Recent reviews by ZeroRaptor

If you like playing Bayonetta, Transformers: Devastation is basically that but with a Transformers skin (both are made by the same developers). The story is based on the 1984 cartoon and the art style really captures that classic look. (However, Megatron is a tank in this game despite being a gun in the original cartoon, so that may be a deal-breaker for some Transformers fans.)

It's quite a short game with only seven chapters and each chapter gets significantly shorter as you play. It really feels like the developers wanted to put more content into the game, but were really stuck on time after the first chapter. The combat is fun and fast-paced, but there are flaws that can make things a little frustrating at times. Devastation is really one of the rare few good Transformers games, so I would recommend this to any Transformers fan. If you're a general hack-and-slash gamer, this might not be the game for you.

Okami HD is a passable port of the original Playstation 2 game. You definitely have way more control over your brushstrokes with a mouse compared to the Playstation controller. That said, the game has a hard time registering your brushstrokes, which I can only attribute to Capcom having dissolved the original development team Clover Studio. Okami HD and the Wii ports both suffer from this issue, which makes the game more difficult than it needs to be given that brushstrokes is a major part of its game mechanics.

The sumi-e art style of the game makes it very unique and recognizable from other games. Every screenshot is a literal work of art and the brush mechanic allows players to become part of the art of Okami. The story is steeped in Japanese folklore, so those who are familiar will be delighted by all the references to Japanese culture and history.

Although the gameplay is flawed in some parts, the characters, story, music, and world make up for it. Combat is fast-paced if you know what you're doing and exploring every nook and cranny is essential to make the most of your playthrough. If you're into action adventure games, Okami will give you a memorable experience in more ways than one. I can't wait to see what's in store for Okami 2.

Pleasantly surprised that Sega even offered a free demo of the game, which does well to give you a taste of the full release. Major improvement over the network test version in which you can fully remap controls for both keyboard and controller. The game is tons better with remapped controls and I had way more fun racing in the demo than I did in the open network test.

Between the open network test and this demo, I've spent a total of 6 hours on the game so far and had fun the whole time despite the restrictions. The demo is single-player, so you can only play against NPCs which are limited to the Sonic cast. Really enjoy the option to just beat your rival instead of trying to get first place, and there's challenges if you're looking for other things to do in the game. If you're not into esports and the competitive gaming scene, this demo does enough to scratch that racing itch.

Supermarket Simulator is a very chill game that has you working and running a simple supermarket. Choose from a variety of product licenses to offer everything from cereals to condiments to fruits and veggies. You have the choice to wait for market prices to drop to get good discounts on products or shop around to the various distribution centers for the best prices for your store. You can also fulfill delivery orders to net some extra cash for your store to expand and add shelving and other display furnishings to help sell your stuff.

If you want some added challenge, enable shoplifters to chase down thieves and install security elements to your store. There's also the option to take on bank loans that you have to pay back in addition to paying bills to keep the lights on. If you're looking for a chill game that satisfies the desire to have a neat and tidy shop, this is the game for you.

Passpartout 2 goes full role-playing game as you get to explore a little port town and meet with familiar faces from the previous game. You progress through the game by making art, whether by traditional canvas or going full print-on-demand with t-shirts and even cars. It's really neat to see your art influence the town as you explore. Passpartout 2 challenges your art skills much more than the previous game as you try to fulfill the commissions of various characters and even has you trying to fix up art that was messed up by someone else. Just like the previous Passpartout, Passpartout 2 also has tablet support to give you full control over your art.

You can choose between two endings to the game, which is influenced by your artistic journey through the town of Phénix. There's a lot of little clickable elements in the game that trigger events, so thorough exploration is a must if you want to learn everything Phénix has to offer. If you're a budding artist looking to really challenge your creativity, Passpartout 2 is the game for you.

The game had a lot of potential, but unfortunately the higher ups at Namco Bandai would rather take it out back and shoot it instead of letting it grow and develop. Was looking forward to more suits from MSG Wing, but alas my dream of piloting Shenlong Gundam will forever be a dream.

I'm not quite sure why this game had positive reviews back in 2003 and still has mostly positive reviews now. As a first-person shooter, this game's combat system is baffling. Weapon switching is nigh impossible if you use the default disc as you're left wide open if your disc goes flying off into the ether. Thanks to how every weapon outside the disc primitive requires the use of Energy, you'd be lucky to get a noteworthy amount of shots from your LOL or Blaster before you're forced to revert back to using your disc. I'm not sure what the developers were thinking not allowing the player to switch between weapons in a streamlined way in a FPS of all things when you only have mere seconds between surviving and dying.

I don't understand why the non-combative NPCs have health points, as killing any of them results in an instant game over. You can't expect players in a FPS to be SO careful of where they aim to not hit any of these NPCs. If you want them to react to combat activity, fine, but don't make it so accidentally hitting them gives us a game over. That's just asinine.

The permissions, OH MY LORD THE PERMISSIONS SYSTEM. You need to collect permissions to access new areas and all of the item boxes and it slows down the gameplay SO MUCH. And the UI that shows what permissions you've collected is fairly hidden between the Energy and Health bars as it blends in with whatever weapon you have equipped, making it difficult to see which permissions you've already collected. Why it wasn't placed at the top left corner under the Bits tracker, I don't know. You also need permissions to disable the spawner for the ICPs, which feels pointless because by the time you collect enough permissions to disable those, you've already cleared out the area. So what was the point of that? The game would be much better without the permissions system as it really drags down progression.

The environment is a well-designed and very refined style from the original Tron movie. However, a lot of interactive elements were blended TOO well into the environment, making it difficult to discern what needed to be done next. Many times, there are pitfalls that are so hidden into the environment that you don't know they're there until you fall through and get slapped with the game over screen.

I do like the story as it is a logical progression from the original Tron movie. However, it does end rather abruptly and leaves a lot of loose ends all over the place. I was left rather disappointed and unsatisfied by how the game ended. It's obvious there was more to the story, but the developers just couldn't fit it all in within the time span they were given. As a result, the game feels finished, yet unfinished at the same time.

If you like the Tron IP, this game is playable. If you like FPS games, there are plenty on the market that are WAY better than this.

If you're an artist with some decent handle on MS Paint or similar programs, this game might be for you. The art tools in the game are very rudimentary, but can be used to make pretty good art if you have the patience. Clicking the "download" link whenever you finish a piece will save that artwork as a screenshot for you to keep or share. Really neat way to immortalize your doodles if you so please. The game also works with tablets for more precise control.

This game is also very good at teaching budding artists to know their worth. If you accept single-digit bids for your art, then that's all you'll get for the duration of the game. The moment you price yourself below minimum wage, people will always see you as worth paying below minimum wage. And that's a toxic mindset to get into as an artist. Don't fall for exposure, get paid!

There are 4 artistic endings to get as well as 1 bad ending. If you want to practice doing school-taught styles, this game is a good way to experiment with design, minimalism, expressionism, and realism. Or just doodle your way to an ending. The possibilities are endless.

If you're looking for another open-world survival game that scratches the same itch that Subnautica did, Raft is the game for you. Customize your raft as you travel a post-apocalyptic world where the ice caps have melted and the only remnants of land are the peaks of former mountains and skyscrapers. Follow the story-driven locations to track down the last hub of humanity as you battle both land animals and sea creatures on your journey.

Having played this game in early access, the developers did well to add quality-of-life features and expand the worldbuillding of Raft via notes in each story location. However, the direction of the game changed dramatically upon its commercial release where note collection was pared down significantly and boss battles suddenly became a part of the game. The last 3 story locations lack the spirit of the previous updates and it's a rather disappointing change to what was once a wonderfully crafted game about separation and solitude from cultural centers of humanity. Despite the downgrades in worldbuilding, the game at its core is still an enjoyable experience for survival enthusiasts.