Πρόσφατες κριτικές από τον CJojo

To preface, I made this review around the launch of the game. Multiple controversies involving Lab Zero and Mike Zaimont hadn't occurred then, I've adjusted portions of this review to reflect current events. Lab Zero as we know it is effectively dead. Best to keep and eye out and support whatever Future Club will make.

Review:

It's a game with heart and ambition, that fails to deliver in certain regards. I can have more respect and enjoyment with games that tries to be something, even if those might stumble along the way (it beats out the general homogeneity of most videogames). I can totally understand the quarter of negative reception this game has been getting, as I would be hesitant to recommend this game at full price. You should keep this in your wishlist if you have any interest in a different, niche product with less samey game mechanics.

Pros:

Unique blend of command based combat (not to be confused with turn based combat) you'd see in JRPGs, with fighting game elements (such as combos, juggling enemies, breaking an enemy's grab, and blocking / timing blocks). Having to sometimes break an enemy's block is also cool.

Stellar art direction, superb hand drawn characters / animations, and great 2.5D graphics. The backgrounds are a large improvement from Skullgirls, and it just makes the game beautiful.

Good OST from Hiroki Kikuta (Secret of Mana). Some of my favorite tracks are 'Stranger in a Strange Place,' 'Dance Macabre,' and 'Great Journey.'

When there are animated cutscenes, they look really good. Props to TRIGGER and Titmouse.

Decent platforming segments.

While it may seem like the game is very linear, there are a decent handful of sidequests to do, which can reward you with new party members or other rewards. I recommend talking to all the NPCs you can find, and occasionally revisiting Ajna's inner mind (as party members is where you get the majority of side quests).

Voice acting is decent. It features some established and new voice actors like Matthew Mercer (McCree, Leon Kennedy, Jotaro Kujo, Walter, Kanji, Yusuke, Cor, etc.) Cassandra Lee Morris (Morgana, Sothis, Marie, etc.), Amanda Lee (various anime dubs), Stephanie Sheh (various anime dubs), Benjamin Diskin (Joeseph Joestar, Megaman, Professor Oak, Lorenz, Caspar, etc.), and more.

Good length. Took me 27 hours to beat the game with all achievements.

Middle:

Story is hit and miss. I think characters (especially the optional party members) can sometimes feel underdeveloped. The justification for some party members to join Ajna gets a little bit stretched beyond believably. I enjoyed the character arc of Ajna, and the themes of the story. Some will not mind this too much, as the story doesn't take itself too seriously. Overall, it's passable, but doesn't break new grounds.

The world also starts to expand and become interconnected once you've unlocked most of Ajna's moveset. This happens a little late in the game though, and you'll probably miss it unless you have side quests to finish off.

The game seems to be on the easier side (though not as easy as say, Final Fantasy 15), with no way to bump the difficulty. Most of my deaths were before I understood the basics of combat. Having difficulty options would have been nice. I've seen the news that new game plus bumps the difficulty, so this might be subject to change.

Some menu sounds are reused from Skullgirls.

Cons:

All characters (except Ajna) don't learn any new abilities. It makes it feel like a very lite RPG.

Some characters (usually the side quest unlockable ones) feel unfinished, as some lack a super move.

Party composition doesn't really matter, as long as you have one healer. This seems to be in part because the game has the bare minimum of "roleplay" elements. Characters level up, and that's about it. No equipment, character building, classes, anything.

The battle practice mode isn't unlocked at the start. This isn't the worst thing, since it doesn't take too long to understand the ropes of combat (basically characters perform different actions based on where or if you point the analog stick in any direction when attacking). What I dislike more though, is that characters aren't explained well enough (for example, it took me a while to figure out that Baozhai can interrupt enemy attacks with her cannons, and can instantly guard break enemies).

The progression (when the world unlocks) is wonky. It's an annoying case of having to go all the way back to the ship and go to a different location when you reach a road block. It feels like a mix of railroading, with some doses of time wasting added in.

Sometimes voice acting, character portraits, or animations will be missing from cutscenes that seem like they'd be important (one party member is literally introduced with no voice acting to accompany the cutscene, there is a minor antagonist who doesn't have some animations). These can be immersion breaking at times.

The same song always plays at the beginning whenever you talk to an NPC in Ajna's inner mind. It's a minor annoyance, but I did quickly notice it.

A large chunk of post launch content is cancelled due to Lab Zero dissolving.

Overall: This is a game that feels undercooked, but it's brought up with some unique aspects that separate it from most RPGs (though I have heard it's like Valkyrie Profile), along with a rock solid presentation, and a lack of bugs (that I could find anyway).

To the town of Agua Fria, rode a stranger one fine day

Hardly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say

No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip

For the stranger there among 'em had a big iron on his hip

Big iron on his hip

It was early in the mornin' when he rode into town

He came ridin' from the south side, slowly lookin' all around

"He's an outlaw, loose and runnin'", came a whisper from each lip

"He's here to do some business with the big iron on his hip

Big iron on his hip"

In this town there lived an outlaw by the name of Texas Red

Many men had tried to take him and that many men were dead

He was vicious and a killer, though a youth of twenty-four

And the notches on his pistol numbered one and nineteen more

One and nineteen more

Now the stranger started talkin', made it plain to folks around

Was an Arizonia ranger, wouldn't be too long in town

He came there to take an outlaw back alive or maybe dead

Said it didn't matter, he was after Texas Red, after Texas Red

Wasn't long before this story was relayed to Texas Red

But the outlaw didn't worry, men that tried before were dead

Twenty men had tried to take him, twenty men had made a slip

Twenty-one would be the ranger with the big iron on his hip

Big iron on his hip

The mornin' past so quickly, it was time for them to meet

It was twenty past eleven when they walked out in the street

Folks were watchin' from their windows, every body held their breath

They knew this handsome ranger was about to meet his death

About to meet his death

There was forty feet between them when they stopped to make their play

And the swiftness of the Ranger is still talked about today

Texas Red had not cleared leather for a bullet fairly ripped

And the ranger's aim was deadly, with the big iron on his hip

Big iron on his hip

It was over in a moment and the folks had gathered 'round

There before them lay the body of the outlaw on the ground

Oh, he might have gone on livin' but he made one fatal slip

When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip

Big iron on his hip

Big iron, big iron

When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip

Big iron on his hip

Arstotzka so great, passport not required.

An unforgettable experience, that's a platformer combined with a visual novel. It marries it's gameplay mechanics with it's narrative to create no bridge between the two.

It's a game with superb characters, a great main story, great side quests which weave into the main story, and an ability to juggle humor with sincerity well.

It has pretty solid scares for about 2/3rds of the game, which is pretty good since this game is about 7 hours. The ending segment is kinda meh, it didn't reach the heights as what came before, or the atmosphere in Penumbra: Black Plague. I wish that objects and props could be commented on like in Penumbra, it would have added just a little extra personality to the protagonist.

The free Justine DLC makes up for it, it's quite linear (and pretty difficult because death means starting over from the beginning) but it's some of the best scares that has come from Frictional Games.

It's an adventure horror game that is definitely worth playing. It feels like robbery that Frictional briefly gave this game out for free, and I was able to take advantage of that.

This is one of the best Treyarch CoD games besides Black Ops 1 and 2. It introduced Zombies mode, has mod support, and has a god tier OST that stands out from all the generic music in WW2 media.

This game collection will be the one to fill your dark soul with LIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!

A superb arcade style shooter, with sharp comedy. I give this game a yee out of haw.

This is an improvement over the first Max Payne, which was already a masterpiece.

Performance was poor, and I was expecting something more from a John Wick game, not a wave shooter.