Recent reviews by Shawn Mah-Gee

It looks pretty, but the localization is horrible, the narrative is boring, and the combat feels clumsy. I would rather play Final Fantasy XIV. Hell, I'd rather play The Elder Scrolls Online.

It's better than Dark and Darker. Period.

Might be my GOTY, will update at the end of the year.

Nuff said.

EDIT: Yeah, this is still my Game of the Year. I may have put more time into other games that came out in 2023, but Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is the one that I had the most FUN with. Killer tunes, slick gameplay, striking visuals; that's all it needed, and it delivered. It has a few shortcomings, but they're just not important enough to write about. If you want to play a 3D platformer with hip-hop and cyberpunk aesthetics, THIS IS IT!

Warframe: Spend some time grinding to gather the materials you need to get the thing that you want.

Destiny: Constantly grind to get stuff you don't need or want so that you can ratchet up your Cool Guy Number above an arbitrary value that increases every season, and also all of the good looking cosmetics are locked behind sweat-swamp PvP or the cash shop.

Don't do it.

This is a SHOCKINGLY good action RPG in the style of The Elder Scrolls or Arx Fatalis. It's obviously not done, but the craftsmanship on display here is fantastic. Crisp combat, captivating writing, intricately detailed environments, and a setting that is dark-without-being-edgy; this is the action RPG that I've always wanted to play. My only major complaint is that it isn't finished yet!

Sure, I'll pay a dollar-fifty for a hair cut.

All of the time I put into this was during the Beta. It's a potentially great game trapped in the repetitive, predatory framework of a mobile game that was rushed out before it was finished. Even if it's fixed in the future, Fatshark has lost my interest.

Buy the standard version here https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/72850/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim/

I can't bring myself to like this game. I know that it's a touchstone for a lot of gamers - which is fine - but I just can't get invested in this game in the way that so many others have. Plot, characters, leveling, crafting, art direction, combat, BUGS; no amount of mods or rose-tinted glasses can fix how bland and lifeless these things are for me.

I'm going to assume that if you're reading this review, it's because you're new to RPG's in general and have heard good things about Skyrim. If that's the case, then there are so many better places to start. I don't want this review to be a bunch of negativity, so here's what I would recommend:

-Dungeons & Dragons/Pathfinder; Go to your local game store, buy a Player's Handbook and some dice, roll up a character, and join a group. This is absolutely still the best way to get into RPG's and it's the kind of game that you can literally play FOREVER. Plus, if you don't have a local store, there are a couple of different ways to find groups to play with online. Put yourself out there!

-Super Mario RPG/Paper Mario/Mario and Luigi, Superstar Saga; These are all very simple RPG's that still have an engaging amount of depth in their mechanics. They're all charming as heck, and are definitely worth your time (though obviously you need to purchase them through a Nintendo product).

-Bug Fables; It's Paper Mario, but it doesn't have any Mario characters. You can find the demo here! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bug-fables-an-exploration-rpg-full-of-bugs#/ The full game is also available on Steam.

-Cosmic Star Heroine/Chrono Trigger; Both are great story driven games made in the JRPG mold, with the only real difference between the two being their aesthetics. You can find both of them here on Steam, but if you're going to play Chrono Trigger I would recommend the DS port.

-Literally any Dragon Quest game; They're a bit old-fashioned, but many gamers find the simplicity to be charming and relaxing ( it's like how you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't like Kirby). The fan favorite is Dragon Quest VIII and you can find Dragon Quest XI here on Steam.

-Path of Exile/Torchlight/Borderlands 2; Diablo may be the game that created the "loot-grind" genre, but these games are definitely holding up the legacy in a much better fashion. Path of Exile and Torchlight are presented in the traditional isometric view while Borderlands 2 is a first-person shooter, with all of these games centered around killing dudes to get lots of weapons so that you can find the one weapon that you actually want... which is much more fun than it sounds. You can find all of them here on Steam, and Path of Exile is even free to play!

-Monster Hunter: Do you want an RPG with fantastic combat? Do you want an RPG you can play with your friends? Do you want to explore a cave-punk fantasy world? Do you not care about villain monologues or saving the world and just want to FITE BEEG MONSTAH? Then you should try out Capcoms' legendary action-RPG series. MH: World and MH: Rise are both available here on Steam, and you can't go wrong with either.

-Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow/Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night/Hollow Knight; Most Metroidvanias would fit on this list, but for my money these are the ones that best combine exploration with stat juggling and reflex-based combat. Once again, all three of these can be found here on Steam.

-Fallout New Vegas: Hey, do you want to play a Bethesda game made by people who actually know what they're doing? Look no further than arguably the best game in the Fallout franchise. Check out H.Bomberguy's epic review of the game here for a more complete explanation.

https://youtu.be/gzF7aHxk4Y4?si=bAKzJJkizKKnW-eg


- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon/Dread Delusion; If the only thing that can scratch your itch is a first-person open-world fantasy roleplaying game, then these two might be what your looking for. Tainted Grail isn't out *yet*, but both of these games are full of passion and promise. Both are here on Steam if you're curious.

Hopefully I've given anyone interested a decent assortment of titles to choose from. I tried to pick RPG's with easy entry points rather than something more intense (like Dark Souls or Disco Elysium). If you have suggestions for other RPG's that would be great for first-timers, be sure to leave a comment below. Thanks for your time!

8/10, a fantastic follow-up to a beloved franchise. ♥♥♥♥ you, Konami!

I can't bring myself to like this game. I know that it's a touchstone for a lot of gamers - which is fine - but I just can't get invested in this game in the way that so many others have. Plot, characters, leveling, crafting, art direction, combat, BUGS; no amount of mods or rose-tinted glasses can fix how bland and lifeless these things are for me.

I'm going to assume that if you're reading this review, it's because you're new to RPG's in general and have heard good things about Skyrim. If that's the case, then there are so many better places to start. I don't want this review to be a bunch of negativity, so here's what I would recommend:

-Dungeons & Dragons/Pathfinder; Go to your local game store, buy a Player's Handbook and some dice, roll up a character, and join a group. This is absolutely still the best way to get into RPG's and it's the kind of game that you can literally play FOREVER. Plus, if you don't have a local store, there are a couple of different ways to find groups to play with online. Put yourself out there!

-Super Mario RPG/Paper Mario/Mario and Luigi, Superstar Saga; These are all very simple RPG's that still have an engaging amount of depth in their mechanics. They're all charming as heck, and are definitely worth your time. You can find Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi on the Nintendo EShop. As for Super Mario RPG... well lets just say that there are less legal ways of easily acquiring that one these days. ROMS

-Bug Fables; It's Paper Mario, but it doesn't have any Mario characters. You can find the demo here! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bug-fables-an-exploration-rpg-full-of-bugs#/ The full game is also available on Steam.

-Cosmic Star Heroine/Chrono Trigger; Both are great story driven games made in the JRPG mold, with the only real difference between the two being their aesthetics. You can find both of them here on Steam, but if you're going to play Chrono Trigger I would recommend the DS port.

-Literally any Dragon Quest game; They're a bit old-fashioned, but many gamers find the simplicity to be charming and relaxing ( it's like how you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't like Kirby). The fan favorite is Dragon Quest VIII and you can find Dragon Quest XI here on Steam.

-Path of Exile/Torchlight/Borderlands 2; Diablo may be the game that created the "loot-grind" genre, but these games are definitely holding up the legacy in a much better fashion. Path of Exile and Torchlight are presented in the traditional isometric view while Borderlands 2 is a first-person shooter, with all of these games centered around killing dudes to get lots of weapons so that you can find the one weapon that you actually want... which is much more fun than it sounds. You can find all of them here on Steam, and Path of Exile is even free to play!

-Monster Hunter: Do you want an RPG with fantastic combat? Do you want an RPG you can play with your friends? Do you want to explore a cave-punk fantasy world? Do you not care about villain monologues or saving the world and just want to FITE BEEG MONSTAH? Then you should try out Capcoms' legendary action-RPG series. MH: World and MH: Rise are both available here on Steam, and you can't go wrong with either.

-Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow/Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night/Hollow Knight; Most Metroidvanias would fit on this list, but for my money these are the ones that best combine exploration with stat juggling and reflex-based combat. Hollow Knight and Bloodstained are available here on Steam and all of these games can be found on the Nintendo EShop.

-Fallout New Vegas: Hey, do you want to play a Bethesda game made by people who actually know what they're doing? Look no further than arguably the best game in the Fallout franchise. Check out H.Bomberguy's epic review of the game here for a more complete explanation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzF7aHxk4Y4

- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon/Dread Delusion; If the only thing that can scratch your itch is a first-person fantasy roleplaying game, then these two might be what your looking for. They're not out *yet*, but both of these games are full of passion and promise. Both are here on Steam if you're curious. https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/1466060/Tainted_Grail_The_Fall_of_Avalon/ https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/1574240/Dread_Delusion/

Hopefully I've given anyone interested a decent assortment of titles to choose from. I tried to pick RPG's with easy entry points rather than something more intense (like Dark Souls or Disco Elysium). If you have suggestions for other RPG's that would be great for first-timers, be sure to leave a comment below. Thanks for your time!