Recent reviews by Kars

Someone help, I haven't beaten the game yet and I have 3 separate characters something is wrong with me.

Very rarely do I think about restarting a game mid-way for good reasons, but If found myself constantly thinking about "what if X character was in my party, what would they say?" or "what if I did option Y?". While save scumming helps with some of that, some major story beats / story lines can't be easy scummed. So just like that between co-op and solo runs I haven't beaten the game 250+ hours in.

The characters are unique and engaging, the world is rich and alive, the music is epic and inspiring, and the twists and turns are novel and will have you begging for more. If you've ever enjoyed an RPG or just love making OP character builds - Baldur's Gate 3 will keep you engaged for hours on end.

Halo: Infinite is an incredibly fun FPS, especially with friends. It feels responsive, the weapons are fun, and the game modes varied. For an early release in terms of gameplay I can't complain and have really enjoyed playing matches.

The caveat to this is that the monetization model / battle pass implementation in this title is incredibly bloated and predatory. The devs seem to be listening, they're responding to critique and changing things but what remains to be seen is how much they change. If you don't spend money, expect to look like everyone else for a very long time (you don't get anything meaningful in the free version of the battle pass for 20+ levels I believe). The way 343i is handling armor customization is pretty bad - as cosmetics are locked to "cores" which are a base armor set. So unlocking basic blue for one set needs to be bought with real money on another. Compared to older halo titles, the customization and monetization makes me feel dirty playing it. Before you got gear by doing difficult achievements, now you need to swipe a credit card.

My hope is that they make some significant changes to the system because if they do they have a incredible title on their hands. It NAILS the gameplay down, but it needs meaningful progression and goals to keep me interested. This review is to hoping the game gets better - because as much as I love the game it may be hard to keep going if I feel like I'm being poached by the developers.

Hades is a master class in rogue-lite done right. Enough contextual dialogue to fill a textbook, interesting and unique weapon aspects, and characters oozing charisma and quirks, no matter if you win or lose a run of Hades you'll eagerly be wanting to jump back in for more.

Every run is different. The amount of Boons from the gods and weapon skill upgrades only add more layers of complexity and depth to each run. Unlockables from the lounge to the music will keep players interested after 20+ hour story is completed, and the Pact of Punishment (drastically altering the game depending on the choice) will make even the toughest of players fight for their prize. There is always something to do in Hades, and each run's uniqueness makes working towards those things extremely enjoyable.

Hades is a 10/10 in every field and has something to enjoy for everyone, a must play even for those who don't like rogue-lites, because it'll probably convert you even if just for a while.

Monster Hunter World is the series first foray onto PC - and while a rough transition, its still an incredible game. Simple but rewarding game loop, a huge world to explore, dozens of monsters to fight, and hundreds of armor pieces only scratch the surface of the things that can be done.

The combat is tight and responsive, the weapon styles varied, the monsters a mix of challenging and annoying in the just the right doses to make a fun action packed time.

Optimization is a little wobbly due to this being their first venture to PC, and the game isn't nearly as jam-packed with content as the handheld games which could reuse models from previous titles to reduce work load, but with their constant updates and most recently Iceborne being released, there is TONS of content to enjoy and hours to sink, and that's before even getting to the new lands and mechanics of the DLC.

Overall MH:W is a great title, a fun piece of action you can sink dozens upon dozens of hours into and still not be done. Lots of content, and lots of fun.

TLDR:

If you liked Shadow of Mordor, you'll like this game too. While adding onto the ideas of the original, and sometimes taking two steps back, it hits the same itch I had after I played the first game.

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Shadow of War is probably one of the more unique games out there almost exclusively for the Nemesis system, and offers a lot of replay-ability because of it. Though the same could be said about the original, so what makes this one so special, if at all?

Combat is rather dull, same as last time. You exploit weaknesses to win, and enemies wait kindly for you to be ready before attacking - very Assassin's Creed like which is par for the course. Its probably one of my main complaints about this game - that it just isn't hard enough sometimes. The whole Nemesis system revolves around you dying, and having a singular Uruk rise to power because of it. Though if you never die, that never happens... I found a way to alleviate this is to set the game to Gravewalker and turn off the enemy prompt UI, really helps make your Nemesis something to remember as they kill you again and again.

Forts are a cool idea and mainly well executed; though a far ways off from what the trailers had shown us. It boils down to localized brawls as your Uruks clash against the enemy - which is honestly HELLA rad to watch / participate in. Attacking and Defending are both this way, with some minor caveats. While attacking you have to take the throne room by yourself (?) if you manage to get that far, and dying there renders the siege a failed attempt. Likewise while defending, if you die your fort immediately falls, which also seems a bit odd - why even have the army is they surrender immediately? Still super fun though - if not a bit addle minded in terms of tactics. The loop is still enjoyable though - like a more violent Pokemon game.

Fight pits are fun to watch, i personally loved sending my children off to see how well they do. Though it does expose the huge AI flaws with the Uruks, be it there refusal to gang up or inability to attack instead of taunting every 3 seconds. Its fun though; and serves as a decent time sink as you watch your little pets maul things to death.

Story wise, still pretty garbage. While Talion is a cool dude with a decent motivation and personality (his arc across the story is pretty interesting) the overall plot remains pretty cliche, bad guys bad, stop them. The real story is the one you make with your unique Uruks - that personalized story is where all the fun is. Celebrimbor can suck it.

Really thats it in terms of new things; the game is the same looter stabber style game as it was before, albeit now with a more robust gear system and new Uruk designs. Which are super sick by the way - but also stupidly rare! I understand rarity makes their value increase, but i've still got to see them at some point at least to appreciate it! I've played through the game 3 times w/ 80+ hours, and in the end i think i've seen 4 "rare" Uruks? Every time i hop on reddit i see some new Uruk outfit, and wish i could actually play with it.

I digress though, it builds on a lot of what the original set up, added some online to it, and polished up the experience. Really has a lot of the same flaws as the original as well, but that doesn't make it any less fun. Its an excellent game almost for Nemesis alone - maybe not 60 dollars unless you're a fan, but for sure a game to play eventually if you want to have some good ol' fashion collect and wage war fun.

SoulCalibur VI is the series true return to form after all these years. The speed and skill that people loved in II is finally back and offers an extremely deep competitive game - while still being new-player friendly. While Bandai-Namco's DLC practices for this title earned them some flack, the base game still offers a plethora of content. Campaigns, arcades, character creators, museums, SC6 really polishes up on what 3, 4, and 5 brought to the table and adds so much more. While the online functionality can definetely be improved, the game itself is a marvel of fighting games and with support can become one of the PC greats up there with Tekken 7.

Also you'll soon be able to have a match with Geralt vs. 2B - so that alone is worth the price TBH.

Furi is gonna beat yo ass into submission, and thats exactly the way its meant to be played. This game is AALLL about that muscle memory, analyzing and generating the best strategies to fight the bosses throughout the prison. You will die, a lot, and thankfully without any trash mobs or farming in between bosses you get immediately thrown back in, ready to roll against your foe.

If theres one way to describe this game is that its painfully fair, and that patience is turly a virtue.

Also you can get your ass wooped by a tiny black grandpa with a greatsword so 10/10 from me.

TL;DR - A godlike port; Tekken 7 finally arrives on PC in its 60fps glory. While lacking in tutorials; the community outreach has made it a viable game for beginners of all skills to learn and enjoy. Contains a multitude of offline options as well. Fun, beautiful, and well optimized; Tekken 7 prides itself as one of the few good fighters on PC.

I'm new to Tekken - played Tag 2 really casually - so mechanically I can't speak much about this game until I learn more. All I've done so far is some arcade, treasure battles, practice room, and lobbies with friends; so I'm writing this review soley because of how impressed the port has made me.

Fighting games always get jipped when it comes to PC. They have the smallest player base compared to consoles and always seem to have a problem with button layout instructions or poor optimization causing frame drops etc. But not T7; oh boy this game is so well written I think my computer enters sleep mode running it.

On my practical dinosaur of a GeForce 960 I'm running the game on Medium / High Custom settings at 1920x1080 at a constant 60fps. My short time spent in Street Fghter V found me dealing with frame drops on specific stages and potato textures, but T7 provides beauty and performance all under one neat little bow.

The communities for Tekken over on Discord / Reddit / Youtube are also noticing the huge influx of noobs like me into the series, and in response those places have been exploding with new player guides and tutorials. The skill ceiling for this game is very very very high - its daunting and scary - but the community outreach has made it so that even I feel I might be able to Korean Backdash at some point (but probably not haha).

So far I'm having fun. Hell even practice mode is fun when I finally land a move or understand some mechanic. Fighting games are always short lived on PC so I'm gonna enjoy it while I can, but hey, maybe this port is just good enough to break the cycle.

A truly free CCG. Cygames is so incredibly generous with its starter packs that you can have a netdecked S tier deck within the first hour of playing. If you roll badly with the first 30~ packs, you can just reroll your accout and try again.

Arena is pretty well executed, and the game allows you to set your own daily mission schedule - a very player friendly game.

If you like free card games interesting gameplay and an anime artstyle, Shadowverse has a very in-depth sytem to learn and master.

TL;DR - a game of untapped potential soiled by poor execution and brand handeling over its lifetime

-Pros:
-Atmospheric
-Interesting concept
-Eyecatching character and monster designs
-Competitive 4v1 - its a game unlike any other

-Cons:
-Broken matchmaking system
-Incredibly grindy to unlock anyone since the patch
-Hard to learn - hard to master gameplay; a learning curve the size of a small skyscraper
-Variations of characters flood the shop, full price for slight tweaks
-A game that requires coordination and composure (not a bad thing), but never gives new players that chance
-Off the cuff balancing that either incapacitates a character completely or raises one to godhood.

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I want to like Evolve, I really do. The aesthetic is intriguing (albeit everything is quite gray), characters have suprising depth and relationships that are expanded upon during prep in cute little conversations, and the premise itself of a 4v1 gritty hunt is really interesting. But hot damn if it isn't easy to get the fun absolutely ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ out of you by some rank 100+ monster.

Little backstory, I had convinced 3 of my friends to join me in playing Evolve Stage 2. I had played the game a little back during the beta for just "Evolve", and my friends liked the L4D series enough to join me in experiencing the rebirth of Evolve. So we play the tutorial, do some bot matches and get the hang of some characters - generally having a pretty jolly old time. We finally decide to buckle up and begin our first real online match. We've all got our naked banners and brand new characters - naive smiles on our face. We aren't waiting long thankfully before a Behemoth shows up, but unfortunately the first monster we encounter has this glowing gold trimmed banner with three black claw marks - we're getting a little nervous since we had no idea what that meant, but we quickly learned that when that banner shows up, expect the game to wrap up preeeeetty damn quick. To cut this short; after evolving withing 3 minutes he brutally murded our crew one by one, leaving us feeling so dejected as this veteran has his way with our virgin booties. We kept trying though, and eventually we had 2 matches with people who were also brand spanking new.

It was still difficult, which is a good thing, the game should be challenging. But after we successfully hunted those 2 new monsters we left the matches feeling, how should I put it, tired. It was fun sure - but during that hunt everyone was silently focusing and making calls. I've never heard a VOIP server so quiet with people in it actively playing together. Fighting monsters feels like such a mudslinging battle. It is a tiring experience when we're winning, so you can imagine how draining and salt inducing it is to get smashed by a veteran. As of writing this, me and my crew are sitting at about maybe a 15% winrate? Thats being generous probably, but it has been a bloody salt soaked experience attempting to learn this game.

I know what you're thinking. We just started, we're expected to be bad. Keep practicing and you'll get better, work for your reward! I agree too, thats why we kept playing - we told ourselves, yeah we're bad, but lets keep at it and we'll eventually get better. Lets keep giving it a good ol' college try, its just a game after all! But holy hell, when the learning curve is the size of a small building and has 200+ hours on you its really hard to climb above it. Hell its hard enough to break that challenges armor yet alone win a game against it.

4v1 is extremely difficult to balance. Naturally the 4's are weaker indiviually than the 1 and rely on communication and coordination to overcome the 1 - and hell people on the subreddit for Evolve even complain the game is becoming too hunter-centric. How hunters are too strong and the monsters are getting shafted, but we've never seen that happen, the veterans have made sure of it. Hell, one gold skinned Behemoth took down our crew without even using his #4/Wall - at least that guy was a nice one, naturally with online games you'll have some bad apples - but thats besides the point.

Like I said, I want to like Evolve - its so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ interesting. But as long as we're stuck without a matchmaking system and some questionable balance choices (300% price increase on everything has really riled everyone up) we can't get into it. Unless you're having an incredible amount of fun getting your face stuffed in the dirt every round, you're time will be better spent elsewhere. Good luck taking the plunge, because you'll come out with some true grit if you hone yourself on this incredibly unstable game.