Recent reviews by Sacra Nth

Elden Ring is the most expansive (and ambitious, in my opinion) game produced by From Software, the developers of games such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne - notorious for the difficulty in their unforgiving design.
Elden Ring is no different in that aspect, and like its predecessors, it has difficulty in droves (but I'm sure everyone's heard that by now). However, where it moves away from its ancestry is in the system of progression and the environments players find themselves in.

Elden Ring enjoys some advantages as From Software's first truly open world title, though it is not without its downsides as well. On the one hand, there is an unprecedented freedom to explore the world in any direction you wish, with the only real barrier being the level scaling of enemies in particular areas. On the other, though, the open world can make it somewhat difficult for players to figure out what they're supposed to be doing, or even where they go next.
This is in contrast to, say, Dark Souls, which comprised a series of very linear maps loosely connected by the odd shortcut.

There are many more things I could write about Elden Ring, which is by far my favourite experience I've had with a From Software title, yet I won't. For me, the innovations and advantages this game has over its predecessors far outweigh the drawbacks.
9/10

haven't really played enough to say if it's good or not

NFS: Heat is quite good as a racing game - as someone who's come from only playing older entries in the series, the customisation and sense of ownership over your vehicles is certainly a welcome feature.
The driving mechanics are generally pretty solid, as is the world map and the design of the terrain. There's a lot of replayability here because of how much work you can put into any one car in the game - whether you're tweaking the performance, or aesthetic customisation side of things.
Unfortunately, this game is also plagued with certain issues. The largest of these, and probably the one that fans have been most vocal about, is the police (see below).
For those who haven't yet played this game, there are effectively two modes - day, and night. Each has its own set of events with no overlap between the two. During the day, you don't gain any 'heat' (police attention), and completing races and activities earns you money to spend on upgrades. At night, however, you have a heat level, which continually increases from 0 to 5 as you gain more and more 'rep' from completing night events - rep being used to increase your level, and unlock more cars to buy, and higher tiers of performance parts. If you're unfortunate enough to get into a police chase in the early game (which can happen at any time, as the AI director seems to be a big fan of spawning patrolling cops only a few hundred metres ahead of you), it's likely that you'll end up being destroyed, arrested, and lose a significant portion of any money you had when you started the night.
Not only is the police AI incredibly effective at 'rubber-banding' to magically catch up with your car, they also do barely realistic damage to you with even slight nudges at speed. The game also does not tell you this (from memory), but the most effective way (and only way, until you're at a point in the game where you're driving a supercar) to escape a police chase is to jump from any of the ramps scattered around the map (which are frankly far too scarce for this to be an effective solution in many areas), and let the cops crash themselves as they try to follow.

All things said, the game is still pretty fun as a whole. I wouldn't have put so much time into it if everything was frustrating.
7/10

i think Guardian Destiny is a pretty cool guy. eh kills aleins and doesn't afraid of anything.

If you have a habit of getting attached to characters, this game will probably depress the hell out of you. Even if you don't think it will. I didn't think it would do that to me, yet it still did.

NieR: Automata is less of a video game and more of a commentary on the nature of life, humanity and a 'higher meaning'. I mean, I guess it's also got swords and cool impossible stuff, too- but don't let that distract you from the fact that just like any good text, this game has messages, and interpretations of those messages, hidden in the world it creates.
The environments it throws you into are largely unpopulated and sparse (of both enemies and unique landscape), but are somehow still enjoyable (likely thanks to the incredible score composed by Keiichi Okabe et al).
The combat is some of the best I have encountered in any hack & slash game, though at times it can become enragingly difficult. The character and weapon design is... characteristically Japanese. That is, impractical, but it's lovely to look at for the hours you'll probably spend playing this game.
The use of a 'route' system for the story that produces different endings (and not just different perspectives- though it does do this a fair bit) and greater explanations of topics barely touched upon in the other playthroughs is wonderful, and certainly gives the game replayability.
9/10

As someone who never owned (and still does not own) a console, I'm rather late to the entire Metal Gear series (though I have learned my fair share of lore), this game was, at first, a confusing experience. This was magnified somewhat by it being one of the first 'Japanese' games that I properly sat down and played. After a while, however, I started to love it, despite how annoying certain parts of the game are (maintaining a good balance of GMP, having to walk everywhere, everything costing money to use - which makes sense). Though this may not be Kojima's greatest game (and I cannot veritably say that it is or is not, having not played anything else he directed), it is certainly a good one, and would have been potentially the best Metal Gear game (in terms of gameplay, at least) had the third chapter been finished and released.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is, at times, a slow and casual experience, for instance when out in the open world, dealing with random encounters or clearing outposts over and over again - but it can quickly become demanding and anxious, such as in sudden stealth scenarios (e.g. coming across a helicopter or a tank squad). I believe that it's this dynamic that makes the game fun to experience, and engaging enough to keep players wanting to come back again.
The multiplayer element to this is, to be honest, lacking. The level progression system and the creativity of defence placement means that FOB raids are either stupidly easy, or ridiculously hard. Metal Gear Online is... interesting, to say the least.
8/10

HLD is a game of variable speed, with the fantastic ability to kill you in about a second after a 5 minute build-up. I must say that the main selling point of this game is its incredible atmosphere - with a dynamic volatility that can throw 15 enemies at you at once, and then immediately shift to a slow, calming platforming section - and its ability to maintain this atmosphere with a degree of complex simplicity I have only rarely seen. The combat is surprisingly fluid, making you just mobile enough to survive any encounter (although it is quite likely you will die at some point), but also leaving you just restricted enough for it to feel fair.
In terms of story, HLD excels in this area - something I would never have expected of a game with no text outside of the main menu. The use of pictures and signage is enough to guide you through the (pleasingly vast) world that Heart Machine has created, and the snippets of lore you're allowed to pick up are a teaser for what is likely an epic tale of the rise and fall of an entire civilisation.
As per its atmosphere, this game has an amazing, ambient soundtrack. Its wailing crescendos and growling basslines are far more pleasing to listen to than to hear described.
It's important to note that a lot of people say this game is a 'souls-like', in that it is very similar in principle gameplay to Dark Souls. In that fashion, when you play this game, it's best that you prepare to die.
8/10

RUINER. Bold. Vibrant. Outrageous.
Hold on a second, that's for a different review.

RUINER. Courageous. Heartwarming. Casua-
Wait a moment. That's not it, either. Let's try again.

RUINER. Angry. Fast. Will show up at your house and kill you.
That sounds more like RUINER. Now get killing, Puppy.

IT'S PAYDAY FELLAS
Robbing a bank/jewelry shop/museum/PMC/art gallery never felt so good. Whether you're sneaky beaky, or the type of guy to bring an RPG everywhere you go, this game has something for you.
The developers are still alive and well, and are pretty consistently releasing new content and rebalances for the game (some of which are needed, some of which are not) - the game, in its current state, is pretty accessible and playable, even for new players.
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EDIT: Since writing this review, Overkill has 'finished' the game - that is, the story has concluded, and there will likely be no future heists, though this does not mean that there will be no rebalances or new weapons in the future.
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Something important to keep in mind: it's usually best to follow the advice that more experienced teammates give you.
The controls work well, the gunplay is nice (though your effectiveness and ability to last in a firefight often depends upon your connection strength; the lower it is, the less likely enemy AI will be able to target you), and the game has a fair bit of character and humour in it. A nice all-rounder, I'd say.
7/10

Thumper is a particularly interesting game, in that it uses only a stick and a button, but still manages to be one of the hardest games I've ever played.
Think of it as Audiosurf, but you're on PCP and Cocaine and you're fighting monsters by punching lights on the floor. Sounds cool, doesn't it?
The first few levels start off relatively easy, giving you warnings and prompts, and from then on game slowly eases you into a blender called rage and hatred. And by 'ease', I mean it throws you in at the speed of sound.
This is the most rage/depression-inducing, anus-clenching, flashy-neon game I've ever played (besides perhaps Hotline Miami, which I also recommend checking out), and I love it. I think.
Try not to break your controller.
6/10