Recent reviews by AlexD_

Hi-Fi RUSH never failed to make me smile each time I started it up. A funky combination of Devil May Cry hack-and-slashing with the head banging tempo of a rhythm game, Hi-Fi RUSH oozes with style; one that is incredibly unique, to boot. The plot and characters of a light-hearted, old-school anime (reminded me fondly of the original Beyblade), with a vibrant, cartoon-y world, threatening to make you laugh at every turn.

Each and every part of the game feels like it was crafted with soul. An upbeat adventure with a cast of fun, quirky characters, each as charming as the last in their own unique ways. From epic moments to eye-rolling comedy, I can't count the number of times this game had me grinning from ear-to-ear. Just as unique as each of the characters was the level-design. Every level, every new environment you traverse, had its own vibe and motif to match the corresponding villain. The soundtrack, consisting of licensed tracks and original score, was fantastic. All throughout my playthrough, cutscene or combat, this game had me bobbing my head to each and every beat as the rest of the world bounced with me.

Hi-Fi RUSH is everything you found awesome and cool, fun and funny, as a kid, imbued into the most god darn charming game I've ever played. I can't recommend it enough.

Ghost of Tsushima tells a completely fictional story based during a real historical event. In this, it succeeds in creating a diverse cast of characters, each with unique motivations and their own personal struggles with morality. Despite the surface-level conflict between the Mongolians and the Japanese, the focus is really on the clash of motivations, even between allied characters, creating dynamic tensions and moral quandaries. Ghost of Tsushima does not push any narrative boundaries, but what it sets out to do, it executes well. Its most impactful moments are elevated by the game's stunning visuals. Ghost of Tsushima is not the most technically impressive game, but its use of lighting, camera angles, and the sheer density of foliage come together to create truly beautiful landscapes and vistas, making story moments even more atmospheric.

Make no mistake, however, Ghost of Tsushima is a samurai power fantasy. While the story beats can be very immersive, the gameplay does not achieve this quite as well. If you were looking for a realistic samurai experience, you're not going to get that here. The main character is very much a one-man-army in this game. Having said that, the combat does well to feel responsive and engaging. You are given a variety of tools and abilities to complete open-world and mission objectives. However, in my opinion, the gameplay is at its best during boss battles and duels. You are stripped of your most powerful tools, and your adversaries truly test your abilities in swordsmanship. This is where immersion and tension is at its peak.

Regarding the open-world, progression, and systems design, this is where Ghost of Tsushima is weakest. With a scattering of map markers designating various collectables and open-world objectives, Ghost of Tsushima has a very generic open-world. Attempting to complete all of these can be tedious, if not a little boring. It would not be as much of a point of critique if these activities weren't a core part of your progression. Thankfully, this is where the combat saves the game. I often point to Horizon: Zero Dawn as an example of a game with boring open-world design, but the reason I was able to push through Ghost of Tsushima, but not Horizon, is due to its moment-to-moment gameplay; where Aloy feels clunky, Jin is responsive; where Aloy's bow feels weightless, Jin's blade is impactful. Another reason is the setting. If you're not interested in Japanese history and culture, you're probably not going to enjoy the game either way.

Ghost of Tsushima is a surprisingly competent game in spite of some of its uninspired design. Its open-world systems feel overwhelmingly average, like any 6 or 7/10 game, but when the game shines, it is blinding. I would not call this a must-play, but if the setting at all interests you, I highly recommend it.

Sifu is challenging, frustrating, and unforgiving, but always fair. The challenges you find difficult at the start, you eventually confront with confidence, not because the game becomes easier, but because you get better. Lose your focus, and you come crashing down all the same. A game about focus, perseverance, and perfectionism. If you're looking for a game that'll really give you a sense of mastery, Sifu delivers.

The story is somewhat bare-bones, having you learn more about the characters through the environment and lore snippets, but it works well enough to keep you engaged, and as a vessel to push the player into interesting and varied environments to fight in. I do, however, appreciate how they handled the endings. It's one thing to brute force your way through your first playthrough, but the true ending requires a deeper understanding of the mechanics, which is mirrored thematically in the story.

Important to note, if you do play this game, I STRONGLY recommend playing in the Cantonese dub. The English voice acting, to me, is not only bad, but incredibly immersion breaking for the setting. The Mandarin dub, while servicable, also falls a little flat. The majority of the Cantonese dub, however, is genuinely good. It also makes the most sense given the setting, as the style of kung-fu used is a southern style. The title of the game also uses the Cantonese pronunciation.

Never have I ever played a game that I could truly get lost in.
That changed when I played Red Dead Redemption 2.

Characters were written and performed so genuinely. The well-being of each individual, and actions I took towards them, even NPCs insignificant to the narrative, weighed heavily on my shoulders. Each person you encounter throughout the game seemed like they lived an existence of their own, had their own families, problems, and realities that they dealt with. That, coupled with the most vast, detailed, and believable open-world that I've ever experienced, made it impossible not to be completely immersed in its world. The game is able to capture and showcase the beauty of nature and its inhabitants like no other game has before it; wide sprawling landscapes that'll take your breath away as you struggle to remind yourself it isn't real. Cities, towns, and the people in them feel intimate and real. Compared to Rockstar Games' previous works, nothing comes close to the impression RDR2 gives of a living, breathing community. With a story that can be both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, the amount of emotion I've invested into each and every character, each and every moment, cannot be overstated, keeping me at the edge of my seat in genuine suspense, worry, or joy.

Red Dead Redemption 2.
The only game that made me forget about the real world for a moment, bringing me into its own.
I doubt I'll ever play another game like this in my lifetime. Truly one of a kind.

God of War takes the best parts of every AAA game and puts them together into one, seamless package. It has the detail, polish, and cinematography of a linear, narrative-driven game; the expansive exploration of an open-world game; the combat of a finely-tuned action game; the progression of a metroidvania; and a sense of scale rivalling the biggest worlds in AAA gaming.

God of War is a masterclass in design. Whether it's world building, character development, cinematography, dialogue, combat, progression, or narrative/gameplay set pieces, Santa Monica Studio nails each and every aspect of God of War, polishing them to a brilliant shine. It is not in the mastery of any one of these aspects, but the near-flawless execution of all of them, interwoven together, that makes God of War the 10/10 masterpiece that it is.

Review for MWII

Campaign:
Great story (well paced and directed), excellent levels and set pieces, and a surprising amount of setting/level variety from mission to mission. All this while keeping the game relatively grounded in reality (In comparison to older cods), with a much larger emphasis on moment-to-moment tension than any other cod campaign to date. My only criticisms are that the campaign is a little short, and the resolution of the conflict was a little anticlimactic. It did leave us on one hell of a cliff hanger though, and a big reference to the original MW2 campaign. Hoping we get some campaign DLC for this game in the future. 9/10.

Multiplayer:
While others may have some gripes about changes to the minimap, perk system, etc., this is the most fun I've had with any cod multiplayer in years. The shooting mechanics are the best of any shooter I've played yet, with incredibly realistic and punchy sound design and excellent visual feedback. Most of the maps are good with a few bad outliers; probably one of the few things holding this game back from being perfect in my eyes. As always, the progression system is addictive as hell and has iterated on previous CODs to freshen things up a little. These next couple years of COD are in good hands. 9/10.

Edit: This may be a controversial opinion, but despite the community sentiment, I didn't really take issue with the things the community were up in arms about. While it IS pretty disappointing we never got the two year cycle that was rumoured, I honestly still enjoyed my time with the game, and my review still stands for the most part.

its actually back this time guys I swear

The king is back bois

game is back, all good