N/A
After some dominant performances last week, New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson and Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis headline the fifth batch of ratings updates for NBA 2K23.
Williamson made the biggest leap this week, getting a four-point boost to 92 overall. The 22-year-old has scored over 30 points in four out of his last seven games. On the season, he's averaging 25.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 61.0 percent from the field.
Despite the Lakers' struggles, Davis has looked like one of the best players in the NBA. He's had at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in five out his last six appearances, the only outlier being when he exited early against the Cleveland Cavaliers because of an illness. For his efforts, Davis was bumped up one point to 94 overall.
Other notable players to get a ratings increase this week are Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (89, +1), Washington Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis (87, +2) and Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson (85, +1).
The Callisto Protocol from developer Striking Distance Studios is the rare sci-fi survival horror experience that leans heavily into unease and tension to keep a player's palms sweaty while nearly falling off the edge of a seat.
With the help of some of those behind the Dead Space series, the inspiration and similarities are incredibly obvious. Players wind up in hell on an abandoned moon facility and have but a few weapons, resources and people to lean upon while trying to escape.
A stunningly beautiful, gory next-generation feast for the senses, The Callisto Protocol won't be for everyone, both because of those stylistic choices and because of some notable issues.
But it easily won't be forgotten or ignored, either.
Graphics and Gameplay
If there is one thing The Callisto Protocol perfects, it's visuals.
This is by far one of the best-looking games ever made, to the point trailers don't really do it justice. Or, perhaps more notably, to the point it overrides some of the game's other issues.
Within, the game boasts arguably the best facial animation we've seen to date in a game. The mannerisms and expressions are wickedly brilliant. It's the same thing while playing too, as the main character emotes and reacts to the happenings.
Which means the monsters are done well too, of course.
Four-legged enemies skitter across walls and ceilings, exploding enemies pulsate and scamper to get in range of the player, downed enemies disgustingly reanimate if the player doesn't permanently end them after putting them down. That protagonist suffers many, varied gruesome fates. It's all here and glorious, in a gross way.
The game made a smooth stylistic choice for a third-person game and keeps the camera close to the protagonist at all times. That means seeing every bit of gore splatter, his sweat sheening in hot areas and disgusting little bits of whatever that he must drudge through to survive.
Also a stylistic choice? The minimalist HUD that very much takes a page out of the Dead Space book, to the point a character's health gets displayed on a life support panel grafted to the back of his neck and ammo counters are a holographic projection.
Odd as it might sound, gore has never looked so good in a video game. There's an almost artful display of it in the way it smatters on the environment, to the point of being uncomfortably impressed and sometimes grossed out.
It's always exciting to discover new areas because the environments are just so packed to the brim with little details. Some areas showcase a doctor's last stand, or how a group of prisoners took advantage of the chaos to strike back at some guards.
At one point, players walk by six or so glass panels as tall as the character and each one lights up as he goes, displaying his picture, rap sheet and prisoner info. It's a little thing, but one of those painstakingly crafted things that makes the experience more immersive than most games.
The immersion and uncomfortable feeling only gets enhanced by the excellent sound design. Think of the nastiest squelched, screeches, burps, bubbles and monstrous audio sounds possible—it's all here and often the protagonist has the same reaction and facial expressions as the player. Ditto for dialogue transmitted through the speaker of the PlayStation 5 controller, which again expertly uses haptic feedback to drive immersion.
Make no mistake, the game toys with these immersion-setting features to make the player uncomfortable, too. There's a memorable, although predictable section where the power continues to flicker on and off...while the player navigates alone in a space riddled with monstrosities.
Much of this game is about melee combat, which is visceral and impactful. It's fun, if not a little strange that dodges aren't based on timing. Simply hold left and Jacob will dodge left. Swing it back right and he'll automatically dodge the next. Especially early, melee combat gets a little too simple once players learn what types of enemies will perform each attack. After a battle, players can stomp on corpses to find helpful items.
Interestingly, players quickly get rather strong. A successful dodge opens up monsters for a shot from a gun, which players don't really have to aim.
And then there are the telekinesis abilities powered by batteries. The GRP is cool but presents problems, too. On one hand, throwing enemies around like a Jedi from Star Wars is a blast. On the other, if players are smart with battery economy and skill usage, the tool can feel a little overpowered and trivialize what should otherwise be tough encounters. The trick is to find explosive things to pick up or traps to throw monsters into for one-hit kills.
As cool as some of the abilities are, the sense of dread and fun seemed more potent early in the game when ammo was scarce and players had to scratch and claw their way through melee-based encounters with monsters. Melee combat just feels the most rewarding too because of the fun dodge mechanic that, when properly executed, sets up monster-ruining counterattacks.
In order to ramp up difficulty and understandably create more dire tension, enemy groupings go from two to three to many per fight. But the game's combat mechanics felt especially tailored toward the smaller numbers and the gameplay suffers as a result. Players can sometimes get stuck fighting one monster, only for another to inflict damage from off-screen. It seems problematic checkpoints pop up whenever that happens, too. But again, in an almost weird way, it makes sense given what the character is going through, right?
Still, the game does a nice job with enemy variety (the same can't be said for bosses), presenting enemies more vulnerable to stealth attacks and even machines that can only be felled with a precision shot. But the combat greatly suffers from the lack of a targeting system, quick turn or some modern things to make multi-enemy fights more bearable -- never mind cutting down on the very long player death animations that are cool the first time but impossibly frustrating thereafter.
Calling the game "linear" is fair but it doesn't deserve the negative connotation some might apply to it. Players do navigate a claustrophobic, terrifying sci-fi setting with many corridors and doors, yes.
But for those brave enough to slow down, there is a stunning attention to detail in each and every passage. While some passages might feel familiar, no two are really the same. This isn't "linear" in the sense of reused assets and everything blurring together on recall.
And frankly, it's refreshing that this linearity is done so well. It better suits this horror genre and in an era of open-world games with massive checklists, many might discover they find it a welcome endeavor.
Sprinkle in some jaw-dropping shots of the outside lunar landscape and space itself to really separate the setting from any other game out there, and The Callisto Protocol stands tall as a game with an unforgettable, welcoming and horrifying setting.
If there's a big drawback to exploration it's that there isn't much in the way of puzzles or mixups other than crawling through vents. The game is so gorgeous, the setting so enthralling that only getting what feels like a guided tour instead of turned loose is a little disappointing.
Story and More
The setup for The Callisto Protocol sounds amazing. Take players, shoot them into distant space, trap them on a station with zombies and ask them to escape.
And frankly? It is. Cargo hauler Jacob Lee gets stranded on the moon of Callisto orbiting Jupiter within Black Iron Prison facility, where naturally, shady things have gone down. Turns out there are prisoners infected with a mutagen virus (called Biophages). He links up with Dani Nakamura, who's not exactly a friend, and away players go just trying to survive.
As an overall narrative, The Callisto Protocol shies away from giving out a ton of lore, background or details about, well, anything. Much is left to player imagination and little gets answered in the name of everything being so hyper-focused on keeping players on their toes. There aren't even really that many characters, which is good for the immersion of feeling lonely but bad in a storytelling sense. There's not much to bounce off Jacob to develop him other than his reactions to undead monsters.
The game does keep tension high in brilliant ways, at least. There is little in the way of levity to speak of here. No zingers or one-liners or anything that provides a chuckle to break up the tension. Much of it has been done before -- jump scares, shadows on the walls, monsters soon to encounter viewed off in the distance, etc.
Besides the GRP, there is a weapon upgrade system for a rather traditional arsenal that asks players to sell items at a kiosk in exchange for currency. It's a by-the-books thing that is a fine way of approaching the player-agency question. Some players will go for melee-heavy builds, others might ride the GRP. There's no wrong way.
The game isn't without some noteworthy problems that feel a tad strange in near-2023. Inventory management can be a slog and only being able to listen to audio logs while in a menu is a little immersion-breaking. And the quick swap weapon feature relies on the character actually holstering one gun for another, which can be interrupted. Sounds nice and realistic, but provides a little too much frustration in the video game realm, especially when combat is as relentless as it is here.
As an aside, the game has leaned heavily on the idea players will replay it for the sake of doing so, perhaps on a higher difficulty or with a different playstyle. Otherwise, there aren't a ton of unlocks or new-game plus features to encourage repeated playthroughs at launch, though it will be added in February. Not the end of the world, but worth pointing out.
Speedrunning Tips
The Callisto Protocol should have a healthy speedrunning community for at least a little while because of the location, enemy types and the different levels of difficulty. But the linearity of it might mean it has rather short legs.
That, and the melee combat. It's overpowered with a little practice, especially if players can find ways to manipulate encounters so they can get stealth kills early or not alert other enemies.
It's also easy, especially in areas with climbable objects in the environment, to trick the A.I. into giving the player free shot after free shot while they try to chase up boxes or over debris.
But overall, the melee weapon is a free, unlimited-use workhorse. Buffing into that and only that makes sense on the skill trees. The gun and GRP will still see some use in key areas, but runners will use them sparingly enough to always have ammo. In really tough instances, it's all about using the environment against enemies, both in cheesy unintended ways and via very dangerous traps.
Conclusion
The Callisto Protocol might fall back on the familiar tropes, but there's one major thing going for it—the sense of unease and dread, if not outright disgust is pervasive from start to finish.
That isn't to say it is difficult or without frustration. There is a hiccup in the combat when fighting multiple enemies, almost as if the intention was never for players to stumble into that by taking enemies out one at a time with the GRP and traps. But that's not how most players will experience it.
Luckily for The Callisto Protocol, it exists in a niche that isn't done nearly often enough and is drop-dead gorgeous. It's worth experiencing, though frustrating combat and the wish for so much more lore and storytelling means most players might stop at only a single playthrough.
An ambitious title that comes this close to being a classic, The Callisto Protocol is a good example of a next-generation experiment gone right. It's worth a play and impossible not to root that something even bigger happens with a sequel.
It's hard not to get excited upon learning expert strategy developer Firaxis Games has a new project in the works given their resume that includes the genre-dominating Civilization and X-COM series.
But when Midnight Suns was announced as Firaxis working its magic on a classic Marvel tale, hype understandably went through the roof.
Midnight Suns separates itself from that X-COM umbrella in intriguing ways. It is a card-based tactics game with an in-depth RPG system, extensive campaign and relationship manager with the likes of Marvel's biggest superheroes.
On paper, it almost sounds too good to be true. And while some of the big-ticket items are stronger than others, Midnight Suns is an unexpected blast and late entry as one of the best games of 2022.
Graphics and Gameplay
One of the drawbacks Midnight Suns faces when it comes time to lure in players is the visuals. It's not trying to do anything wild and doesn't, with one major exception.
The game pours great, faithful attention to detail into something as simple as hero movements. Iron Man will use his thrusters to move. Captain Marvel will blast off in a blur. Spider-Man will swing. Similar thing for attacks. Iron Man uses his blasters. Spidey flings objects found in the levels at an enemy's noggin. Magik opens portal.
All of these things in tandem create what might be the best digital representation of Marvel heroes in actual combat we've ever seen, especially when combined with the fitting hero-specific cards players can use.
But otherwise, the game looks fine. The game obviously didn't want to use the likeness of big-screen counterparts for the heroes which is just fine, but that doesn't change the fact everything looks so stiff. This is especially true with faces in cutscenes and conversations, which can ruin the moment. It's especially bad at the home base, which looks different from battle scenes with what seems like lower textures and hair and facial hair one might find in a sports game.
The same applies to general exploration at the team's base. Everything is fine, but the stiffness of the animations and details in the environment don't feel very next-generation.
Where this presentation theme also breaks away from the mild is the voice acting. The lines are heartfelt, distinct and delivered well. The actors deserve major kudos, especially because at times they aren't exactly dealing with the best material.
Luckily for Midnight Suns, the enjoyability and therefore success of a game like this is all based on its gameplay systems and rules overseeing them.
Players start a turn with a handful of cards and options available to them. Basic attacks build "heroism," which let players use special moves from cards. They generally face two types of enemies, minions who have no health and elites that do, plus bosses. The general gameplay loop is charging up heroism by taking out minions before dealing with the bigger bads.
Some attacks have knockback and players can direct the direction of the knockback with the right stick in order to damage other enemies or use the environment. Skill cards also provide heroism, but support other heroes with blocking or damage boosts and healing, among others.
Besides the card-based loop, environmental attacks don't need a card but use heroism and can score critical knockouts. Players also get one free move per turn. They can use it to reposition for attacks, knockbacks, etc. Also available is the ability to reroll a card in the hand for a random one.
Thanks to versatile cards tailor-made for specific heroes, some heroes have a ton of utility, such as Spider-Man's ability to draw extra cards. Some have a risk-reward worth trying such as getting huge damage from Wolverine and Ghost Rider, but the former taunts opponents and makes them more dangerous and the latter can instead harm himself. Then there's Magik, who through portal usage can send allies around the battle zone or even bunch up all the enemies for a big strike from a teammate.
Also different is the fact losing one hero in a battle isn't the end of the whole mission, a downward spiral from which players can't escape. Instead, players still get their typical three card usages per turn, so some crafty choices mean victory is still possible.
These battles are an absolute blast because they're no-holds-barred fistfights. We can acknowledge the X-COM series remains king and a blast, but the fights in this game don't feature any cover or chances to miss attacks. It's heroes and villains just kicking the tar out of each and destroying their surroundings in the process until one side stops moving.
Even without the presence of cover and the percentage chances that an attack misses (only on very important one-hit KO abilities), battles still very much come down to positioning. Applying shields to teammates before attacks, taunting enemies to lure them into attacking someone else, setting up environmental hazards and thinking three steps ahead with knockbacks to line up massive attacks by other cards and heroes is a regular thing.
It's not just slugfests, either. Before long, objectives like bombs to disable, VIPs to protect and other goals to achieve within a battle pop up. And everything mentioned here keeps escalating well alongside the player's power level and increasing skill in a way that feels super rewarding. The tutorial compared to even mid-game combat almost looks like a different game entirely, which is a great thing.
One blend of presentation and gameplay that won't get a ton of attention but deserves a shout? The user interface (UI) is very helpful and fluid. Highlighting an enemy displays information and even which hero it's targeting.
There are little cool design decisions too, like the awesome-looking tarot cards of each hero that players can collect.
When players aren't in battle they're either doing battle prep or taking time to explore the team's base (The Abbey) and link up with teammates. The gameplay, zoomed back in a third-person perspective, is meant to enrich the RPG side of the experience, but falls into a forgettable column when strictly talking gameplay.
Where Midnight Suns truly shines the most is the moment-to-moment combat. It has immense depth and plenty of fun for new players that scales well with experience, which is by far the most important thing for a release like this to nail.
Story and More
The surprisingly long and in-depth RPG campaign Midnight Suns presents is the perfect match for the strong gameplay.
To keep it brief, Lilith (who happens to be mother to the player's character) and the elder god Chthon are the big bads of this tale, which quickly pits some familiar and not-so-familiar faces in a massive struggle not unlike a Marvel Hollywood flick or Netflix original.
Those who wanted a more street-level Marvel narrative in the Spider-Man vein simply aren't going to get it here. This one is heavily more on the mystical side of the scale in the Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch range, loosely working with well-known comic material.
The setting dates back to the Salem Witch Trials hundreds of years ago and concerns characters from that era. Players themselves step into the role of the "Hunter," a being resurrected by Doctor Strange to combat some of these evils.
As such, the game touts the player character as the first-ever customizable hero in the Marvel Universe. While perhaps technically true, the first-time customization suite isn't exactly something video game players haven't seen in the past, with limited hair, face and other options.
Similar story for the game giving the player dialogue options in certain conversations. Players can pick from three or four responses in a conversation but it tends to feel like they all route back to the same responses. Even if that's the case, it's nice to have a choice.
Still, conversations and actions play into a mortality system that has more tangible effects on the game than in most attempting similar things. Veer toward the light side and the Hunter's deck will have more healing-based cards. Go the dark route and it's more damaging-inflicting cards. It's cool in real-time to see the deck changing in response to the choices and vice versa.
As a bonus, the game gets credit for coming up with a narrative reason for why these heroes who have already conquered Thanos and Thanos-level threats would look to him or her for guidance in this situation—the player's character has overcome this threat in the past. They're not buddies with the character, but they can respect the been here, done that before angle.
Avengers, X-Men, Runaways, they all show up here. Some beloved comic favorites who typically go underappreciated outside of comics—such as Illyana Rasputina, a.k.a. Magik—get a spotlight. Fan service and winks and nods litter the narrative, side quests, descriptions and dialogue throughout the game,
In a major testament to the game's quality, none of these characters really feel like they're trying to jump on the MCU train and mimic those. Well, except for Tony Stark, but Iron Man has been a slog in the comics realm for decades now and it's hard to blame anyone for wanting to strive for the magic of Rober Downey Jr.'s performance.
In The Abbey, players can run off and explore, completing mild puzzles, finding collectibles and building relationships.
Of note is Captain Marvel's C.E.N.T.R.A.L., which is effectively a way to use information found during the game to send heroes off on missions. Successful runs for those heroes means unlocking new moves and other benefits.
Otherwise, while the character interactions are worth a look, exploration of this decently-sized map is pretty mundane. Maybe it's a necessary pace-breaker, but many players would probably rather be back in another awesome card-based battle.
Boosting friendship levels with teammates can unlock combo abilities and other passive benefits, so it's a thing players will want to pour time into even if it's a so-so, potentially overdone part of the experience.
This relationship boosting can happen through the "Hang Out" feature, which is exactly what it sounds like. Players can kick it with a chosen teammate in a variety of activities. Some heroes like certain activities and dislike others, so it's a guessing game. Same thing with giving heroes gifts.
Frankly, the best-friend-forever goal and activities to get there with each hero is a little overcooked. Like, it still tastes good, but less would've been even better. Chilling with Wolverine doing yoga or stargazing or whatever is a fun idea many comic readers wish they could do. But one can only sit around listening to melodrama so much, for so long.
It’s not that these characters aren’t comic-accurate, either. They are, in certain eras with certain writers. It's that these activities are boring and they take up so much time. A completionist who wants to see everything will spend quite literally nearly half of the game's run time sitting around listening to how Captain America just wishes he could be better friends with Blade. Yes, bird-watching with Wolverine and some cold brews sounds fun, but it doesn't translate well—a motorcycle race with Wolvie and some brews at a bar? Yes, please.
It doesn't help that the player's character is a bit of a goofball, though. It feels like those sports games where players can create themselves and shatter the reality of a league while trying to become friends with everyone and looking incredibly out of place in cutscenes. Same vibe here, as the player's character is the only new out-of-place thing in something as recognizable as the Marvel Universe. We see other things like this in Mass Effect but it doesn't hit the same because those worlds and characters aren't so established—it's easier to fit in as an outsider. The game also clearly steered far, far away from going the Mass Effect route in actually being able to form an actual relationship despite some suggestive dialogue.
To this point, it's almost understandable if the game grinds players down and they end up skipping some of the best-friend stuff. It's a great idea with iffy execution, to the point Midnight Suns might be far better for some players if they eventually introduce an option to skip all of the relationship-building stuff.
Speaking of grinds, it's worth pointing out that it's hard to keep the in-game currency coffers high at all times. That is if players want to unlock a bunch of outfits and colors. Something as simple as taking an item off a wall costs in-game currency. For now, no major microtransaction red flags, at least.
Midnight Sons does offer plenty in the way of options. There are eight different difficulty options which is nice both for the options it gives players and the fact rewards vary based on the level. Accessibility toggles and tweakable keybindings highlight an overall robust package of options.
Speedrunning Tips
The fun thing about Midnight Sun's viability as a speedrunning game with long-term legs isn't just the entertainment value viewers will get by watching Marvel heroes. Far more important is the random element of each battle, as no two battles should really ever play out the same because of the RNG that comes with random cards.
Would-be runners are going to be able to brute-force many of the encounters by focusing on using some heroes to line up the enemies and one of the big-damage specials like Iron Man's to knock out multiple foes at once. Otherwise, it's going to come down to relying on big damage environmental attacks as much as possible.
Skipping side content and conversations and even cutscenes will come into play for any run.
Luckily for runners, early impressions make it feel like most of the Abbey stuff is outright skippable. Some of the bonuses will of course be nice, but it's hard to imagine most being mandatory to top-timed runs.
Conclusion
Midnight Suns nails the gameplay experience, which is by far the most important thing about it.
The actual card-based battles are a little stunning in how fun they can be. It's just different enough to feel like a unique experience players can't get anywhere else and the difficulty scales well as a player improves.
Which is good, because the relationship management side of the game is going to end up really divisive. So too might some of the dialogue found throughout as well-trodden characters stretch like an Olympian to fit a 50-plus hour campaign that wants to fit those relationship systems.
Midnight Suns is a great example of a game that doesn't need all of its parts to be amazing in order to succeed. The gameplay experience is that great, exceeding expectations, even, while the misfires won't classify as such for everyone and are otherwise capable of being avoided or reduced.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a revival of a cult classic in the form of a remaster that also functions as a prequel amid a remaster effort to one of gaming's powerhouse series.
A remaster of the game by the same name, sans reunion, that originally released on the PSP in 2007, Reunion from developer and publisher Square Enix takes critical modernizing steps while retaining the core of what made the original so beloved.
An action role-playing game within the Final Fantasy universe that sits nicely in the game between bigger releases, the execution of the game's goals will ultimately decide whether it has widespread appeal beyond the loyal fanbase of the series.
Graphics and Gameplay
Reunion is a remake in the biggest sense of the word due to the visual jump it makes, though the improvements to gameplay thanks to new hardware sure don't hurt, either.
Upscaled to HD and with new 3D models as the notables, Reunion is obviously a massive, massive upgrade compared to the visuals from more than a decade ago on a handheld system (which were very good for the time, by the way).
While the game doesn't necessarily match other modern Final Fantasy efforts and remakes visually, details like new summon animations really pop out.
But when comparing the visuals to other games, things fall short, of course. While there is a fun new layer of detail to everything, animations and even facial expressions seem stiff. There is a clear downgrade in visuals for non-important characters in some areas, too.
There's a give-and-take with the surrounding details too. Lighting and shadow work impress at times but textures in some spots seem grainy.
When it comes to presentation, though, it's about perspective. It's important to keep in mind the source material and that it's an upgrade within that framework and the comparison to next-generation games isn't totally fair.
Where zero complaint remains even all these years later is the hum-worthy soundtrack and some very strong voice acting, the latter of which puts it rightfully in line with the other remakes.
Also worth a mention is a strong camera system that fits the style of the game well. Players usually get a strong warning before an attack from off-screen arrives, giving plenty of time to adjust.
That's nice considering an otherwise updated combat system. The typical attacks, dodges and blocks remain, though what made the original so beloved was the inclusion of materia and accessories.
For those unfamiliar, materia is the magic system that permits not only attacks, healing and support magic, but also equippable physical abilities that boost stats and more.
Behind the scenes, combining materia in strategic ways can lead to big stat boons and powerful abilities. There's a very nice depth to the strategy portion of the game's genre here, with out-of-combat decisions mattering just as much as those on the fly mid-combat. No two battles will play out the same, just as the options present mean no two players are likely to outfit their characters the same way.
Of major note is the Digital Mind Wave (DMW), an RNG system slot machine that runs in the corner. This can provide massive boons to the player if they roll the right numbers or symbols, to the point of immunity or level-ups, but can also work against the player. Gamers who had a love-hate feeling with the arbitrary RNG system 15 years ago will find it much of the same, for better or worse.
Overall, there's a bit of a steep learning curve to the combat system. But by the time players start to get in a groove it's hard to shake the rhythm, to the point it becomes obvious when defeats occur and difficult to complain.
The combat system has massive layers of depth to it because of functionality, too. A quick battle restart after a loss, plus the ability to switch up loadouts before restarting the battle can mean repeatedly practicing and eventually overcoming battles and encounters while under-leveled.
Controls as a whole feel solid for what the game is, which is better than players of the original remember. Since the PSP only had a single analog stick, they clunkily had to use shoulder buttons to pan the camera outside of battle and had little to no camera control in battle. That's solved here and the mapping and responsiveness of it all feels very modern. Plus, holding a shoulder button in tandem with one of the four face buttons on the right to do an ability is much easier than scrolling through a menu of items.
In all, the game hits the right marks on these fronts and really earns that remaster label.
Story and More
Like any Final Fantasy effort, Reunion is complex but compelling.
On paper, Reunion falls under the Final Fantasy VII Remake project umbrella. So it technically serves as a prequel to a three-part remake, which narratively gets players ready for the events in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
The very short of it is main protagonist Zack Fair of the SOLDIER organization sets out on a quest that loops in mainstays like Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley.
As always, it's fun to see things from another perspective, which provides a humanizing look at the Shinra side of things. Veterans of the series know where it goes with the corporation and its Mako reactors that drain the planet, but the view from the other side was always interesting.
Whether the game's lengthy campaign is the main draw for most players is tough to say, as many might join the fray for the fun combat system. But rest assured this is true to the original in most respects and every bit as satisfying for those on the hunt for more story material within the universe.
The game does seem to have a bit of a balancing issue, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on one's preference. There are many side missions, with plenty available early in the game. Focusing on those while saving the main story missions can leave players over-leveled in a hurry, making the story missions a touch too easy.
But the good news? Players can avoid that issue rather easily. In a credit to the game's combat system and ability to mix things up, going on these side quests through the same areas over and over again is actually pretty fun, especially as the difficulty increases alongside the player's skill.
This wrinkle to the experience, by the way, is very much a design choice for a handheld game from 15 years ago. As such, players can take down some of the missions in a matter of minutes, so don't feel too intimidated when there are pages and pages of them available.
For some players that's going to feel repetitive, but that's the give and take of grabbing a mobile classic and throwing it on bigger hardware.
Reunion is technically sound, without major notable hiccups. There are plenty of options, including the helpful ability to remap face buttons and tweak sensitivities. Plus, a strong tutorial archive helps players who need to brush up on one of the game's many systems.
Speedrunning Tips
The original Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII wasn't a major speedrunning hit, but some of that comes down to its mobile hardware that wasn't nearly as widespread as bigger consoles.
Even so, that a game this big had world-record runs in the five-hour range registers as both impressive and a good sign for Reunion's speedrunning legs.
For those hoping to get competitive in this area, some of the usual staples apply. Cutscenes, and especially those pesky memory ones, are skippable. Picking and choosing side missions, if any at all, will remain a must. Properly routing those will come down to player goals for certain builds.
In combat itself, blocking is a tad unnecessary in a normal playthrough as it is. Which means speedrunners should be doing little of it at all while going all-in on offensive heavy builds. If all else fails, should the slot machine system backfire during a battle, it's easy enough to restart and get right back at it.
Given the wealth of build possibilities because of the benefits of resource combinations, Reunion should hold itself just fine in the action/strategy section of speedrunning communities.
Conclusion
In the simplest sense, Reunion is a remaster done right.
Reunion looks much better than the original, to the point of competing with modern releases. Control changes thanks to the evolution of hardware boosts the experience. One could argue it gets bonus points for pulling the game from a mobile console onto next-generation hardware, too.
Still, this wouldn't be possible if the same great base formula hadn't withstood the test of time all these years. The gameplay is a blast once players find their rhythm and straight-up difficult to put down.
It's a testament to the quality of the remake, though, that this beloved classic won't feel like such an underdog when talking about Final Fantasy as a whole anymore.
Need for Speed, a mainstay racing series since 1994, again enters the circuit with Unbound from developer Criterion Games.
NFS Unbound is Criterion Games' first time as main developer on the series since 2012's Most Wanted. The game is also the follow-up after 2019's Heat took the series in an interesting direction.
Pairing the expected arcade action with a blended art style that combines the typical NFS visuals with a graffiti and cel-shaded look and based in the Chicago-inspired Lakeshore City, NFS Unbound had equal parts hype and question marks chasing it to the finish line.
Drifting in its own way, NFS Unbound crosses the finish line with a flair that makes it stand out on its own quite well.
Gameplay
NFS Unbound won't shock most when hearing it's a straight-up fun experience. Vehicles have a nice weight to them, different classes perform with the expected variety and controls are responsive and snappy as expected. It's a boost-heavy experience again where drifts, close tailing and other accomplishments keep that boost meter filled.
Where NFS Unbound really might raise an eyebrow is in how versatile it is for players. Those who want a more corner-hugging, simulation-like experience can tweak their vehicles for that. Those who prefer to slide early and often on the dryest of pavements can do that, too.
While other games have accomplished similar feats, it feels like most attempt to stay in a lane and master it these days. NFS Unbound manages both nicely and besides the visuals, it's a prominent thing that sets it apart from other racers. Other small details—like the lack of a rewind button found in even the most hardcore of simulators—set it apart nicely, too.
There is a familiar gameplay loop here. Participate in events, which racks up police attention, then try to get back to a safehouse before the police can capture the player. If a player gets caught, their hard-earned winnings go poof. The day-night cycle means when the sun's up things feel a little more relaxed, where as players get swamped by police during the night.
Very much to NFS Unbound's credit, there is a constant tension to the gameplay that makes it so much fun. That's not to say other racers aren't fun, but the presence of insurance policies like rewind buttons, restarts and the lack of a threat to lose what has been earned provides a comfortable cushion that cuts the tension off at the legs. These staples of racing games these days are either gone (rewind) or in some cases (restarts), very limited.
Rest assured the same applies in the moment during gameplay too. There's a very Burnout-styled feel as players dart through oncoming traffic, crash through barriers and take risky jumps.
That crashing through stuff extends to more rural areas too, where players can bash through trees and fences. There's a bigger-than-expected bit of property destruction going on that hits a refreshing note. The only drawback is that with so much destruction, it's actually more difficult to shake a police tail than it might normally be and not a ton of ways to interact with the environment that makes escape easier.
If there's a complaint, it's that opponent A.I. can sometimes feel infallible, especially in tougher challenges. And getting wrecked by a rogue A.I. that decided to ruin the player's day, meaning the player loses buy-in costs and can't restart, stinks. But this is an arcade racer wrapped in a street-racing narrative and those sorts of things come with the territory, right?
It's also worth pointing out that as annoying as opponent A.I. can be at times, losing in such a manner still feels better than the horrific rubber-banding found in other racers where the opponent comes flying out of nowhere to take the lead despite a big lead built up by the player.
When the big complaint across a variety of modes and types of vehicles in an expansive city is that sometimes things feel unfair, it's really hard to knock NFS Unbound much. The game is a blast in a predictable way, which isn't a bad thing.
Graphics and Presentation
Presentation, visuals and overall vibe were where NFS Unbound really had a chance to set itself apart from a saturated market.
That's not a knock on Need For Speed as a series, either. Quite the opposite—as a heavyweight with a proven track record, it seemed a given the series would drop another solid racing installment. But would it separate itself from the pack in a big way?
Turns out it has.
The game doles out super realistic cars as usual, but anime-inspired cel-shading visual makeup to effects, characters and environments is a refreshing change of pace. Some of the colorful pops and effects that dominate the screen when say, activating a NOS burst are almost visually reminiscent of a classic such as Viewtiful Joe. For a more modern comparison, think Into The Spider-Verse.
The city itself feels massive (if not empty at times), whether on the outskirts ducking into tunnels and back out with the skyscrapers looming tall in the background or actually within those buildings taking tight turns in varied environments. A stellar playlist with real-world artists accompanies players on their journies.
At this point, gamers are a little spoiled in these areas. But it has to be pointed out that the game has really fun lighting work, especially at night, plus fun details like puddles that form on blacktop or in the dirt after inclement weather. There's a lot of detail packed in here that some might take for granted. And while the world doesn't feel the most alive (it's not trying to be Grand Theft Auto, after all), it's fun to just cruise, appreciate and let the immersion flow.
NFS Unbound deserves praise for fun camera work, too. The perspective pans and angles in interesting ways during jumps and big collisions.
All of this falls into the as expected column—sans the anime-ish cell-shading. It's a beautiful complement and a worthwhile risk that helps remove NFS Unbound from the just another racing game column.
Career Mode, Features and More
There is indeed a narrative to NFS Unbound across a surprisingly lengthy campaign, though it doesn't track far beyond what one might expect from a plot found in the millionth The Fast and the Furious entry. Main character and their mentor were wronged and the quest to get revenge includes winning back an old car and winning a tournament.
The dialogue throughout the game is quite bad in spots with a Fellow Kids vibe every now and then (the fact there's a ton of cussing doesn't help, either). Plus, the fact they're speaking so calmly while hitting 120 miles an hour into oncoming traffic hurts immersion a tad.
But there is a give and take. The dialogue might track as corny for some, but it's better than nothing and the constant chatter, even if it's some NPC talking about how they nicknamed a wrench, does really make them feel like actual characters.
What the narrative does do, however, is set up the gameplay perfectly. Racers usually chop the player down to size so that they have to earn their way back. It's a classic videogame-ism and happens here.
The effect is downright enthralling. Other racers in events early in the game are just straight-up faster than the player. That means no guaranteed wins. And some events even limit the number of restarts, too, so there's no room for cheesing the same event over and over in order to steal the upset win.
It doesn't really feel unfair as much as it feels like a superb progression system done well. That doesn't mean it is frustration free, but the climb to the top feels great.
Outside of the main narrative, there are plenty of checklist items to tackle out in the open world. They won't appeal to everyone of course, but smashing billboards, taking scenic jumps and the other usual side items are fun within the game's systems.
Taking the game online, like in the past iteration, is a fun way to approach things. If nothing else, it's nice to see other players out exploring the massive city and having the ability to throw up events that others can join. Players can explore every nook and cranny of the huge map while online, hitting up safehouses for the usual things and gas stations for health and NOS recharges. The actual map that lets players sort by activity is easy to read and use. Hovering over another player quickly shows their character, banner and platform, which is a nice touch.
Actual unlocks in the online category of the game are meaty in size that should keep players coming back for more. Some of the high-ticket vehicles, for example, sit behind not only a challenge barrier, but they also need to purchase them once overcoming the task.
On the customization front the game hits the expected beats, with droves of items and looks and banners for players to choose from and earn. Same deal for the bigger-than-expected car list, with much about the vehicles customizable and even upgradeable to improve performance.
Interestingly, there appears to be a major lack of the typical monetization riddling modern games. On this same topic, the game's campaign is 100 percent playable in offline mode. Add in this is the best-running game in the series from a performance standpoint and it's a fun flex of what next generation consoles can do.
Conclusion
In many ways, NFS Unbound throws out little in the way of surprises. It's very much like attending a summer sequel blockbuster -- players know exactly what they're walking into when the boot up the game.
But it is a fantastic example of how great open-world racers can be. The gameplay is tight, so NFS Unbound tried to throw in a heartfelt story and knocked a unique visual styler out of the proverbial park. It might be divisive, but perhaps a good reception could encourage the sequel to apply that same unique style to a city itself, too.
Those are just the obvious things, too. There's a fantastic, old-school progression system here that is extremely rewarding to overcome and otherwise droves of content to keep players busy for a long time.
While Need for Speed used to dominate the market, plenty of contenders have stepped into the space now. But Unbound is easily the best entry in the series in a long, long time, a strong return to form and deserves its name right up there with the best.
The ninth generation of Pokémon begins with Scarlet and Violet from developer Game Freak.
There's no understatement in saying one of the biggest media franchises in the world has never seen expectations like this. Some of that is because of the usual base expectations such as expected Pokédex expansion, new starters and the hope things can be even better than the last mainline release, Pokémon Sword and Shield from 2019.
But much of the hype is also a product of some of the game's big promises. This is the first mainline open-world, non-linear effort in the series. It boasts three branching storylines and a slew of modernizations to bring the series up to speed with the video game landscape.
A huge step forward for the series, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet can't escape one thing—a serious give-take balance that will earn loads of praise and but understandable frustration, too.
Graphics and Gameplay
Scarlet and Violet presents a mixed bag of presentation that makes it easy to appreciate while also easy to point at the flaws.
Pokémon themselves are as expressive and colorful as ever, whether following the trainer around in the open world or within a battle. It's the latter where some might feel some Sword and Shield-esque disappointment, though, as the 'mons generally still do basic animations in a fight.
Exploring that world is downright intimidating due to its scale. It's the first time Pokémon has ever felt this big. But the look of it, with muddy textures and uninteresting things going on—including Pokémon out in the wild that sort of just stand around—is another bit of that give-and-take balance. It's easy (and jarring) to tell when inside a small area like a gym lobby or during a key battle that the resolution and looks get an upgrade because there isn't as much for the game to juggle.
Stylistically, there's a notable push away from traditional Pokémon and toward Pokémon Go given the appearance of Pokéstops in Paldea. There are a healthy amount of these found out in the world and they also come equipped with a market and TM machine.
Otherwise, each city and area feels as unique and colorful as fans have come to expect, with a Spain-esque feel. There's the bright colors of a seaside city, sprawling beaches, muddy canyons, massive vertical snowy spaces and other biomes that fittingly house appropriate 'mons to pursue, along with secrets to uncover.
Unfortunately, exploring the cities is an exercise in managing expectations. It's sometimes difficult to tell which doors players can actually interact with, and many doors open but don't lead to an interior, just a menu to buy sandwiches and the like. It ends up feeling like an "almost there" compromise as the series still works toward matching modern open-world contemporaries.
Battles against other trainers now start after talking with them as opposed to the old-school eye-contact initiation, which might be a bit divisive for the fanbase.
Those battles won't shock longtime fans or be too difficult for new players to understand. Players form a team of six based around double-digit elemental types with strengths and weaknesses and have at it.
The big new buzzword and mixup to the gameplay is Terastal. Players can activate this to alter or enhance a elemental typing and to form a crystalline on a chosen 'mon while matching an elemental "Tera Type." This is useable once before players must recharge it at a Pokécenter.
This is actually a really, really important mixup to the tried-and-true formula. With Pokémon able to use elemental moves previously unavailable to them (while also earning the strengths and weaknesses of that typing), players can actually creatively cover gaps in their otherwise traditional party with careful implementation of Terastal usage. That's something capable of mixing up gameplay for casual and top pros alike.
Wild 'mons with interesting Tera typings can be found in the world via Tera Raid Battles. Like Sword and Shield's Dynamax Raid Battles, players will team with four other players or NPCs and must defeat the Pokémon within the time limit for a chance to capture it.
Players aren't limited to traditional battles with wild Pokémon either. Auto-battles mix up the formula in a fun way. Players can let their first Pokémon out of their ball and direct them at fights that will play out while the player explores. The usual details still decide the outcome of the auto-battle and provide experience in a fun streamlined manner.
As far as catching and expanding a team, throwing a Poke Ball at a 'mon out in the world doesn't actually attempt to catch it, but merely initiates a battle. Thankfully, the game doesn't draw inspiration from others and require anything that asks the player to endlessly capture multiples of the same Pokémon.
The three branching storylines each offer distinct gameplay experiences, too, which is a nice, if not cliché cherry on top.
The typical gym path is the traditional route fans know and love. But the small challenges before earning permission to battle the gym leader is much better thought out this time as opposed to the tacked-on minigame feel of the Sword and Shield challenges.
The pursuit of the game's five Titans is also a fun challenge that mixes up the usual gameplay flow. Players have to find, then overcome what are essentially big boss battles in pursuit of a narrative goal.
The base takeovers of Team Star fall a little flat in that they are effectively auto-battle minigames (defeat 30 Pokémon in 10 minutes with auto-battles) before another boss battle. The latter, at least, provided some of the game's biggest challenge, though it could have been the order in which they were tackled.
Overall gameplay pacing is something that might frustrate players. Battles in Scarlet and Violet might be the slowest-feeling in the series. Animations, status card pop ups and more just take a lot of time. Early in a playthrough, for example, one Pokémon players can acquire gets certain boosts and debuffs after its health falls past a certain threshold. It requires sitting through five status cards to pop up and the accompanying power-up or power-down animations, which can happen every battle.
Unfortunately, the game has crippling performance problems.
These issues will vary in their level of annoyance based on a player's tolerance but frustrate most in open-world exploration, especially during otherwise cool weather effects. Pop-up is a major issue, to the point of blades of grass spawning with the player as they run or items appearing out of thin air. Some simply pop in and out, constantly. Actual traversal with the legendary beasts, besides being unintuitive, frustrates because they obstruct the view of wild Pokémon that are way too small, causing the player to run into battles without wanting to do so quite often.
The game also simply suffers from framerate issues. It's very distracting to see NPCs struggling to walk in the background of scenes. The farther away a player gets, the worse it looks. One early city has a windmill that skips through its spin unnaturally at all times.
Because of the oft-tedious nature of exploration in the world and slow manner of battles, players might find themselves avoiding wild Pokémon pretty much always, instead relying on the auto-battles to level.
On paper, these games are effectively handheld games that can be blown up on a television. But on a console as powerful as the Switch where other heavy hitters haven't encountered these problems, they won't escape the comparisons, and probably shouldn't, especially not for the official games of one of the biggest brands on the planet.
Story and More
Scarlet and Violet branches into three story arcs with the Paldea region—Path of Legends, Victory Road and Starfall Street.
At the onset, players choose from starters Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, then quickly stumble into a rideable Pokémon with a background story, Then, those three paths, "Legends" being the pursuit of Titans, "Street" being the group of truant students in a rival faction and "Victory Road" representing the traditional pursuit of the Pokémon league.
While the story starts a little weak (chosen one receives many chosen one things), it's not a spoiler to suggest the three paths don't stay that basic or predictable, to the point this might stand in the minds of players as some of the best tales told yet in Pokémon games.
It is quite refreshing to have major subplots and threads to pull upon instead of just speedrunning the standard eight-gym experience. There's a lot of heart and meaning put into those non-gym storylines, which is fun now and encouraging for future installments.
Narratively, it's really cool that the character's main rival again picks the starter Pokémon that the user's is strong against—her excuse is simply that she's already a master-level trainer and she'll raise that one alongside yours. But that same narrative logic doesn't apply to say, gym leaders, who are simply stuck with the same level of Pokémon at all times.
Which brings things to an important point—actual story progression is a bit of a mixed bag.
Technically, players can go challenge any gym they want. But those specifically have set levels. There isn't level scaling and a Pokemon's behavior toward the player still remains tied to how many badges they have won.
One nice thing worth considering? While players can tackle all three storylines at once, they could also choose to tackle one at a time. Saving the gym leaders for last, for example, with a re-tooled team so things aren't too easy, could be fun. Players shouldn't have to create their own workarounds like this because the game doesn't scale, but it's better than nothing.
When not battling or traversing the world, players can pop into the revised camping mechanic and have a little picnic with their 'mons. This includes interacting with them as usual, plus the ability to make sandwiches from ingredients found around the world.
The TM Machine is a new system in which players can craft their own TMs. It goes the heavy RPG route, too, requiring all kinds of new materials. This can be as simple as picking them up off a defeated Pokémon from auto-battles.
Regardless, it's actually really cool to earn the TMs. Players did in the past via exploration and gym leaders and still do, but putting effort into crafting a sought-after one feels rewarding.
Overall player customization is going to be something that causes a bit of a ruckus too. Players have more hair and face customization than any game in the series. But clothing customization has regressed to only a small number of school outfits, to presumably fit the narrative. It's a step back that seems at best strange, and one could argue it clashes with the story. If players are on a school-sanctioned adventure, can't they wear whatever they find along the way too?
As expected, this installment comes with the usual online suite, including Casual, Ranked, Online Competitions and Rental Teams. It's again as robust as it needs to be, in addition to the usual trading functionalities.
One thing that will get lost in the headlines about the poor performance of this release is the streamlined approach to many things that benefit players. A simple press of a button heals Pokémon in the party with carried items. Players can make 'mons relearn moves on the fly. Boxes to swap around Pokémon remain available from the menu. Upon exiting the map after setting a destination, the game turns the player in the direction they need to go. It's little things that make the experience easier and shine, even more so if a post-launch update manages to speed the game up.
Speedrunning Tips and Esports
Given the flexibility the game now provides compared to the rest of the series, speedrunners should tear Scarlet and Violet to shreds.
Removing the linear structure of the game means runners can gun for the powerful holdable items and areas with certain 'mons right away. Even the most basic of traversal will get the job done, too.
And don't forget the creativity that will undoubtedly go into runs once ideal routing and strategies emerge.
One scenario: While this game is huge, the mismash of design ideas will leave it super exploitable to speedrunners. It won't be long before runners figure out how to take say, a level 20 'mon into an area with level 55 'mons and status effect them into getting captured. With just one occurrence of this, they can ride that over leveled pickup through the majority of the game's challenges.
Given these circumstances, runs will have to fall under certain restrictions, surely. But even the most basic of advice is to chart out a planned path of gyms based on the strength of the chosen starter against the first chosen gym, then picking up wild 'mons strong against the subsequent chosen gyms.
Fast travel and in-depth options like making certain TMs on the fly makes things simple. Runners can largely ignore certain open-world diversions and focus on the traditional gym storyline while riding type advantages boosted by holdable items and a level advantage.
On the Esports front, much of the mentioned online infrastructure will mean this game has the same competitive viability as Sword and Shield. Add in a ton of new 'mons and the way the Tera Type mixes things up and the meta should see a refreshing overhaul that feels new for much of the game's early lifecycle.
Conclusion
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet leaves little room for debate—this is the best, most enjoyable mainline game in the series and even a major step up for those players who didn't vibe with Sword and Shield.
There hasn't been a Pokémon experience to this scale, nor has a story branched in so many interesting ways. The gameplay is tight, the numbers of things to do and explore is immense and it's simply a fun experience for newcomers with resounding depth for speed runners, competitive players, Nuzlocke attempts and so much more.
But the plodding pace, droves of technical issues and stumbles in well-trodden territory by others in the industry will rightfully come under fire.
Pokémon is evolving. But whereas fans were hoping for a way to skip the evolution animation with the press of a button, they're forced to wait it out. That wait has been excruciating, but evolution is still fun, too.
Scarlet and Violet sets a new bar for the series as a superb foundation for DLC add-ons and sequels while doling out more of what established the series as a juggernaut in the first place.
The first ratings update for NBA 2K23 dropped Thursday, and a few star players are getting some love.
Luka Dončić—averaging 36.1 points per game this season, tops in the NBA—is getting a plus-one boost in his rating, bringing him to a 96 overall.
Ja Morant, meanwhile, got a similar plus-one boost to a 94 overall after his incredible start to the season that has seen him post 31.4 points per game.
And Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero got a huge five-point boost up to an 83 after his promising start to his career. Indiana Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin got an even bigger plus-six bump, bringing him to an 80 overall.
Not everybody is feeling the love, however.
Ben Simmons, amid a foul-laden start to his Brooklyn Nets career, is down to an 80 after seeing the game developer dock him three overall rating points. Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns is down to an 87, meanwhile, after being downgraded by two overall rating points.
There's nothing simple about God of War Ragnarök from developer Sony Santa Monica Studio.
The challenge in front of the release is immense and complex. It's one of the most anticipated games ever, a status earned because it's the follow-up to the jaw-dropping marriage of storytelling and combat found in 2018's God of War.
Genre-best storytelling weaving complex interpersonal relationships within the backdrop of the Norse-foretold end of times is anything but simple. Neither is an array of interwoven gameplay and exploration systems that have left others in the industry playing catchup all this time.
But complex is nothing but good in this instance. Ragnarök does nothing short of providing more of the same that made its predecessor a defining release of a generation, upgrading in smart, innovative ways while again weaving a lengthy, downright unforgettable tale.
Graphics and Gameplay
Like its predecessor, Ragnarök gets the single-shot camera treatment.
The entire game takes place within a single shot, a feat of cinematography most games don't dare attempt. The effect is stunningly immersive. There are no cuts, not in gameplay or in cinematics, which blends the two together almost indistinguishably. Many players might not think of it while playing, but it's a big part of the reason bonds formed with characters over shared experiences mean so much in the series—players and the characters go through hell together.
Also like its predecessor, Ragnarök just looks amazing. All sorts of varied foliage, bodies of water, bodies of sand, enemies and endlessly more look distinct and top of the line without a memorable weak point across a huge amount of varied ecosystems players will visit. The game masks its oft-linearity with breathtaking skyboxes and detailed long-range views (or detailed cityscapes) that create an almost intimidating sense of scale.
Characters, in cutscene or out, emote and behave realistically, dramatically amplifying the emotional effect of the game's (constant) heavy moments. Small details like the swaying of jewelry, look of hair or the realistic smatterings of gore quietly boast the power of the game's underlying engines.
The game's voice acting—again nearly without equal in the medium—intertwines intimately with the narrative. Atreus' dramatic voice change shows nothing but the maturation involved since the first story ended, for example. Every single scene simply oozes heartfelt emotion in a way most games cannot.
This also applies to combat, when a warning shout from a companion will accurately call out where an attack comes from and when, giving players the time to dodge or turn around—remember, single-shot camera.
Ditto for puzzles, where a companion will eventually throw out a suggestion. Struggle long enough and they might just straight-up tell the player the solution, though by then it was admittedly a welcome bit of help.
This marriage of presentation and combat is no better exemplified than in a very early sparring match with Thor himself. Kratos and Thor go back and forth in a brutally ugly battle out of something like a Marvel movie or episode of Dragon Ball Z. They taunt and berate each other, with health gates moving along the story during pauses in the action.
Speaking of puzzles, the game goes to great lengths to provide new experiences for those who spent a lot of time with the first. It uses creative scenarios like using the ice from Kratos' ax to freeze over a geyser to reach new places or bouncing the axe off multiple surfaces to hit a particular switch. The game does retread some familiar puzzle ground too, but it's hardly to the game's detriment.
In combat, Kratos wields the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos right from the beginning, whereas in the first, the latter was a late-game obtainable and huge moment.
The game doesn't waste any time making sure players swap between them often, too. Puzzles not only often require both, but players also will quickly encounter foes with ice shields that need to melt away before a weapon swap opens them up for more damage, to provide an early example.
Using those weapons and their eventual unlocks is again a blast, especially in tandem with companions who can amplify specific attacks. Those companions can do an array of things, from providing well-timed arrows or spells to trapping an opponent for Kratos to beat the tar out of for a small amount of time.
Combat never really feels sluggish, but it can be punishing if players queue up too many movements and then feel locked in for free hits. But there isn't one scenario that has truly felt unfair. There are bosses that will mow over the player a few times, for sure, but really concentrating on the tendencies and tells of the opponents ends up quite rewarding. It's a product of superb encounter designs that after a few rounds of practice against a boss, players might dispatch of it easily and end up wondering how they struggled at all in the first place.
There is also more mobility to the combat this time out thanks to grapple points and vertical spaces the player can employ. Though beware—many enemies can do the same and don't give the player much time for a breather.
Also a plus is more ways to interact with the environment, such as big objects Kratos can swing around as deadly traps or big chunks of stuff he can heave as weapons.
Weapon choice and overall loadout is even more important in the sequel, too. Stuns, for example, are more potent than ever. Gearing toward earlier stuns in fights can leave enemies finishable with the press of a button much, much earlier in their health bar than a player might expect.
Kratos now picks from fury or valor. The former is the tried-and-true rage mode from the first game that doles out huge damage. But the latter is an interesting thing players can eventually sub into the gameplay, and upon double-joystick press, Kratos heals himself a big chunk of hitpoints.
This sort of give-and-take permeates most of the combat. It starts with picking fire or ice or simple ease of use based on the number of opponents encountered.
Non-Kratos characters feel just as great in the player's hands during a bout, if not more so. Atreus is the highlight and huge change of pace, as he's much nimbler and indirect in his dodges and ranged attacks. He can get in and melee while dishing out god-like punishment too, no doubt, but he's at his most enjoyable when players string his variety of ranged barrages at groups of enemies, chaining sonic stuns as they go.
One thing players shouldn't overlook is just how much the haptic feedback vibration tech of the PlayStation 5 controller amplifies the experience. One early, stunning example is the distinct feel of a wooden axe handle sliding down a coarse rope as the player zips down toward a destination, but the examples begin to pile up about as high as Kratos' body count.
Story, Multiplayer and More
Players dusty on the details of God of War or who didn't play it will be happy to hear there is a welcome video recap available right from the main menu.
Kratos and Atreus (with Mimir swinging along for the ride) resume their journey from the first game by resuming a tug-of-war that features the father wanting to protect the son by any means necessary and the son wanting to not just up and hide from, well, everything.
In the backdrop, Fimbulwinter is upon the realms, which could all end in Ragnarök itself. Freya's still on a hunt for revenge over the murder of her son Baldur, and Asgard representatives make early appearances too. Thor shows up with a debt come due over the death of his sons in the first game, and a surprising let's-make-a-deal Odin isn't far behind.
But the story is so much more than a simple tale of a father-son relationship. Fate, acceptance and/or denial of it, forgiveness, the agony of loss, companionship and heavy theme after heavy theme ooze from nearly every single line of dialogue, in cutscene and out. When the big resolutions arrive, they hit hard and will leave players with open jaws.
It's impossible not to be totally invested just a few hours after the start thanks to strong storytelling, both blatant and subtle. This is, after all, one part the tale of Loki, who players might notice, is no longer a BOY, in the words of Kratos.
It sure doesn't hurt that the supporting cast offers some impeccable comedic timing via the dynamic duo of Sindri and Brok. They're downright hilarious again, which makes their own serious moments all the more disarming.
Many of the story beats from the first game are indeed wrapped, so the players are right there with Atreus as desperately wanting to find out more about his past. That interestingly puts the player in a position of agreement with Atreus and perhaps slightly disgruntled with Kratos, the man they control. That Freya has a bit of a rightful beef with him too only makes things more complex.
It's very, very important to point out just how much the storytelling benefits from swapping playable characters here and there and often switching companions. In the first game it was mostly a static duo, to great effect. Here, the consistent switching gives players so much more rich storytelling in the form of conversations and ever-moving relationships that it's just a grin-inducing treat to pick up and play.
The same applies to sidequests, especially the bigger ones that branch off and spawn several of their own mini-quests, too. These are rather big narrative beats and context players won't want to miss, to put it lightly.
Along the way, open-world exploration areas (aided by different types of rideable vehicles) return some of the familiar beats that were so successful in the first game. This includes putting an arrow through the heart of a many Eyes of Odin Ravens, combating Draugr Holes, finding lore, and accumulating hacksilver wealth via chests and general property damage.
Players will revisit old places but from new angles. It's fun to see how events from the first game changed them, and the player can eventually make huge changes of their own to certain locales via their actions, even in sidequests.
If there's a minor critique, the overall experience is still rather linear with the usual white markings to help players along the proper path. It can be a little immersion-wrecking to know there's largely nothing to explore within a current mission or see an area open up for what is clearly a battleground for combat before getting linear again.
Skill trees for both weapons and Atreus himself return with the expected beats and seem to work just as well as in the original. Especially early on, players will really feel the impact of their choices if they go heavy into only one of the weapons.
In a fun twist, unlocked abilities themselves now level up with usage, too. So using a certain move enough times will provide it the experience necessary to become even more effective.
Beyond just crafting new gear via resources acquired, players can again also modify the components of a weapon with attachments and runes. These can range from more effective in specific scenarios to upgrades across the board.
It's a subtle thing overall that, when looking at all of these systems, players can RPG their way into having two rather distinct, different-playing versions of Kratos.
For those who just want to relax and enjoy what truly classifies as a breathtaking story, the game offers various difficulty tiers. Give Me God of War difficulty is, well, let's just call it difficult, and players who bemoan the ease of modern games are going to be busy for a long, long time.
Like companions throwing out hints, the game will eventually throw an assist in tough roadblocks, such as adding helpful checkpoints to a tough boss battle that has seen a handful of unsuccessful attempts. There are a number of other assists players can turn on within the menus as Sony continues to lead the industry with an exceptional accessibility suite.
Ragnarök is, of course, technically sound and runs well with few hiccups or mishaps. It does seem to hide some load times with things like "squeeze through this tight crevice" or "pick up this heavy thing," a surprise on the PS5. But even these moments and things like wall traversal that seem to stretch on for far too long at times still hit the player with important dialogue and narrative development.
Speedrunning Tips
God of War from 2018 was a fun speedrun game to watch and attempt, with some of the world-best times sitting right around the four-hour mark.
Some of the usual tips and strategies from that game carry over to this one nicely. Cutscenes? Skip. Going off the required path? Largely unnecessary, especially in the smallish open-world sequences, provided players don't find something they desperately need for a competitive time.
The best combat tip? Level Atreus and his bow. The thing is borderline overpowered considering we're talking about an A.I. companion with nigh-perfect aim firing off stun arrows that can apply stun to enemies around the target, too, all while Kratos goes in axe or chains flying.
When players find best routes for runs, it's largely going to hinge on uncovering little tricks like sequencing puzzles quickly and skipping the passable enemies. But overall, it's going to take a simple bit of time and memorization to really start nailing competitive times.
Luckily for those would-be runners, the game is an absolute blast to watch either way.
Conclusion
On second thought, there are some simple things about God of War Ragnarök: It's fun, a surefire classic and an epic follow-up to its predecessor.
It is a bit strange, though. Ragnarök doesn't feel all that different from its predecessor in many ways. Maybe that's just a testament to how great the first game was, though. And make no mistake, there shouldn't be any doubt that this feels like a next-generation game, either.
Ragnarök needs all of an hour in the hands of a player to prove it has trumped its predecessor in every conceivable way. If God of War was ripping the one-note series and one-note Kratos into so much more, Ragnarök is perfecting the formula and humanizing the protagonists and characters around them in a way that resets the bar for storytelling in video games.
In the video game landscape, there really isn't anything close to the combination of gameplay and storytelling in Ragnarök. The result is one of the most memorable experiences ever in gaming, and one that players will wish they could experience for the first time again and again.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his son, Bronny James, were featured in a trailer for the upcoming video game God of War Ragnarök on Tuesday.
The James' were joined by actors John Travolta, Ben Stiller and their children in the PlayStation promotional clip:
LeBron has built a surefire Hall of Fame résumé that's put him in the conversation as one of the greatest basketball players in history with four NBA championships, four MVP awards and 18 All-Star selections, along with numerous other individual accolades.
While he's still chasing titles, there's another goal on his to-do list before he hangs up his jersey for the final time: playing alongside Bronny in the NBA.
"My last year will be played with my son," James told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic in February. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."
The 6'3'' guard is a 4-star prospect in the 2023 college basketball recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He'll be first eligible for the 2024 draft.
James' recent contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers includes a player option for the 2024-25 season, meaning he'll have an opportunity to opt out and join whichever team drafts his son during the 2024 offseason if he's a one-and-done college player.
Meanwhile, God of War Ragnarök is the ninth edition in the God of War video game franchise, which debuted in 2005.
The single-player action game is scheduled for a Nov. 9 worldwide release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
