Recent reviews by koax117

As a longtime fan of Sam Witwer (the voice actor playing Deacon) I had to get this game. Sam and the rest of the cast I feel did a phenomenal job with their performances, with Witwer as always being a master of emotion and expressing anguish and despair.
The game overall started off a little slow for me, but picked up over time. The storyline quest system makes it hard to know what the focus is, but a great way to break them apart. What started off as a zombie game, evolved into a lot more of a dive into what people do to survive after the world ends.
Up until very late game where you get some very overpowered weapons and ammo, running into anything more than a few freaks can feel really daunting and overwhelming, even on the easier difficulties. Hordes were terrifying on many occasions for me.
There are definitely instances where I feel like the writers could've delved a little bit deeper in some areas regarding world building, Deacon's history with the MC, things like that. But by the end, I had a great time.
The twist ending leaving groundwork for a sequel was great, and something I'd love to see explored, but from what I've read, it'll probably never happen, which is unfortunate. This would be an instance where I'd be more than happy for them to expand Deacon's story in other media (books, comics, etc.), if they won't do a game.

After spending +180 hours on AC Valhalla, playing the 30 hour game that is AC Mirage felt like a breath of fresh air. Valhalla took 4 years for me to beat (see my review for more info), and I had hoped this game would return to the AC roots I loved. And it did! Walking the streets and running on the rooftops felt like the first games again.
The combat is extremely basic like back then, 95% focused on counter attacks. There's very little in side content, which I am on one hand glad there isn't a ton of bloat, but on the other hand just a little more could've been great. The city's densely packed streets make for a great stealth sim, with the A.I. actually being a lot more reliable and logical compared to its predecessor (looking at you Valhalla Mastery Trials, I hate you).
They implemented the Assassin's Focus Bar, not too all different from Brotherhood/Revelations era power, but focusing on solo speed assassinations. I understand what they were going for, that it is Basim just being really good at killing people, but visually it gets a little too close to it being the special powers in the Dawn of Ragnarok DLC. I imagine in an ideal world they'd show the full movement from each assassination, but in a sandbox world where there's so many variables, I imagine it would be next to impossible. I really only used this ability once or twice in a pinch, or for going for an achievement.
Cosmetics/Customizations is limited to like, maybe 6 sets, and not a lot beyond that. They introduce a costume system in the game, but really only utilize it twice.
100%ing an AC game in 30 hours feels great for me, and there's a NG+, which might be the first NG+ I actually play, since 30 hours is actually feasible to replay.
So, if you're looking for a return to roots, this is it.

At first, I was kind of skeptical of getting *another* Dragon Ball game. The constant rinse and repeat of telling the same story over and over (sometimes with a small twist - looking at you Xenoverse) just wasn't super appealing. But, it went on sale and figured what the heck, I just finished rewatching Dragon Ball Z Abridged and thought why not. Overall, a fun game. Compared to Xenoverse, the gameplay I found to be superior. I'm not a classic fighting game fan (Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, DBFighterZ, etc.), so this is much more my speed. Goes through the story, has open world exploration and sidequest bloat sure, but I will say it is satisfying working to power up your characters a ton.

Much more akin to AC Origins or Odyssey, this is another game in the same vein as Witcher 3. Which, if that's the game you want to play, great, but it isn't Assassin's Creed. Origins-Valhalla is the farthest cry from original AC gameplay to me (to this day, AC2-Brotherhood is peak, and Unity falls right behind as far as how I want to "play" an AC game).
I love exploration games, but this is the definition of content bloat. There was a point as gamers where we kept wanting more and more to do, and bigger worlds to explore. I think it's safe to say that we've gone too far in that regard, as evidence of this game. 185 hour run through to get to like, 99% completion. All I have left are the Mastery Challenges (which the A.I. is terribly bugged for and beyond frustrating) and the Forgotten Saga, and I don't personally care for rouge-like gametypes (they're good - just not my cup of tea). A huge portion of that 185 hour playthrough is just collectibles and side content. I'm certain this game could be beaten way faster if you skipped all that.
So you're wondering, why I gave it a thumbs up. I'm a huge Assassin's Creed fan, and the story still had some compelling parts. If you enjoy the mythos of Assassin's Creed - with its exploration into the First Civilization/Isu/Ones Who Came Before, and Norse mythology, you'll have fun with this game. But, this game took me 4 years to beat in its entirety. So little could really pull me to finish it until I just forced myself. I am actually looking forward to AC Mirage being a much shorter title than this, and hoping what promises of elements of the core of AC returning with it (I know some reviews debate it, but I'll go and see it for myself.
Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted.

It's Halo. A lot of it. and usually on sale in some fashion so it is a great deal.
Obviously when this first launched in 2014 it was a giant mess. Even now, I know matchmaking is a mess because of cheaters. But the campaign, and doing custom games with friends, and the inclusion of the workshop for mods, has revitalized this set of games into a higher level of popularity with my friends over the newer Halo Infinite, so take that as you will

Fantastic Writing, satisfying gameplay, and overall a great game that had me crying at multiple points.
There's definitely some gripes to be had. By the end, it definitely felt like a blockbuster movie turned videogame, but in a good way. This isn't like the other Dragon Age games (at most like Inquisition).
Played through as a warrior and had a blast. The shield is absolutely overpowered in my opinion.
I enjoyed the writing and themes brought on via the story and companions a lot. There were a few times where it felt very "sit-the-kids-in-a-circle-and-let's-talk-about-our-feelings" kinda lesson, but the messages being conveyed and how it was performed excelled beautifully.
If you're a fan of the Dragon Age story, and enjoy an action RPG, you'll have fun. If you're looking for something more akin to Dragon Age: Origins which I know many hardcore fans want, it won't be what you're looking for.

Loot Everything. Make love to your companions, and push your enemies off of cliffs. What's not to love?
There are some glitches here and there, like UI disappearing, or certain screens in dialogue not showing up in multiplayer, but they aren't showstoppers for me and I'm sure things will be optimized and patched as time goes on. There's no battlepass or microtransactions. The whole story is there for us at start. I've got a few campaigns going on between solo and multiplayer players and have about 30 hours in so far and haven't even left the first zone in any of them. Characters and plot are genuinely intriguing and keeps me wanting to come back, which for me says a lot with gaming lately as I don't play as many games as I used to. So far, I'd give it a 8/10, potentially 9 depending on what things look like once i actually reach Baldur's Gate.

Update: Finished the game (finally). Fantastic game still. Act 3 still has some issues with it on a sheer optimization aspect. By the end, Gale (the one NPC in our part of 3 players) kept glitching out, and often we would have to kill him to be able to properly control him again, saves and loads were dicey, and a number of cutscenes would glitch (or not even have records lines - looking at you Wyll). All that being said, this game has an insane amount of replay-ability for me still. Many different paths to choose, and gameplay to experience with different classes. With the new update I'll probably give it another playthrough.