TGO Daily | December 1, 2020 | Immortality and Sin, Reviewed
Hey! Hope you’re well. There wasn’t a ton of industry news today, so I took a stab at showing off two games that are coming out soon, and what critics had to say about them.
My entire school term comes to a close sometime next week, which means cramming in a bunch of projects that I had to push aside for my pesky essay last month. I don’t anticipate conflicts with the newsletter, but just a heads up!
Until tomorrow,
Adrian
Immortals Fenyx Rising Reviews
Ubisoft’s take on Breath of the Wild releases this Thursday, and the review embargo has lifted. It’s called Immortals Fenyx Rising — an open-world RPG with a Greek mythology backdrop. Reviewers frequently called it the middle ground between BotW and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, with a focus exploration, puzzles, and combat.
Reviewers are divided on this one, I would say. There are disagreements on pretty much every aspect of the game. Some people loved the over-the-top comedy, others thought it fell flat. Some people loved the never-ending puzzles, others thought it was a slog.
If you want to read someone who loved it, check out Kotaku. They say that it took the best parts of BotW, and:
“It’s an unexpected success, blending comedy and condensed open-world gameplay into one of the most entertaining games I’ve played this year. Even if the combat lacks some variety and the main quests are a bit stale, the rest of Immortals is fantastic.”
If you want a review that wanted to like it but couldn’t, read Eurogamer:
“[The] moment-to-moment [gameplay] is fine, then, but as much as I had fun, Immortals failed to cast a spell on me…
Most games borrow and iterate, but Immortals doesn't get the balance right. There isn't much distinct to think about here, and already it remains in my head not as a grand undertaking but as bits and pieces of stuff I quite enjoyed…”
As always with video games, you should watch some gameplay before you pick it up to decide whether or not it’s for you! It comes out December 3rd on PC and consoles.
Empire of Sin Reviews
Romero Games released Empire of Sin today, and the reviews are now available.
The game is set in Chicago during the prohibition of the 1920s. Street gangs are just beginning to ramp up, with speakeasies, casinos, and brothels bringing in a lot of dough. Mechanically, Empire of Sin is a mix between a macro-level strategy game (ala Civilization) and on-the-ground tactical battling (ala XCOM). You choose to be one of many gangster leaders that each have their own pros and cons to running a criminal empire.
Reviewers were generally happy with the aesthetic and concept. They execute well on it being a gangster-focused narrative, and the combination of the two genres is intriguing. However, there are some key problems — reviewers have given significant complaints about both halves of the game. For example, there are portions of the strategy half which can be outright ignored. The XCOM-style battling has also been called repetitive. It’s also been plagued with a number of technical issues.
Here’s what DualShockers had to say about it:
“Again, I still think Empire of Sin is a good game, I just think it could be much better…
[It is] a fine game that’s probably worth a look if you really like strategy games and want something with a new twist. The XCOM combat fits in well, especially when you get into bigger conflicts. And the cast of characters is exceptional…
However, unless you just really need something new to try out, I might wait for either a sale or to see what Reomero Games does to update it post-launch.”
Empire of Sin is available today on PC and all consoles — though again, be wary of tech issues.
Doom: Eternal Hits Switch
On December 8th, Doom Eternal will be released for the Nintendo Switch for the first time. It will only be available digitally, and is being ported by the same team who did the port for the first Doom, Panic Button.
This version of the game will feature motion aiming with the Joy-Cons, if that’s your thing. If you’re interested in a behind-the-scenes interview about the process of making the port, check out NintendoLife’s article.
Say Hello!
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