Senaste recensioner av Arcy

This is literally 50 realized games in one package that span all the genres of the rainbow. Some have more meat than others, but they all do what they set out to do and do it damn well.
It has it all; Final Fantasy-esque RPGs to esoteric dungeon crawlers, bite sized shoot em ups, puzzlers, racers, and Metroidvanias, it's hard to accurately describe how amazing it is that UFO 50 exists. It has to be one of the most ambitious things to come out in recent memory.
Pretty easy GOTY for 2024.

While it doesn't run as well on my 4070ti as I'd like, this game kicks utter ass. It feels, genuinely, like a game from 2010. Both in good and bad. A singleplayer/co-op campaign, a PvE operation mode that has its own separate progression from it but ties into it narratively, and a pretty solid, no-frills-all-skill PvP classic arena-esque modes. A full package.

I almost forgot what it felt like to have a game release as a full package. Nowadays most games release with either the solo experience, completely a PvE coop one, or are PvP only. Most in the former camp have, at best, a small DLC of a mission or two to look forward to, and the latter is a microtransaction hellscape of every-other-month season passes. But here comes Space Marine 2, of a franchise I dismissed until recently, to give me it all. Visceral PvE combat against swarms of Tyranids both in campaign and the PvE operation mode (for a Halo nerd, seemingly very akin to Spartan Ops from 4) and the ability to shoot people's virtual, heretical avatars. And yet they promise more content to come, with a grand amount of customization to make your own little Imperium soldier spaceman.

I'm not going to say it's perfect. There's 6 PvE missions and as many, if not less, PvP maps and modes. But given the success so far and how good the final product is regardless, I'm going to put my faith we'll see that extra content. The season pass isn't a 10$ gate to a cosmetic progression system like everything else post-Overwatch, but rather the early 2010s version of a Season Pass. Which is to say, "Give us 40 bucks and we'll give you the rest of our content later. Nebulous content we can't exactly assure you the quality of, but hey, it's coming regardless". 10 years ago that version of a Season Pass was scummy, but maybe my will is eroded. I prefer that infinitely to 10 bucks for battle royale skins every 3 months. Like I said, it's a game that feels directly lifted from the early 2010's, and balance, especially in PvP, can feel a little iffy (why can Bulwarks block my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Bolt Sniper).

It makes up for it way more in what it offers though, and promises more to come in Marine Chapters and PvE/PvP content, a horde mode, et cetera. Easily a GOTY 2024 contender, and that's not just because it's been a light year. You'll swap from playing Gears of War third person shooting to Arkham countering and melee bashing on a dime, and cover yourself in excess gore as you do it. Easily recommended.

My favorite game of the year, and it's really not even close.

Armored Core VI makes me feel like an idiot for missing out all these years on this franchise. Instantly hooked in with just the sheer scale of these machines, the combat where you go from butchering thousands of smaller robots at Mach 2 to where you're locked into a very personal series of duels or 2v1s with other ACs, and then massive boss fights of which the sheer spectacle blew me away.

Gameplay is very simple, you fine-tune a mech with hundreds of parts and weapons for a very long time in the garage, and you play a fairly short 3-15 minute mission with it. And it works wonderfully. You really wanna experiment and try all the options given to you (even if there have been some heinously out-of-band options) and by the end your machine really feels like your machine. At the end the missions are almost always short but sweet, and exceptionally fun to replay to see how much you can optimize your playstyle and mech for that specific mission.

The story too really invested me. I've seen some really delusional takes where people act like the greater narrative is "buried" like From's modern output in Dark Souls and Elden Ring, but it isn't. It's right there, with twists and turns, and I found myself truly invested in each and every one of these characters, hammy as some of them may be ahem —G1 Michigan— ahem.
Yet, never once do you see their faces in game. I think there's exactly one trailer where you see your mercenary handler, Walter, in silhouette and that's it. All you get beyond that is an icon and a voice, but it still is my favorite narrative in a game this year because I actually felt tortured by some of the decisions you'd have to make, especially at the end. The characters who aren't comically evil like Snail feel like legitimate people with understandable motives and decisions, even if you know they're the wrong ones, and you're just an independent mercenary stuck in between all these conflicting factions, forced to decide the fate of this scarred planet.
The NG+ cycles have extra content up until the third playthrough that add more character interactions and gear, even some extra missions if you make certain choices you couldn't prior, and the fact that upon finishing NG I immediately threw myself into NG+ is no small testament to just how replayable this game is. I hardly do NG+ in any game, but I'm currently on the third cycle of AC6.

I understand to older fans of the franchise this is a bit of a departure from those older games, but if nothing else I hope it inspires plenty of people to finally check this franchise out. I know I want to go back and see all that I missed, because if this is the level of quality I can expect from this franchise and beyond? Sign me up immediately.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ this game is way, WAY harder than the first but I love it so far.

Redout 2, like the first, will remind you of the days you spent in some sticky gross arcade playing F-Zero AX with the whole two friends that showed up to your birthday. It's a fast paced, chaotic, extremely high skill ceiling game, even more so than the first. It ditched the items from the first game to raise the bar on the boosting and vehicle handling, and honestly I dig it.

I've seen some negative reviews regarding the difficulty, and while I don't wholly disagree, I kinda like the challenge? I haven't got too terribly far yet, but it hasn't been too bad, barring a couple exceptions (COUGH speed challenges COUGH).
I'm going to defend it though, honestly many games don't bust my ass these days, and I appreciate a game that does.

I think the main issue is how woefully unequipped you'll be for those first couple races; AI will have items and you will not, and you start out with an extremely minimal, all rounder ship that really does need those items to compete. The tutorial, especially the very first ones, are simultaneously very barebones and very handholdy, and you may find yourself having to figure stuff out on your own (combining strafing and turning for new players for example) for a while. I think the main issue with the tutorial is that you don't really need to do what it asks you to. During a cornering tutorial I was smashing into walls left and right but it completed all the same. There's a tiered result system (gold, silver, etc) and yet the completion is all the same 1 star.
In spite of that, I think as you get over that initial hump the game comes into its own, and it only gets better. I ain't gonna say get gud, but I will say please stick with it a bit more if you struggle. You can clear that hump. Once you do the difficulty feels especially more fair and the reward is so very worth it.

The environments are even prettier than the first game, and I thought the first was already stunning. They included more in-depth vehicle customization which I absolutely ADORE, being able to pick apart aesthetics with a goodly amount of pieces and being able to mix and match certain gear gives all ships a bit more wiggle room in terms of versatility than the first game.
Still love how the game plays, handling and boosting is very difficult yes, but so very rewarding, and I wish more games were like that.

Few bugs I ran into, though they bear mentioning:
Some jumps I launch WAY over what's seemingly intended, especially on one Cairo map, and clip straight on through where I should land.
I know the AI is cheating on Tartarus. I KNOW THEY ARE. THEY DON'T WHEN I FOLLOW THEM BUT IF I GET AHEAD OF THEM JUST AFTER A LAP POOF 4KM AHEAD. I'M NOT CRAZY.

You know what this is. Like F-Zero (especially AX/GX), or WipeOut, this is your cup of tea. Don't mind a bit of ball-busting? You'll be all right. Especially to GX players. That game whooped my ass as a kid. I love a nostalgic ass-kicking. If you're on the fence, give it a couple months to iron out some stuff, particularly in the early game.

This game came out of nowhere for me, I hadn't seen anything relating to its kickstarter or even its release. A friend just posted a screencap, I wondered what the game was from its very striking aesthetic, went to find it and wow. It's a niche game, but I think those that like the niche will see it for the absolute masterpiece it is.

If a dungeon crawler with both aesthetic and mechanical throwbacks as well as a very flashy, stylish and fast paced combat system interests you I would absolutely give this game a shot. The characters are likable and memorable, the music is absolutely superb and the world itself feels like a very interesting place.

I haven't finished it yet but I'm already praying for a sequel, because it would be an absolute shame if a gem like this didn't get the recognition it deserves.

Edit: I finished the game. And it was perfect.
Going to start NG+ and it'll kick my ass, but this game will probably be one of my favorites from now on.

I'm really not a fighting game guy, so I can't really talk about mechanics. But as an absolute novice and dummy when it comes to FGs this is the first one I've actually had interest in. I have plenty of fighting games rotting in my library; SFV, MK11, MvC3, KI... and as much as I'd like to get into these games I can't.
This game may actually break the mold for me, though.

It's very beginner friendly and the roster is full of characters with completely distinct playstyles. The mechanics seem daunting at first but it's actually quite easy to grasp once you go through a bit of Mission Mode, which tutors you on everything (an inclusion that I absolutely adore, mind you). Just thematically the roster is downright inspired and the art style is drop-dead gorgeous , as expected from ArcSys. The effects and sounds just convey such an outstanding sense of weight and flashiness that it feels good even if you flub often, whereas other games I feel like I'm struggling to stay afloat, this game gives even a rookie the means to hold their own.

The screen will feel chaotic at times, and I've seen plenty of more knowledgeable fighting game people call the gameplay akin to a raging gorilla, but raging gorillas are apparently very fun.

But you didn't need to read any of that. The reason you're spending that 60 dollar price point is the soundtrack.

I first saw GTTOD a couple years ago off a Vinesauce stream, it was little more than a demo then, but it looked like with time it could have a lot of potential. Potential it's fulfilling, I say.

This game is literally like somebody decided to mash every thing I like together into a checklist.
Extremely fast movement with sliding and wallrunning à la Titanfall? Check.
Phenomenal gunplay with a good armory and equipment that's fun to use? Check.
Roguelike elements? Check.
Excessive amounts of neon? Check.
It's even got the cool thing DUSK does where you do the flips and spins in midair! Check check check!

It seems a bit light on content in terms of how fast the game is to loop, but the mechanics are so A+ I can overlook it without a hitch. The dev mentioned he wanted a very pick up and put down game and I think he hit the nail on the head, so far.
The Excessively Late Update is apparently a huge overhaul to fix the last big overhaul. From what I read it seems to me that the dev really has a lot of passion and even though he seemingly made a misstep he worked exceptionally hard to correct it. The result is a really brilliant movement shooter that I desperately want to see more of from someone who has a really, really good taste in and understanding of FPS games.
This is a movement shooter power fantasy where you dart to the end of the level, shoot a bunch of bad guys, and enter an orange door. It is splendid and if it keeps going in this direction there's nowhere but up for it.

Also, extra notes, the animations on the guns and equipment are beautiful and the game is going to have workshop support. Blessed be.

It's a pretty damn fun & free twitch shooter with a variety of classes, an addicting gameplay loop where you go at the speed of sound, and a pretty easy to use Bhop mechanic.

Also, I have been accused of hacking nearly every damn game I've won in, and I hate children.

There is perhaps no game I have a more complex relationship with than that of Destiny. Over the past 6 years with 2 titles, the Destiny franchise has been such a wildcard in my eyes describing how I feel about it is very, very difficult.

It's a Bungie game. The brand that brought me perhaps my favorite franchise of all time, Halo. And frankly, a lot of the hallmarks of the Halo franchise stand solid here. The epic, fantastical score and environments, and the frankly strange, bizarre, giant lore that mostly peddles about in the background. A sci-fi space shooter, now with loot after you shoot.

Destiny is the ongoing story and the first self-described "live service" game that filled my soul with excitement and dreamy thoughts of infinite potential. A sci-fi-fantasy, where you hop from world to world, exploring a fallen Human civilization and finding unique weapons, armors, and rpg-lite (at the time) mechanics that found you playing as one of 3 classes, each with their own subclasses and abilities. God, as an astronomy and sci-fi and fantasy and Bungie lover, I cannot tell you the hype I had for the first Destiny. It was the last game I ever truly felt such an immense, honestly unreasonable amount of excitement for. And it came out. And though I still imagined a larger scope, a giant fully explorable solar system, I still LOVED it. I loved Destiny 1 year 1, which to many was the weakest time of Destiny's existence.

Then the cycle began. I play Destiny. I like Destiny. I never really get sick of Destiny, but for some reason I would just stop. Not out of malice, discontentment, or even boredom, it would just be seemingly random that I would forget about Destiny. Destiny 1, I stopped when the Taken King came out. I don't really know why, I just never bothered picking it up. And I missed out on the rest of that game's life, admittedly, missing out on a lot.

Destiny 2 came out. Same thing happened. Played base game, thought it was pretty good! Though frankly I probably preferred base Destiny 1 to base Destiny 2. But still, two smaller dlcs came out, played them a bit, and skipped Forsaken (which was, apparently to many, peak Destiny). But this time I came back with Shadowkeep and have been on and off, and now Beyond Light has my attention.

Destiny has always been a series of infinite potential. Legitimately, it's the only time I'd argue pure potential being a reason to buy a game. There is so much here to love, at the present moment. The lore is fascinating. The world, the environments, the music positively drips Bungie quality. The gunplay is stellar and that classic Bungie gameplay loop is intact, perhaps with settings even more gripping, on occasion, than Halo. And here's the ultimate necessity for a game like this, a grindy looter shooter, a "live service" (which is a term that has rightfully earned derision), the one thing it needs to get right to succeed. Grinding has to be fun. And a lot of the time, it is.

Frankly, if you don't got the cash to buy an xpac every year or the will to stick with this game for quite some time, it probably isn't worth it for you. I would give the lore a good read because whether or not you play the game the setting is absolutely brilliant, but without the time or commitment, Destiny ain't worth it. But if you have the time and commitment, it may be. Destiny evolves. Every 3 months is a new season with new gameplay mechanics, weapons, activities, some worse than others. It's the only "Live Service" game, that dare I say, feels actually alive. But that can take a toll on your wallet every year and time consumption too.

As for the state of the game as of Beyond Light? It embodies my strange love-hate(?) relationship. The xpac itself is great, there's not actually much wrong with the xpac in a vacuum, but it came with an update that the removed a lot of explorable locations, characters, activities and loot. Loot is, at the moment, another sore spot. "Sunsetting" is a newly implemented mechanic where your loot will eventually stop being able to be up to snuff with the game's current power level, in an effort to trim what was the exceedingly bloated sandbox before the expansion's release, with some especially egregious "pinnacle weapons" that were far too powerful.

I personally believe it's not the worst idea on paper but it's execution here, eh. Way too heavy handed, and the expansion alone couldn't possibly recuperate all that lost loot. Certain weapon archetypes are effectively extinct, with only one or two possible weapons to fill them in some cases. Worse still, two DLCs you can still pay for are effectively irrelevant, save for their raids. I heard Bungie will address that, and I assume they will, but until then, don't bother with Forsaken or Shadowkeep, in spite of all they had to offer, what they offer now is kind of...useless, in most current activities in the game. Don't get me wrong, I don't actually mind the trimming of all those areas too much. I don't mind the loss of those ancient, now unobtainable weapons too badly either. But if it's still obtainable in the game, especially as paid dlc content, it should still be valuable. That's my view.

That being said, there's still a lot here to love. I still recommend Destiny 2, glowingly. Especially as Beyond Light's campaign held my attention far better than Shadowkeep's and there's far more to do after it than what there was to do in Shadowkeep. The new loot, particularly the special "exotic" gear, is a blast. And as always there's still a good chunk of build crafting, a new subclass per class, and 4 seasons that will add in new activities, seemingly to last the year. It's a very good expansion, and I managed to hook a friend on it myself. There's always going to be more I want from Destiny. What I envisioned it as, and what I envision could be, is not likely to ever come to pass. And yet it's still strangely captivating, and a grand time to me! Its base form is free, and for that it's worth a peek in. If you need a good game, that can fill droughts between larger releases, I think this is a good game for you. If you need a big game to always keep you busy, this is a good game for you. If you just really like shooting cockroach aliens in the head with a fat revolver that makes said lobotomized periplaneta explode in sunfire, engulfing all his cockroach alien friends nearby, finishing with a neat guntwirl, this is a good game for you. The gameplay is fun, the world is breathtaking, and the sounds and environments are riveting and gorgeous. No matter how much I hate it, I love it all the same.

(Edit for no reason. Sunset is sunsetting. The Bungie classic. Bad idea. Repeal in 6 months. This is an easy recommend now.)

(also, I don't raid. To many, that's the best part. Sorry, too neurotic, even for internet strangers.)

This was a very spur of the moment purchase but one I don't regret making. This game OOZES creativity and has a unique sense of humor that will get a few laughs out of you, not to mention the rather clever reference here or there.
The devs here really squeezed every drop they could get out of the "Hold Back to Launch Projectile Farther" concept from games that I particularly remember playing during the 2000's.

At first it'll be mundane, like "Ahaha, it's not a golf ball I'm launching, but the golfer!" But that's just the tutorial. This game gets far more creative than you would think, and just how creative it gets is the whole selling point, so I dare not spoil any more than what the trailers show.

It's not even sparse on content, such a small-scale game. Each level has two bonus challenges and there's a stagebuilder in the works! It's very impressive just how far they managed to take what I would otherwise assume was just a quick little fun timewaster. This is a very well made, very creative game that had me surprised how much potential such a simple idea ended up having. I'd definitely give it a go if you're a fan of some casual, zany fun.
Also it has a section that reminds me of Gravitee. I loved Gravitee.