Recent reviews by Strider

I know this game constantly gets put down, being the (non-canon and chronological) follow up to Arkham Knight. Don't get me wrong, this game is no Arkham Knight, but I do definitely think the game is overhated simply by association with the main series.

Let's get the bad over with first. The combat in this definitely feels lacking when you first start playing if you're already familiar with the Arkham series. Hallmarks of the Batman gameplay you know like his toolkit, various stealth approaches, countering in combat are all absent in this entry. The combat is a bit sluggish, I'll admit and is one of the biggest flaws with the game. While there are many cool-looking special moves to utilize, the game constantly feels like a battle against yourself wanting to just go faster.

The movement in this game also leaves something to be desired. The Batcycle, introduced early in the game as this awesome thing feels pretty damn slow for traversal. However, you would probably still need it early in the game because.. dun-dun-dun the game actually needs you to unlock your character's traversal abilities. For example, Batgirl doesn't have her cape glide by default, meaning that until you unlock it, you can either travel on foot or grapple from one ledge to another.

The game was quite clearly set up to be a live service game but was trimmed down to be a single player (with co-op) game instead. It still retains many of its live service-y elements though like leveled loot, damage numbers, simple quest design, basic NPC interactions etc. I also don't know what it is exactly but the game kind of feels weirdly like a ported mobile game.

Lastly, the menus, oh god, the menus. I don't know what psychopath decided every single thing needed its own dedicated menu. Wanna check out some basic information about your enemies? Menu. Upgrade your skills and gear? Menu. Check your collectibles? You're not going to believe this - menu.

That's all my gripes with the bad (I think), so let's move onto the good stuff. This is the first actual game that focuses on the Bat family with the main four characters being Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl and Robin (Tim Drake). I loved seeing all the different interactions between the Bat family and their individual reactions played out in different scenarios. I feel that the creators truly knew what kind of dynamics we wanted to see and they delivered on it.

In addition to this, playing through the story as each character yields its own unique dialogue, which I really appreciated that they took the time to animate and record four different characters per scene. For example, if you play as Red Hood when meeting Talia or Harley Quinn, they make reference to how he had previously died and came back to life.

I've heard yet again that some were disappointed with how the story went with the Court of Owls, but I don't think the story was terrible. In fact, it really felt quite interesting uncovering their plot and how Batman's death is involved with their scheme.

While the live service aspect of the game is pretty glaring, I do think that one boon came out of that - the character customization being tied to the loot/transmog system. As you play throughout the story, you can use any item which presents itself as various skins for your character. Even better, these outfits persists in cutscenes so there's none of that "it's only for the gameplay" stuff.

* Don't go into this this game expecting Arkham gameplay, it simply is not it.
* Gameplay loop is not the greatest.
* The game aces it by simply just being a Bat family story.

And hey, if you're not entirely convinced, buy the game on a sale like I did, or you can just go watch the cutscenes on YouTube I guess. Whatever works for you.

A fitting conclusion to the story of the Arkham series, Arkham Knight takes everything the previous games had and keeps throwing more of that at with with extras to top them off!

As with the previous Arkham titles, you keep (most) equipment Batman already had in the earlier games and earn new ones by playing through the story. The graphics had a major overhaul following in the realistic style previously seen in Arkham Origins and the city of Gotham looks beautiful, despite the game being a decade old at this point.

Story is pretty good, though I could see how the writing has changed since the first two games. As someone who is not a follower of the comics, the major twist of the story came as a surprise to me and I was genuinely shocked at the twist, though the payoff following this feels like it wasn't present in the game long enough to have an impact to the story after that point.

The gameplay brings everything the previous games had mechanically and basically perfected this formula. New abilities are earned through unlocks as with the previous games, and completely new moves are available to diversify combat and stealth. However, I do want to mention that the Batmobile sections took a bit of getting used to in terms of both movement and combat. The Riddler "races" also just became really tedious to do (and also why would the Riddler test Batman in an obstacle course of all things lol).

All in all, I'm happy that this was the conclusion to the series (at its time) and leaves me wanting more. Here's to Rocksteady actually producing another fun Batman title somewhere down the line.

A decent enough follow up and a major graphical improvement compared to Arkham City, Arkham Origins puts you into the shoes of Batman 2 years into his stint as the defender of Gotham.

Roger Craig Smith (the voice of Kyle Crane in Dying Light) takes over as the voice of a younger Batman in this prequel from Kevin Conroy. I didn't like the voice much at first, but it grew on me over this as his performance really shined in the latter half of the game. Additionally, Troy Baker does his best Mark Hamill impression, which to his credit was a pretty good attempt.

The combat and stealth mechanics are virtually identical to Arkham City with only minor changes to the way upgrades are unlocked, and small changes in Batman's kit. However, the sound design feels a little lacking - for example, the loud thunderclap boom that plays when you knock out enemies or finish a combat encounter lacks a little punch (ha) compared to Arkham City.

I've seen other reviews criticize the story which I also expected to not live up to Arkham City's precedent (of course it doesn't, it's a prequel) as the story was not written by veteran DC Comics writer Paul Dini. However, in all honesty the story is plenty good, setting up a mystery to the motives of Black Mask hiring assassins to take out Batman and introducing his rogue's gallery in a single game. Speaking of which, the boss fights were interesting for the most part and had many different mechanics involved which were typically unique to each.

I have one gripe with the game which are the minor bugs which appear rather frequently, such as when gliding, Batman alternates between the diving and gliding animation infinitely until you stop gliding. Or when an enemy ragdolls and launch themselves into the the stratosphere when you incapacitate them by any means. However, in spite of this there are no game breaking bugs present.

All in all, WB Games did a solid job taking over the reins from Rocksteady's Arkham series with a decent amount of polish, though some work is needed to perfect their quality.

Two word summary: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

I had thought that Arkham Asylum was amazing but this tops what the previous game had to offer. The gameplay in Arkham City has improved dramatically, with many movement options to allow Batman to traverse Arkham City in an open world setting. In addition to this, you start off the game with (most of) the gadgets you already had in Arkham Asylum, which now have added functionality.

Combat and stealth is also significantly improved, with the new freeflow mechanic for fights allowing you to counter basically every attack if executed at the correct time and new gadgets and tactics for stealth such as a smoke bomb to mask your presence or using the line launcher as a zipline. Batman also gets a whole new suite of gadgets to use both in combat and to help with puzzle mechanics throughout the game.

The story of Arkham City is also fantastic, keeping you guessing everyone's motives in Arkham City, a super-prison that's the size of an entire city built and managed by Hugo Strange. Arkham City also includes the presence of many of Batman's rogues gallery such as the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face and more. The inclusion of DLC is great, but far too short so that you can enjoy lengthy gameplay as both Catwoman and Robin. I had thought that the Catwoman DLC would be better interspersed throughout the main story but it introduces Catwoman early and it delays returning to her storyline until nearing the end of the game, after which only allows you to play as her for a brief moment.

However, the game also provides a challenge mode where you can play combat scenarios as either of these characters, Batman and Nightwing (who doesn't appear in the main story). These are just fun and short little sequences that let you navigate stealth and combat scenarios to achieve a high score but are satisfying nonetheless.

This game still holds up pretty well considering it's age. The graphics don't look all that great by today's standards, but considering this was made in 2008 - 2009, it's pretty bonkers how good it looks.

Besides that, the gameplay is fun and I do like the challenge presented where you can't just always run in somewhere and kick ass to win. Every encounter has to be approached more or less realistically, with you playing as a true, stealthy Batman taking out his foes from the shadows and picking them off unseen.

Other than the action side of things, the puzzles were neat little things that don't really hamper your progression in the story all that much, which makes it just a little side objective to find as you explore. Most progression related puzzles are easily solved using Batman's gear introduce to you as you go along.

This PC port is also pretty great, though the lack of customizable control schemes are the only thing missing from the game given it's pretty dated controls/movement system (e.g. hold space to sprint).

Finally, I want to give a shout-out to the voice talent involved, specifically those of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy playing amazing renditions of both the Joker and Batman respectively.

An amazing extension to the main story of Cyberpunk 2077, Phantom Liberty drops you in the middle of a spy thriller based around a conspiracy to assassinate the president of the New United States of America.

Phantom Liberty adds on an entirely new area with new loot, new gigs, new side quests and new things to discover! The setting of Dogtown is very different from Night City as it resembles a Mad Max-esque town with a militia reigning over its people. Not only is a new area added but the DLC also adds new content throughout Night City as well.

The story introduces you to two new leads, Songbird and Reed (played by Idris Elba) and both alongside Johnny SIlverhand, play the best supporting characters in gaming storytelling in ever. Without spoiling anything - both are flawed individuals doing what they think is right and there are no objectively good or bad choices to make in this story without consequences.

Pick this up and play it alongside the main story as soon as you can, it's an amazing experience like no other that can't be topped. Your experience would be a lesser one without the addition of Phantom Liberty and its contents in your playthrough.

To settle and call this game a simple "walking simulator" is a complete disservice to what the game is. While the gameplay entirely revolves around being a glorified courier, the game itself takes you on a journey like no other.

The gameplay is a little challenging to get used to at first, it presents you with packages to carry from point A to B, occasionally it rains and the timefall from the rain damages your package, or you might be expected to traverse mountainous areas to your destination. You also have to deal with BTs (basically the ghosts of the dead) by sneaking around them or else fight your way through them if you have the equipment to do so.

This was my first foray into a Hideo Kojima production and the easiest way I can put it is if someone watched a few too many American movies and tried to replicate the cliches and feelings associated with watching them. The story of Death Stranding involves, in addition to being a courier, is that your player character Sam is tasked with the duty of reconnecting civilization across a post-apocalyptic United States wherever he delivers packages. There's a whole lot of "America this" and "America that" which seems so cliche, but the game eases up on that once you're past the first chapter or so.

Once the game really picks up, the story goes into the mystery surrounding the Death Stranding - the apocalyptic event that ended the world and forced people into hiding in bunkers. The story of how the Death Stranding happened and the surrounding lore is so fascinating and really gets you scratching your chin in awe (and confusion).

I would also like to give praise to the art direction, environmental design and soundtrack for all being absolute masterpieces that makes the game feel like a gorgeous moving painting.

The game isn't for everyone as the pacing varies depending on how you play. However, that said, go into the game with no expectations on what the hell is going on - it's the best way to experience it.

I think this game is my new Fallout: New Vegas.

Despite all the bugs and the initial controversy surrounding Cyberpunk 2077, the game still doesn't fail to entertain and suck you into Night City. Though the main story was a little short for my liking, the execution and writing was phenomenal. There are also so many side quests to do and keep your playtime padded. Speaking of - the side quests with a chain of stories like the ones for your companions are on par with the main story.

My favorite thing about this game is that it dare I say, presents Keanu Reeves' best role to date. Johnny Silverhand is such a well-written character and Keanu knows how to play the charismatic rockerboy/anarchist so well. He's a constant companion in almost every leg of the game and his commentary is both hilarious and gutting.

The only bugs I ran into were minimal and not game breaking (all minor performance issues easily fixed by running the game on an SSD), so these were basically a non-issue for me. I went into the game expecting more and was pleasantly surprised to see next to none.

All in all, a fantastic game to keep you entertained and if you're still skeptical, snap it up during a sale. See you in Night City, Samurai.

I honestly cannot believe this was the story we got after the triumph that was The Witch Queen. The story isn't inherently awful, as it is a series of increasingly frustrating missed opportunities. What is the Veil? How was Neomuna concealed for centuries? Why did Savathun hide the Veil here? What is the Radial Mast? Why does Osiris keep shouting at me to hurry up? None of these questions are answered in the campaign and you have to read up lore from other sources to even begin to comprehend just what the hell is going on. I want to say the story here was probably the worst between this, Shadowkeep and Beyond Light.

The new gear appears half-baked and them being reskins of the very same weapons we received in Shadowkeep does not bode well with future DLC. Even the promise of new annual iterations of Vanguard, Crucible and Gambit armors were forgotten this time around. Strand is fun but also yet another subclass which stays locked until you finish the campaign. You spend nearly every mission practicing to use it and thinking, "Yes!! This must be the mission I finally unlock it!" and then you do it another 5 times.

Gameplay changes that came with this DLC are 50/50. Some changes like the new seasonal activity granting seasonal gear engrams from nearly every source being a welcome change, and conversely the increase in difficulty for baseline activities like the seasonal activity and PATROL on Neomuna being made significant harder is an asinine choice considering you can be matched with new and inexperienced players. The latter change was already frustrating in Season of the Seraph and is excruciating with the darkness zones in the new activity when playing with randoms. Veterans get mad at the new player for not being well equipped for the activity, and the new player is frustrated that they don't understand why their teammates keep leaving the activity.

TL;DR strand good, everything else.. well ♥♥♥♥.

Don't buy this unless you're looking to grind a new subclass and this DLC goes on a hefty sale.

Rebooting the story is a bold move considering all the characterizations and world building that has gone into the game, but a necessary one. What happens next after you kill god in an RPG?

Yet another great entry into the franchise, with this particular entry being the best of the lot in terms of gameplay. One great change in combat flow they've made from previous entries was allowing swapping party members without taking up a turn during combat. This in turn also has a tactical advantage, allowing reserve characters to heal passively and allowing different types of moves to be used throughout a fight.

Map exploration is a little confusing, even comparing itself against EBF4. Individual sections of maps intersect with other zones which are only accessible after finding key items in the story. However, I very much enjoy the extra sections included such as the dungeons and achievement hall.

All in all, if you're looking for a JRPG-like experience, this game definitely serves its purpose and is also a fun game to dip your toes into.

Not gonna lie though, dialogue in this game is kinda cringe and feels awfully dated. I was in my early teens when playing the first one of these and after all these years, the language has not changed one iota. The late 2000s are calling and want you to give them back their dialogue.