Recent reviews by May'Sa

You have to get this game on a sale because it's exceedingly short, but you also HAVE to get this game because it's masterfully made.

Listen, I'm not a fan of the Guardians. Or I wasn't. Both in movies and in comics, they are a teenager's fantasy moreso than most superheroes, and very "boys will be boys". And yet, somehow, Eidos Montreal managed to make this adventure a deep, meaningful mix of intrincate personal drama, surprisingly well-placed humor, a plot that never stops being creative and perfectly over-the-top, and heart-pumping adrenaline.

I'm as surprised as anyone that my least favorite bunch in the MCU turned into one of my all-time favorite action/adventure titles in 30 years of gaming, yet here we are. If you like third person shooters with a twist in mechanics, go for it.

First thing I want to point out is that if you're due an upgrade soon, wait until you got a 30XX or better card, especially 4070 or better. It's a heavy game, and without smoothness you won't enjoy all it can offer.

Regarding the game itself, contrary to most action/adventure titles, you're not a super bad-ass master-of-all-trades. You're a scoundrel, a human scoundrel with all its strengths and shortcomings, making do in a chaotic underworld of a war-torn galaxy. The narrative and the gameplay reflect that, and especially the protagonist's personality and how she evolves through the story.

The gameplay is shallow, but varied. You will do a bit of everything - stealth, shootouts, bike riding, spaceship-flying, exploration. None of it is super deep, but it's rewarding enough, and the multitude of environments and objectives will keep you entertained.

It wasn't the grandest experience in the industry I've had, but I'll cherish it. I **just** wish they hadn't made RTX mandatory, because this would have made performance 2-3 better. For context, I can run Cyberpunk stable at 60-80 fps on Ultra, without RTX, with DLSS on Balance. I can't hold 30 with DLSS on Performance here simply because the game doesn't have non-RTX lighting. Such is life, I just need more money.

So this is it. I did two playthroughs of each, FO and Survivor, after years of owning the first and never touching it. They were top 10 best gaming experiences of my entire 28 years of gaming (started at 8, am 36). And now I'm done.

I turned on the game again tonight to go after exploration, chests, etc., which I already collected some of in the first playthrough I might add (did an NG again, no NG+), and I got that sinking feeling we all know about. Your stomach feels heavy and your heart drops. You don't want to play the game. You're satisfied with what you got, and bored of looking any further. And it's goodbye.

There isn't much to say, it's just hard letting go. The writing, the voice acting, the animation in combat and cutscenes, the worlds, the plots and plot twists, the side quests in the second game, the challenge of JGM (particularly some tears we are all familiar with). It was... the blast of a lifetime. It's indescribable, in the endless universe of games there are very very few experiences like this. And I love every bit of work put into this, from the budgeting to the mocapping and everything in-between. Thank you to all involved, if you ever read this. And goobye.

Jedi: Fallen Order is ABSOLUTE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ CINEMA, even if you don't care all that much about Star Wars.

I know this isn’t an uncommon opinion, I just wanted to highlight the fact in case anyone is still up on the wall about playing it. To begin with, for non-gamers or non-super-fans, I want to draw attention to the fact the game has a difficulty slider, and the lowest difficulty should accommodate even the people least used to gaming. And you need to know very little beyond the overall TL;DR of the movies about the galaxy being ruled by a republic, which was toppled and became a tyrannical empire, and the existence and basics of jedi, sith, and order 66.

But as to why the game is SO incredibly good particularly, the list would me immense. I'll try to shorten it for discussion and for those curious First, as an "older" gamer (36), it's often hard to relate to younger protagonists. So coming-of-age stories rarely resonate with me. However, the protagonist is written in a much more mature way than most 20-somethings, and more importantly, there's a lot of believable, well-written, multifaceted character growth. It's enriching to see a person go through these experiences, reflect on them, and improve themselves based on that. And on this note, every character is likable. I don't mean every character is a goody-two-shows, in fact, I don't think any of them are. But they're all interesting literary components, none of them are boring or single-faceted, and they all change as the game progresses. And their little interactions, chatter between themselves and with you, it's all part of the experience.
Secondly, the gaming itself. While yes, the combat could be more complex and the powers you unlock are predictable and somewhat limited, this doesn't hinder the enjoyment nearly as much as it could. Everything is well animated and flows well, the heavy creatures and combatants feel heavy, the light ones feel light, there are calculating enemies, there are wild-nearly-suicidal enemies, there are many instances of groups of enemies hostile to each other facing off as you observe from afar or jump in the middle to intervene, different ways to deal with different threats, and if you do pump up the difficulty, you can struggle at some particular moments.

The platforming is satisfying. Because of the animations, of how cinematic everything is, and the map design allowing for well-thought-out shortcuts to make re-runs more varied, less static. Coming back to a location after unlocking new forms of traversal is interesting because you will face some of the same fights with new powers, and some new fights that were not there before. There are also secrets to find which add a little bit to the narrative and make you stronger, which makes it more satisfying. The only weak point of the game shows up here, however, but it isn't that impactful - much of the exploration rewards you only with cosmetics, and they honestly matter little, look ugly, and don't add to the lore. This is a shame, but one we can overlook.

Lastly, if you go in blind both as to the story and to the unlocks, you will be surprised with incredibly scene direction, heartfelt voice acting, and some "no way, this is super cool!" curveballs. Those who played it know exactly what I'm talking about, from the little surprise in Dathomir to the best cameo there is.

I think my bottomline is - it doesn't matter if you're not used to gaming, it doesn't matter if you're not used to Star Wars, if you like convincing stories and exciting interactable moments, the game is super worth it.

If I were to throw one little pet peeve in the mix for reasons of fairness, it's that with such a short game (30-35 hours for the first run, less for a second if you want it, totally probably 50-60 tops), with little in the way of choice-making, it would have cost them very, very little to have added a female alternative to Cal. ♥♥♥♥, I don't think they would even need to change the name, people in the franchise are called the most ♥♥♥♥♥ things all the time.

Other than that?
Absolute. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Cinema.

Nov/2024 review after every update and the DLC: Solid 8/10 game with absolutely unique feel and impressive production values, but somewhat simplistic combat and imbalanced pacing of powering up.

It plays as an isometric AC in some ways, as the map is highly vertical, your character is capable of climbing much more than you'd think at first, there is a disguise system, full stealth, stealth killing, and open combat. The scenario is sort of post-apoc, sort of cyberpunk, sort of steampunk. The voice acting of almost everyone in the game is good or excellent, particularly the two protagonists, and it has highly rewarding exploration in a large, but not overwhelming map.

There are still some bugs and glitches that won't be fixed, but nothing gamebreaking. If I could shoot you two tips as a newcomer, it's those: first, try to aim your exploration as the quests take you, otherwise you could end up in frustratingly difficult parts of the map too early; secondly, don't worry too much about crafting or gear upgrade and skills, those will come naturally as you kill people, find things, and accomplish quests.

All in all, highly memorable experience for a more than humble price at this point. And given the enhanced edition upgrades, it looks like it could have been released last month. Remember to zoom in and take your time to really appreciate the details, and zoom out for a clear view of enemies, pathing, sense mode, etc. while in hostile areas.

Great little beat'em'up for those brought back to the genre by SoR4. Superpowers actually canon instead of implied like SoR. And a nice little modernized narrative with twitter posts and everything. Highly enjoyable solo or with friends.

It isn't as gripping as previous titles due to increased move speed, a more colorful scenario, specialists, and the lack of fortification buildings and destruction from 5 and 1. Still a fun title on a sale for a change of pace.

It's a combat game in which your main goal is to minimize combat. If you're looking for a terror/tension sort of vibe and not so focused on tactical combat gameplay, this game might be for you. It reminds me a lot of Escape Room games. But if you're looking for military tactics, this isn't it. The main mechanic is that you're always pressed for time and enemy awareness as they inevitably overrun you if you stay long enough or confront them enough, so you hide and sneak as much as you can. Nice try, but I'll pass.

Contrary to the main game, which I highly praised with few cons, I am unsure as to whether the DLC adds to the story or makes the game overstay its welcome.

Halfway through it and there are no new items other than the hammer and the katana, the enemies that are not part of the main antagonist company just seem like a random conglomerate of robots and gangsters, this combination works against gameflow because you keep needing more than two weapons on a shortcut - which forces you into the menu constantly - and there are no new augs or tacticals. Narrative-wise, it doesn't get far beyond the wageslaves of shadowrun and 2022, rebranded as "lifers". Not to say the final boss is literally revealed in the first dialogue and the rest of the story is similarly predictable.

Sure, it's more to do, there are very cinematic moments, and if I could, I'd give a "gray area" review, but since I only got two options, it's a thumbs down. Very attached fans will enjoy it despite the drawbacks, the rest will probably drop it halfway through.

Play close to your screen and use your headsets. The production values are immense, specially for an isometric. The gameplay is fun enough, even if it can get a bit repetitive as you lack options. If I can give you one tip before starting, it's this: don't try to do sidequests as soon as you get them, do them after the main quest has made you explore the target area. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time butting heads against unauthorized access or super high level enemies.

WARNING - the game is known for losing savegames entirely if you lose power during gameplay. Make a shortcut of the savegames folder and back it up somewhere else after each session. It takes a couple of seconds and may save you dozens of hours - and a lot of stress.