Recent reviews by HOTSHOT

Life is Strange: Double Exposure was a weird game. While I overall liked it (and disagree with the average Pricefielder about how Chloe was treated), Double Exposure is the weakest game for me; it was full of problems, mostly on the narrative and writing side as it was a beautiful game to look at and listen to (taking into account the soundtrack and the voice acting here).

The first half was great and genuinely intriguing but after the end of chapter 3 it felt like a downward slope trolley ride without any breaks. I "reviewed" (more like some thoughts upon seeing the credits roll) Double Exposure and said the ending was "a wait and see" where it would go.

And here we are. Reunion is out a little over a year after DE in what it feels like a copout after the ending of Double Exposure.

SPOILERS for Double Exposure because it matters (summarized and paraphrased)

Double Exposure ends in some Marvel Avengers-tier ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ where Safi, the first person in the saga we meet with super powers aside from Max, decides to go away in order to find more people like her and asks Max to join her (basically the final choice), right after ignoring the fact that she's a depressed power-abuser that had just shot her mother and ruined the lives of more than a couple other people at Caledon

Now, Reunion ignored all of that aside from a little reference here and there. Instead we get another game focused on Lakeport and Caledon with no real "travel" like Double Exposure alluded to.

And it ignored that in order to bring "back"... yep, Chloe.

There isn't much to discuss about Reunion without spoiling and I won't do that. Overall I'll say Reunion is a great entry into the Life is Strange franchise, it made me forget the sourness left on my mouth after Double Exposure ended and it's probably my favorite entry after the original which I still think is a masterpiece, probably competing with True Colors.

Reunion is very well written, has extremely solid pacing throughout the entire 11 hour playthrough it took me to finish and has a very good soundtrack to accompany it, though it's not as good as the original, Before the Storm or even Double Exposure.

The graphics are a disappointment as it feels like Double Exposure but with more problems. Pop-in, blurry backgrounds at times and no option of upscaling makes the game feel technically rushed albeit pretty still.
I recommend toning down post-processing to fix some of the blurriness.

The narrative is great. At the beginning you have the option of deciding the outcome of previous game's choices, from LiS1 and Double Exposure.
The writing and the voice acting is peak. Chloe's VA is incredible beyond belief and her character feels like a natural evolution of what Chloe would be a decade after the events at Arcadia Bay. And Max is... Max, with all her quirks and faults.
The story is interesting, bringing your usual "doom" event to the fray but focusing on the relationships as usual. This time the game works as a direct sequel to Double Exposure so it naturally improve on the relationships Max established in DE, with now bring Chloe into the mix as she decides to see Max in Caledon.
You play as both Max and Chloe so it's a good change of pace switching between them (though that's to the game's decisions as you can't swap to your will) and exploring Caledon as Chloe and getting her POV from stuff and interacting with the folks as her is definitely a highlight of the game, especially for me as a huge fan of Before the Storm.

The story eventually ends and conclusively, unlike Double Exposure which blatantly sequel-baits. Most characters (I say most, but not in a disappointing way, everyone is treated respectfully) get their closure and Reunion does give that spectacularly for a game I thought would be rushed to give Squeenix some quick money (that I faithfully and ignorantly gave, but am glad to feel it was worth it).

Chloe and Max's story feels concluded, and with boatloads of respect to the mascots of this franchise. I say this with the happiest grin on my face, I was genuinely afraid Double Exposure would be a downward slope for the quality of the games, as I had thought when I played 2 and found it an okay game and then True Colors bounced the franchise right back. Reunion is exactly that. A much better game than Double Exposure because it contains the story (DE tries to expand it too much), expertly mixes the new characters with the old and elevates it all with a great soundtrack, phenomenal voice acting and with great visuals.

This does not withdraw the game of criticism as the ever present "illusion of choice" that plagues this genre persists here. Reunion also disappoints on a technical level with lackluster graphical options and some visual glitches and inconsistencies, something that Double Exposure was nearly perfect at in contrast.

Overall, I recommend Life is Strange: Reunion but I can't recommend it without playing Double Exposure. While not a bad game, the final third is not very good and must be stomached a bit; that said, the characters, locations and overall story matter for Reunion so you must play both.

I think Double Exposure and Reunion should've been a single game as the games cancel eachother's downsides and would make up for a much more solid and enticing experience. Double Exposure's release hurt the fanbase a bit and left a sour taste many don't want to risk getting again with Reunion (which I don't think players would but... I understand the caution players want in handing another 40 or 50 bucks to Squeenix). I sincerely hope fans give Reunion a chance, even after Double Exposure. I love this franchise and I cannot recommend it enough, despite all the ups and downs throughout the years so if this is the end for Life is Strange, I'm glad to say that it ended excellently.

Beta and Server Slam player here.

Incredibly fun with a few problems... nothing major that can't be fixed over weeks and months QOL wise.

Ironic how when something fresh, (in this case, in the art department) comes out, but it's not their favorite developer, people love to piss on a game.

Marathon is just... fun to play, hurt by extremely questionable (and absolutely needing improvement) UI and overall itemization and loot design.

However, everything else... lore, music, combat, presentation, audio, PC performance is nothing short of stellar. The looting is a bit clunky and that's as far as I think most criticisms can go in the early stages.

Hoping the raiding systems will be fun. Right now, the game just feels fantastic. The better servers and cleaner gameplay puts it above Arc Raiders for me as far as the overall combat feel goes. That said, the UI has a lot of work (something Arc did PERFECTLY) and it obviously needs content and updates to engage the playerbase but bungie, for all their faults, have done that successfully (mostly) with destiny up until the Final Shape. If I can get the same 8 years of quality for this I'd be pretty glad.

The lower asking price, the harder focus on PvP and the innovations in the artstyle, the class based gameplay, the PvE raiding, among other things, on top of top tier FPS feel makes me want to recommend Marathon, trusting bungie will handle the UI problems quickly.

My favorite Resident Evil game.

It's not a light thing to say and it's not even close to being a perfect game (then again, no RE game ever is, was or will be, but the fact I adore this franchise despite all its flaws and crazy ideas that sometimes don't stick should say something)

Requiem introduces my favorite protagonist since the "old cast", Grace. I cannot really talk much about her without spoiling as her arc gets very deep quite fast, but she is definitely much more relatable than Ethan ever was (a popular criticism of RE7 I shared, but like most, I got used to it by the time he starred in Village as well, both games I also very much love).
While I can understand some being skeptical and downright not appreciating her overall character, I think the voice actor did some of the best work I've seen in the entire franchise's history and I am dying to see more of her in some capacity. Be it DLC or another game.

But rejoice because the world's worst kept secret Leon Kennedy is back and RE9 is another double protagonist game, much like RE2.
However, unlike RE2, Requiem hosts both characters at the same time, swapping your control between them whenever the story takes a harsh turn.

The story overall is excellent with a solid ending that finally ties up 2 very specific and long lasting threads in the timeline, allowing the saga to move on and approach other story bits that Capcom loves to leave unexplored for years.
The pacing can be jarring at first but that is mostly due to the gameplay so let's have a chat about it.

Grace and Leon play very differently, with Grace being akin to Ethan in the Bakers home in RE7 and Leon playing in what I describe "RE4 Remake meets RE6" in the best possible way.

Despite what people talk and hate on Resident Evil 6, the combat will never be one of the game's main criticisms, with it still being likely the most complex combat in the franchise, with various stun abilities, sliding, rolling, crouching, backpedalling, finishers, weapon throwing and a billion other things I absolutely do not remember because I played that ♥♥♥♥ a decade ago.
Some of the RE6 features are back, such as the enemy-wielding weapon throwing to stun or kill a distant enemy. The overall combat flow also seems a tad closer to that, but anyone who played RE4 Remake or RE3 Remake should feel a very similar combat pace during Leon's sections.

I'll admit the first sections felt too crowded at times and the combat wasn't engaging me enough but it was so short and Grace's sections were taking most of the play time and spotlight that I shrugged them off. But once the second half kicks in, Grace takes a backseat and Leon's action combat becomes the limelight of Requiem and pretty much never stops from there to the point where I could barely resist closing the game until the credits rolled.
The juxtaposition of Grace and Leon's combat can be jarring on paper but I can't commend Capcom enough for risking it in the first place and nailing the ♥♥♥♥ out of it on top of that. Requiem for over 90% of the 11-something hours it took me to beat the game is a nonstop ride on the fun train and I recommend any remote fan of action-horror, survival-horror and obviously, Resident Evil, to play this game right away.

My only criticism is that the game is too easy, even on Classic difficulty so I'm going to recommend exclusively you play on that difficulty to remotely feel any tension in some sections. Crafting ink ribbons is a joke as I was pissing crafting materials for it and I still finished the game with 4 or 5 ribbons I found, having spent roughly the same amount in saves. Leon's sections are auto-saved so that is not a worry for those who like to be more mindless in their gameplay.

One particular "helpless" flashback section also felt a bit out of place in the story. I'd rather have it as a free DLC (similar to what RE7 did and very well with side stories). But it was close to 10 minutes so it's not a big deal but I found its content to not justify the pace break it committed to.

The game's performance is formidable as well, maxed out including Raytracing, the game runs like butter with zero stutters or FPS drops for a single second.

Overall Requiem is this years first real "great game". A masterpiece among all the crazy games Capcom has released with the Resident Evil name. It looks good, sounds great, has some of the best combat and horror this saga has ever delivered, has a PC Port that respects even a mid tier computer which is UNREAL nowadays (that said, please add a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ FOV slider... the game in FPS runs at about 80, max 90 FOV and that is too low imo but fine enough to play), and the story and characters are remarkably solid for an RE game where usually I feel the villains shine more than the protagonists and this time it's the other way around (absolutely not taking any merit from the villains introduced in this entry though).

Horror fans have been eating good as of late. Requiem is another phenomenal game that anyone should put in their "great games" catalog, alongside the Dead Space Remake, Silent Hill 2 Remake and Cronos.

Boy, a lot of remakes. And next year we are likely getting another RE Remake so plates up folks, chef Capcom should have another masterpiece in the oven while we glaze this one for now.

Probably the worst Single Player Campaign I've ever played, not just counting the Call of Duty titles but literally of any shooter, perhaps even game. Ever.

Now, the Multiplayer.
No Skill Based Matchmaking, Persistent Lobbies. No tac sprint. No exojump ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Just... a faster paced yet old-school feeling (somewhat) experience.

So it's probably my favorite Multiplayer experience since Black Ops 2, which was 13 years ago. Haven't played enough zombies to judge but it seems fun enough. Not sure still mechanically but I can vouch for the art direction and look. The map is awesome visually!

Clean gunplay, decent soundtrack, mediocre graphics. Calling Cards use AI by the way, which I am sad about. Disgusting and all calling cards look like literal trash. The worst calling card of MW2 in 2009 was better than the best one in this game. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ artwork, please hire some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ artists, this is like a 10-studio game, what the ♥♥♥♥

Overall, I bought Black Ops 7 for the multiplayer and the zombies (I'm yet to play Endgame) and that satisfied my investment (I have not bought a CoD game on Day 1 since MW3 in 2023 and before that the MW reboot in 2019) but I truly feel all the pressure Battlefield 6 applied on CoD this year has made it a much better game, especially from a QoL perspective.
If you're looking for a fun CoD multiplayer experience with no sweat fest SBMM ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, this game is the best in a very long time in this franchise

Also, so far no Beavis and Butthead skins and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, it all looks appropriate to the theme of the game and overall none of the operator look much more quirkier than the ones seen in BO3 or BO4, which I am so thankful for. I just hope they don't ruin it with the Season 1 skins but... it's Activision so I feel stupid for even daring to show some cautious optimism.

You have a Loot C0ck 10/10

In all seriousness, after hours and hours in the server slam and now with the base game on my hands, I can say Arc Raiders is the game that made extraction shooters enjoyable for me because it knows that people want immersion, not stress. Losing in Arc is more than "I lost everything", you gain XP, you learn things, you get materials anyway, you don't feel like you went back to zero and it helps the game feel more accessible without butchering what makes extraction shooters so tense and tactical yet fun.

The arcs (PvE) are a threat and not fodder like Hunt: Showdown and just makes everything much more intense without feeling unfair... pick your fights and you'll have a blast.
The gunplay is fantastic, the atmosphere drips like a waterfall and the progression is steady and rewarding and the servers function on day 1! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ unheard of in 2025.

Oh and the first Battle Pass is free and you get premium currency in it anyway! Another Embark W.
The store monetization is questionable though as most cosmetic bundles cost literally half the game's base price but since it's purely cosmetic, I won't criticize it much and it helps that the cosmetics actually look like they have a lot of work put into them and a nice degree on customization.

With 5 whole different maps on release, with 1 coming soon, lots of weapons, attachments and even crafting upgrades (such as bringing items from the surface that you can then use to upgrade your workbenches, farmacy stations and even the Loot ♥♥♥♥) is such a welcome addition to the overall game progression that makes it feel like every run goes beyond the "do or die" that extraction shooters are so ill-looked upon for.

The genre is in good hands with this one, let's hope Marathon keeps the pace alive next year.

Absolutely try this game out, even if the genre does not interest you, it's truly fantastic with friends and even randoms as they are usually super communicative.
See you all on topside!

Battlefield 6 has problems but it's overall a pretty great game with absolutely terrible metagame, progression and balance; however, the Season 1 update and more specifically, REDSEC is just a terrible addition in my opinion. This is also aggravated with an abysmal store and monetization.

• REDSEC is literally just WarZone, it feels exactly the same with Battlefield gunplay and a couple tanks in the mix (which are nerfed in BR to the point of being a minor nuissance instead of a proper threat)
  
• Gauntlet is just a 4v4 "Counter-Strike" (or CoD's Gulag) mode that reeks of lazy
  
• Portal is great but the XP nerfs just remove a great deal of the fun since the game is very grind dependent - originally to unlock weapon attachments or actual weapons and now also the battle pass stuff
  
• 25€ "BlackCell" style battle pass (Battlefield Pro)
  
• BF Pro also locks out content as you cannot host 100-Person Portal Servers without it
  
• There is a Vehicle Radio that is locked out behind the BF Pro
  
• Challenges that ease BP progression are mostly tied to BR and non-traditional Battlefield modes;
  
• Standard (XP based) Battle Pass progression takes ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ FOREVER as you need around 75.000 XP to advance 1 single tier out of the total 110 (the exact last one at 110 is the one that obviously gives you 200 premium currency that allows you to pay for the next battle pass)
  
• Very bland skins, most do not beat the average challenge-based camos (enjoy paying 10€ por 2 green skins, a charm and a tag)

At least the game finally has a big map I guess.

The Rearmament update is both what this game needed and what it should have been to begin with on release. No specialist ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, hundreds of bugs and performance improvements, more guns which are also more akin to a realistic modern weapon design instead of the pseudo sci-fi stuff we got and just... a polished experience.

It's not perfect, but as a KF1 and 2 fan, KF3 feels like it can now kickstart itself into a proper third installment; Tripwire really did a good job with the updates and while they have been slow, they have also been riddled with fixes and tweaks that justify the moderately long wait times.
Let's hope the updates keep up with this quality and KF3 can easily match KF2 a couple of years down the line, much like KF2 took to match the original we still so dearly love.

You can argue that it's a bit late... but better than never, no? I think so at least. Tripwire kicked KF3 back into shape and this feels like the release it should've been.
The entire game has been at least tweaked (from numerous performance and stability improvements) if not outright balanced (such as mod cost reduction across the board and vulcan nerfs that didn't pull it from the meta, just made it more situational, enabling harder difficulties to be tackled by various classes and weapons and not just "buy vulcan lmao").

This is more of a review of the state of the game in the Rearmament Update I guess, but I genuinely think the game is in a state that can be enjoyed by all KF fans now and I hope Tripwire keep this up, otherwise the looming threat of the game dying will forever shadow its potential, which is massive (I'd argue bigger than KF2's).

EDIT AFTER FINISHING (just some random thoughts after closing the game):

TL;DR:
I think this is a good game, cheaper than your average AAA game, with good themes and a respectful handling of the characters that return. Great soundtrack, great graphics, familiar gameplay, phenomenal voice acting and a muddy story that tries to do too much and tackle too many themes in the 11 hours it took me to finish it (yes I wish it was longer). But overall, a success to Deck Nine, but I'd be lying if I wasn't scared for what comes next after the ending.

The soundtrack still kicks ass (new favorite credits song), the gameplay is the same as every other LiS (aside from the new powers, of course), the voice acting is likely the best in the series and the graphics are stellar.

However...

This is on the bottom of the franchise's list, only beating Life is Strange 2. The last 2 chapters feel rushed and while compelling... the story feels rushed with all the ideas it tries to convey (which are a lot, probably more than any in other LiS game). I feel it could've used a couple more chapters to flesh out everything and the ending is... odd... almost sequel bait-ish. It is not, but it clearly wants to explore another dimension of LiS that only Double Exposure introduces so obviously (those who played the ending of chapter 3 will understand).

That said... I still don't understand most criticisms... Max feels exactly like a more mature Max from LiS1 and the relationship with Chloe (depending on the previous events, of course) seemed respectful... with various throwbacks to their relationship and what happened between LiS1 and DE. Other characters and referenced, there are various souvenirs Max has from Arcadia Bay and so on. I think it was all great and respectful without feeling like dumbed down fanservice.

As for what comes after DE... I'm scared because this doesn't feel like it. I liked Double Exposure, a lot. Deck Nine is clearly talented and I still rank True Colors among one of the best games in the genre. But I can't delved into this without spoiling Double Exposure and I won't do that, obviously.

ORIGINAL ADVANCED ACCESS REVIEW:

About 5 hours later, I finished the 2 chapters available for the "Advanced Access".

Obviously me and everyone else is (theoretically) 40% into the game so take all opinions (yes, including mine) with a grain of salt as NO ONE has finished the game.

Especially the Pricefielders. Take those with a rock of salt instead.

All in all, Double Exposure starts slow... too slow. But this is a problem I felt with True Colors too (seems like a pattern for Deck Nine) and that game was phenomenal once it picked up the pace and this is no different. The core gameplay loop of a Life is Strange is here and completely untouched, for good and bad; with massive amounts of dialogue and choices between the occasional stroll around beautifully detailed environments.

What matters is if you care about it to begin with. Double Exposure commits to the risk of bringing one of the two most beloved characters in the entire saga: Max, the original LiS' protagonist. The essence of what made Max is here 100%. They nailed what Max's personality is and it feels just like a slightly more mature version of the teenager she was in the original.

That said, you cannot bring Max without bringing up the events of the original, which includes what most people are criticizing. With little logic, in my opinion. There is an IMMENSE amount of lore and content that is both fanservice and an explanation for the absence of Chloe (which you can also choose somewhat depending on the ending you picked for LiS 1) that is both perfectly reasonable, but also respectful as this game is about Max and her moving on, without her old powers.... but with new ones.

Overall I think most criticisms boil down to people still shipping Max and Chloe 10 years later and being pissed that this game isn't about them (again). While it's fair to be disappointed, this was clear from the get-go announcement and their split is done respectfully with an absurd amount of throwbacks and memories that give both characters depth, maturity and respect that we always wanted as fans of the series... and who knows if Chloe doesn't appear or gets referenced further given that no one has seen over HALF the game yet?

There are 3 chapters left, a lot can happen and after that Chapter 2 ending I seriously cannot wait to see how everything unfolds and explains itself - Deck Nine really know how to go from a slow start to a heart pounding emotional ride in an instant without feeling like the pace is off. This is a clear wait and see, but from what I played (and it was all I could play), this game does total justice to what a Life is Strange game should be, much like what I think True Colors also was: a worthy entry to the saga.

The soundtrack is kickass as usual, they haven't missed once with soundtracks and Double Exposure is undoubtedly a contender for best in the franchise, in all honesty.

Much like the rest of the games, LiS: DE isn't without a few questionable writing bits that border on awkward or cringe, but I feel those have been reducing with each iteration, which I thank.
Graphically it also is impressive and the best looking one by far. I wouldn't say it has the prettiest locations from a landscape point of view, but the art style is still that mix of realistic and animated that made all games so charming, but it's more TC that LiS1 or BtS. The need for an SSD is clear (I didn't test on an HDD but if it works I'll be very impressed) as you can render two environments almost seamlessly (think of Alan Wake 2 or The Medium but less complex or "shifting") to a fascinating degree visually.

Finally, performance. I think it's been good. No crashes or stutters. The occasional FPS dip but the latest patch has seemed to fix most complaints so it's good to see the devs are responding fast to technical criticisms.

Overall (and, again, judging from 2 out of 5 chapters), Double Exposure is a great entry to the franchise and I can't wait to play the rest, once I pick my jaw off the floor after that Chapter 2 ending.

It's hard to elaborate on the specifics of what makes Silent Hill 2 the raving masterpiece people say it is without ruining the details that make it special. This is my first shot at a Silent Hill game and I'm glad I went blind after all these years - the story is one of the greatest of all time and the atmosphere is nearly unrivaled by anything in the industry.
It's a very pretty game (runs terribly though lol) that plays fluidly (but like all Survival Horror games, it has its jank) and sounds stunning - the sound effects, the sound design and the soundtrack are absurdly good and there is hardly anything I can complain about the game, seriously. It boggles my mind how a 2001 game can be "ported" to 2024 with a couple tweaks and beat nearly everything that tries to compete with it over the past decade, minimum.

A masterpiece then and now, an absolutely phenomenal game I urge everyone to at least TRY (I totally understand those who could not handle its themes or "horror" nature) once in their life. It's one of the few true examples of games as art and I will die on this hill.

Congrats Bloober, you deserved your flowers after all these years of unrecognized potential. I hope I get the rest of the Silent Hill games remade by you, but please optimize your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ games!

I recommend the heck out of this game, I really do. It's an eurojank Half-Life crossbred with STALKER and it's super fun and fresh...

...but! I can't play it anymore as every time I load the game I get a crash (UE4 fatal error). As such I am refunding the game and urge you to wait a bit for patches as the game's stability is questionable - I even got 2 crashes during play and I haven't clocked 2 hours yet. I feel like I'm in the minority here but this review serves as both a warning to potential buyers and a request for the developer to look into the game's stability.