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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Review

A True Symphony

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a reminder of an old school Castlevania, times have changed but a formula that still holds up. Koji Igarashi may not be a name people will recognize but for gamers it does. Since 1997 he’s worked on most if not all 2D side scrolling Castlevania games, starting with the legendary Symphony of the Night. So here we are, nearly 2 decades later and with the help of fans, backed by a Kickstarter campaign, we now have a continuation of that formula, in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Bloodstained takes place in the 19th century of England, during the Industrial Revolution. Taking the role in protagonist named Miriam, a shardbinder, a being capable of using demonically charged shards as a weapon. Without giving away too much, just know, you’ll have your reasons for your journey. Bloodstained plays like a classic Castlevania game, in which, as you explore your area, more and more of your map is revealed. Explore and you’ll be rewarded approach is always welcomed, on top of an addiction combat experience. As you destroy demons, you’ll have a chance to absorb their shard and use it as a weapon or buff to Miriam. Also you can upgrade each different shard, adding different upgrades per shard. On top of collection and upgrading, each enemy you kill add experience points to Miriam, in which each level she’ll get stronger. Sound design and musical score are great in Bloodstained, lead by Michiru Yamame, a musical gaming veteran, having also worked on Castlevania games as well. Its safe to say I had a lot of fun revisiting and old formula that works even better by today’s standard. If you’re curious about playing Bloodstained, I would definitely recommend checking it out, it’s worth your time.

Unsung Gamers Score – 9

Review by: ShadowAlchemistX

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Assassin’s Creed Unity Review

A Return to Form

Now before I start I’m not knocking the new editions of the Assassin’s Creed series. There was a shift when Odyssey was released, Ubisoft essentially ditched the Assassins story all together, mostly. That’s what intrigues me to Unity, the only entry I have yet to play, until now. Assassin’s Creed Unity follows the story or Arno Dorian, trying to find out more about his family, while also solving the mystery behind his adoptive father’s death. If you happened to have played Assassin’s Creed Rogue, Unity follows directly from that entry. Right away Arno Dorian is a very likable protagonist, a young man whose more about living in the moment. That is until his journey in with the Assassins change everything. Unity, to this day, still holds up incredibly well, even by 2022 standards. Ubisoft Montreal really outdid themselves with the attention to detailed, in a very great looking Paris, France. I know at launch Unity was full of bugs and broken gameplay, which I can confirm, is, for the most part, fixed. The parkour is the best in the franchise, Aaron’s movement from running, climbing and jumping across Paris, is so fluid, in a single motion of movement. Combat I would say definitely shows it’s age. While not completely dull, it is slow. Having said that, the game is based around stealth and not straight on combat. It’s not going to be the best game you’ve never played but it’s a testament of what the series was, before it became what it is today. I do recommend checking it out if you have a chance, these days it’s on sale a lot of the time.

Unsung Gamers Score – 7

Reviewed by: ShadowAlchemistX

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Stray Review

A Cat’s Tail

Never would I ever imagine, that there would be a game where a cat is the main character. Not only that but have it completely played through a cat’s point of view, meows and all. Yet, here we are, in our review of Stray, an ambitious idea and a surprisingly interesting world. Without giving away too much of the story, Right from the get go, you’re given full control of an orange tabby cat, a stray cat if you would. Given no story behind what your doing in the beginning is quickly changed, when you’re separated from your family, and thus begins our Stray cat’s journey. The sound design of the world, works incredibly well, in this unfamiliar circumstance. From the ambient music playing in the background, to a random sound of a sewer pipe. The animations for our protagonist is on point, being a cat owner myself, I truly appreciate the level of detail that went into this game. From a simple jump, to a leap across gaps and finally to very addictive meow. Literally a button is dedicated to simply meow, which I took full advantage of. The game only fall short in it being over quite quickly but given the independent developers recourses, it’s given a pass. What is here is an incredible stay cat’s journey into the world that fully embraced with its many mysteries, with even some very fun easter eggs hidden within. I had plenty of fun with my playtime of Stray, and given it’s current available to play on PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium (as of 8/25/2022) I absolutely recommend checking it out. While not to say it’s a bad game but considering it can take anywhere from 4-6 hours of gameplay, it’s hard to justify the $40 price tag for it. If you can, I’d wait for a sale for the game, it is absolutely worth you’re time, especially for cat lovers.

Unsung Gamers Score – 8

Reviewed by: ShadowAlchemistX

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Call of Duty Warzone

Buyer Beware

Let me explain. Call of Duty Warzone is a completely free to play game on multiple platforms. Under no obligation are you required to buy anything is it’s store, including, battle pass and cosmetic blueprints. Now having said that, it’s exactly what most of use buy anyways. Which brings me to my story, and a frustrating one at that. I’ve have bought the battle pass and other cosmetic bundles in the past, but this time was different. Normally in the past when I bought a bundle, even one from a game that I don’t have (CoD Cold War), it would unlock the gun and add the blueprints into it as well. This time when I bought a bundle, got access to the character skin but only one gun and blueprint, the other was still locked and didn’t even have access to the blueprint. I was completely locked out of a weapon I paid for. I know what you’re thinking, contact customer service. I did immediately after trying to restart and even reinstall the game to see if that would fix it, it didn’t work. When I contacted Activision customer service, they asked me what the problem was and I explained what happened. They took down my info and saw that there was an issue and can see that it’s locked. After trial and error, it was finally established that there was a problem with the bundle. Mind you it’s been 3 hours at this point. Only for customer service to say there’s nothing they can do about it and all sales are final. After all that! That’s their advice on the issue. I even tried again with a different representative this time, twice, same outcome. Safe to say after that I have finally and for real this time, quit Warzone, they got my money and I can leave the game alone. It was absolutely frustrating that nothing could be done about it and now I’m ok with leaving the game alone now. I’m not saying you should do the same, if you’re having fun, keep going. Collect those Dubz! But my advice is Buyer Beware and know that there are no returns for Warzone.

Article by – ShadowAlchemistX

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Assassin’s Creed 2 Review

Reliving a Classic.

First off as I do enjoy the current Assassin’s Creed games for what they are, an Assassin’s Creed game; they are not. They’re missing that mystery and emphasis on joining and learning more about being an Assassin and learning more about The Templars plot. Luckily the previous entries in the franchise still exist and in HD. So here we are, 12 years later, it’s been 12 years since Assassin’s Creed 2 originally released date. And to be honest, it definitely holds up today. What I’ve notice right away is the story of Assassin’s Creed is it’s primary focus. It’s a warm welcome to return to Assassin’s Creed 2, with Ezio Auditore da Firenze being one of the most likable characters, not only in Assassin’s Creed but in gaming in general. Desmond Miles returns as the present day protagonist, leaning more about his heritage in being an assassin. Going back into the Animus to figure out what The Templars are truly after. Gameplay I’ll admit is dated but isn’t as bad as other games in 2009. You’ll have your tools of the trade, such as, a sword and your Assassin’s Hidden Blade. But with Assassin’s Creed 2, not only do you get a better selection of weapons but also more tools of the trade to help you along your mission. The soundtrack for the game is most surprising, I don’t recall it being this good but it definitely helps bring you back into the Renaissance era in the time with Ezio.

I’ve enjoyed my time in completing Assassin’s Creed 2 once more, only now in HD. Though some elements of the game are showing their age, it still holds up as on of the best in the franchise. Looking forward in continuing Ezio’s journey in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. For Assassin’s Creed 2, I would definitely recommend playing it, especially if you’ve never played it.

Unsung Gamers Score – 8

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The Messenger Review

Being a ninja has never been so much fun. Considering The Messenger plays like an old school Ninja Gaiden game, and that’s definitely saying something. The Messenger plays like a classic NES game from the days of old. The story plays out in its classic form, big bad guy destroys everything and the only thing to save the world is in a scroll. So, of course, it’s up to you to deliver that scroll in The Messenger. Gameplay stands out as one of the most precise action platform games out there, with a unique jump mechanic to set it apart from other games. This is accompanied by an incredible soundtrack, each level has its own musical track, personally like by Keiji Yamagishi himself, the composer for the original Ninja Gaiden games. From beginning to end The Messenger kept me entertained at a reasonable length for a game of its kind (about 8 hours). Considering it retails usually for $20 I would still wait for a sale to grab it.

Unsung Gamers Score: 9

Review by: ShadowAlchemistX

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Shadow Warrior 3 Review

Shadow Warrior 3 is one of those games that say “F’ It” with style. The game right from the beginning knows it’s in an outrageous scenario and rolls with it, with an overtop one lining hero in Lo Wang leading the charge to save the world. Taking place some time after Shadow Warrior 2, Lo Wang finds himself against incredible odds and has almost given into just letting go. The ones who change his mind are ironically his enemies from the past games, now with an unlikely, yet, comedic team up, Lo Wang sets off to kill The Ancient Dragon that’s destroyed the world. The game is entirely set in a first person shooter perspective, with fast gameplay that rivals the Doom series. Although the weapon count is lowered from previous installments, it also gives the ones you have more spotlight time. From the beginning, the game refuses to slow down, when you do it’s only for cutscenes with plenty of laughing dialogue. Also this game encourages you to play quick, taking your time in combat is a quick way to your death. Having said that, Shadow Warrior 3 lacks side quests, like the previous game, that would reward you with XP and better weapons. It should also be said that Shadow Warrior 3, is definitely on the shorter side of any game, my runtime was just over 4 hours. At it’s current price, I would recommend you wait for a deep/flash sale for Shadow Warrior 3, for a 4 hour campaign, I can’t recommend the game at full price. All in all the game itself is still fun and should definitely be on your list.

Unsung Gamers Score – 7 out of 10

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Halo Infinite Downfall?

Back in November, we were finally given 3 long-running franchise games, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Battlefield 2042, and Halo Infinite. Of the 3 games, only 1 reigned supreme; for a time. Here we are 6 months later, and there is something seriously wrong with Halo Infinite. As a game, it works, but as a live service game, it is definitely lacking, coming from a developer like 343 Industries, who knows Halo, it makes you wonder what is going on over there. It is disappointing since Halo Infinite started out so well for a couple of months and it was a quick turnaround to mediocre. A general lack of a road map is crucial for any live service game, for season 1 it was basically non-existent and for Season 2 it is even more infuriating. These days in 2022, a season should never last 6 months, Warzone and Apex have the sweet spot, with 2 to 2.5 months per season. Having a season that is 6 months with only basic cosmetics is incredibly underwhelming and downright sad, with no new maps and no new weapons. Things and features that were promised for Season 1 have been pushed back into Season 2, with Cooperative Campaign being a highlight of this. Cooperative Campaign was promised to release in May 2022 and now it is late August 2022, a whole 10 months after Halo Infinite’s release date. Not even Forge mode is in Halo Infinite yet, a staple of Halo for years. It’s no wonder why Halo Infinite player count has been on a steep decline, for console and PC. It is becoming very clear that Halo Infinite may have needed another year, to plan out the way the Live Service should be and the Campaign itself. Rushing a Live Service game is never a good idea, even with the name Halo attached to it. The reality is that even with another year of development, mostly for the campaign shows that Halo Infinite was not well planned out and was hoping that the name itself would be enough but with this lack of content, lack of community engagement, why would anyone stay and play Halo Infinite. Maybe the best course of action should have been to give the multiplayer and the Live Service game to a different developer, a developer with a good history in multiplayer or Live Service Games. If 343 Industries continues to release Seasons that are 6 months long, it won’t be long until the game is inevitably forgotten. There are several free Live Service games that are performing exponentially well to fall back. Halo Infinite, Microsoft, and 343 Infinite need a restructure if it hopes to compete in this market.

Article by: ShadowAlchemistX

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Shadow Warrior 2 Review

For a long time, I have wanted to play Shadow Warrior 2, and it did not disappoint, just know the kind of game you’ll be playing. What intrigued me the most from the game was the melee and gunfights in first person, haven’t seen a game that can do both and do it so well. The story of Shadow Warrior 2, sees you in the eyes of the protagonist Lo Wang, an expert assassin for hire. What makes Lo Wang a fun protagonist is that he says what’s on his mind at all times, with dozens of one-liners and even more insults to your enemies. This is reinforced with Shadow Warrior 2 gameplay, a first-person action shooter. It may feel a bit weird, how a game at 30fps can play so smoothly but it works just fine. Sound design is lacking here, from explosions to even your weapon sounds, they should sound powerful but they did. There are a few music tracks that hit at the right moments, otherwise, it is completely forgettable. Luckily the game is fun to play, it even has a 4 player coop option for those who are interested in playing as a team together. As long as you’re not expecting a Doom-like game and story I would this is worth checking out. Especially if you have Xbox Game Pass, for now, it is available through this service, otherwise, I would wait for a deep sale on this one. It isn’t worth putting in the full amount for it. 

Unsung Gamers Score – 6

Reviewed by: ShadowAlchemistX

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Back 4 Blood Review

From the creators of the Left 4 Dead comes Turtle Rock Studios return to a zombie game, but not what we expected. The game starts with a clean cutscene introducing some of the playable characters, zombies and what the world has become. Even with it’s introduction, it’s very hard to care about the world or what’s even at stake. Clearly Back 4 Blood’s main goal is it’s gameplay and it nails it’s for the most part. Yes, at launch it was riddled with bugs, glitches and downright disconnections from the servers. Most have been addressed but you’ll still find a bug here and there. Gameplay is focused in first person, similar to it’s predecessor Left 4 Dead, but with very limited customization options. What I mean by limited is that you are unable to detach and attach certain upgrades to your weapons. Once an attachment is on your gun it’s on there for good, until you find a replacement for it. It’s good and bad at the same time, pushing you to explore and use all the weapons in the game but at the same time limiting what you can do with said weapon. The game is best played with a team and much preferably a team of your own. The game provides matchmaking lobbies to use but most of the ransoms you’ll be teamed up with, will not cooperate with you on the game, basically a free for all, in a cooperative game. When you want to see and explore the levels, you’re unable to when your team is rushing through it. With your own team at least there is constant communication and teamwork there, and that’s where the game shines at its best. Unfortunately after you’ve completed the annoyingly short game, there isn’t much to it after that. Just difficulty options through the same levels you’ve already played through, which can be fun but only with a team of your own. While there is an option to play offline with AI, it is a bland game from that standpoint and I don’t recommend this. All in all Back 4 Blood tries to recapture what it once had and it delivers, only in certain perspectives, your own cooperative team. Back 4 Blood is at a playable state where you can have fun with it, under certain circumstances. At full price I cannot recommend this game, especially when it’ll only take you 6-8 hours to finish, and with no end game option. Pick it up at a sale price, the cheaper the better of course. It’s worth checking out if you have GamePass through Xbox. And I cannot stress this enough the game can be fun fun with the game with my friends and family, but not offline mode, it just isn’t a viable reason to pick this game up.

Unsung Gamers Score – 6 out of 10

Reviewed by: ShadowAlchemistX