Comprehensive Game Reviews

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From AAA titles to indie games, we cover it all. Our comprehensive reviews provide detailed insights to help you find your next favorite game.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound ReviewWe are so back.

IGN PC ReviewsJul 30

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Review – A Retro Revelation Reviewed on: PC Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Publisher: Dotemu Developer: The Game Kitchen Rating: Teen It took about 60 seconds of playing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound for me to realize that developer The Game Kitchen has created a strong case for the Ninja Gaiden series to reclaim its home in the 2D plane. Across its 12-hour runtime, Ragebound seamlessly blends gorgeous pixel art, inventive level design, and sublime gameplay to create one of the best retro throwbacks I’ve ever played. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound throws you right into the action as Kinji Monzu, who must protect the Hyabusa Clan village while Ryu Hyabusa is in America handling the events of 1989’s Ninja Gaiden. Combat starts simple, with just sword attacks and the Guillotine Boost, which lets you tap the jump button at just the right time over an enemy or projectile to not only damage them but also bounce off of them. This move is at the core of Ragebound’s movement techniques, which will soon have you leaping over perilous gaps, escaping fire, evading runaway trains, and more. If the Guillotine Boost is at the heart of Ragebound’s platforming, then Kenji’s hypercharged attack is the nucleus of combat. By killing marked enemies or sacrificing some health, Kenji gains the power of an insta-kill move called a hypercharged attack. The foundation of Ragebound’s excellence can be traced to the unique ways The Game Kitchen asks players to use these two moves, often in tandem. Later, when the second protagonist, Kumori, joins the fray with an unholy fusion to Kenji’s soul, adding projectiles to your arsenal, the ante is upped significantly. Now, killing teal-marked enemies using a melee assault rewards the instant hypercharged attack, whereas you’ll need to kill the pink-traced enemies with Kumori’s projectiles to gain that. Though every enemy can be killed with standard attacks, hypercharged moves allow you to one-shot armored or shield-bearing enemies that would otherwise withstand multiple hits, blunting your momentum. This creates a rhythmic dance, teaching you to quickly identify the most efficient way to eliminate enemies before you. The Game Kitchen smartly chooses to focus less on punishing mistakes, backed by helpful checkpoints and accessibility options, instead emphasizing the pure adrenaline that comes with keeping up with its tempo. Achieving the S-Rank on a level is in no way required, but Ragebound feels so good you want to. The same goes for finding collectibles; some allow you to purchase new perk-yielding talismans or combat-altering moves/ Another collectible unlocks extra-hard but fantastic secret levels on the world map to complete at your leisure. Kumori’s demonic side also causes demon altars to appear in most levels, which present bite-sized platforming challenges. They are difficult and timed, requiring a near-perfect mastery of her moveset to complete. Each one provides a 30-second distillation of what makes Ragebound so fun. Ragebound's combat mechanics alone are highly entertaining, which makes it all the better that The Game Kitchen built an impressive sidescrolling adventure to harbor them. Levels are inventive from start to finish as The Game Kitchen takes the idea of sidescrolling and creates a lively world that morphs this basic premise of movement in unique ways. Coupled with dynamic pixel-art visuals and a fantastic score, Ragebound constantly engages all senses possible. Ragebound is tough to complete and even harder to master, but it’s hardest to put down. It’s demanding with little frustration, engaging with few lulls, and ultimately, a reminder that while Ryu’s modern-day adventures can be great, there’s still Ki to be found in Ninja Gaiden’s original dimensions. Score: 9.5 About Game Informer's review system

Game Informer ReviewsJul 30

Tales Of The Shire Review - Concerning, And Also There Are HobbitsWhen I first played Tales of the Shire back in September 2024, I left the experience disappointed yet hopeful. It had a lot of issues, yes, but it also had a lot of potential. There was a clear reverence for both Lord of the Rings and the life-sim genre on display, and considering the game had been delayed until the following year, it felt like both the developers and I were on the same page when it came to the game being undercooked. Imagine my surprise, then, when I booted up the launch version of Tales of the Shire and found the experience more or less unchanged. Wētā Workshop's Tales of the Shire feels incomplete. Gameplay is limited and monotonous, its story and characters are forgettable, performance is very rough, and while there's some charm to the game's clunky-looking world and the hobbits who inhabit it, more often than not, the visuals come across as low-quality and dated rather than whimsical. Despite playing it on two different consoles--Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck--both experiences suffered from numerous bugs and visual hiccups. While its mechanics are fine enough and there are some cute ideas nestled within, Tales of the Shire is regrettably unpolished and unengaging--and considering how populated the cozy game genre is, you'd be hard pressed to find a reason to play it in its current state. Set in the village of Bywater (though it should be noted that the "village" part is hotly contested by its residents and serves as the crux of the game), Tales of the Shire sees you take on the role of a hobbit leaving the town of Bree to start a new life somewhere peaceful and pastoral. Though the game's character creator is not particularly robust, it's also not egregiously limited, and allowed me to create a charmingly plump hobbit with a mess of dark, curly hair, thick lashes, and two minimally hair-covered feet. Using the game's suggested hobbit names, I named my maiden fair Jessamine--a clever play on my own name– and climbed aboard the carriage of a lanky, bearded wizard who was definitely not Gandalf--wink wink. From there, we rode in what would be the first of the game's many awkward quiets to Bywater. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsJul 29

Wildgate ReviewThis cooperative shooter makes for a wild ride, but currently feels like a proof of concept for something really great.

IGN PC ReviewsJul 29

Grounded 2 Early Access ReviewGrounded 2’s early access debut is a stellar starting point, despite a rocky technical performance.

IGN PC ReviewsJul 29

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game ReviewA promising idea that turned out dreadfully boring and extremely buggy.

IGN PC ReviewsJul 28

Shadow Labyrinth Review - Waka WakavaniaFor my money, Pac-Man: Circle is the standout episode of Amazon's anthology series, Secret Level. While the other 14 episodes felt like elongated commercials for the games they were based on, Pac-Man: Circle put an unexpected spin on Namco's iconic character, completely reimagining the pellet-gobbling yellow ball by introducing some harrowing violence and body horror to the equation. It was bold and imaginative, and as it turns out, still an extended commercial for an upcoming game. Bandai Namco announced Shadow Labyrinth just a few days after Secret Level's release, and like that episode, this 2D Metroidvania maintains the darker take on the classic character. Unfortunately, it fumbles the execution with a dull, opaque, and ultimately forgettable story, while frustrating, one-note combat and egregious checkpointing are further blemishes on what is a disappointing reinvention of the 45-year-old character. If you haven't seen Pac-Man: Circle beforehand, fear not. The 12-minute episode helps establish Shadow Labyrinth's basic premise, but it isn't required viewing. Either way, you're probably going to feel lost, as Shadow Labyrinth's story quickly devolves into a confluence of cryptic dialogue layered with tropes, sci-fi jargon, technobabble, and bloated self-seriousness. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsJul 25

Destiny 2: The Edge Of Fate Review – New Powers, Old ProblemsBungie had a lot to prove going into Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate. After a year marred by shock layoffs, the delay of its upcoming shooter, Marathon, following poor player feedback during betas, and less-than-favorable views about Destiny’s monetization system, all eyes were on the studio to see where it would take its most beloved franchise next. 2024’s Destiny 2 expansion, The Final Shape, was one of the series’ most successful. It beautifully and coherently tied up a decade’s worth of story, culminating in a tense and exciting battle against the biggest, baddest Big Bad that the universe had ever seen: The Witness. Naturally, following such a satisfying and full-circle conclusion, Destiny players were concerned about what a new saga would look like. The seasonal content that followed The Final Shape was lacklustre at best, with major character deaths thrown in seemingly for the shock factor rather than meaningfully contributing to the narrative. As a result, player numbers plummeted to some of the lowest that Destiny 2 has ever seen. Bungie’s best-in-class narrative team seemed to be floundering, so when I jumped into The Edge of Fate, I was skeptical, to say the least. I need not have worried. Well, not for the narrative aspect, anyway. From a gameplay perspective, there are a lot of concerning stumbles. The 14-mission campaign is monotonous, at best. While Bungie has completely reworked the armor and gear systems--more on that later--the best aspects of it are locked behind the now-trademark Destiny 2 grind. With your power level reset and the weapons in your Vault effectively powerless, Bungie claimed this was to put everyone on an even footing ahead of the new saga, but in reality it feels like years of work and thousands of hours of grinding for the best weapons was a pointless endeavour. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsJul 24

Luto Review - The Spirit Of P.T. Lives On In This Unpredictable Ghost StoryAfter Hideo Kojima's Silent Hills fizzled out as a project, leaving the free mood piece P.T. as the only concrete work ever to be tied to Konami's revival project, it inspired a slew of P.T. copycats. This trend has stretched on for years, and can still be seen today. Focusing on looping residential hallways in first-person while ghosts poke their heads out at scripted moments, many creators loved P.T. but often took the wrong lessons from the legendary playable teaser. At first glance, Luto is the latest in a long line of P.T. wannabes, but it doesn't take long for it to stand out from the pack as an especially unpredictable and unconventional horror story. In Luto, you play a character stuck in an emotional rut and a literal loop. Waking to a smashed bathroom mirror, protagonist Sam exits into an L-shaped hallway, passes some locked doors, heads down the stairs, and out the front door. The next day, Sam wakes to a smashed bathroom mirror, exits into an L-shaped hallway, passes some locked doors, heads down the stairs, and out the front door. The next day--well, you get it. But where so many games struggle to distance themselves from Kojima's original blueprint, Luto takes this kernel of an idea and expands on it in creative, and sometimes wondrous, ways. I originally played a demo of Luto a few years ago, and I was surprised to hear a narrator has since been attached to this horror story. The voice of an almost gratingly upbeat British man gives the game the sense of something more like The Stanley Parable, which rings only truer when the narrator seems to comment on what I'm doing with reactivity and near-omniscience. I hated this addition to the game at first. The creaks of the floorboards in the empty house, once so eerie in the demo, were now drowned out by a narrator who seemed to spoonfeed me the story. Why did they spoil its tense atmosphere with this chatterbox? Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsJul 24

Killing Floor 3 Review – A classic series near its peak Killing Floor 3 brings a lot to the table, trying (and often succeeding) to surpass its stellar predecessor. With visceral gunplay, lots of gore and carnage, and a fun loop, KF3 is all sorts of awesome. However, underlying issues prevent it from being the perfect game, but it's by no means a bad one. An all too recognizable loop https://youtu.be/fISSFiMPjfo?si=e1LKjgR8pWeTF4HU Killing Floor 3 essentially follows the same gameplay loop we've gotten used to with Killing Floor 2 . You spawn in, fight waves of enemies, run around the map to purchase new gear, fight a boss at the end, and repeat. It is simple and effective, and with so many maps (even if they could use some thematic variance), things stay fresh throughout. On top of that, the game sports several difficulty levels, adding an extra layer of freshness to each individual run. You pick one of six Perks (currently tied to characters), each with its own set of weapons, abilities, gadgets, and throwables. These are Commando, Firebug, Engineer, Sharpshooter, Ninja, and Medic, all of which featured in previous Killing Floor titles. Gameplay varies significantly between each of the Perks, who are highly specialized, although you can mix and match their weapons. All Perks in Killing Floor 3 have their own sets of abilities, passives, guns, etc. Screenshot by Destructoid As of this review, Killing Floor 3 's Perks and characters are bound, meaning that you cannot currently play as any character and choose any Perk (class) you want, much to my dismay and of many players. From the game's roadmap, however, this is planned to change post-launch, which would be fantastic given how good the characters are. They throw quips, one-liners, have incredible voice acting, and check just about every box of what constitutes a good video game character. It would then be a damned shame to be locked out of playing your favorite one because their particular strengths do not align with your preferred build. Additionally, some Perks are just not strong enough to deal with the game's overall inconsistent enemy spawns, particularly on higher difficulties. Balance patches are bound to fix this, though, as KF3 will be a live-service title much like the older ones. Even so, if you've ever played any KF title, then Killing Floor 3 will feel right at home, providing you with that same loop with numerous improvements (and some drawbacks). Gunplay so good it'd make a grown man cry Blood, guts, fire, chaos. Video by Destructoid Where Killing Floor 3 really shines above its predecessors is the gunplay. And here I don't just mean weapon feedback, but the new and improved gore system as well. Speaking of weapons, they're some of the best-feeling guns I've ever used in a video game. Each bullet feels like it's actually being fired, the weapons kicking back, swaying, and responding as realistically as possible (and just as fun). When they land on an enemy, they are immensely satisfying, especially if you use higher caliber weapons and see limbs flying all over the place. Killing Floor 3 features an extensive and intuitive weapon system, allowing you to customize just about any part of any gun. Screenshot by Destructoid The gunplay alone is more than enough to make you consider getting this game. While its maps, without a decade's worth of additions, could be better and their loop improved (made more linear, more story-oriented, etc., much like KF2 's later maps were), the gunplay is incomparably better, as is combat overall. No matter what you're holding in your hand, it will feel like a proper, deadly weapon, especially heavier ones (shotguns, sniper rifles, etc). Zed Mode, that recognizable slo-mo mechanic, also looks very cool, with monochromatic coloring (except for the reds) adding a layer of cinematography to the game. What I didn't find interesting is how it's activated, with just a bar filling up and popping at any moment for the entire lobby. This led to many situations where Zed Mode would just be wasted, which is a shame since there are more than a few weapons and attachments specifically made to fill it up faster. This more or less makes those useless, as Zed Mode tends to fire pretty quickly anyway, and not always as effectively. Technicalities a potential barrier for many players Though demanding, graphics like these are almost worth the performance cost. Video by Desturctoid And now for the usual. Killing Floor 3 is built on Unreal Engine 5, the most advanced one there is. Because of that, it's one of the prettier games out there, and in turn, one of the more demanding. While knocking down settings can and will improve overall performance, it is inevitable that technical issues will arise, especially since Unreal Engine is known for prioritizing looks over stability. I played through the game with an AMD RX 9070XT, a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and 32GB of DDR4 memory and still had to keep the settings at High preset to achieve solid stability. Settings like Global Illumination and Texture Quality, too, had to stay at High, and increasing even a bit led to massive stability issues, stuttering, and FPS drops. I also had countless freezes just by opening the Skills menu, forcing me to close the game via Task Manager. Aside from that, the bigger the lobby, the worse the performance. This is a strong technical drawback of Killing Floor 3 , and one that the developers have already recognized. In a co-op title with a six-man lobby, the FPS can become horrendous, which isn't helped by the fact that the game scales enemy numbers up based on lobby size. Boss scaling varies dramatically: from too easy to too hard, but never in the middle. Video by Destructoid Speaking of scaling, it's by no means great. While some bosses have solid scaling with lobby size, the Impaler boss just spawns several versions of itself, making the boss wave chaotic and not fun, as making a single boss entity would have been the better solution. Despite these performance issues, however, Killing Floor 3 is still among the better-performing Unreal Engine 5 games, so long as you have a capable machine. Overall, Killing Floor 3 is a very good game. It uses technological novelties to enhance the recognizable gameplay loop of its predecessors, adding on top of that a new story, setting, and variance that is bound to draw in a lot of veterans as well as new players. However, its particularities need refining and optimization, which would ensure it lasts well into the following decade, much like Killing Floor 2 . The post Killing Floor 3 Review – A classic series near its peak appeared first on Destructoid .

Reviews Archive – DestructoidJul 24