Recent reviews by Cartiez

Purchased: 49.95 Euros (Gamebillet)

So first off, performance seems to be a mixed bag. With a Vega 56 and 3700X, the game ran at a smooth 60fps for 1080p with some stuttering when entering a new area for the first time. There were some enemy attacks that caused slowdowns as well, but it appears to have been fixed.

I'd just finished the game at 62 hours, making this the longest time taken to beat the game out of all the souls games I have played so far, mostly owing to the open world. There's still a lot to do and plenty of places to get lost. That said, this feels like the most accessible souls game yet.

Most bosses aren't hard checkpoints to progress, encouraging exploration. Fast travel is available off the get go, with a lot of places to travel to. In addition to the abundance of save points, there's also a new mechanic which puts you closer to some boss doors so you can get back into the action quicker. Locations are given with more consistency (you get much more usable directions from reading item descriptions). You can summon upgradeable allies to help in some areas. Consumables are easily craftable on the fly, encouraging actual use rather than hoarding. Quests are a bit more intuitive, with more useful directions given at each stage. Though some are still classically vague and complicated. However, for the first time ever I managed to complete a long quest without consulting a guide, something that I did not manage to do in Dark Soul 1, 2, 3, Sekiro, or Bloodborne. Even the poison swamps aren't so bad because you can ride your horse through it.

That isn't to say the game is easy, but there are way more opportunities for you to make the game easier. Combat is still very punishing, but having a wide toolkit of weapons and consumables for different situations can make an seemingly impossible fight much more manageable. It took me a long time to beat the first major boss but at the same time, I stumbled on a strategy that made late game bosses trivial compared to the struggle in previous games. It is worth mentioning that a lot in the game is optional to beating the game, so it's nice to be able to nope out of certain terrible situations. It is further worth mentioning that some optional areas are horrific, with pipe-hell in the sewers giving me a headache as I got lost for an hour surrounded by textures straight out of bananaland.

This is an easy recommend to those after more of the souls action. For those new to the series, this game comes recommended for those after adventure and mystery in a fantasy setting. One negative aspect of the game would be a repetition of some themes in the lore with earlier souls games and the fact that the open world nature means that some bosses will get re-used in later fights. The dungeons also end up feeling samey after a while (just like chalice dungeons I suppose). Personally, I still thoroughly enjoyed the 60 or so hours for my first playthrough, as when the game hits its highs, it really shines with memorable experiences.

Purchased: 53 Euros (Voidu.com)

It's pretty simple, if you've played and enjoyed either Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal, I recommend this game.
If you have not played any of those, I DO NOT RECOMMEND this game.

This game is for fans of the original who want more of the story. It's really a direct sequel to P5 rather than a standalone spin-off. The game takes place after the events of P5 and with the characters already having gone through a year of knowing each other, so it would feel more than a bit weird to be told 'welcome back' if its your first time there.

BUYING IT NOW: So I ran into two problems that stuck out when playing. One was that the game crashed to desktop. It happened three times in the first 10 hours, but then never again, so theres maybe something buggy in the early locations? Or I got unlucky, either way, something to look out for early adopters. Second was that the game lagged quite a bit when multiple skills were used in quick succession, but by turning off ambient occlusion this problem seems to go away entirely and I got buttery smooth framerates.

DELUXE EDITION: So I dont buy these normally, but I thought 'what the heck' for this one. So you get to play the game early (moot now), the 'all-out attack pack' which is just a bunch of starter items (little time saver but otherwise ignorable), and the legacy BGM pack (which I think is really worth it, one song from every prior persona game is included and the randomise function is customisable).
Theres also the digital bonus content, which launches as a separate app from the game. The app itself is a little janky, but the soundtrack and art book are cool to have. Depending on how much you pay, might be worth it.

BUT WHAT OF THE GAME ITSELF?
Its a Dynasty Warriors style game. I have never finished a single Dynasty Warriors game but I liked this one from start to finish. The visual style of Persona 5 is carried over, along with a lot of the gameplay concepts. Yeah, now its a real time action game, but you still strike enemy weaknesses into baton passes into all out attacks. That part is still pretty satisfying.

The music is pretty great. Some pretty bombastic pieces to match the faster pace of the gameplay.

When I finished Persona 5 and Royal got announced, there were 3 things I was hoping for. More Akechi, more Haru, and more hang out time with the gang. With Royal, I got more Akechi but I was still wanting for the other two. In this game theres more time with the phantom thieves and Haru gets some satisfying screentime. So Strikers essentially satisfies my desires.

The stakes definitely never felt as high as the original game, but its overall also a lot shorter than the original game. I finished the main story in 26 hours, but that might be an underestimate for the average. Theres still bonus bits to do in the game. Overall, its a fun add-on to Persona 5 that extends the story out further by one road trip.

Maybe Persona 5 Royal will come to PC huh?

I haven't gotten very far in it, but this is one of those games which is very stressful. It plays kind of like a roguelike where you have to continuously move from location to location, finding oxygen tanks floating around to ensure you don't suffocate. There seems to be a bit of story, but its quite barebones.

Primarily I feel that the game exists to showcase floating around in VR, and for that it is very pretty. But hard to recommend if you are just playing with mouse and keyboard.

Purchased: 8.99 Euros

Disclaimer: I'm a pansy and hate horror games. However, this game has a safe mode for people like me, which disables the monster from attacking you. Having played through it, it never got into the cheap jumpscare territory.

Despite the removal of one of the main mechanics, the game is completely worth playing because the story is fascinating. It revolves around discussing the concept of a conscience and plays around with the idea in such a way that the real horror comes in the implications of the game.

The gameplay consists of moments where you are safe and allowed to slowly interact with the environments to learn backstory and to progress the story. It's one of the few games out recently which lets you interact with futuristic UIs on computers in the real time, the other one I can think of being Prey. This was a real selling point for me because it does so much for the immersion.

The characters are also great. I'm trying to be vague here because this game is best experienced when you don't know what to expect. It's not that scary, not the way other horror games are at least, so give it a shot. There aren't many games that poke about in your head like this one.

Purchased: 12.00 Euros (Humble Monthly)

If you liked Alan Wake, you will probably like this game.
Not because the gameplay or atmosphere is similar, it's not. But rather because the way the story is told and the way the gunplay feels is essentially the same.

Quantum Break feels very cinematic. It has the same episodic format as Alan Wake, except this time there's an additional TV episode played at the end to tie events between episodes together. The transitions between gameplay and cutscenes are very smooth.

The story is pretty interesting, but it suffers from an unsatisfying conclusion. Otherwise its solid and should be the main reason you play this game.

While conceptually interesting, the time breaking powers alongside the gunplay have a significant problem in their cooldowns. You can chain a bunch of them together for some flashy takedowns but the issue arises when you're stuck playing a mundane cover shooter as you wait for the powers to recharge. The game also throws a lot of bullet sponge enemies at you near the end which was not fun.

Still, I'm a fan of Remedy Entertainment and overall I enjoyed the game. It would have probably been a better experience if I played on easy difficulty, so thats my recommendation for you.
Maybe now we'll get Alan Wake 2.

Purchased: 4.99 Euros

Episode 1 is free, try it.

Very much like the Telltales story games, though this game solves the issue of wanting to know what the other choices would have done by giving the ability to rewind time.

I feel like the story really picks up at the end of the second episode. That's when I really got into the game.

The music is great, it creates a solid setting and the characters are very likeable, if you can get over some of the dialogue sounding very "hello, fellow kids." But, it generally stays believable.

Do note that it's a lot less heavy than The Walking Dead, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have it's emotional moments.

My main issue with the game is that I felt it lacked an epilogue. The ending felt too short to me, but I realise now that a Season 2 has been confirmed, so that should give me closure as to how the final decision in the game plays out.

Purchased: 4.99 Euros + 4.99 Euros (Base game and season pass, both from Bundle Stars)

This is a solid game and just like in past Arkham games, the main story is really fun. The combat is slick as usual, the new fear takedowns make you feel awesome, and just like before, the game really nails the sense of being batman.

However, coming from having played both Arkham City and Arkham Asylum, I cannot reccommend this game.

Rocksteady's batman is really at its best when the story is focussed and as a result, the atmosphere feels tense.
Unfortunately, while City went pseudo open-world, Knight embraces it and all of the associated tropes causing a more weak presentation.

There's a lot to do in Knight, but a lot of it feels like a chore. The annoying "clear towers" moments are present here and while they don't reveal the map, they do limit your ability to glide through an area, meaning you can't just ignore them. The fact that all your quests are clearly linked in a tracker might seem a nice improvement at first, but the fact that it clearly choreographs the amount of individual missions in a particular quest undermines the tension. This is very noticeable when you realise that essentially every quests will end with the capture of a criminal to place in the Gotham city prison, so you know that you have to chase Firefly exactly 3 times before he is caught, and no matter how complete the capture may seem the first 2 encounters, he WILL get away.

The batmobile is also a new implementation, and while it handles very well, the amount of times the game forces you to get in and play a shooting segment is really frustrating.

The DLC is however, pretty nice. They are usually asides to the main game and so embody the game at its best, when its focussed on something.

So if overall you've just finished the other Arkham games and want more, here it is. It's Rocksteady's last one, so they've packed as much potential for playtime as they could in this one.

If this is your first Arkham game, I recommend another. Asylum and City are still fantastic and excellent entries to the series, or just batman overall.

This game will last a long time, it's just a matter of deciding whether you mind that a lot of it is grindy cliched open-world activities. Like those damn Riddler trophies, they're mandatory for an ending now.

Purchased: Humble Indie Bundle 8

Probably the pioneer of the walking around genre of games. I can't recommend it.

Unlike The Stanley Parable which had choices, or The Beginner's Guide which had interactive and engaging moments, there's no player action in Dear Esther besides walking.

And you walk very slowly.

The game is meant to be played slowly and thoughtfully, but it ended up being really frustrating simply because the walking speed discourages exploration. There's one moment where I saw something interesting in the distance, took an annoyingly long time to walk there and then found out there was no interaction possible with what looked like someplace where a secret should be.

Then I walked slowly back to the main road so I could continue listening to the narration.

The game is also very short. The story is conveyed in an esoteric fashion. The music was not very memorable but the ambiance fit the mood. There are some interesting moments in the level design, but for the most part it's far too ordinary to warrent slowly walking through.

I don't like it.

Purchased: 3.75 Euros

The story is much better than expected. Killing Nazis still feels great.
It's not quite as fast or fluid as the new DOOM, but it has a much stronger presentation for the characters and setting. It also blends the seriousness and campiness quite well. Gunplay is great except for when you have to fight the bullet sponge heavy units.

There is however a strange dissonance in player character between gameplay and cutscenes.

The animated cutscenes portray BJ as surprisingly eloquent and human.
The gameplay has him as a mix between an assassin when playing with stealth and a straight up murder machine if you choose to duel-wield your weapons and gun down hordes of enemies.
Then the player perspective cutscenes annoyingly take away control to make you feel helpless. Kind of like Crysis 2, you suddenly drop several levels of badassery during the cutscenes.

Overall a pretty solid experience.

Surprisingly engaging. There's a few small bugs where you can fall through the floor though.