Karl Smart
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The OuterHavenLatest Reviews
I’d love to say that WWE 2K25 continues the excellence of games like WWE 2K22 and WWE 2K23, but that would be lying. WWE 2K25 makes WWE 2K24 look tame with the sheer amount of content locked behind paywalls. With three modes dedicated to making you spend extra money to unlock things that should just be… unlockable, the 2K greed is in full force here.
Marvel Rivals is a game that puts fun first. Playing as one of Marvel’s huge and not-so-huge characters is a lot of fun, with stupid things like Rocket Raccoon and Jeff the Shark being fun to play. As I’m a Venom main, I love that I don’t need to study a meta guide to jump in and have fun. If Marvel Rivals keeps fun at the core of its gameplay, then it’ll be a hit for years to come.
Rita’s Rewind is another failure for the Power Rangers brand. First, the TV show ends with a badly made, under-budget version of something that wasn’t liked at all, then the figures have been licensed out to Playmate Toys (This might end up being a good thing with time), all the props and costumes have been sold off at auction, and now the video game that looked to revive the old-school Power Rangers feeling comes out and messed up. No wonder Hasbro is trying to offload everything to do with Power Rangers as they can’t get anything right.
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is what I expect a remaster to do. Not only did they make the main games playable with upgraded graphics, but they added so much bonus content that has never been released before that it makes the game worth buying for that bonus content alone. While the gameplay and camera is unfortunately locked into the by-gone age of the PlayStation 1 & 2, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is well worth the return from the afterlife.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is one of those remasters that offers nothing more than updating the graphics to a more modern level. However, graphics can’t sell games alone. Capcom should have given this game a proper remastering with some new content, or just left it dead and buried.
NBA 2K25 is a good game when you can find it. The mechanics are solid, even if you do need to be retrained to understand the changes and play the game in the way it wants you to play. However, NBA 2K25 is so bogged down with microtransaction bullshit that it spoils any goodwill that the game comes to the court with. 2K has shown that they care more about pushing Pro Passes and VC purchases rather than giving gamers value for money.
WWE 2K24 is a fun game with some of the best graphics in a wrestling game ever made. However, the game is too bloated with game modes, many of which you are forced to play in order to unlock content you already paid for. 2K Games needs to stop nickel and dimeing players after the fact and refocus on giving players the best experience for their dollar.
Tekken 8 is a solid outing for the Unreal 5 engine, using it to improve the already impressive graphics we had with Tekken 7. The gameplay is solid with a lot of modes for you to play for hours on end. However, PC users should be warned that there are possibly frame rate issues with their version. If these issues are patched, then Tekken 8 will be the best fighting game on the market.
Mortal Kombat 1 brings the idea of a whole new universe into light with an amazing, but really fast-paced, story mode. However, the rest of the game feels like Mortal Kombat as a franchise has stagnated in terms of gameplay with nothing really innovating things outside of the cameo fighter system. Then we have the impending microtransaction additions that you know are coming, and I hate those with a passion.
NBA 2K24 shows that there is a bigger problem with gaming today. While you can get a good game out there if you decide to make it into a “games as a service” model with the main goal being purchased over skill, the game itself gets lost under an avalanche of hate because of corporate greed. NBA 2K24 is the game that shows this to be true. As a game, NBA 2K24 is the same great game it always is, but the hard push for you to open your wallet hurt the game too much overall… And Michael Jordan is the GOAT.