Nick Rodriguez
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Game Rant Latest Reviews
Invincible VS has the looks and source material to make for a solid fighting game, but is it worth your time as a standalone piece of entertainment?
Although I can identify areas where Replaced falls a little short, I’m still walking away from the game impressed and satisfied. Its visuals are stunning, its story is risky and full of heart, and what its gameplay lacks in complexity, it makes up for in variety, never feeling complacent even despite occasional pacing issues. Replaced is a terrific experience, especially for the price and hopefully, it’s also just the beginning for Sad Cat Studios.
Samson: A Tyndalson Story is a broken, boring, charmless mess of a game that needed either more time in the oven or a stronger vision.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a prime example of how to do a remaster right. With a deft hand, it enhances the 1998 original to make it prettier, more immersive, and less annoying, without changing its most essential aspects. How such aspects measure up against contemporary turn-based RPGs will almost certainly be a subject of heated discussion in the coming weeks and months, but fans of the original game should enjoy them. And first-time players will probably find a lot to love as well, provided they keep an open mind and take the good with the bad.
Even with its blemishes and missteps,The Knightling is not bad, or even totally mediocre. Its combat is weak, its story underwhelming at best, and its open-world design is nothing to write home about, but traversal and atmosphere save the day. Indeed,The Knightling is worth recommending on the grounds of its movement abilities and soundtrack alone - it's just the rest of the package that isn't up to snuff.
Mafia: The Old Country isn't a bad game, just a tepid one. Its gameplay is flaccid and restrictive, its narrative is dull and predictable, and its world has no more charm or presence than an Unreal Engine tech demo. It nails the bare minimum, but a game like this, from a franchise as beloved as Mafia, should have gone beyond that.
Hell Clock has some blemishes but its core gameplay and narrative experience are compelling. The story of the Canudos people is heartbreaking and galvanizing, constantly encouraging the player to rain righteous vengeance upon their enemies. Thanks to the game's flexible combat sandbox, this process is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally invigorating, and will have players itching for one more run. For a roguelike, it's hard to offer higher praise than that.
There's a lot more good than bad in RAIDOU Remastered, fortunately. It's a wonderful walk down memory lane for fans of the original, and a worthwhile excursion for newer Atlus fans, discovering the studio via games like Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor: ReFantazio. More than anything, this new-and-improved RAIDOU is easy to love, packed to the brim with charming characters, addictive combat, and a wacky, lore-rich world to sink your teeth into, making it easy to recommend to just about anyone.
Remedy already plans to deliver a good bit of fresh content to FBC: Firebreak in 2025, including two all-new game modes, which will hopefully be less tedious than what's currently on offer. But either way, Firebreak may be a bit of a wait-and-see situation: it doesn't feel like it has enough meat on its bones to justify its $40 asking price, not to mention its paid battle passes. Firebreak has the bones of a truly exceptional co-op game, and hopefully, Remedy will get the chance to deliver it.
It's hard to go into more detail about why The Alters is so great without spoiling the experience—it truly is a game that is best enjoyed with as few preconceived opinions as possible. What is more or less undeniable is The Alters' ingenuity, its clever and thoughtful narrative structure, and its satisfying, genre-defying gameplay loop. The Alters represents a massive step forward for 11 Bit Studios, positioning its greatest strengths in a new light, and ultimately unfolding into one of the best gaming experiences you're likely to have all year.