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Showing posts from 2025

Defending Reverie in NBA 2k26 Innovation ProPLAY & Motion Engine

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A New Era of Realism I have been playing NBA 2K for several years, and my primary complaint was not with the proficiency of the offensive gameplay. It was more with the rather rudimentary and monotonous shooter capabilities, or the painfully slow ball handling, which, throughout the years, tended to annoy me more. It is also how, with the passage of time, defending in the game seemed a lot more like an afterthought. Last year's edition was good, and I wrote a review of NBA 2K25 if you are interested, but like all previous releases, it did not have the features I will talk about. I have witnessed countless instances when defenders skated around the court like, in an attempt to position themselves into a stream of an offensive player, simply and came to an augmented reality conclusion. The defenders in these instances do not position themselves based on the game logic, and unfortunately, the basketball game 2K2, like its predecessor from a long time back, 2032, simply do...

The Callisto Protocol: A Polarizing Descent into Sci-Fi Horror

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The Fragility of Survival There's something about a survival horror game that's supposed to make your palms sweat and your pulse race, right? You expect to feel like you're barely scraping by, adrenaline coursing through your veins as you limp toward your next objective. 'The Callisto Protocol' tries hard to deliver on that promise. It places you in the blood-streaked boots of Jacob Lee, a man whose only goal is to escape the hellish prison of Black Iron on Jupiter's moon, Callisto. But here's the thing: for all its spine-chilling aesthetics and brutal combat, this game isn't quite the nightmare fuel I wanted it to be. Instead, it's more like a beautifully made haunted house where the scares never quite land, but the lights and set design keep you walking through anyway. The Atmosphere: Chilling, Yet Not Quite Terrifying If there's one thing The Callisto Protocol nails, it's the vibe. Every corner of Black Iron Prison feels suffocatingl...

Forza Horizon 5: A Love Letter to Cars and Culture

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When you play Forza Horizon 5, it’s not just a racing game. You experience a sun-drenched Mexico where you can endlessly explore, while every mile is celebrating car culture. For me, the game is perfect because I have spent countless hours obsessively building my dream garage in Forza Horizon 4. However, the game is not a rehash of familiar roads. There is a special electric feeling that keeps you wanting more. The Thrill of the Open Road (and Even Off It) Of course, Forza Horizon 5 is primarily about racing, but the main focus of the game is exploration. The map has humid jungles, arid deserts, sleepy villages, and wild coasts, and every inch of this virtual Mexico is begging you to drive. If you are like me, you will take every opportunity to drive off-road. In the past Horizon titles, when the standard was to buy cheap PS4 games , it always felt that the fastest way to earn points was to stick to the main roads. Here? Not even close....

Assassin's Creed Odyssey - A Great Game That Ignores the Franchise's Roots

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Having just completed my first playthrough of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, I have mixed feelings. This is a massive game - sprawling, gorgeous, and virtually endless - and yet, I wonder if it’s even still an Assassin’s Creed game. With Odyssey, and even more so, Valhalla, Ubisoft pursued the ambition of an Origins RPG so much that it feels like the series lost much of its essence along the way. When I think of the Assassin’s Creed games, the first that comes to my mind is the fluidity of stealth, the precision of parkour, and the mastery of infiltration. Odyssey still has some of that, but it's buried under frantic systems that try to do it all - RPG, exploration, and epic drama. The pivot to a more RPG-driven game is fine in and of itself, but I find myself craving the clarity and precision of the earlier games. The World and Presentation To start with, Greece is beautiful. Ubisoft has created a world that feels real again. The Aegean Sea sparkles in the s...

Borderlands 4 Review: A Carnival of Chaos with a Siren at the Helm

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A Familiar Madness, Sharpened and Reimagined Borderlands has always thrived in excess—too much color, too much noise, too many guns that no one will ever use. Borderlands 4 doesn’t just continue this tradition, it leans into it with an unapologetic swagger. It is the series at its most self-aware, presenting a world that knows exactly what it is: a sprawling playground where every explosion feels earned and every joke teeters between clever and exhausting. What makes this entry remarkable, however, is not its continuation of chaos but the precision behind it. This is Borderlands engineered to be cleaner, faster, and more inviting without losing the unhinged edge that defined it in the first place. The Arrival of Vex and Her Summoned Army The headline attraction is the new Vault Hunter, Vex the Siren, who doesn’t simply wield mystical energy—she commands it in the form of spectral companions. Her Reaper and Spectre summons mark a bold shift for the franchise. They are not gimmicks th...

Ghost of Yōtei: 10 Best Skills to Get First

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You can sense the rhythm in Ghost of Yōtei after several hours spent in Ezo’s snow-covered forests. Having spent over 40 hours in the northern frontier, I can state with confidence that the game’s skills are not equally useful. Some skills are created with grace for smoother navigation of game borders, while others are designed for more practical uses within the frozen wilds. If you are at the start of your journey and trying to decide the most balanced and relaxed character skills in Ghost of Yōtei to carry, you should focus on these ten early skills. 1. Wind Step In Ghost of Yōtei , upgrading Wind Step was the beginning of my journey to fully experience the game. Once upgraded, Wind Step lets me walk through snowdrifts without consuming any stamina. Since a lot of the game consists of open, frozen, snowy fields, it is a no-brainer to want this upgrade as it enhances the experience of the game without breaking it. Instead of feeling like a snow zomb...

Forza Horizon 5 Review: More Than Scenery in a Map

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There are some features that devalue Forza Horizon 5 , but they are not major factors. First, what about the map? Mexico is not a backdrop; it is a character. Biomes come alive, from the blistering sun deserts to the jungles teeming with life. The rocky cliffs have a rawness, while the coastal roads have an uncontrolled elegance. Over hours, every drive still feels fresh. One minute, you slide through dusty trails, the next you're sliding down the highway with the ocean in your peripheral. But what struck me the most is how Mexico caters to every playstyle. How about drifting in a socked-up Nissan Silvia through volcanic ash? The map is beyond size; it is intentional. Forza Horizon 5 caters to every gearhead and casual racer. Handling: A Subtle Evolution Forza Horizon 5 shifts focus to the handling and performance of the many cars it features and attempts to find the right balance between arcade and simulation gameplay, an aspect it ...