Alan Wake 2 – Very Early Impressions

I got the chance to try out Alan Wake 2, and what can I say? Already from the start, I feel once again we have a game hyped up by the gaming press to be the second coming of Jesus, but as a game, it leaves much to desire. At least to me. I’m not saying it’s bad per se, but so far it’s been incredibly bland on the gameplay department, mixed with technical issues and performance woes.

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage – Arabian Nights

The only reason I got this game was the promise of the franchise going back to its roots. While that remains true to a certain degree, it’s not the long-lost promise land of Grandpa’s old-school Assassin’s Creed gameplay. It’s mostly a mix between the original games in the series, and the RPG take on it that started with Assassins Creed Origin. I mostly blame this half-hearted attempt on the engine itself, since Assassin’s Creed Mirage shares that with Origin, Odyssey, and Valhalla. It looks pretty, there is no denying that, but everything that involves the player, as in parkour and the combat feels very floaty, just like in those titles. It has much less of a “simulation” approach than the former games which leads to the setting feeling less grounded and realistic. More on that down below.

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UnMetal – The Army of Mikes

We are back with another action-adventure game by Unepic fran. The last one I played from these guys was Ghost 1.0which I thought was an excellent metroidvania. UnMetal is this game’s name, and while it manages to stand on its own, it’s a comedy spoof of the Metal Gear games and takes a lot of its content from them. From the sneaking and knocking out guards, to long inane conversations with villains with questionable motives. Not even the main guy is safe, as both mannerisms and visual appearance are very similar to the number one chain smoker Solid Snake. Now copying mechanics like this would be considered a bit weird, however, UnMetal takes the themes and makes one hell of a parody of it—and not only in writing: the gameplay is stand-out too!

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Star Wars – Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – It’s Anakin Time

In my yearly Star Wars bender, I decided I wanted to play a game set in the prequel era. It’s unfortunately rather slim picking when it comes to this period if you want to play something new. However, I manage to find Star Wars – Episode III – Revenge of the Sith for the PlayStation 2. It’s a direct tie-in game to the movie that goes under the same name. It was with a certain hesitation that I downloaded it as we know all too well how these kinds of titles end up. But hey, what do I get to lose, anyway? Well, as it turns out only valuable gaming time, taking me one step closer to death with nothing gained. I should have trusted the force when it told me something dark awaited me.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age – Moria Endurance Run

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (LOTR: TTA) is truly an epic game, however, it might be for the wrong reasons depending on how you see it. While the game takes you through the whole movie trilogy, which is an epic effort in itself. What makes it truly epic beyond that and anything I have played recently is the amount of fighting you will do. This game isn’t that large if you go by map size, it’s the density of the orc hordes that need to be slaughtered that makes it way bigger than it actually is. With each five to ten steps you take towards your goal, you will have a fight, which makes this title an endurance run without equal. If you are allergic to any form of grinding, or filler encounters, stay far away from LOTR: TTA! If you are not… 

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