Recent reviews by RaZ

As a long-time fan of the Baldur’s Gate series, I came into Baldur’s Gate 3 with high hopes, especially after seeing the overwhelmingly positive feedback. Unfortunately, after spending a few hours in the game, I find myself more frustrated than impressed.

Visually, the game is undeniably vibrant—perhaps too vibrant. The dark, gritty atmosphere that defined the earlier entries has been replaced with an overly colorful, almost cartoonish palette that feels out of place in the world of Baldur’s Gate. Instead of a deep and immersive fantasy world, it often feels like a whimsical reimagining, closer in style to Divinity: Original Sin than a continuation of the series I loved.

The writing is where the game really falters for me. Too often, the dialogue feels shallow, at times even cringe-inducing, lacking the depth and sophistication that made Baldur’s Gate 1&2 so engrossing. Rather than mature, nuanced storytelling, it sometimes feels like the game is trying too hard to cater to a broader, less demanding audience. It’s hard to connect with characters or take the plot seriously when the tone shifts awkwardly between campy humor and moments that should carry emotional weight but end up falling flat.

Mechanically, Baldur’s Gate 3 stays true to its D&D roots, and while that’s something I appreciate, it’s the overall tone and approach that make the game feel like it’s lost its way. The charm and complexity of the originals have been overshadowed by a focus on flashy visuals and quirky moments that often lack substance.

However, maybe it’s not entirely the game’s fault. Perhaps it’s a reflection of how times have changed. I’ve grown older, and the gaming landscape has evolved. It feels like we live in an era where entertainment leans toward simplicity, and audiences are more content with surface-level experiences. What once felt rich and complex has now given way to what some might call a more “accessible” approach. Sometimes, it feels like we’re living in a version of Idiocracy, where depth is sacrificed for instant gratification, and people celebrate what used to be considered basic.

In the end, Baldur’s Gate 3 may not be for everyone, especially those of us who grew up with the original games. It may resonate more with today’s players, but for me, it just doesn’t capture the magic that made the earlier entries so unforgettable.

Having loved Crusader Kings II, I went into CK3 with high hopes. After spending a good amount of time with the game, I can say that while I like Crusader Kings III, I’ll never feel as excited about it as I was with its predecessor. The leap from CK2 to CK3 feels minor in terms of gameplay evolution — outside of the graphical improvements, the core mechanics haven’t been significantly expanded upon.

Unfortunately, the major issue that plagued CK2, namely repetitiveness, hasn't been adequately addressed. There are moments of brilliance, and it's still a fun game for those who enjoy grand strategy, but it lacks the depth and novelty to keep me as engaged as CK2 did over the years.

If you’re new to the series, CK3 is a solid place to start. But for veterans of CK2, the experience may feel more familiar than fresh.

Warhammer Total War 3 is an epic conclusion to the trilogy, and as a long-time fan of the first two games, I’m thoroughly impressed by how Creative Assembly has expanded on an already massive universe. The amount of lore and content in Warhammer Fantasy is staggering, and this game taps into that richness brilliantly. From the vast array of factions to the incredible attention to detail in unit design, there’s no shortage of love for the source material here. It’s clear they could keep building on this for years, and honestly, I hope they do.

That said, the game does fall into the same trap as its predecessors – after a while, it becomes very repetitive. The early game is always exciting, with fresh challenges and constant decision-making, but by the late game, it’s just a grind. You end up doing the same things over and over: fighting similar battles, taking settlements, rinse and repeat. It’s no wonder so many players don’t finish campaigns; the late-game slog can be tedious.

Still, Warhammer Total War 3 is an absolute must for fans of the series and the Warhammer universe. The variety of factions and constant expansions keep it fresh for a while, and there’s a certain joy in seeing all-out chaos unfold on the battlefield. If they can find a way to fix the late-game monotony, this would easily be a 5/5.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Just be prepared for some deja vu by the time you reach the endgame.

If you enjoy Sandbox MMOs there’s nothing else like this. So it’s a must try for any fan of the genre. The PVP is excellent, the PVE is basic but fun and interesting. The crafting is very complex and extremely in-depth.

You can build up any type of character you’d like and use any type of weapon you’d enjoy. You can learn and unlearn any skill, so you can change your character while playing. Although, races impact your builds significantly so make sure you pick them with care before jumping ingame.

The world of Mortal is very harsh and hard to grasp at first so make sure you find companions to play with. Joining a company is a must if you wish to play on the long run. I’d recommend joining one day 1 not to loose tons of time discovering the basics.

In the sad gaming world in which we live now, New World is just what mediocrity and laziness brings to the table. No amazing new ideas or design, no new concepts, or a new way to imagine gameplay.

How to illustrate laziness? Well, they didn’t even add an animation for swimming, how lame is that? You simply walk underwater until you die. And this is brought to you by a company which has as a parent Amazon, a trillion-dollar company that employs 1.5 million people.

There are 2 types of quests in this game: loot this, kill this. There are about 5 different mob types.

But sadly, due to the state of the gaming industry you are better off playing this for some time if like me you are bored and want to cry.

The era of new concepts and design is long gone. But I remember it and still have hopes to see it come back one day.

But even with tremendous boredom. Once you've reached max lvl and the endgame, the flaws and laziness of the game become unbearable.

There is something called “the watermark system”, I won't explain it here, my comment would get censured anyway, I could never find an elegant way to present it. All I can say is that the people in charge of the game design should be fired.

On a good note, the graphics are pleasant, if you don't realize that almost every town is a copy paste of each other, but the world is pretty and nice to wander around.

Sadly, it's small but they did not add mounts to make sure people wouldn't complain about how small it is. There are also many ways to teleport around.

In sum if you are desperate for an MMO you can get the game until you are 60 it may occupy you, there is no subscription so you can take your time.

It’s a really fun game. It does need a lot more balancing and way to manage more efficiently your settlers.

I’d like more ways to acquire new guys and a bigger map. Some missions maybe. Progress is really slow. Hard to understand what to do in the beginning.

I kind of got bored once I reached 8 citizens. My guys stopped planting the fields after the first harvest, I’m not sure why.

A lot of bugs and lack of content. Boring, after 3 games doing the same I unistalled and quickly asked for a my money back before it was too late.

Great game for the engineers fans around. Really fun, immersive and full and with increadible depth.

A little updated version of the old one, if you like the old one, you'll like this one

It has flaws but it's still the best battleroyal for me. Tactical and fun. If you like FPS games and are looking for a good tactical one with battleroyal, then there are not many others at this level.