Hardcore Gamer

• PS5
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS4
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PC
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• SWITCH
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS5
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS5
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS5
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS5
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PC
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• XSX/S
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

• XSX/S
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• PC
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Without the unique interpretation and translation of combat, Fallen Flag should already take comfort in the knowledge that their crafted series of boss fights are at least visually and mechanically-attractive enough to warrant a punishing trudge through to the credits screen. But it’s the way gameplay and control of such is orchestrated where Eldest Souls‘ appeal — and ultimately its fulfillment on one of this year’s more inventive takes on boss rush titles — is realized. Strange as it may look from the outside to confine a once-free flowing style of real-time combat to this stop-start, tactical alternative. But Eldest Souls orchestrates the right kind of difficulty curve — that only grow in both intensity and complexity — with a plentiful amount of twists and turns that are sure to trip players up, but immediately pull them back in. Even as the death count just keeps racking up higher and higher. It’s one thing to craft a game with such an entertaining yet punishing series of fights. It’s another to do so with the kind of design philosophy that’s so quick to convince it more than deserves its rightful place. But that’s exactly what Fallen Flag have achieved with seemingly impeccable ease here. Bold, brilliant and consistently surprising throughout, Eldest Souls’ fresh approach to combat marks one of 2021’s real gems.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Samurai Warriors 5 had an ambitious goal: give the franchise a reboot so it feels revitalized and fresh but also maintains the essence of what fans enjoy about the franchise. Aside from a few tweaks and updates, the gameplay of Samurai Warriors 5 adheres to the format that musou games are expected to follow. The new approach to storytelling is what makes it the most different from its predecessors. The smaller focus helps Samurai Warriors 5 by giving an in-depth look into the stories of Nobunaga Oda and Mitsuhide Akechi. Instead of countless characters with small stories, we get two intertwined stories that are developed to such a level where the player ends up caring about the events of both stories. The new direction makes Samurai Warriors 5 a worthwhile acquisition for fans by delivering new content, but the core gameplay is everything fans would expect from the series.

• PC
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• SWITCH
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS4
• 2 / 5
• États-Unis

Before beginning to play Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed, plans to write a screed defending the game while poking fun at the pure stupidity of the gameplay were already in motion. The assumption was that I would adore it the same way I did other games in the series. Instead, Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is a buggy port of a PSP game with uprezzed geometry, character models and CG cutscenes. Everything else screams of a barebones or incomplete effort. For completionists, it’s cool to have the missing piece finally available in English. Actually playing the game, though, is simply not recommended. If the idea of killing vampires by ruining their outfits sounds intriguing, and it should, check out Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed. It’s simply a superior experience.