The Last of Us 2 (TLoU2) was the swansong title for the PS4 in 2020 and it was AMAZING.
Hyperbole aside, it is the best video game ever made. So, Sony have seen fit to drop a native PS5 version and pack in some other goodies, plus a ‘rouge-like’ mode for good measure.
After replaying it all for this review I can say with confidence…it is STILL one of my favourite video games of all time!
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Returnal will run well on an ageing GPU like an RX580, which means it still has some life left in it. Sure, it won’t look as good as a card that can push the high frame rates and do ray tracing without breaking a sweat.
More importantly, it’s actually playable on our ageing RX580.
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Difficulty in games is a tricky beast. Sure, some gamers like it “rough”, but others fear the savage Game Over screens of old.
So, hitting that sweet spot of challenge, accessibility and respecting gamers time is crucial. Especially for someone like me who struggles to find free time in daily life.
Sifu is a perfect example of the sweet spot of difficulty vs. demand for mastery of gameplay being a head-banging exercise in frustration.
Developer SloClap have released a game which I really, REALLY liked for about an hour or so, then grew to hate.
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Death’s Door has certainly piqued some interest in a relatively short space of time. Fortunately Gerard and Dylan were keen enough to follow up our preview with a deft 2-winger Death’s Door Review.
Site regulars, the boys share some interesting insight into the game.
It’s great to see how Death’s Door has bucked the norm in its genre and made its challenges enjoyable in a very nuanced way.
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If Devolver Digital is the king of the independent video game, then Death’s Door is the latest jewel in its already glittering crown – and what a big, beautiful, glittering head piece it is!
In fact, Death’s Door could be the sleeper hit of the year that I knew nothing about, but I’m glad I know about it now.
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I have always hated games from the Rogue-Like genre. The lack of progression, the severe penalty for simple mistakes and if I’m honest, the feeling of games just being unfair. It does nothing for me.
Well…the genius’s at Housemarque have found the perfect Rogue-Like recipe. Cooking up a beautifully atmospheric, AAA quality, frenetic shooter.
In fact, at this stage of the year Returnal currently sits atop my Game of the Year list for 2021.
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Sitting down to write this I thought I’d just have another quick run to get me ready. That was almost three hours ago.
Loop Hero, from small Indie developer Four Quarters, is one of those games. One quick run and next minute you have missed that meeting, forgotten to pick up the kids, or been unable to start writing that review. And at first glance Loop Hero doesn’t look like much. Definitely not something that will grab huge chunks of your precious gaming time.
Thankfully Devolver Digital saw differently and got this gem of a game out to the masses.
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Stranded on a desert island, what do you bring? As much as I would love to say…. “a PS4 and a copy of Windbound”, alas I cannot. Its beautiful art style and fun sailing mechanics, have been scuttled by the tough rogue-like penalties and clunky combat encounters.
Windbound is a survival game built around rouge-like mechanics and procedurally generated islands. Anyone who has played “Don’t Starve” will have a very good understanding of the design philosophy.
Windbound initially presents as a sort of paired down version of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Which, let’s be honest is a great place to start. Windbound will not however, have the broad appeal of Zelda. I think it’s going to be an acquired taste for many gamers as they will need to be patient and forgiving lovers of rogue-likes, to find joy here.
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Every second game I have played recently seems to be a rogue-like or have rogue-like elements in them.
Thankfully, unlike the rest of the team, I am not adverse to this as I quite like the format and play style that rogue-likes fall into. That is not to say I don’t throw the odd controller in frustration at my 145th death in 3 minutes.
I have just learnt to throw it gently onto the couch beside me. But with a little Luigi flair this could be fun to play.
Don’t Die, Minerva! looks really nice and plays well. Although there isn’t a huge variety in what you are doing and where you are doing it, it maintains that, just one more run, feel you expect from a good rogue-like.
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Sparklite is a nice little Rogue-like with some Zelda-esque icing.
Doing a few runs into the world of Geodia is an excellent way to fill in time when you don’t have hours up you sleeve to game with.
It’s not all that original but is well executed, easy to pick up, and deep enough to last a while. Why not give it a crack.
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Meet the Bergsons, the Children of Morta. John, Linda, Kevin, Mark, Lucy, and Joey. Good, solid hero names if ever there was. Living in the shadow of Mount Morta and entrusted with its protection, life has been pretty good for the Bergsons. Until an evil corruption takes hold with in the mountain.
Now it is time to take up arms and save the sacred mountain they call home.
When it comes to games, I don’t mind rogue-likes, talk to @nzbrowncoat and you might just get a different response. So thankfully for him, I have Children of Morta from Dead Mage Inc. to review and he doesn’t.
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