Recent reviews by BaC0nz

This game is already an improvement over SMITE 1. There's a lot of potential here for something great. It will take time to build up the roster from the original SMITE, but the team is working hard on it. If you're new to SMITE, now might be a good time to jump in, there’s a smaller roster, so it’s quicker to learn each god’s abilities. I love the cross-play feature, which lets me team up with my friends on consoles. The game is always evolving, so it's exciting to see how the meta shifts. Don't be swayed by the mixed reviews, this game is fantastic! It will take some time, but I definitely recommend it.

Game is incredible! If you are a fan of metroidvanias buy it. It is only $15. The amount of content here is astounding. An average playthrough takes 20-30 hours. Seriously one of, if not my favorite game of 2017.

- Atmosphere and music are wonderful. Soundtrack is memorable. Each area in Hollow Nest feels different and masterfully designed. It was an absolute blast to explore the depths. The world is huge and allows the player to choose their path. Get ready to do some backtracking!

- Beautiful hand drawn art style. The cutscenes and characters designs are cute yet creepy. There are tons of enemies and inventive bosses (130+ enemies and 30+ bosses).

- Tight controls with plenty of abilities to find. The sense of progression is great. You become stronger and more confident as you play. You can also equip charms that give you unique traits.

- Challenging! You will die a lot on boss fights. Learning enemies attack patterns are key to winning these fights. Only one boss felt unfair.


9/10

In conclusion, Hollow Knight offers a solid experience through and through. It is an outstanding value for $15. Without any exaggeration, it is one of the best Metroidvania games ever made and one of the most prominent titles this year.

Enter the Gungeon is a challenging rogue-like game with procedurally generated rooms. You pick 1 of 4 characters (each with their unique traits) and attempt to clear the “gungeon”. As you explore you find guns, keys, items, and earn money for future unlockables that you purchase in the breach. You will encounter different environments, tons of enemies, traps, secrets, shops, and relentless bosses. This game is difficult so it might not be for everyone.


When I first tried Enter the Gungeon I was not impressed. I felt like I was not progressing and I could not even beat the first boss. I gave up and moved on the other games. Recently I just gave “EtG” another shot and I had an absolute blast. There is a steep learning curve that the game does not explain. A few tips that really helped me are:

-Use the weapons you pick up. Do not save them just for the boss.

-Keys are extremely important. Prioritize keys over health in most situations.

-Be patient and learn to use cover effectively. Do not disregard cover now that you have a better weapon.

-Do not open every chest you see. Choose chests wisely and understand the risks of wasting keys. Brown chests are typically not worth it.

-Dodge roll is a very important tool but use it sparingly. Rolling excessively will leave you vulnerable and create bad habits. Try side stepping instead.

-Learn how passive reloading and weapon switching work. It took me awhile to figure this out.

-When you see a chest shoot it once to check if it is a mimic. It will not break the chest and it will save you a lot of trouble.

-Know your enemy. Learn their attack patterns, learn where their bullets go, learn the gaps you can use to avoid taking damage.


After a couple of hours this game really hooked me. Every run is a unique experience. The sheer number of guns, enemy types, bosses, secrets, easter eggs, and references are insane. I wanted to keep exploring the “gungeon” in hopes to find something new. You can rescue characters throughout your exploration. Not only do the rescued characters sell you items, but some of them give you tasks such as completing a room using a specific gun. These events and challenges add even more variety to the experience and keep the whole thing feeling fresh even after many hours. It never felt repetitive! Not to mention, I always was improving my skills. I acquired better weapons and I became familiar with boss patterns and enemy attacks. I could ace the first floor without even being hit. That sense of progression was awesome and kept me interested.


The music is decent, nothing outstanding besides the title track. The graphics are colorful and full of flair. The enemies, bosses, weapons, and effects look neat. Particularly the weapons stood out to me. They are well animated and include highly detailed designs. The NPC’s dialogue and enemies made me laugh from time to time. The light heartedness helps you not rage, which is a good thing! Also, I should mention that this game controls wonderfully. Either with a controller or mouse, everything was responsive and snappy.


8/10

Zombie Estate 2 is a wonderful little game. It is full of personality. The weapons, characters, zombie types, and hats are just as quirky as they were back in 2013 (when ZE2 originally launched on Xbox arcade). You can play with up to four people online or local co-op on 6 different maps. This game is easily worth $5. Not to mention, the developer is already planning to add more weapons, characters, hats, leaderboards, achievements, bug fixes, and control fixes. It is awesome to see this support on such a small game.

• Very addicting and fun with friends.
  
• Over 100 weapons to choose from. Weapons vary from shotguns, swords, automatic rifles, rocket launchers, turrets, and much more.
  
• 13 zombie types that act differently. For example, Goliaths move very slow but have a lot of health. Hazmat Zombies explode dealing damage in an area when they die. This forces the player to approach these zombies a different way.
  
• 3 difficulty modes (Casual, Hard, and Unlimited). Casual and Hard last up to 15 consecutive waves and allow the player 3 attempts to survive.
  
• 35 characters with unique stats and starting weapons. Unlockable hats can alter character stats and help buff certain aspects. For example, you can choose a character that specifically focuses on melee or fire damage.
  
• Soundtrack is awesome and unique. The shop theme is wonderful!

• Some balancing issues and a few bugs. Some weapons are overpowered while others feel completely useless.
  
• PC controls could be a little better. Primarily switching through a lot of weapons is a pain (Dev plans to fix this).
  
• Lack of replay value after you unlock everything (Dev stated he has plans to add more content).
  
• A few bugs and HUD does not scale at higher resolutions (Dev is aware of this problem and is working on a fix).
  
• While it is not necessary a CON it might take a while to find a match. The player base is not the biggest. I suggest playing with friends if you can.

8/10

Zombie Estate 2 is completely worth it in my eyes. The content and replay value for $5 cannot be beaten. Not to mention, the Dev plans to include even more content in the future. It is a fun little game that is very accessible and is a blast to play. I recommend that you try it!

Set 15 years after the events of Dishonored, this game tells the story of the empress, Emily Kaldwin, and her father, Corvo Attano. Emily is unexpectedly overthrown by the Duke of Serkonos and his servants. You get to play as either Emily or Corvo and attempt to reclaim the throne. The story takes place in Dunwall and Karnaca. Karnaca is a new location in the Dishonored series and is home to the Duke. Throughout the game, you try to take down those in power and reclaim your rightful position.


To begin with, the PC version of this game has issues. Performance was horrifying at launch and has since gotten a bit better. It is not very good. I have a mid-end system and managed to play through it at 30-60 fps on a mix of low/medium settings. Do not expect amazing performance unless you have an absolute beast of a PC (you still might run into problems). I experience a lot of FPS dips. Nonetheless, there is a fantastic game under all the issues. I would suggest buying this game on consoles! I recommend this game, just not on PC.


If you liked the first game, then I have no doubt this will feel familiar and even more expansive. Every aspect of the first game is here and has been greatly improved. It is a bigger and a bolder version. The world is remarkable and densely packed with secrets and collectables. There are notes, diaries, maps, bone charms, relics, safes, loot, audio logs, and much more. There are a ton of side stories and other material that can all be discovered. Even though the experience only has nine main missions, the amount of replay-ability and exploration is insane. With two protagonists, a new game + mode, tons of powers, upgrade trees, and different weapons it begs the player to start a second playthrough. It is all up to you to make Dishonored 2 your own experience. Not every aspect of this game is perfect but you have the choice to do what you want. That is what makes this game so great.

• Large world with an outstanding atmosphere. Dunwall and Karnaca are a joy to explore and look at. Even on LOW graphic settings the world looks breath taking. The music fits well too. Levels are more vertical and larger than the previous game.
  
• Superb level design and a remarkable sense of place. Each level feels different and involves unique characters. The world feels alive and is full of NPC’s.
  
• Tons of gameplay choices, fluid combat system, and an outstanding mix of weapons and supernatural powers to use. It is fun to test out powers and think of creative ways to eliminate enemies.
  
• Huge replay value with countless ways to play (newgame + and custom difficulty in Jan). Player freedom! I have spent a few hours just reloading safes and discovering new ways to play.
  
• Lots of collectables and items to discover within the beautiful environments. Upgrade trees and bone charm crafting.

• Performance! The game still has many issues. Changing weapons and powers results in annoying stutters. Audio is wonky at times. Also, the sensitivity is not nearly as smooth as the first game.
  
• Plot too similar to previous game. Primarily the introduction feels very familiar. However, It gets better as the story goes on.
  
• Ending(s) were lackluster. I put a lot of time into my non-lethal run and was not satisfied as to how the story played out. A great deal of buildup and interesting lore is ruined with lousy ending(s).

8/10

Dishonored 2 is a wonderful sandbox full of so many different options. It is up to the player to take these options and make them into something enjoyable. Everyone will experience this game differently and make it their own playthrough. It truly is a shame that Dishonored 2 is plagued by performance issues. Please Arkane, fix your game!

SMITE is a third-person MOBA developed and published by Hi-Rez studios. I thoroughly enjoy this game (as you can tell by my hours) and I highly recommend it. I could ramble on forever about this game but I think the most impactful and exciting aspect is the camera angle. The third-person perspective is what initially sparked my interest. I disliked the point and click controls of other MOBAS. In SMITE I feel like I have control over my character and can aim all my abilities freely. In short, if you are looking for something different in the MOBA scene, download SMITE and try it out. Its free so you do not have anything to lose. Also, some people may be turned off because SMITE is a free to play game. Luckily, there is nothing in SMITE that you can pay for that would give you an advantage over another player. You can purchase voice packs, skins, icons, etc.

Battlerite is not a MOBA.
No lanes, no minions, no towers, no farming.
Skill based PvP combat.
Fun, face paced, and intense.
Would highly recommend that you give it a try.