Hardcore Gamer
Follow us for the latest and greatest in video game news, previews, reviews and more. No nonsense, just games.
Latest Reviews
Avowed took us by surprise. While Obsidian Entertainment has an exceptional track record, they were somehow able to exceed expectations. This is a traditional RPG through and through, with highly-consequential decision-making that can literally level cities and a massively-diverse combat system that encourages experimentation. With that said, it’s not perfect,...
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II continues the Calvard story arc set by its predecessor and also reaches the standard of excellence set by it. Whether tackling 4SPG jobs from the bulletin board, grinding for gear or playing minigames in the Märchen Garten or trying to advance through...
Virtua Fighter 5 was first released in 2007 on consoles and has received various updated versions as time went on in the form of Virtua Fighter 5 R and Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown. But now it has finally come to PC players with its newest version, titled Virtua Fighter...
In all one's years of investing in open-world RPGs, I've come to the willing conclusion that there exists two camps of people who end up enjoying said formula. People that enjoy them for what the game shows them -- world structure, quest design, emergent mechanics -- and people that enjoy...
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights came out of nowhere to receive critical acclaim just a few years ago. Last year, a sequel was announced: Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, with an early build subsequently released to Steam Early Access soon after. The brief sample of the work in...
Donkey Kong began his career as the titular villain in the early '80s arcade game. It was over a decade later when he got the starring role as a hero in Donkey Kong Country, which ended up becoming a successful platforming series. Known for 2D gameplay with advanced 3D character...
While the most obvious answer to the question of disclosing the expected playtime of a game is to offer a heads-up on how long it may take to see the end credits, there's a part of me that believes (or maybe wants to believe) there's another possibility. Perhaps it's some...
It's been just over twenty years since the original Phantom Brave released on the PlayStation 2, becoming a cult classic among fans of turn-based strategy games and JRPGs, as well as admirers of the game's now-iconic developer, Nippon Ichi Software. The game brought a blend of unique and quirky approaches...
There will never be another moment for Star Wars gaming like there was during the prequel era. Buoyed by the renewed interest in Star Wars and evolution in gaming graphics, LucasArts and its partners began pumping out a trove of games based on the IP. That era gave us beloved...
Marvel Rivals is a stellar multiplayer game that has plenty of potential in the years ahead. It sounds like it has a great content plan, as the game just added the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic into the game a month into the game's launch. When you keep that in...
It’s hard to believe that the Tales series is celebrating its thirtieth year. Originally starting with Tales of Phantasia back in 1995, the beloved JRPG franchise has come a long way from its SNES days. It has been telling deep and impactful fantasy stories ever since, with the latest, Tales...
Dynasty Warriors: Origins offers the familiar gameplay the series is known for, while also making drastic changes in other areas. Longtime fans of the series will feel at home slaughtering countless enemies by themselves, but the approach to storytelling with the Wanderer character helps make things feel new again. It's...

















