Recent reviews by Senpire

Path of Exile 2 is the epitome of the ARPG genre.
This exile-like game brings many challenges to the table for those brave enough to take the challenge. It is difficult yet somehow easy, complex but simple - A simple thing to learn but a hard thing to master.

Grinding Gear Games have existed in the space for quite a few years with the prequel and highly acclaimed title Path of Exile, and the sequel does not dissappoint. Or does it? This review is written during the early access-period of the game, within the first week of it being released. Expect highs and lows!

Despite what many people believe, this game is in fact not finished. I know, big surprise! But the experience you'll gain from playing it will be comparable to none. Despite the game suffering certain balance issues, the game itself feels more complete and fleshed out than many other games like it. Despite the game having a focus on end-game, the story feels rich, the NPC's engaging and the boss battles... Well, I'm not going to spoil anything but they are some of the best I've seen. The art direction and the design team have given us something special. In fact, anyone working on this title have given their all; and it shows. I'll take this time to give a huge shoutout to every single one involved in the making of this fantastic game. Stay true to your vision.

For newer people that have not yet experienced the prequel, heading into this game might feel like a challenge though I promise you it's not. The system is easy to undestand but it is easy to mess up. But don't worry, you'll be able to undo those choices in your tree. At a cost. The higher your level the more expensive respeccing becomes. At the start the cost never plays a factor, but should you mess up frequently, and at a higher level to boot - You might face certain difficulities. Similarly there are certain builds that breeze through most of the content.

Unfortunately Grinding Gear Games have taken it upon themselves to go on what I'd like to call a nerfing spree. Which has resulted in many people ending up with sub-par builds. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but remember my previous point about respeccing. I would personally like to see them give some love to certain skills, passive skill nodes and equipment pieces that simply does not see any use. But again, this game is not yet complete. We're expecting 6 more classes for a total of 12. And all of them will have 3 ascendancies whereas they are at only 2 right now.

What are ascendancies you might ask? Once you get to a certain point you're going to get a quest item from the game, telling you to go to a place and face a challenge. Doing so and succeeding will award you with an ascendancy. Which is essentially a class upgrade. You'll get access to an extra skill tree and extra points to spend in it. These trials come in an increasing difficulity level; passing them rewards you with two points to spend on your ascendancy skill-tree for a maximum of 8. But be warned, they are tough and might require several attempts. Though killing monsters is a core gameplay feature, these trials will involve mechanics that will test you as a player, not just your character.

So far the end-game content has been satisfying for me on a personal level, though I will admit that at the time of writing this review I have not yet faced any of the pinnacle end-game maps and bosses. Something I am looking forward to doing. Path of Exile 2 will always keep you on your toes and you'll never feel like you don't know what to do or how to progress. Even during end-game where what you do is very much up to you, the game will tell you how to progress up to a certain point. But you'll certainly be encouraged to explore on your own.

As an early access title, it's fantastic. But have this in mind if you do try the game out. Some features are missing and if you're heading into it expecting the same depth and build-variety as in Path of Exile 1, we're not there yet; and maybe we never will be. This is a separate game and should be treated as such.

Enjoy the marvels that Grinding Gear Games are throwing at you.
Maybe you won't get hit in the face. But if you do, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Lost Ark is a fresh take on the MMO genre. An almost Diablo-esque experience, shared in a semi-open world environment. The game originally released in south korea the year of 2019, while the western release first aimed for a 2021 release. The game unfortunately got delayed until 2022. The reason for this however, according to GoldRiver himself, was because he wanted to make sure the game got released with the proper end-game content available for the audience. It was a hard decision to make but ultimately I think it was worth it. Lost Ark released with a pletera of end game content just waiting to be explored. The game bolsters gorgeous animations and the battle system is responsive. Contrary to most other MMO's all the classes of Lost Ark are capable of clearing the solo content the game has to offer. None of them fill traditional roles, so you are free to experiment with different classes and pick the one that suits you best. The game offers great graphical fidelity for a game of its genre; and the character creation will let you go wild with lots of different features like multi-colored hair, two different eye colors, movable tattoos and of course all kind of sliders. The gameplay feels responsibe and the game has been an overall joy to play.

However.
The launch of the game has been rough. With the massive amount of interested players that seemingly wanted to experience Lost Ark, the server capacity quickly suffered from overpopulation. This resulted in extreme log-in queues, several hours of waiting, locked character creation and even a delayed release once the game opened up to everyone. Many more issues stemmed from this and as a result, many people have been unable to create characters on the same servers as their friends. Resulting in a large amount of backlash. While Smile Gate studios has offered some compensation, as of writing this review, many are still unable to connect or play the game.

I've taken my good time to play this game and some more time to re-evaluate what I came in hoping to experience as I started this game. Having said that, here's my review as of now 18 hours into the game:

The bad:
Code Vein takes a lot of inspiration from the Dark Souls series when it comes to level and monster design. Unfortunately it fails to reach the same height and it doesn't go far enough to add its own unique flavour to the experience. Sometimes it feels like a cheap copy of something great. Along with bad textures and floaty controls it doesn't do well to compare it to the Dark Souls series from which it takes its inspiration.
The controls are wonky and honestly pretty bad. You can change the controls but the inherent combo system won't get much better no matter regardless. It feels awkward and combos don't come together naturally. The level up system doesn't allow you much personalization or customization. Instead all you can do to make yourself a "unique" build is to rely on the weapons and armors that you equip, along with some skills that ultimately don't feel important or interesting. The game has an interesting story to tell, but it does a bad job telling it. Instead shoving exposition and character backstory down your throat through endless cutscenes wrapped together with a frustrating amount of loading screens. So far I have yet to experience any PvP element. It seems like invasions, one of the things a lot of people loved in the souls series was not included in this game. Which is a shame.

The good:
The character creation is splendid and probably the most fun I've had with character creation in any game I've played. Though it lacked certain elements I would have loved to see (difference in muscularity, nose and mouth adjustments together with some more body adjustments) I still sat through multiple hours of it. Another thing I like about the game is the ability to play with a friend. I don't know how many you can play with as I've only tried to play together with one. The game has a lot of different classes which helps you to create something that feels unique, despite the very limited and badly designed leveling system.

Summary: Don't go into this game expecting anything near what Dark Souls has to offer. Play it like its own thing and play it with a friend. It's a decent game but not one I'll be remembering in the future.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an awesome game of its own. Created by Fromsoftware, the creators of marvelous titles such as Dark Souls, Demon's Souls and Bloodborne. While the game has similar features compared to their previous titles, such as resetting enemies while resting at a safeplace and consumables that you can use to buff yourself up before a fight with - that's where the similaries end. If you're planning on getting this game, know that there is no character customization options. When you step into this game, you are playing as "Wolf/Sekiro". Not your own character. The days of Fashion Souls are gone and left behind. The level-up system in this game is also different compared to Fromsoftware's previous titles. No longer will you be able to grind enemies in order to get past that certain area you've been struggling with. With that said: The game is tough, the combat quick and meaty. It'll test your patience, reflexes and your temper. A solid game in its own right that shouldn't be held back by being compared to Dark Souls and the very different experience that comes with it.

Lords of the Fallen is a beautiful game that feels like a mix between the gameplay of Dark Souls, the loot from Darksiders and the aestetics from a Blizzard game. The movement and the combat feels very responsive and the flow is very natural with each of your swings with your weapon. This game does a good job at showing off great animation, especially when you land your blows on the enemies and stagger them. The controls are easy to learn, though you can't re-bind your keys for either keyboard or controller. There are how ever, two control settings from which you can select; if the original controler scheme should not meet your standards. The game does a good job at delivering the story to you and it doesn't forcefully do so either. Every dialogue is skippable, should the story not meet your fancy. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn't very challenging and there are no settings to change the difficulity. The video options are also very lacking and should you not use an Nvidia Video Card (Graphic Card) you won't be very pleased that the game has a running PhysX that you can't toggle on and off; Making the game run awfully bad for those that do not have support for PhysX. The camera can be a bit off from time to time, but the game generally does a good job at making sure you know what's going on around you.

I would recommend this game to anyone that enjoys a third person fantasy-based RPG. If you're into Dark Souls, you might want to have a look at the game for a casual playthrough if anything.

As of the time I'm writing this review, I'm 6 hours into the game and have not yet died a single time.

This is the epitome of horror games. Amnesia: The Dark Descent will get you to bite your nails and to hover the mouse-pointer over that quit button more than any other game currently out there. Instead of giving you a gun and point you in the direction of monsters, this game hands you a lantern with a minimum amount of fuel, remove all your memories, have you wake up in a haunted house and throws monster after monster at you. There will be no monster-hunting here. In this game, the monsters come after you. Forget the action filled games of today. You run, you hide, and you beg after your mother. If you enjoy a good scare, then you better buy Amnesia!

Bioshock Infinite is the third game from the continuing Bioshock franchise. If you've played the sequels, then you should definitely give this game a go. While the world is beautiful and the new companion AI is one of the better ones currently seen in gaming, the game do have a lot of flaws. Some of them are the lack of choices. While the game does provide you with some choices, it's all an illusion. They will not impact future gameplay and the game will not provide you with different endings unlike the previous titles. If you're looking for a good story and shooting bad guys from ziplines in a flying city, I recommend trying this out. But hardcore fans might be a little disappointed.

Dark Souls takes time and effort in order to be played properly. This isn't your typical hack n' slash game where you simply hit the enemy first and then keep mashing that hit button in order to win. Every hit counts, even towards yourself. You have to learn how to block and how to parry if you wish to survive the endless horde of undeads, monsters and dragons that this game throws at you; and if that's not enough, this game won't hold your hand and guide you where to go. Dark Souls just tosses you into this deep world with little to no understanding of how things work. Explore and discover. Kill or be killed. While there are some design points I question, I really do enjoy a good challenge. And Dark Souls: Prepare to die edition provided.

This game has an extremely compelling storyline. The characters are complex with unique personalities and you really grow to love or hate every single one of them. While the actual gameplay of this title differs from most games these days, the developers made a risky move by going for the whole "point and click" puzzle-kind of gameplay; and it was a great success! If you're looking for that something extra, this is the game for you!

Dust: An Elysian Tail is probably one of the best games I've ever played. Litterally.
The art is amazing and the animations are flawless. The controlls are fast and precise. The story itself could use some polishing, even then the story is a masterpiece in comparision to what big companies throw out to us gamers nowadays; and this game was made by a single person! The port from Xbox 360 to PC is one of the most astonishing ports I've ever witnessed in any game what so ever. Buy it. Now.