed dice roll away from ending your turn and suffering the consequences. Blood Bowl will always be a niche game, but for those with the patience and dedication, it offers endless hours of thrilling competition.

For newer players, Blood Bowl 3 is easily the best and most exciting way to play Blood Bowl’s latest ruleset. Practically every aspect of the game has seen improvements with vastly improved graphics, faster game times, and a much better campaign. There’s a lot to celebrate with the release of Blood Bowl 3 from the perspective of those players.

The campaign begins with a brief tutorial, one that’s good enough to provide information on the very basics, but still lacking for a game of Blood Bowl’s complexity. It then follows into small story campaigns centered around the various sponsors of the Blood Bowl universe. The new cutscenes and voice overs create for a more believable game world and something I hope the team continue to build on in the future. It improves on Blood Bowl 2’s campaign format as it’s available to all teams in the game, whereas Blood Bowl 2 only allowed a Human team to play through the campaign. This allows for far greater replay value, but still lacks the longevity of the Eternal Leagues available in Blood Bowl 2. As with much of Blood Bowl 3, it’s a step in the right direction, when we really should be seeing leaps.

One of the cornerstones of the tabletop Blood Bowl experience is the endless opportunity to customize and personalize each individual player. While Blood Bowl 2 did feature very basic customization options, Blood Bowl 3 is superior in just about every way. Each player on each team can be customized with different bits and pieces, swapping out torso designs or arms; it’s a system with so much potential. Accompanying the customization of each individual player is a suite of new options for customizing teams. Choosing your jersey design patterns and colors, picking staff like cheerleaders and coaches, changing the dice designs – it’s an aspect of the game I absolutely love, but one that is unfortunately largely hidden behind microtransactions at this time. One of the many controversial topics surrounding Blood Bowl 3’s “mostly negative” rating on Steam.

A large part of the appeal of Blood Bowl 3 is that it’s the first and only Blood Bowl videogame available that uses the latest ruleset that was released in 2020, and subsequently altered and developed with several official errata and errata’s of those errata’s. It’s Games Workshop, what can I say? Developers Cyanide, from very early on in development, claimed it was the closest representation of the tabletop rules in any videogame to date.

This is mostly accurate as the majority of the Second Season ruleset is in place, but at least some of the errata changes have yet to be implemented and many of the core rules are missing or incorrect. The Star Players, unique players that can be hired for single games, don’t have access to their unique skills, and many of the players themselves are MIA. Strangely, some of the basic skills players can earn through leveling up are also missing.

For newer players most of this will be unnoticeable, minor nuances in ruleset differences won’t have much of an effect on the new player experience but for long-term fans or those looking to dive heavily into the rules, the lack of 100% accuracy in a turn-based strategy game could feel disappointing.

Blood Bowl 3 has clearly been developed by a studio with a lot of love and passion for the Blood Bowl universe, but it just feels as though development was entirely segmented, without any communication between the various departments. The visual package as a whole is fantastic. Huge, sprawling stadiums filled with fans, cheerleaders and coaching staff decorating the sidelines. Each pitch is a visual feast, but when it all comes together you can’t help but ask: What the hell?

Players wearing certain uniforms blend into the pitch to the point of being nigh on invisible. Different positions on different teams, that were identifiable with a single glance in Blood Bowl 2, can now only be identified through several seconds of eye squinting and zooming in with the camera like an 80-year-old old trying to check an Instagram feed.

So many simple decisions that already had a tested and proven design philosophy in Blood Bowl 2 were changed and altered so much so that they no longer served the purpose they were designed to serve in the first place. Inspecting the opponents team during the inducement phase now requires analyzing a long line of players with new skills icons and mess everywhere. Does it look good? Definitely. Does it give you the information needed to make important decisions while hampered with a time limit? No. Renaming players requires navigating three menus for each player. This style over substance issues appear throughout and while it makes the game a pleasure to look at in most places, it makes it a right pain to interact with.

Then we get into the backbone of Blood Bowl, the single component responsible for the community keeping the tabletop game alive for so many years: the competitive scene. If there was one area of Blood Bowl 3 that needed to be executed well for a strong launch, it was the competitive side of the game, and this appears to have been entirely ignored. There is a single, official, online competitive mode but there’s no leaderboard, no stats, and core functions are just missing.

The ability to reconnect to a game after a player has lost connection doesn’t exist, and won’t for several months according to the developer roadmap. Expensive mistakes, a core balancing feature to control a teams finances, has yet to be implemented. Most of the Star Players are missing, and over 50% of the teams have yet to be released and won’t be feature complete for two to three years based on the current release schedule. If you’re looking to dive into the competitive scene of Blood Bowl 3, expect a rough ride for at least a few months.

When it comes to the core gameplay of Blood Bowl 3, not including the visual issues and a few game-breaking bugs, it’s superior to Blood Bowl 2 in every other way. The ability to queue actions of several players and the improved speed of animations creates for a fluid and fast-paced environment. The new clock system speeds up play but provides the perfect amount of time for the more complicated turns. Everything feels so much more alive and playing against other players on the basic pitches makes nearly all of the problems drift away, as once again you lose yourself in the highs and lows of Blood Bowl play, but those looking for a single player experience are going to struggle.

I’ve been unable to complete the campaign due to various bugs and problems with a very poorly designed AI opponent. While developers Cyanide have already made huge improvements in the stability since launch, I’m unsure the AI is such an easy fix. The AI is stupid, really stupid, more stupid than releasing a highly competitive game without the tools to facilitate competitions. It has eight rerolls and chooses not to reroll an action that would allow them to score. Another time it cannot decide whether to reroll or not and the game just gets stuck in a permanent state of doing nothing. It constantly attempts to cage the ball, a smart and valid tactic used by players every game, but does so in a way that baffles the mind.

Attempting four different dodge movements on a Troll, a “big guy” player that is about as agile as you would expect of a troll. Ending its turn without taking a single action. Beginning it’s turn with an action that’s near enough a 94% chance to fail. There is no I in this AI. If you are fortunate enough to avoid any of the game-breaking bugs, there’s a lot of fun to be had in decimating your opponent, but even newer players will quickly learn that there is zero challenge in the campaign setting.

Eventually, there will be a lot to love about Blood Bowl 3. The customization options are going to be fantastic when fully realized and hopefully not entirely locked behind a paywall. The gameplay is going to be smoother, faster, and better than Blood Bowl 2 in every way. The competitive scene, should cross-play be implemented, is going to be an absolute dream.

However, it’s just not there yet. You simply cannot release a game of this nature without half the teams, missing core rules, no competitive tools, a poorly explained micro-transaction model, and mind-bogglingly bad UI choices and not expect a negative reception.

I have absolutely no doubt that 18-24 months from now Blood Bowl 3 is going to be the game the community has dreamed of for so long. However, as it stands today, it’s the game we all hoped it wouldn’t be.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Acceptance Review

Players will have to come to terms with suicide with the release of Rasul Mono and Ratalaika Games' Acceptance. Should players traverse this dark path in this story-driven thriller?

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
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Moving Out 2 Review

The residents of Packmore need players’ help once againi with the release of SMG Studio, Devm Games, and Team17's Moving Out 2. Promising to be even wackier than its predecessor, should players move out and get to work?

Posted Aug 13, 2023 by captaincamper
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Sclash Review

Quick kills are back on the menu with the release of Bevel bakery, Just For Games, and Abiding Bridge's Sclash. A game where timing is everything, does this 2D samurai fighter turn the traditional formula on its head?

Posted Aug 12, 2023 by captaincamper
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Atlas Fallen Review

Roughly a year after being first shown, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment's Atlas Fallen arrives between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Does the game do enough to stand out in what has proven to be a stellar year for gaming, or will it fall by the wayside?

The post Blood Bowl 3 Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

SpellForce: Conquest of Eo Review

I should probably get this out of the way early: I have minimal experience with the SpellForce franchise. I only played around 20 hours of SpellForce 3 and dabbled with past games. That being said, I am a huge fan of turn-based strategy titles, and what little exposure I had to the world of Eo was intriguing to say the least. If you’re looking to step into this without much knowledge or experience with the other games, this is the review for you.

SpellForce Conquest of Eo is a gentle blend of turn-based strategical combat and the world map and resource management synonymous with the RTS genre. Much like the past SpellForce titles, it’s a hybrid of two styles that works well together, but the narrative is definitely weaker here than in the previous games.

You play the role of a mage who, after the death of his master, is seeking to finish his work and ascend beyond Apprentice. The story follows the journey of the world of Eo as the mages of The Circle fight for control and dominance of a unique magical power called Allfire. As you progress through the game, the story develops purely through text prompts and culminates with either destroying The Circle or aligning with them. The narrative is seldom a focal point, and although it serves its purpose, it feels a little flat.

Thankfully, that’s about the only part of the game I didn’t love. Starting your adventure in SpellForce Conquest of Eo you can choose from one of the three available mage types or create your own. Necromancer, Alchemist, and Artificer all offer entirely different playstyles that are surprisingly contrast to one another. Necromancer, which I played for much of my 50 or so hours, focuses on large armies through the summoning of powerful undead creatures using an ingredients-based summoning system with recipes for 20 different types of units.

Meanwhile, the Alchemist focuses on using potions and powerful items to turn the tide of battle and the Artificer empowers units with strong glyphs, providing increases in stats or brand new abilities. Each mage type focuses on gathering and using different types of ingredients, with each excelling in certain areas of the turn-based system and struggling in others.

As a Necromancer I was easily able to replace lost troops, but struggled with fast military campaigns as my units were unable to heal naturally. This ability is gifted to most mortal units, so I had to balance my resources more carefully to ensure I had the mana available to keep my armies in fighting shape. While the story struggles to entice a second playthrough, the variety between the starting mages offers plenty of replay value.

One of the more unique components of SpellForce: Conquest of Eo is the mobile nature of your stronghold. Your base of operations, The Tower is not only able to uproot and fly, it’s encouraged and required to progress. This is a feature that’s in direct conflict with my normal style of play in these games. Find a location, fortify, and spread. It forced me out of my comfort zone and while, at least initially, it was an element I didn’t much enjoy, it really grew on me as time passed.

You constantly need to move units, reestablish your base of operations, and seek out new resources and locations. However, this is not without reward. Special locations on the map can unlock new troops and perks if within the domain of your tower or a personal house that your heroes can build. Certain buildings allow you to recruit more units or provide a safe place to rest and recover at a faster rate, while other locations are filled with mining and harvesting nodes. Most resources are finite, so while you may have several hours of flourishing income, it won’t be long before the wolves come knocking.

The management of resources, while different for each mage type, is a very simple but effective combination. Gold, Mana, and Research play a vital role in the success or failure of your campaign. As a Necromancer, most of my units required Mana as upkeep. However, as I expanded and recruited more mortal units, my Gold reserves started to dwindle, so I had to adapt and find new locations rich in Gold. It’s a familiar approach to the management side of the game, but one that’s effective and easy to learn.

Much of my excitement in this style of game comes from the discovering of new and exciting units, how to beat them, and how they can be used effectively in my own armies. In that respect SpellForce: Conquest of Eo has a lot to love. My main Necromancer army featured an Apprentice with an ability to summon an undead minion during battle, an expected aspect of the Necromancer lifestyle. Another unit, a tier 3 Lich, had the ability to summon more units for each dead creature on the battlefield. My squadron of Skeleton Archers had a unique ability that increased their damage based on how many units they witness die in a fight.

I never grew bored of that combination for the entire game. Summoning undead creatures to the frontlines, watching them die, to summon more, and all the while my skeletons rained down death from afar, and this is far from the only style of combat. One of my mortal armies had a hero that sat on the backlines played healing melodies, keeping my frontline Paladin’s alive as they brought down the smite on all things unholy. The variety of abilities and combinations on offer is a tantalizing feast for the strategic mind and one that just grows and grows as you discover more powerful items and relics.

The combat in SpellForce: Conquest of Eo is a compact, quick-style turn-based approach that has most fights lasting from 5-15 minutes. Each unit has its strengths and weaknesses, and learning to adapt to what the enemy throws at you is key to survival. The aesthetics of the combat are a little lacking, with each member of each unit moving in identical fashion and each ability playing identical sound effects with every hit. I initially found it quite jarring, but once the strategy aspects of combat began to dawn on me it was difficult not to love every spell, every launch of an arrow volley.

Another area of the game I found really enjoyable was the open-ended nature of the side quests and events. Most, simple text pop-ups with various choices, but I was able to play a Necromancer and still be of the people and for the people, aiding with their plights, donating resources, of course I could just steal their souls, but that’s for my next playthrough. Honestly, I could go on and on about everything I love in SpellForce: Conquest of Eo, but I think whether or not you share that love for this game is going to depend on your affinity for the turn-based style.

I ultimately think SpellForce: Conquest of Eo is going to be a turbulent release. As a fan of turn-based combat, I loved every minute. Exploring the world, finding new and powerful allies to add to my armies, discovering new Necromancer recipes to summon deadly hordes of the undead, fighting off the constant attacks from The Circle – it’s a game I will return to time and time again. However, long-time fans of the franchise may struggle with the stark differences between turn-based and real-time strategy in a franchise they’ve grown to love for the latter.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Acceptance Review

Players will have to come to terms with suicide with the release of Rasul Mono and Ratalaika Games' Acceptance. Should players traverse this dark path in this story-driven thriller?

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Moving Out 2 Review

The residents of Packmore need players’ help once againi with the release of SMG Studio, Devm Games, and Team17's Moving Out 2. Promising to be even wackier than its predecessor, should players move out and get to work?

Posted Aug 13, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Sclash Review

Quick kills are back on the menu with the release of Bevel bakery, Just For Games, and Abiding Bridge's Sclash. A game where timing is everything, does this 2D samurai fighter turn the traditional formula on its head?

Posted Aug 12, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Atlas Fallen Review

Roughly a year after being first shown, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment's Atlas Fallen arrives between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Does the game do enough to stand out in what has proven to be a stellar year for gaming, or will it fall by the wayside?

The post SpellForce: Conquest of Eo Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Forspoken Review

Forspoken’s story begins with an introduction to lead character, Alfre “Frey” Holland, a young woman from New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, hard on her luck and standing before a judge for her third felony strike. Orphaned from a young age, found as a baby in Holland Tunnel, Frey’s past is littered with larceny convictions and run-ins with the law. Just when she’s saved enough money to flee New York with her pet cat Homer, a group of thugs sets her apartment ablaze – taking all of her savings with it.

Soon after, Frey discovers a strange bracelet in an abandoned store and is magically transported into the fantasy world of Athia. This post-apocalyptic like setting where the last pockets of humanity battle both the tyrannical rule of the Tantas, a group of magic wielding women who once served as Athia’s protectors. There is also a strange phenomena Frey calls The Break, a mist-like substance that covers the lands and corrupts everything it touches.

It is a rather brief main narrative for an open-world game, stretching across maybe 15-20 hours in its entirety, but one full of heart and redemption. The world of Athia and its people is a fascinating journey to witness, but the real star of the show for the story is Frey’s personal story. The story of a woman coming to grips with her past while doing everything she can to gain control of her future, learning to control strange magical powers, and fighting to save the people of Athia as a flawed heroine. Some of the plot points were very predictable from early on, but the delivery and culmination of events leaves a lasting impact.

While the story is very well worth the adventure, it’s not without issues. The facial animations can be strange, almost to the point of disturbing, and the switch between an animated face and a resting one is almost comedic in places. The pacing is also likely to be off-putting for some. Athia is a world in ruin with literally pockets of humanity spread across a huge landscape, the vast majority of the story takes place in a single city of survivors, between lengthy excursions into The Break. The way the world is constructed is vital to support the story, but it often means you’re watching cutscenes and dialogue for too long, followed by a complete lack of it for extended periods. It’s jarring to say the least.

Athia, while beautiful on the surface, lacks the depth and character of other open-world games, much of it even has that procedurally generated touch to it. The landscape is there – and it even looks gorgeous – but it just lacks purpose. Much of that repeats throughout the open-world segments of the game. Every icon on the map I explored was much of the same, all mostly combat based, and the one puzzle type I did find had an “instant solve button” that killed any point in trying to work it out. I’m not sure when developers fell out of love with exploration, but Forspoken is yet another open-world title where it feels developers are too afraid to truly let players explore.

Everything is marked on the map, with icons depicting the type of challenge you will face and information on the rewards you can expect to receive. It’s a very subjective take, and I’m sure many others welcome the clear cut approach to exploration. However, if I know where I am going, what’s there, and what I’ll get, I’m not exploring; I’m walking. This is not an issue exclusive to Forspoken, but it’s one that’s very prevalent due to the lack of, well, pretty much everything in the open world.

If there’s one area of Forspoken that truly stands above other open-world games, it’s traversal. Utilizing various magical abilities, Frey can glide, leap, jump, and run herself across vast open areas in just a few seconds, effortlessly stringing together impressive parkour maneuvers and acrobatics that makes going from point A to point B thrilling and a real visual feast. The parkour abilities do struggle in smaller areas where precision and timing is more important, but in terms of open-world travel, it’s fantastic. Never once did I feel disappointed at the lack of a mount or more traditional means of travel.

Disappointingly, the lack of variety in activities and events in the open-world puts almost all of the pressure on the combat system. While combat is a lot of fun, its true potential is never reached due to clunky controls and the progression system. For the first half of the game, I had but a single set of spells, Frey’s magic that she gains from bonding with Cuff, the name she gives to the strange bracelet she found in New York.

It’s a basic grouping of several ranged spells that work well, but quickly become tiresome and repetitive. Based on that experience alone, it was a struggle to keep pushing through – but then I battled my first Tanta. I was expecting new spells and abilities as the game progressed, but the spell tree doesn’t truly expand until you start defeating the world bosses. This can be early or days into the game, depending on how you approach the open-world.

Once I had started following the story and ignoring much of the side content, the game really came into its own. The new spells you unlock bring so much more to the combat but by the time I had unlocked the full arsenal of abilities, the game was on the precipice of ending. However, that’s where the real issues with combat come into play.

You get a huge list of different support and damaging spells spread across four unique spell trees but therein lies the main problem of having to memorize and switch between different trees quickly to combo different abilities together. The more dexterous and experienced players will likely have a lot of fun stringing together these unique powers, but the average player is more likely to stick to a single tree or two and seldom explore past that. It’s a combat system that really rewards dedication and ability, in a game that ends before it really begins.

For those with the patience and dedication to truly master the combat system, the near endless combat objectives and challenges is sure to offer a lot of replay value. Most of the spells I used could be upgraded, completing unique Spellcraft challenges that require specific objectives be met in order to improve the spell. These do add an exciting edge to combat, trying to stay alive whilst also concentrating on Spellcraft objectives, but none of it is really needed – much like its crafting and gear systems.

About an hour or so before the final battle, although I was not aware it was the final battle at the time, I wanted to spend some time searching out some new equipment and get some upgrades. Frey can equip Cloaks, Necklaces, and unique fingernail art to change and enhance her abilities.

Honestly, it’s all mostly pointless. You can get to the end on normal difficulty without any real threat using the base gear you get at the very start of the game. I did use the hideous PlayStation branded cloak pre-order DLC with some minor upgrades, but past that, I never really looked twice at the crafting system.

My time with Forspoken was a strange one. Elements of the game are fantastic, with an engrossing story and a gorgeous world. However, it all just feels segmented, like nothing really wants to work together. Forspoken is a good game and one I would recommend to most open-world fans, but it just feels so close to greatness that I can’t help but walk away disappointed.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Acceptance Review

Players will have to come to terms with suicide with the release of Rasul Mono and Ratalaika Games' Acceptance. Should players traverse this dark path in this story-driven thriller?

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Moving Out 2 Review

The residents of Packmore need players’ help once againi with the release of SMG Studio, Devm Games, and Team17's Moving Out 2. Promising to be even wackier than its predecessor, should players move out and get to work?

Posted Aug 13, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Sclash Review

Quick kills are back on the menu with the release of Bevel bakery, Just For Games, and Abiding Bridge's Sclash. A game where timing is everything, does this 2D samurai fighter turn the traditional formula on its head?

Posted Aug 12, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Atlas Fallen Review

Roughly a year after being first shown, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment's Atlas Fallen arrives between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Does the game do enough to stand out in what has proven to be a stellar year for gaming, or will it fall by the wayside?

The post Forspoken Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns Review – Game of the Year

I’m a massive fan of the X-COM franchise, and X-COM 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. Couple that with my recent addiction to the fantastic Marvel Snap and another action-packed dive into the world of Iron Man VR, and I’ve developed an urge to devour as much narrative-based Marvel content that I can find. Marvel’s Midnight Suns was easily my most anticipated game of the year, so I went in with high expectations; usually not the best idea.

First and foremost, this is not an X-COM game. Firaxis Games has clearly taken inspiration from many aspects of the X-COM series, but the similarities lie more within the gameplay loop between missions that the combat itself. However, we’ll get into that in a bit.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns follows the Midnight Sons team from the comics. These are characters I was largely unfamiliar with before starting, so I can’t comment much on the accuracy compared to the comics or setting. The available lists of characters include those from the Midnight Sons and others from Marvel that include Blade, Captain America, Nico, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Iron Man, Magik, Nico, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Hunter, a unique hero that the player can customize and develop as they continue through the game.

The story follows the journey of Hunter and their allies as they attempt to stop Hunter’s mother Lilith from summoning Chthon, an Elder God hellbent on the destruction of, well, everything. It’s a typical high stakes heroic adventure in the Marvel universe, but one that is filled with so much character and depth of detail. It truly draws you in from start to finish.

Much like the X-COM franchise, the gameplay of Midnight Suns is split into two main elements: missions and management. The missions are all entirely combat-based. You load into a level, kill enemies, and then either return or move on to the next combat phase of the mission. When not out smacking Hydra goons to pieces, you’re free to explore the Abbey and all the amenities that come with it.

The Abbey is the main component that sets Midnight Suns apart from other titles from Firaxis Games. It’s a huge environment and acts both as a central hub of operations and as its own gameplay element. A welcomed break from the entirely combat-focused missions, exploring the Abbey reveals tons of exciting and engaging secrets. The Abbey grounds are filled with collectibles, journal entries and Mystery missions to solve, each revealing a little more about the world of the Midnight Sons and those that call it home.

Much of the Abbey involves working alongside The Caretaker or Agatha Harkness, hoping to learn the dark magical secrets the grounds hide to help the team complete their mission and defeat Chthon. As you progress through the Abbey’s story, which is quickly segmented from the main campaign so it’s an area you can entirely ignore, you unlock special Words of Power. These unique abilities lets the Hunter explore previously inaccessible areas. In these new areas there are near endless rewards you can unlock, everything from new color schemes and outfits, to brand new abilities for Hunter. The customization options available on characters is downright staggering.

In addition to the rewarding exploration, the Abbey is home to the Midnight Sons team, offering various resources and tools to aid with their adventures. You can research new items, abilities, and technologies, talk to any of the characters to increase Friendships. This, in turn, unlocks Legendary outfits and abilities; it’s almost a little overwhelming at times. I found myself returning from a hard fought mission, happy for the reprieve from the strategy-based combat, only to be dying for another fight after an hour of conversing with the different characters and exploring more of the Abbey grounds. It’s this core gameplay loop that bears the most similarities with X-COM, but that’s where the similarities end.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns lives and dies on the quality of its combat system, and it’s one that shouldn’t really work. It’s a card-based system where you take three characters into a fight and each character brings their own deck. Players then use each turn to spend various resources and drawing cards from these decks. Sounds good so far, right? However, the core components of the combat system itself never really change, and with the amount of combat in the game, you’d think it really should.

Each mission, players you load into a very small area, analyze the different enemies, and recognize the familiar environments and environmental hazards. It should grow tiresome after just a few hours, but it just doesn’t happen. The depth and quality of each characters combat abilities is incredible, and even after conquering the entire game and all of the side content I could find, there are still different builds and combinations I wanted to try.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns combat feels more inline with the likes of Slay the Spire and other strategy-based card battlers than it does X-COM. There are no accuracy checks, so you can breath a sigh of relief that you won’t need to relive the frustration of missing a 97% shot and losing a favorite character, and there are no permanent deaths – although characters do get injured.

While the core combat and scenarios never really evolve, the characters and management of the combat resources continues to grow and improve as the game goes on. Balancing Card Plays, Heroic Points, Movement, and Redraws, it’s a system that quickly becomes familiar and one, that as you master, just gets better and better. You begin your journey fighting through enemies and attempting to end entire missions in three to four moves, but it’s never simple. Between careful management of the right cards and the right resources, it makes every victory feel well fought and every overcome challenge a satisfying success.

Despite falling in love with the strategic combat, my favorite part of the game is the world of the Midnight Sons itself. Every character feels so fleshed out, so well written, and the voice acting is incredible. Talking with each of the heroes, learning of their origin stories, the inner conflicts, the turmoil within the team itself. They didn’t just feel like rehashed versions of the movie characters; each felt unique, and the Hunter was just the icing on the cake.

Having the opportunity to make your own mark on a Marvel experience feels disappointingly rare, and having the Hunter as a customizable hero unique to the player is great. It’s one that feels like it belongs, not just some nameless hack with a generic voice and motives. Throughout the story, the Hunter can take different paths in conversations and actions. This leads to a Dark or Light side outcome, unlocking different abilities and dialogue options depending on which tree you are more invested in. Sometimes the lack of impact of these choices is a little disappointing, but overall it just adds more layers to an already impressive narrative.

If there was one area of the game that I really found disappointing, it was the PlayStation 5’s technical problems. The game itself runs great, with some framerate problems right at the end when you start launching ridiculously over-powered abilities in conjunction with certain items and perks. However, the game crashed more than a dozen times. It was often when trying to save as I was reloading and exploring different dialogue options, so it may not be the common experience, but it happened too many times to ignore.

This game is what happens when you give a passionate studio an established IP with such promise and potential, something we’ve really yet to see in recent years. If the card-based combat system is a no-go for you, nothing else in the game is really going to change that. However, if strategic card-based combat even piques your interest, this is a game you do not want to miss.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is, without question, my Game of the Year and has quickly become one of my favorite games of all time.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Acceptance Review

Players will have to come to terms with suicide with the release of Rasul Mono and Ratalaika Games' Acceptance. Should players traverse this dark path in this story-driven thriller?

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Moving Out 2 Review

The residents of Packmore need players’ help once againi with the release of SMG Studio, Devm Games, and Team17's Moving Out 2. Promising to be even wackier than its predecessor, should players move out and get to work?

Posted Aug 13, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Sclash Review

Quick kills are back on the menu with the release of Bevel bakery, Just For Games, and Abiding Bridge's Sclash. A game where timing is everything, does this 2D samurai fighter turn the traditional formula on its head?

Posted Aug 12, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Atlas Fallen Review

Roughly a year after being first shown, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment's Atlas Fallen arrives between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Does the game do enough to stand out in what has proven to be a stellar year for gaming, or will it fall by the wayside?

The post Marvel’s Midnight Suns Review – Game of the Year appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Marvel’s Iron Man VR Quest 2 Review

I am both cursed and blessed with a bloody awful memory. I’m cursed because I forget everyone’s birthdays without the post-it notes in my office, I’m blessed because I can leave a game, return a year later, and play it again like it’s the very first time. Well, that’s not always a blessing – it’s a bloody bane in MMO’s – but I digress. My time with the original PSVR version of the game is one I look back at fondly as arguably single best experience I had on PSVR (seriously, Superhot is very very close) but it wasn’t without its problems. Booting it up again on the Quest 2, I had only one question: Could they fix that bloody loading time?

Marvel’s Iron Man VR promises players an action-packed campaign adventure in the booster boots of everyone’s favorite genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist superhero Iron Man. This 5-10 hour campaign is split between action-packed missions, time and combat trials, and an intriguing narrative that sees lesser-known villains Ghost and The Living Laser – with some creative changes to boot.

I have a lot more VR experience under my belt since the original game and something I often feel quite lacking is the attention to the story. So many games seem to concentrate on the exciting new tools VR brings to the table, but they seem to overlook the basics. Thankfully, that’s very much not the case with Marvel’s Iron Man VR. The story still takes a very clear second place to the adrenaline-fueled combat sequences. Honestly, that’s not through any fault in the storytelling.

And then there’s that scene, that one scene. In my review of the PSVR version I sang the praises of an early mission in the game where Stark and Penny get attacked mid-flight by some mysterious drones. Despite my failing memory, it’s a scene I remember vividly and one I still consider to be the most fun I’ve had with a VR strapped to my face. Stark jumps out of the plane, summoning the various bits and pieces of the Iron Man suit as he falls, Penny in constant peril overhead, drones flying in from all over. It would be right at home in any Marvel movie. And it was even more fun than the first time I did it. The freedom of movement and perspective on Quest 2, as opposed to PSVR’s awful bloody wires, just feels made for exactly this type of game.

The main plot follows Tony Stark and his trusted AI Friday as they battle against a hacker called Ghost, a mysterious figure hellbent on a twisted justice that demands Stark pay for his crimes against humanity through Stark Industries’ selling of weapons. It’s a typical superhero plot as Stark faces his past demons that materialize through Ghost and The Living Laser, but it’s one that compliments the game perfectly and is well worth the ride.

The combat, however, is anything but typical. So much care and attention have gone into the control scheme and you feel it with every shot of a blaster, every twist of the wrist. While I forgot much of the game in the two years since I last played, thankfully my muscle memory is a little more reliable. The controls are incredible, only taking a few minutes to get the hang of, but with the time I spent in the last game, I was performing feats worthy of the suit so much quicker this time around.

Boosting through small gaps in the cliffs at Tony’s Malibu Mansion, spinning around and blowing enemy drones out the air, dodging enemy fire, flying through skyscrapers in a much improved Shanghai, it all feels great, and I challenge anyone to use the Unibeam without throwing your arms down to the side and puffing your chest out – none of which is actually required but damn it feels good. I cannot emphasize enough just how fluid it feels to be flying around in Iron Man’s suit, even the second time around. It’s a true testament to how much effort has gone into the concept of putting players into the booster boots of such a popular and beloved character.

When you’re not blasting your way through Ghosts’ seemingly endless supply of Stark drones, you’ll be upgrading your suit or completing one of many challenge modes offered in the game. The suit upgrades, as you’d expect, include better weaponry, different paint jobs, and faster boosters. I quickly found what I liked best and seldom strayed from that loadout but for the more adventurous, there’s tons of combinations you can play around with. I did feel a little disappointed that most of the upgrades are an either/or style, more weapons would have been nice, but there’s still a good arsenal to toy around with. While the story is relatively short by today’s standards, the real fun comes in the combat and time trial challenges.

I’m rarely one that enjoys these features in games, but the sense of improvement, that feeling of accomplishment when you chain together punches and rockets and lasers, it’s just awesome. It gets better with each mission as you master each aspect of the controls. This was all a part of the PSVR experience as well, little has changed in that regard, but the PSVR version was not without its issues.

I mentioned it previously but I’ll say it again: One of the major problems of the PSVR version of Marvel’s Iron Man VR is the loading times. Even two years on from the original game, it’s the problem that immediately comes to mind. It wasn’t uncommon to spend a couple of minutes in loading screens, and that’s not an exaggeration. This was especially jarring during brief missions or cutscenes where you spent more time loading than actually playing the game. Playing on Quest 2, that problem is gone.

Loading takes seconds, I didn’t even have the time to lift the visor and grab a quick sip of coffee. It seems such a simple thing and perhaps it’s inconsequential to some but in a game that’s all about the fast-paced action of heroic combat, that monotonous drag of loading just felt like a constant reminder that you’re just playing a video game, something completely contradictory to what VR is all about. Despite that problem, it was still a great PSVR game, one of the best, without that issue, there’s really not much holding it back.

If you have already played Marvel’s Iron Man VR on the PSVR, the Quest 2 version is a hugely improved experience both with the hardware and in the game itself. If you’ve still yet to play it at all, it’s quite simply one of the best VR games on the market today.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Acceptance Review

Players will have to come to terms with suicide with the release of Rasul Mono and Ratalaika Games' Acceptance. Should players traverse this dark path in this story-driven thriller?

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Moving Out 2 Review

The residents of Packmore need players’ help once againi with the release of SMG Studio, Devm Games, and Team17's Moving Out 2. Promising to be even wackier than its predecessor, should players move out and get to work?

Posted Aug 13, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Sclash Review

Quick kills are back on the menu with the release of Bevel bakery, Just For Games, and Abiding Bridge's Sclash. A game where timing is everything, does this 2D samurai fighter turn the traditional formula on its head?

Posted Aug 12, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Atlas Fallen Review

Roughly a year after being first shown, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment's Atlas Fallen arrives between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Does the game do enough to stand out in what has proven to be a stellar year for gaming, or will it fall by the wayside?

The post Marvel’s Iron Man VR Quest 2 Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Summoners War: Chronicles Review

With other games like Genshin Impact, arguably one of the most successful releases of the last few years, bridging this gap to near-perfect execution, there’s clearly a largely untapped audience for such a game but the monetization driven nature of the gacha experience is often shunned from the more traditional gaming space.

It’s very clear, within a few minutes of booting up the game, Summoners War: Chronicles is mobile-styled gacha before it is MMO. You’re instantly inundated with enticing red exclamation points all over the screen, each hinting at a possible reward or progression unlock. Swapping through various currency menus, checking out the daily mission tabs, grabbing your free daily summon; it’s a formula that’s instantly recognizable and one that will make Summoner’s War fans feel right at home.

Much like Summoners War and its competitors – like Raid: Shadow Legends – much of the game can be entirely automated. The traditionally boring and unimaginative, but entirely necessary, MMO fetch quests play a huge role as you go from NPC to NPC killing monsters and grabbing supplies but you can complete entire quest chains with the occasional push of a button or click of a mouse. Running between quest-givers can be done manually or automated, fighting much the same, it follows the same formula as its mobile counterpart.

The more mundane aspects of advancement, completing story missions, and unlocking new features, is quick and streamlined thanks to the automation options, but these kinds of systems can often be off-putting for the more traditional MMO player that enjoys the grind of the journey as much as the destination. For several hours I was having the game run through the quests for me, grabbing my rewards as they popped up, and navigating the various menus as I was killing enemies. The game has a wealth of information to take in, with mechanics hidden within mechanics. Being able to progress while disseminating that information feels very rewarding.

Then I got to the first boss fight and got absolutely destroyed – several times. This is very much the beloved aspect of these games. Automating the boring grind and then testing your mettle against challenging boss fights. Working out the best team composition, and deciding what builds to use, all in the hope of eventually being able to automate these challenging battles to maximize progression and rewards.

In that sense, Summoners War: Chronicles bridges the gap between the MMO and the gacha-style mobile game. You can, if you wish, manually run through the entire adventure or perhaps, if you’re on the commute to work or need to sort out dinner, you can setup a series of quests to slay 150 creatures and let the game run it for you. Once you’ve begun to progress far enough to start unlocking the dungeons and PvP or group content, there’s endless activities to keep you occupied.

You can raid dungeons with other players, farm for Runes and other upgrades for your own character and your monsters, dive into PvP and test both your offensive and defensive team setups against other players. It takes all of the loved features of Summoners War and throws them into a lively, vibrant, and exciting open-world game.

One of my personal favorite aspects of the game, outside of the gacha adrenaline rush of summoning a 5-star Monster, is the Monster Stories. It’s a very simple system, one hidden away in a journal that some players may often overlook, but it provides a unique and immersive take on the gacha formula. In most of these games they are simply tools to get a job done. Sure, some are far stronger than others and look way cooler, but the stories told are often left to the players as they share huge advancements. In particular, these include dungeons and other areas of progression after pulling an awesome 5-star.

The Monsters Stories offer a more narrative-driven direction as players go on quests to learn more about individual monsters. How did the Vagabond come to be? What are his drives and ambitions? Fundamentally, it’s just another fetch quest, but the insight into characters that are otherwise quite shallow and lacking, well, character, is a really rewarding idea and one that I hope to explore with new additions post-launch.

Summoners War: Chronicles is a fantastic new addition to the Summoners War franchise. While it may not appeal to all fans of the MMO space, it’s definitely going to entice more fans of mobile gaming into bigger and broader open-worlds. There’s already a lot to love about the game, but I cannot wait to see where the developers take it after launch.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Acceptance Review

Players will have to come to terms with suicide with the release of Rasul Mono and Ratalaika Games' Acceptance. Should players traverse this dark path in this story-driven thriller?

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Moving Out 2 Review

The residents of Packmore need players’ help once againi with the release of SMG Studio, Devm Games, and Team17's Moving Out 2. Promising to be even wackier than its predecessor, should players move out and get to work?

Posted Aug 13, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Sclash Review

Quick kills are back on the menu with the release of Bevel bakery, Just For Games, and Abiding Bridge's Sclash. A game where timing is everything, does this 2D samurai fighter turn the traditional formula on its head?

Posted Aug 12, 2023 by captaincamper
in Game Reviews

Atlas Fallen Review

Roughly a year after being first shown, Deck13 and Focus Entertainment's Atlas Fallen arrives between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Does the game do enough to stand out in what has proven to be a stellar year for gaming, or will it fall by the wayside?

The post Summoners War: Chronicles Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Review

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a unique sort of beast, as there are very few games that play in a similar fashion. It boasts the large-scale tactical battles from games like Total War, with a political landscape more often seen in 4X games, all wrapped up in an RPG package with character progression, relationships, army management.

Put simply, it’s a lot to take in.

And that right there is the first and major barrier to entry. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is not for everyone – far from it – but it’s not trying to appeal to the masses. It wants to carve out its own niche and it does so in spectacular fashion, even if some parts of the game feel as archaic as the medieval weaponry you use to dismember your enemies.

The earlier hours of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord are the very best the game has to offer. You start by creating your own lord, a character that evolves and progresses as you journey through the game, before setting up to mark your stamp upon the lands. You’ll begin by doing basic RPG style fetch quests. A small town will ask you to take some cattle to distant lands to sell, a town has issues with rival gangs and needs a strong hand to find the solution, or maybe you buy enough horses to carry a small keeps worth of goods and you begin trading your way to fortune.

This, for me, is the most exciting part of the game. It’s when the most paths are available to you. You can be a rogue, a trader, a mercenary…your outgoings are small and your potential limitless. As you progress further into the game, those options become less and less efficient and you begin relying on singular methods to manage your growing economy. Typically, making new weapons and defeating enemy armies offer far greater benefits that owning crafting shops and paying to protect your caravans. In a world that boasts near endless potential at the beginning, it quickly funnels you into particular avenues.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a beast; it’s huge. The game world is massive, the mechanics complex, and the tutorial lacking. There’s an in-game encyclopedia that provides small hints on different features and how they work, but it’s very lacking. You’ll be spending a lot of time searching up various aspects of the game and while I’d often find this distracting from the overall experience, there’s a lot of satisfaction from navigating the games various complexities and coming out on top.

The complexities and challenges grow as you progress through the game. In the earlier days you’re simply managing you and a small band of troops. As you complete quests, ally with other factions, your responsibilities and opportunities expand exponentially. You can play through dozens of hours just slaughtering enemy armies and building up a fortune but eventually you’ll form your own kingdom or ally with another.

It’s an exciting and engaging feature, having your own towns and villages to protect, kingdoms to manage, and castles to garrison. It’s a lot of fun at first but it does become quite exhausting. Managing a single characters progression tree is great but once you have half a dozen kids, a dozen companions, managing each of their skill trees and equipment becomes really tiresome. Much can be said for the political landscape. You can pay ransom to save the leader of an entire kingdom and nobody seems to notice. Other times, a group you considered allies will declare war.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s combat is one of its greatest assets, but it’s one you’ll find yourself avoiding more times than not. Battles can be long as you navigate poorly designed console controls, sluggishly trying to give your troops orders as the cavalry charge your front-line. It takes a few hours to get used to ordering your troops around, changing formations, retreating, and charging the flanks. On the surface, it’s a rewarding combat system that looks to rival the like of Total War. However, the longer you play, the more the numbers do the hard work.

Troops are so easily available and with the battles so long, it makes more sense to automate the combat and just replenish the troops you’ve lost – engaging with smaller armies to give your new troops experience; rinse and repeat. It blends in together perfectly with the grindy nature of the games other progressive systems. However, when you’re not automating the destruction of dozens of enemy armies, the large-scale battles are a sight to behold.

The graphics and performance are fantastic for this many units on-screen and when you enter a battle outnumbered two to one, and still pull off the W, it’s an incredible feeling. Whether sieging towns and castles or defending your allies from ambushes, thematically the game is an absolute wonder but sometimes the execution feels a little harsh.

There is no other game like Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. It’s a fantastic experience, one unique in the gaming space. The constant grind to manage and progress with your kingdom is hard work – really hard work – but the payoff is spectacular. This is not a game for everyone but if this is your kind of thing, you’re going to love every blood-stained minute of it.

Posted Aug 16, 2023 by captaincamper
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The post Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.

Gotham Knights Review

Gotham’s City’s lawless streets are thrown even further into chaos after the death of Batman and Jim Gordan, two of Gotham’s greatest weapons in the fight against crime. With the bat cave destroyed, Gotham’s deadliest villains on the prowl, and no Caped Crusader to stop them, the city’s final hopes rest with the Gotham Knights. In the wake of Batman’s death Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood work together to solve Bruce’s final case as a shadow begins to envelop Gotham City and a nefarious force pulls the strings from the darkness.

Inspired by the Batman: Gotham Knights comic series, Gotham Knights follows Batman’s allies as they come together to investigate The Court of Owls. This secret society of Gotham’s rich and famous has been pulling the strings from the shadows for centuries, orchestrating assassinations and political sabotage for their own twisted benefits. With Batman gone, the League of Shadows sees their opportunity to cleanse Gotham of its corruption.

Gotham Knights story is nothing short of fantastic. It stays true to the dark and gritty nature of Gotham and with Batman gone, giving other characters from the world chance to shine.

Each of the four characters in Gotham Knights – Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood – are playable at any point throughout the entire game. Players are can switch freely between nighttime patrols, with each character boasting a unique skill tree, powerful mystical abilities, and trademark attacks. Boasting multiple characters isn’t a unique or even complex idea, but it’s one developer’s struggle with all too often.

However, Gotham Knights get it right.

You are never forced to play any of the characters. You can stick with a single character the entire game, you can switch every mission, or you can alternate freely. There’s no sequence of hours where your favorite character disappears and you’re left struggling to learn the attacks of a new one’ it’s a system that completely supports the player’s choice. I spent nearly the entire game playing as Red Hood, mostly because he looks like a complete bad-ass as he dual-wields guns. I also his backstory to be the most engaging – being brought back to life in a Lazarus Pit and struggling with the aftermath it leaves behind.

With that being said, switching between characters is just as rewarding – and I’m seldom a fan of playing anyone but a single character that I enjoy. Each Knight is unique in their attacks and abilities but there’s enough continuity in the battle system to instantly make a new character familiar whilst leaving enough abilities and combos unique to make exploring each character worthwhile.

All of Gotham Knight’s characters has their own backstory arc that gives a brief insight into the characters history, drive, relationship with Batman and each other, exploring these arcs unlocks special travel powers like jumping through Gotham’s skyline or gliding down from the shadows. It’s a huge, gorgeous, but dark and gritty environment and travel plays a vital role throughout the game.

Gotham City is massive. Right from the get go you can explore every darkened alley, search out Gotham City’s famous landmarks, climb its most iconic buildings, none of the city is blocked off by story progress once you’ve finished the initial stages. It makes the open-world feel very natural, very alive. Not painfully obviously segmented to restrict access for some poorly constructed story reason. Early on the travel is very time consuming and while using the Batcycle is fun at first, the novelty soon wears off. You do unlock travel powers and a traditional fast travel system later in the game, but these elements could have been introduced much sooner.

There are various aspects of Gotham’s patrol objectives that mix the mundane with the fantastical. As you’re exploring Gotham City, you’ll encounter street-level crimes from one of the games various criminal factions. Stealing cars, breaking into storage lockers, minor nuisances that are rarely worth the time. Completing these objectives and interrogating thugs on the streets opens more serious crimes, called Premeditated Crimes, but these suffer a similar lack of motivation. Doing the first one each time is awesome. Stopping a bank robbery, chasing down an armored car, resolving a hostage situation vigilante style, there’s a good variety but once I’d completed these once or twice, I struggled to stay engaged, but this was mostly due to the incredible content on offer in the more narrative-driven branches of content.

I’d spent much of the earlier nights patrolling Gotham City, completing these optional crimes and Premeditated Crimes only to later discover contacts who offer additional rewards for completing crimes in certain areas or against certain factions. Another facet of the game that would have benefited from an earlier introduction, but it’s still a welcome reward for grinding late or post-game.

Alongside the main story arc there are several side case files that focus on some of Gotham’s most iconic villains. You chase down Mr. Freeze at S.T.A.R. Labs as he attempts to steal enough cryogenic material to send Gotham into a new ice age. You unwittingly aid Harley Quinn in her escape from prison during an absolutely epic riot scene, and you tackle Clay Face as he comes to terms with being killed by Batman and returning a year later. Each of these optional investigations boasts some of the best content I’ve ever seen in a game based in the DC universe.

Running a squad of vigilantes, combat plays an understandably vital role in the solving of most problems facing the Gotham Knights. It’s a system that clearly leans on the fantastic combat from the Arkham games. It’s a great mix of stealth and all-out brawling, taking out enemies from the shadows before launching into a squad of powered goons. There’s a huge selection of enemy types, each requiring a detective-like use of abilities in order to take them down. Breaking through shields, dodging powered attacks, it’s a combat system that constantly keeps you on your toes and you feel like a bad-ass with every punch, every hit of an Escrima Stick, every acrobatic dodge.

If there’s one area of Gotham Knights that left me disappointed, it was the gear system, but this is very much a subjective take. It uses a familiar gear score system where each piece of equipment is assigned a gear score and corresponding stats. I often found I was finishing missions, searching through gear only to find tiny improvements on nameless items that all seamlessly blend together. However, with the huge scope of content on offer, the fantastic suit customization options, in-depth builds, if you’re into the gear grind of the traditional gear-score style system, Gotham Knights promises endless hours of entertainment.

I wasn’t able to explore the game completely in multiplayer but I did dive in once I’d finished the game. Much to my surprise, I was able to join my good friend Johnny when he started, and fight alongside him through every mission we unlocked. As much as I loved every minute of the game, I do regret not going through the entire thing in co-op. If you’ve got a friend even remotely interested in playing, it’s definitely worth picking up an extra copy.

Gotham Knights is up there with Elden Ring as a Game of the Year contender. Its fast, responsive, and action-packed combat is surpassed only by a narrative that had me glued from the very first cutscene. A must-play for fans of open-world titles, and an easy pickup for anyone invested with the Gotham Knights or DC Universe.

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The post Gotham Knights Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.