Recent reviews by Yaqoub

Fantastic follow up to the first Space Marine.

TEKKEN 8 is a total package worthy of being at the top of its series, if not in the fighting games genre overall.

The game comes with a plethora of modes for players of all kinds to experience and enjoy.

The conclusion to the epic Mishima saga is set in this game's story mode, which has been going on for so long and it's a roller coaster of a ride (quite literally!). Jin is the main focus here, and if you're a fan of Jin in particular you'll be quite happy. I think the story mode is made for the fans to enjoy because of all the touches and (tasteful) fan service scattered in. Cutscenes are animated nicely and they made real good use of the soundtrack (more on that later).

The Arcade Quest mode is also catered to single player minded players which can be a great tool to teach them TEKKEN basics while having fun simulating playing at arcades. It is very well done and nicely thought out, effectively gamifying the learning process.

TEKKEN Ball is back since TEKKEN 3 but they added some more modern gameplay elements to it to keep up with the gameplay changes in this game which is nice. You can play online with friends as well.

The customization is really good. You can unlock items from Arcade Quest as well, which is a nice incentive to make progress there. You'll find a lot of creative ideas implemented by players everywhere and you can take your design online to show everyone your creativity.

The online experience is a mixed bag. I like the idea of the lobby system which makes it fun to roam around and have conversations with players in the chat. You can also type in your language in the chat which is super nice. As for the matchmaking it takes a while to find a match sometimes. Not sure if it's how the algorithm is written but it's inconsistent. A rework could be needed to help improve reliability. Also netcode is good except for when the connection is not stable. Other games tend to rollback much smoother than this game, but I personally had more good connections than bad ones. It helps that the game indicates if the opponent is on WiFi or is having performance issues. Crossplay also works which is great to have on day one.

JUKEBOX! The feature is implemented very well, you can create playlists featuring your favorite music from all previous TEKKEN games as well and have them play over any stage or even change the character select theme.

Practice mode is awesome and fully featured. You can also use the replay feature to watch your replays and take control at any point to help you learn from mistakes or try to recreate situations you had in a fight as a really awesome learning tool.

Graphically the game is a big upgrade from TEKKEN 7. Character models were recreated with more detail and better textures. Stages look beautiful, down to the lighting. Sound effects in general are great, most have been replaced with new ones and they sound punchy. I like them a lot.

Mechanically I like the new Heat system changes. It adds a new layer of oppression, which is the general theme of the game thus far, and it allows the aggressor to keep pressuring. There will be a learning curve in the mid to high levels on how to deal with this sudden pressure for the duration of the Heat Gauge and especially that TEKKEN now has chip damage. With that being said, combat feels exciting, looks great even while spectating. I am sure the team will keep the game alive with balance patches every season to keep things feeling fresh.

The launch characters have a nice selection of fan favorites along with some new faces like Victor, Reina and Azucena. They are very cool additions to the roster and if that's the kind of quality they're aiming for I can't wait to see the DLC characters in the future. No complaints here.

Overall, I think this game deserves to be on the top of the franchise. The mix of content found is made with love and aimed at every type of gamer. Competitively it seems to be the most exciting TEKKEN has been for me in years, and hopefully with more years to come as they've shown with TEKKEN 7's lifespan.

Highly recommended!

A LONG awaited return to form!

Capcom's fighting games division needed a win, and what they delivered is way beyond that. Street Fighter 6 is an awesome fighting game.

You'll find content catered for you no matter what type of gamer you are; casuals can hit the streets in World Tour mode, learn the ropes through fun activities, mini-games and mild RPG elements. You create an avatar and customize its appearance, then later learn special moves from the Street Fighter characters (masters) and create your own style of fighter.

When you're done and ready to learn proper Street Fighter, you can go to the Fighting Grounds where you'll find all the main SF stuff: VS mode, Team Battle, Practice, Combo Training, etc.

The character roster is fantastic. You get the original World Warriors, then you have some others sprinkled from different SF games. Each character's design was very well thought out. Classic characters show some age since the story line has advanced in the first time since 3rd Strike, while new faces like Luke, Jamie and Kimberly add a younger vibe to the mix. The amount of personality these characters were given is crazy good, you'll find a hard time hating any of them. Lots of details were given to each, even winning a PERFECT round they're given a special win pose. There's so much to seek out in terms of design, personality and gameplay concepts.

Speaking of gameplay...

The main mechanics are very well thought out; the Drive system is fantastic. Drive Impact, Drive Reversal, Drive Parry, OD moves, Drive Rush are all very fun to use and all have ways to counter. Something you'll have to learn as you play as utilizing them properly is key to your survival. Over time you'll find yourself using them correctly and improve your overall skill. Always remember: there is a counter to every mechanic in the game! You have to learn how to react and correctly punish mistakes. Drive Impact & Drive Rush both can be properly punished.

Modern Controls is basically a new control scheme. You get Light, Medium, Heavy and Special buttons which make attacking easier to grasp for beginners. Special moves can be done with a single press of the Special button along with a direction (doing special moves that way incurs a damage penalty) which allow for faster reactions. It's also viable for high level play if you do invest time in learning it, but it's optional.

You can always use the Classic Controls 6-button layout if you prefer and play Street Fighter like you always used to.

There's also Dynamic Controls, which is basically made for casuals to mash buttons and have fun at gatherings and not-so-serious party play.

Take those skills further and go online with the Battle Hub feature, which takes your avatar to a virtual arcade where you can meet other players and challenge them to fights. You can also play some classic Capcom arcade games and Capcom will rotate the games from time to time.

Now, the true improvement and paradigm shift is the online experience. The netcode has been awesome since day 1. IT HAS CROSSPLAY! You can play against anyone on PC, PS5 or even Xbox. Rollback netcode was implemented properly, allowing you to play with players further away than what we used to be able to play compared to older SF games, and even compared to other fighting games. It's awesome. You can actually enjoy playing Ranked matches and learn!

Master rank is where your skill is truly put to the test, where you will be matched with high level players. You'll need to really work hard for your win, and it's really satisfying because the netcode allows you to properly play with more regions and expose yourself to play-styles beyond what you're familiar with at locals.

The visuals are fantastic; characters look great, animations are fluid and attention to detail can be seen everywhere. Audio is great too, voice acting in both EN and JP are very well done. Music is subject to your taste, I like most of it so it doesn't bother me.

The game runs great on a multitude of devices, including the Steam Deck and ROG Ally. Perfect for labbing in training mode while on the go!

All in all, I believe this game is one of--if not THE-- best games you can buy these days. A product truly made with love. Mechanics were thought out very well. High level play is extremely satisfying. Online is so good it's very addictive.

It is easily my game of the year, and one of the best games I've ever played.

HIGHLY recommended!

Remade to perfection.

Capcom managed to not only play on the nostalgia I have for the original release, but also trick me into believing how it would've looked if I were to reminisce of it as I played.

It is so well crafted, environments artistically designed, combat refined, sound engineering as top notch as modern Resident Evil games... It's a whole perfect burger you get to have an eat as well.

I am immensely satisfied, and I do intend on playing it again on a harder difficulty.

The default difficulty gives some challenge earlier in the game, but once you power up some weaponry Leon can get to be quite a monster.

Friends who started on Hardcore difficulty seem to enjoy the challenge though, so if you aim to challenge yourself from the get-go then start with Hardcore and work your way up to Professional difficulty as your next playthrough.

Graphically they did a great job, though lighting can sometimes look a bit off at times which can ruin the beauty of the game's assets and character models, but it's not a big deal. Ray Tracing implementation is similar to modern RE titles which had it--which looks alright.

Overall, I highly recommend it.

Worth every cent.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

One of the best hack and slash type games I've ever had the absolute pleasure of playing.

Shadow-dropping a gem like this takes a lot guts and I really respect that.

To keep it short:

Pros:
- Awesome combat, never gets boring
- Upgrading abilities and special moves is very well paced
- Art style is awesome, very vibrant
- All characters, both heroes and villains are incredibly lovable
- The music is great! Everything syncs to the rhythm
- Gameplay is really really good in general

Cons:
- Some repetitiveness in the design of some levels, but it's easy to overlook when they start surprising you with some new ideas littered around in each level
- Platforming can sometimes be a little rough, control while jumping is a little constricted. It's serviceable but can maybe be a little better

Overall, this game was such a pleasure to play through. You can feel the passion and the fun devs had making this game. I really hope this becomes a series of games in the future which we can keep looking forward to with new ideas and mechanics. Tango Gameworks knocked it out of the park!

A MUCH needed upgrade to the foundation that was KOFXIV

The game features 39 characters, most of which are returning faces from the previous game.

Adjustments made to the system of the game made it much more approachable for beginners to pick up while veterans (and especially those who played KOFXIV) will feel right at home. EX moves are now accessible outside of MAX mode and costs only half a bar of meter, MAX mode adjustments made it more expensive to use (2 bars now) while toned down in general compared to the previous game.

Graphically, the game also builds upon the foundation of its predecessor. Characters look a ton better than in XIV, the colors are vibrant, special effects look good in motion and they added new animations to almost all the cast. Voice actors reprise their roles from the previous games too with new lines recorded that far surpass their previous work, adding more life to their respective characters. Terry's VA did an exceptional job shouting "BUSTER IGNITION" for example. That delivery...

Online has been working great for me so far considering that I live in Kuwait (Middle East), I have had some great matches with neighboring friends from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for example, thanks to the implementation of rollback netcode. I've had matches with players with pings as high as 230ms yet they played incredibly and shockingly smooth! I don't know how they pulled this off but I am guessing Code Mystics might have helped them achieve that. My only problem with the game's current state (as of the date of publishing this review) is that the matchmaking requires a rework, it takes a long time to match me with someone and I get a lot of failed connections when I find a match.

I haven't delved into any single player since I rarely play fighting games and enjoy them alone so I cannot give a fair opinion with regards to their single player content, but the game does have some form of story mode and a combo challenge mode (albeit seemingly watered down). They included a DJ Mode which allows you to pick music from previous games in the KOF franchise or other NeoGeo games but that requires you to beat the game with secret team combinations to unlock (which is nice if you want single player content).

Overall, I am very happy with this game. Great online, looks and moves fantastic, music is nice and the overall gameplay feels fantastic. I hope SNK continues to support the game with DLC and keep interest high.

My only request from the devs at this point is to hopefully add crossplay. Maybe some day!

Half-Life is back. Even if it's in VR the game is a full Half-Life experience. Took me around 14 hours to beat the campaign and the story is great.

Played this game seated, used OpenVR Advanced Settings to tweak the height to get it just right, they added full right stick camera control via update which I truly appreciate as it is my favorite control scheme to use, but it's tough on some people who might get sick from independent camera movement from head movement but try it and if it clicks it clicks! Otherwise, there's a ton of control options they allow you to mix and match and see what works for you.

Physics interactions were balanced nicely, they didn't go way overboard like Boneworks and they didn't pull way back, they found a nice balance to keep you immersed while keeping you from breaking the game easily. Shooting in this game felt better than most other VR experiences.

Audio is awesome. Sounds like a Half-Life game for sure! Ambiance, graphics, voice acting are all pretty great and look great, very immersive.

I highly recommend this game. It's currently my favorite VR experience to date. Resident Evil 7 in VR on PlayStation 4 was the defacto experience but lacked the interaction Half-Life: Alyx has and this blows RE7 out of the water. Of course, I don't intend to compare both games directly, I meant in terms of immersion in VR for a full-length game. I am aware that RE7 was designed to be played with or without VR, while this game is a full-fledged VR experience, and one of the best you can experience right now.

Well done, Valve. I hope going forward Half-Life remains a VR experience in which they can come up with super interesting, industry shifting ideas like we had with the older games in the franchise.

This is one of those games that I feel needed more exposure because there's nothing quite like it these days. It's an arena shooter more akin to the old school generation of shooting games and I always missed those. Sadly UT isn't maintained and finding Quake Champions was a pleasant experience, especially that there is literally no barrier to entry, yet still a lot to learn.

Movement is crucial, it's important to learn how to bunny-hop to maintain high movement speed, while remaining a tougher target to kill. It's also important to learn how to rocket-jump and nail-gun wall-jump, but maybe the latter is more towards the higher end of the learning curve than others.

Once you get these things down the game feels awesome to play and variety of characters and unique abilities are good to learn and try.

I recommend this a lot if you're bored from more modern shooters and also looking to rekindle that arena shooter flame you might have missed in the past.

Works as advertised. You can quickly get into any game in the collection and out. Emulation is good.

This game made me feel feelings I’ve never felt since childhood playing RPGs. I love this game. It has so much done right:

- Story is simple and straight forward, focuses on characters and builds up their personalities gradually as you progress.
- The game is visually beautiful. Cutscenes are very well animated, monsters have some really good attention to detail and animated beautifully, character design and world design are fantastic.
- Combat is simple but rewarding, pep abilities and team pep abilities are so much fun to watch.
- The feeling you’re doing multiple mini-adventures taking you around the world seeing different locales and all of these adventures seamlessly blend into the main narrative.
- The localization is top-tier. Voice acting is awesome, they use accents to represent different countries and cities.

There is one and only one downside that I can’t ignore: the music. While the tunes are nice, they opted to use Sugiyama’s midi-style soundtrack instead of his orchestra version, of which you can thankfully mod into the game—thanks to the awesome DQ community.

All in all, if you never played a DQ game before, if you never played a JRPG before, hell, if you used to play JRPGs but lapsed, DQXI is the perfect game to play. I highly recommend it. Take your time with it, enjoy the world, the characters, the adventure(s) and have fun, as much as I did with it.

I can’t wait for DQXII.