Recent reviews by Gradelwolph

I remember playing Bloodborne when it released, thinking "This is absolutely my favorite FromSoft game. Nothing can top this."

And then they released Elden Ring. Bloodborne is now my second favorite FromSoft title, with Elden Ring taking the first spot. Everything from the lore and the world had me pulled in. I've done several playthroughs now, trying out all sorts of builds, weapons, spells, you name it. The possibilities felt truly endless.

The characters you meet during your journey are many, but never feeling empty in lore or personality. The quest lines are incredible, too. The world is massive, but doesn't suffer the fault of open worlds in the form of being empty. Exploration is well rewarded, and challenged.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good souls-like game. FromSoft are professionals with the style, they did create it after all. And Elden Ring is their newest, greatest masterpiece.

The state of the gaming industry at this time allows for the release of unfinished products that one either regrets purchasing, or they hope the game will be better in a future update. This issue has affected games of many types and genre and has left many with the belief that this is simply the standard. That no matter much we do, the bar cannot be raised. Some game publishers preach that single player games are dead or a dying genre, and that the entire game style should be abandoned.

And then you have Psychonauts 2, the greatest breath of fresh air that I and I am sure many have had in years.

When I was a child, I remember so many good memories of playing the first Psychonauts game. Collecting every figment, pairing every bit of baggage with their tags, achieving the max rank. Every memory and every experience with the first game are ones I hold dearly. The first game even helped me through difficult times in my life, early on and through recent events. Even though years passed and talks of a sequel did not start, I always had hope there would be one.

Admittedly, with the state of the gaming industry, I was worried for the state of Psychonauts 2 on its release. I had pre-ordered it for my birthday and even though I was excited, there was still that anxiety in the back of my mind.

But Psychonauts 2 pulled something that is rarely done, it sucked me in right at the title screen. I was blown away at not only the quality, but the consistency that the sequel held and never let go of. The art style, the story telling, the characters, all maintained that charm that gripped me in the first game. Not only did the sequel keep previous game mechanics that gave it soul, it built on them. It was not more of the same, it had expanded and evolved. The story answered so many questions I had from the first game. It somehow wrapped everything up while leaving it open to a future instalment.

My entire experience was smooth and without complaint. Not only was it completely bug free, I never found it to be repetitive, difficult or uninteresting. The design choices for each mind you venture into are all different and unique. I didn't grow frustrated with finding each collectable and I absolutely could not stop playing until I had every single achievement.

In the end, Psychonauts 2 left me not only satisfied with the quality and story, I had been genuinely impressed. The kind of impressed where upon completion, you have to take some time to consider whether or not you actually played something of that quality and stature. It is my belief that Psychonauts 2 is a golden standard of what a game's release should be. Ever since I finished this game, I had struggled with how I would write a review, but now I know what to say.

Truly an incredible masterpiece of game design. Well done, Double Fine, absolutely well done! I will be nominating Psychonauts 2 for the Game of the Year award, an award that Psychonauts 2, without a doubt, deserves.

When Destiny 2 became free to play I was skeptical of the quality of the game. I was concerned that the game would be riddled with micro-transactions that gave players an unfair advantage over those who refuse, or can't afford them. And then I found out that Activision was no longer involved with the game. I wanted to give the game an honest chance because Destiny 1 was a game that I held dear. Still, I went in with no bias.

To say that my experience was a good one would be an understatement. I was immersed into the story and was introduced to worlds packed with things to do, and not in an overwhelming or boring way. The micro-transactions were only needed for cosmetics, even items to boost rewards from missions were only available through in-game currency you didn't have to pay for. The game looks stunning and it has an ability to hook you, to always have a goal of some sort. I've nearly maxed out the Light for all of my characters and there's still much I want to do.

A problem that free to play games have is that the activities or tasks your given can feel unrewarding or just repetitive. This is a problem that Destiny lacks. There's a lot of choice of what armor or weapons to use/experiment with. The near endless climb to get stronger or better is a thrilling and an engaging one.

Destiny 2 is an ambitious game that jumped into the dangerous world of free to play, and it looks to be thriving. A good story, engaging game play, stunning OST, and the endless climb of self improvement really sets this game apart from other free to play games. If you haven't tried it, I highly suggest you do.