MMORPG

Up until then the investigations are mysterious and fun, telling a legitimately interesting tale. After it the game feels like it goes into hyperdrive, not stopping until the credits roll. If this universe is ever revisited, I would hope there would be more investigative stories and less weird color-coded mazes. As it stands then, Gamedec is best described as a promising title with uneven execution.

Every character is expertly portrayed--not the least of which is Giancarlo Esposito, whose Anton Castillo ranks right near the top of best Far Cry villains. The world and the people in it are interesting, interesting enough to overcome the monotony, but getting there can certainly be difficult. Far Cry 6 doesn't move the needle at all, but it still holds its own amongst the other shooter games available.

And when each of those parts are this good, this lovingly crafted, this polished, it’s incredibly difficult to ignore. Ember Lab have created something truly special. This is a gem. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the best game I’ve played all year. And you should play it.

Bless Unleashed PC served as a nice diversion for a while. Even having a few alts created I worry about the server population, if my hollow guild is any indication. I’ll most likely visit from time to time to take part in some world boss events, but I can’t see myself sticking with it long term when other MMOs have nice expansions coming out.

Deathloop is one of the best games to hit in 2021. It’s confident, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it combines what makes Arkane games great – and makes it better.

What it lacks in optimization or grinding substance, No More Heroes 3 makes up for in well-executed sheer edginess. It took all the “coolness” that the past four decades of geekery have provided and churned it back out into a self-aware, hilarious, action-packed video that’s a great way to kill some time on a lazy day. Is it the best game ever? No, not at all. Not even close. The graphics, “open world” and depth of plot leave a lot to be asked for. But it’s a ridiculously good time, if you’re into this sort of thing.

Naraka: Bladepoint does have a lot of cool and unique ideas for the battle royale genre. I love its melee-focused combat, I love the varied weapon selection, and I dig the durability system replacing the "limited ammo" functions of other games in the genre. However the game's longevity suffers due to becoming stale quickly, the lack of variance in the core gameplay loop rearing its ugly head quickly.

Humankind may not be the greatest strategy game of all time, but it certainly is a fantastic entry in the genre. Between the incredible feeling like I’m playing God over the entirety of humanity, and the ability to watch creation… my creation… evolve into the society I want them to be, I’m sure to be enjoying this for a while.

Ultimately, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is more hit than miss. Although it does little to advance the survival shooter genre forward, Cold Iron Studio has done a great job of combining the familiar source material with fun, action-packed combat. The few flaws are merely a minor distraction and don’t mean game over, man!

The Ascent equally frustrates and impresses me, one moment dropping my jaw with the city's neon-soaked beauty and the next making me clench my fists in anger. Veles is a brutal, unforgiving world, but it's one I enjoyed blasting my way through...when the game was being fair about it. Navigating the menus is a chore, but building a character is fun and the story is interesting enough that I don't mind the technical issues that pop up. It's not a perfect game, but if this is the beginning of a new franchise then it's a solid foundation from which to make its Ascent.

ToM has room for growth, and those upcoming seasons may hold that one piece of the puzzle that gives Tribes of Midgard the longevity it deserves. If they don’t, Norsfell Games will find the excitement surrounding the launch of Tribes of Midgard will be overcome by Ragnarok.

I struggled to keep playing Crowfall because of the issues listed. I can only imagine how a new player with little experience in the genre would feel. Crowfall wants to be more than it currently is and I do hope ArtCraft can work through some of these issues to present players to a solid PVP offering.

It’s fun for nostalgia’s sake to go back and reexamine the past, but Aion Classic doesn’t seem so much like a “revisiting the past” as it does a “let’s hop on the ‘Classic’ bandwagon” that World of Warcraft started. As evident by the absolutely insane pricing for the Daeva Pass, Aion Classic comes across more like a cheap cash-grab than as a service to the fans. For my money, I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time in Aion Classic.

Burning Crusade Classic has been an excellent launch of some of Blizzard’s best expansion content to date. It’s an excellent experience for veterans and players who never got to experience Burning Crusade the first time around. However, if you are looking for an authentic TBC experience, this isn’t it.

I wanted to love Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance so badly. I grew up reading R.A. Salvatore’s novels about Drizzt and his companions. Baldur’s Gate was my first CRPG that I ever played. The original Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and Dark Alliance II are probably my favorite games from the PS2 era. But sadly, Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance just misses the mark in so many categories. It was a slog to get through, and there is almost no reason for me to ever pick it up again.

If you liked Final Fantasy VII Remake, you're going to love Intergrade. I know that sentence has a lot of "well DUH" energy, but it's the truth; at its core this is an enhanced version of one of 2020's best games. From visuals to framerate, Intergrade improves upon the original, with some scenes really popping off of the screen thanks to the PlayStation 5's prowess. Intermission is at its core more of the same, but the tandem attacks are an excellent addition and the story implications are intriguing.

In the end, Blackwood improves where Greymoor stumbled. The setting is tighter and more focused than last time, and the performance at launch harkens back to prior launches during the Before Times. The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood is a good addition to the MMO’s expansion roster, and one that’ll be a definite draw for those who remember walking the streets of Cyrodiil fondly once upon a time.

The Conan Exiles: Isle of Siptah DLC is fun. I would have liked to see the area somehow attached to the main map, but I understand that there are, likely, technical limitations involved. To my knowledge, there is still no word on when server transfers will become available. The more I played this DLC, the more I have enjoyed it. But the remaining technical issues and visual bugs hold it back from being a fully immersive experience in the Conan universe.

Ultimately, I’ve had a blast with Chivalry 2. It improves upon every single aspect of the original game, and feels more stable and polished than Chivalry ever did. There is some jankiness to the game (I’m not sure if the aforementioned self-catapulting is actually supposed to be an option), but it doesn’t take away from the fantastic combat. Getting a kill never gets old, battles are unpredictable and memorable, and there are seemingly endless ways to take down your foes.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is the most impressive game in the series. Opening up the world, streamlining the classes, and introducing features slowly - like augments, upgrading gear, and multi-weapons, will go a long way to ease new players in to PSO2. Fans of the series will surely find a lot to love, but with a short story, limited questing, and a monotonous level grind that doesn’t provide much in the way of variation, I can see many players hopping back to the legacy PSO2 servers, or moving on to something else, until new content updates roll out over the course of the year.

Solasta: Crown of the Magister is an excellent game for anyone who loves turn-based RPGs or D&D in general. Since there are so many options for difficulty and game rules, pretty much anyone can play it regardless if you want something easy to experience the story, something extremely challenging, or something in between.

It devastates me, then, to know these games are from a bygone era. The BioWare which crafted these games simply doesn’t exist anymore. Replaying these three titles continues to hammer that point home. I know I’m cherishing every second I’m spending within Legendary Edition. These games are a treasure and deserve to be recognized as such.

If you come in expecting a Game of the Year candidate you may leave disappointed, but if you're looking for a new adventure brimming with personality, Biomutant is absolutely worth your time. Just be prepared for that fast travel mechanic; it still shocks me every time.

Overall, Days Gone is an enjoyable experience if you keep your expectations in check. It’s a solid port of a mostly ignored PlayStation 4 title due to a cluttered release window, and while it certainly won’t set the world on fire, it’s exactly what you’re looking for if you enjoyed single player experiences like the most recent Tomb Raider trilogy or The Last of Us.

It may seem, after reading all of this, that I don’t like Hood: Outlaws & Legends. I actually really do. When I can get some friends together and play on a team that coordinates and plays with a balanced loadout, Hood is incredibly fun, win or lose. However, that fun, coupled with the bad port and the uneven feeling progression make Hood feel like a big if for me as to whether it will stay installed on my PC in a few weeks.