Don't Revive Your Friends

8-Bit Adventures 2 tickles my nostalgia bone. As strange as that sounded, it is true. See, I grew up with the NES/Sega Genesis. Games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Phantasy Star looked A LOT different back then. But does that mean they cannot look the same now? Just because we've advanced so far doesn't mean those games back then were bad by any means. So let's take a look at 8-Bit Adventures 2 and see if a game that was made by a team of ONE can give me the experience I had so many years ago.  8-Bit Adventures 2 starts off when a calamity known as the Dust Invasion takes over the world a few years ago. To fight this, something called "The Computer" selected 3 champions who then gained powers to save the world. As some of them go missing, a young boy (you) decides they are going to be the one to help find them. On your way, you discover deeper and darker things about the world you live in and, naturally, you are tasked with saving everything. Nothing crazy...

 A dark and mysterious world awaits you! When I first loaded up Drova: Forsaken Kin, I was welcomed with some sort of familiarity. I felt like I have been here before. It wasn't a bad feeling, it was just that: a feeling. As I progressed through the opening moments, I already found myself wondering about the world I was in. "Why am I here?" This means that the story, the art, and the atmosphere already had me hooked. Drova is an action RPG with retro styled graphics that take me back to the older Diablos. With a loot system, crafting, side quests, and more, you feel right at home. The campaign itself is 40 hours! Well, a lot more if you are like me and take your time doing all the wrong things of exploration. Let's get into some nitty-gritty of the world of Drova and see if you should pick this up yourself. The story itself is a big mystery throughout. Per it's description:   Encounter a society where ancient restless spirits and divided factions battle for domina...

NBA 2K25 is HERE and while the virtual currency (VC) problem still rears its ugly head, it is clear that 2K is looking to make sure we all get back to the game that we love. Improvements all around bring together a great experience in the basketball world that are only slightly bogged down by not spending enough. I played well over 25 hours of NBA 2K25 and dove into the majority of each and every feature in the game. While some things feel the same such as Play Now, huge overhauls of MyCareer and MyTeam have breathed new life into the series. The City Life For Me One of my favorite revamps this year is with The City. Not only is the map a LOT smaller (a great thing) but it allows very easy access to courts, matchmaking, and storefronts. The coolest thing is that literally every building you see has a purpose. Whether you are wanting some new threads, or needing to defeat a boss in a streetball battle, they're all VERY close to eachother. No more walking to 7 minutes to your next de...

I have lived through various looter shooters in my time. Borderlands, Destiny, Destiny 2, Warframe, and now: The First Descendant. I did not know too much about this game when it was recommended to me other than it was free. Free is always good, right? Well after 40-50 hours of gameplay, I can tell you that it is not bad.  The First Descendant is not going to change your life. In any way. However, it gives off crazy Destiny/Warframe vibes that are borderline yoinked right from the games themselves. So much so that the devs even mention they will be changing some of the icons to not resemble those of the same nature. Let's get this out of the way first. This game comes PACKED with insane monetization options. You do not HAVE to purchase a single thing to get ahead if you do not want to. You can simply grind. And grind. And grind some more. I did end up doing a single mission about 10 times in a row to get a blueprint needed to "research" a character. That sounds tedious bu...

 Here it is, folks. A new year. A new Madden. I will let you know that I have not played a Madden NFL game since Madden 13. Yes. That is important. Madden 24 was an exciting thought for me. Having not played one in ten years, I felt like there would be plenty of NEW to experience. Well. I was wrong. This does beg to question: How much NEW can you put in a simulation game? That is pretty hard to answer. I will say that while I can very much notice the new fresh pain and details, this pretty much feels like Madden. A clunky menu that takes far too long to load, especially on these new gen consoles, glitchy ball and player physics, bare bones modes (the new Showdown mode has literally nothing to it other than 3 v 3 gameplay) and more "That costs HOW MUCH?" microtransactions than before.  I started off with the Superstar mode. Which seems like a direct knock-off of the NBA 2K MyPlayer. I know story modes have been in Madden before but this gives you a player rating, currency AND ...

Are you into supernatural type things? Vampires, beasts, or spooky cults? Hunt the Night on PC delivers these things to you in an exciting and immersive supernatural experience that will keep players hooked from start to finish. This 2D action-adventure game manages to capture the essence of classic side-scrolling platformers while infusing it with a fresh and captivating narrative. With its nostalgic art style, engaging gameplay mechanics, and challenging enemies, "Hunt the Night" offers a highly enjoyable experience for fans of action! One of my favorite features of "Hunt the Night" is its pixel art visuals. The awesomely crafted environments are rich in detail, with vibrant colors that bring the game world to life. Each area is distinct and visually appealing, adding to the overall feeling of being in the world you're playing in! Whenever a game can grab my attention with pixels or sprites, I'm usually more keen on giving it more time just for that alone....

Dead Island 2, the HIGHLY anticipated sequel to the popular open-world zombie survival game series, has finally arrived. I was one of the few who actually liked the first game. So naturally, I couldn't wait to dive into zombie-infested California.. However, after spending several hours (about 10-15 at the time of this writing) with the game, I have mixed feelings about it. So hey. A positive. The graphics and overall visual design of Dead Island 2 are impressive. This game looks AWESOME. I have been playing on PS5 and have said "whoa" many times thus far. Great character models, creepy skin-tearing effects, and lush landscapes, the visuals are great. Detail is in almost every place you look. From hitting enemies in specific spots and watching that area degrade or rip off is stunning to watch. Of course, since it is detail oriented, you will notice things that are repeated throughout the game. There is a certain DVD series and photos in frames that pop up in many houses. T...

As a lifelong fan of the Harry Potter books, I was thrilled to dive into the highly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy on my Xbox Series S, and boy, did it deliver! This game truly captures the essence of the books I read as a kid and offers an immersive and enchanting experience that left me spellbound. And yes, there will be a few of those "magic" puns in this short review. One of the first things that struck me was the colorful graphics! Everything looked pretty darn good on my Xbox Series S. Even though this is less powerful than the X or the Playstation 5, the detailed and intricately designed environments of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were brought to life with breathtaking visuals and vibrant colors. From the corridors of Hogwarts Castle to the hidden passages and secret rooms, every nook and cranny was filled with magic and wonder. There were times when stuttering framerates or some weird pop-in did happen but it wasn't super glaring enough to be a nuisanc...

**This review was based on the Playstation 5 version of WWE 2K23** WWE 2K has had a pivotal shift in direction with last year's 2K22. It proved that by taking some time off and being able to focus on the game development at hand, you can create something awesome. Refined gameplay, graphics, mechanics, and GM modes felt great to play. The skip from 2K20 to 2K22 was extremely beneficial. It did suffer from the WWE layoffs where the majority of its roster was axed by the time the game came out. That's not on 2K, though. Chalk that up to the ever-changing wrestling business just doing its thing at the worst timing possible.  WWE 2K23 takes all these things I mentioned and keeps them going. I will be straight-up honest, there is not much on the "improvement" side of things that immediately jumps out, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. I REALLY enjoyed the MyRise and online modes in 2K22. They are back and great again. The most notable improvements I have found were t...

 Heads up! I will try to write this with as few spoilers as possible. Keep in mind though, there may be a situation needed for comparison.  There have been quite a few video games making the jump to live action (or anime style) these days and there is typically a 75% chance that it will not live up to the expectations of their original fan base. If we take a look at Halo, for example, even though a season 2 is coming, a lot of viewers felt it veered off of a path that made them love Halo in the first place. An original storyline is dangerous in the video game-to-live action world as many people want to keep their digital versions the way they have already seen (or controlled) them. Enter: The Last Of Us. I admit that I had super high hopes for this series as I LOVE the first game (we may stay hush hush for now on the second). I tried not to fall in the trap of being too excited just be let down but I could not help it. The Last Of Us in game form was an epic telling of a story...

Quick and painless here: I have never watched Rick and Morty. That being said, I do have an odd sense of humor and find the weirdest things funny. Playing through High On Life, I have had the occasional chuckle, but found myself being more annoyed than anything else. Sure, there is a ton of dialogue but it is not the amount that got on my nerves. It was that I really felt it was trying TOO hard to make me laugh. You ever see someone bomb a joke and resort to self-physical harm to try and get a reaction? That is what I feel this game is. That last-ditch effort to squeeze a peep of sound out of my mouth. The gameplay here is fine. Pew pew and knife your way through a bunch of foul-mouth aliens on various planets/cities. I have no problems with any of the weapons or methods of murder and there IS an option to silence the dialogue a bit. There's just nothing really NEW to the game. It is very colorful and very over-the-top which I do appreciate. The art is awesome. I just get rubbed th...

I'm not sure why but the main menu screen and music for Chained Echoes instantly brought me back to a time when things were simpler. Come home from school, grab a hot pocket and play my favorite RPGs for HOURS.  I miss these days and after watching information on Chained Echoes for some time, I'm hoping it can bring me back. The story starts with Glenn, a young "sky pilot" tagging along with a rag-tag group of mercs named Iron Bull. They are tasked with destroying a stone said to fuel cannons of the enemy. Turns out, that stone does much more. We learn about the war that has been plaguing the continent for years and years. Bad things happen that lead to a peace treaty. We get to meet some more of our main characters and then, all hell breaks loose. Pretty standard stuff here but these tales are always exciting! I really find myself engaged with the stories more of RPGs lately and having played through Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus recently, I'm so ready for mor...