Shadow of the Colossus - authentic and atmospheric

In a harsh, almost empty world, a guy tries to revive a girl. He needs to murder quite a few amazing beasts - and this looks a lot like an awful crime, totally not a great feat. Players touch the atmosphere of despair, witness struggles of the hero, and battle fantastic creatures, exploring the deserted mountain lands... The experience is so unusual and authentic!

Shadow of the Colossus was initially released in 2005-06 for the PlayStation 2 consoles. A remastered version is available on the PS3 and also through the game streaming service PlayStation Now. In 2018, the gaming world got a strongly improved remake for the PS4. Many gamers think it’s a unique gaming masterpiece, totally worthy of delving in.

So, why is Shadow of the Colossus so awesome? What should gamers expect from this game?

Hyper Scape - a futuristic iteration of the Battle Royale genre

A group of people (around 100 usually) lands on an island or on a limited territory to… actually to kill each other. Only one of them or only one team will be a winner of this battle, everyone else should die... 

Wait a moment! What are we talking about? Is all of this about a scary bloody nightmare of a retired military paratrooper? No. We really are talking about gaming here, and quite a popular one in the community. That was a general description of the Battle Royale genre. It’s been popular since the glorious release of PUBG and Fortnite. Many considered it another one temporary hype (like Pokémon Go), but years pass by and Battle Royale is still here. Lots of gamers enjoy such cruel matches and big companies try to get their pieces of this pie.

Now it's the turn of Ubisoft to release their Battle Royale. They burst into this sweet market with a free-to-play game Hyper Scape, available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Did they do a good job? Is the game worth trying out? Why is Battle Royale so addictive? This review on the Very Good Games gives some answers.

Casual fights in Tekken 7 - is this possible?

Some game genres have a very high threshold for newcomers. You should invest a lot of time into a MOBA to start getting victories in multiplayer matches, or even just enjoy the game (Dota 2). Players have to spend many hours in card games to understand all the abilities and get a better deck (Hearthstone). And you must develop specific skills in fighting games to become a decent opponent at least for CPU opponents, not to mention the competitive community out there.

Tekken 7 is one of the most popular fighting games. It does not have well-known characters of Injustice 2, but this series has developed its own Universe for quite a few years of existence.

What about playing Tekken 7 on the casual level? Is it good for people, who don’t want to participate in esports events but plan to just have fun? 

The Little Giant - free online platformer

A little blocky creature suffers from its size. Other living blocks are giant and they laugh at the poor thing. But it’s not a reason to cry! In this free browser game, you can make the hero bigger and mightier. Just help it collect parts, hidden on many platforms, among many traps.

This adventure of the Little Giant is rather a light playing experience. Of course, you need to act accurately to reach the goal - don’t let the hero fall into the abyss and avoid spiky objects. Still, this gaming mission is quite relaxing.

Pirate Cards - play free online

Your brave pirate starts quite an unusual adventure. On the way, he meets treasures, potions, cannons, and of course, other pirates. It sounds like quite a normal day for such a sea gangster. Still, by the power of gaming magic, the guy with other persons and objects were turned into cards. And you control where he goes and what happens to him.

Ghost or Samurai? Choose your path in Ghost of Tsushima (game release)

The Mongol army invaded the Japanese Tsushima island, so all the local samurai united to battle this common enemy. They failed and many died. Jin Sakai, one of the samurai, was badly injured but he managed to survive. He understood that his battle technique is weak against Mongols and needs to be improved. Jin starts his astonishing journey across Tsushima, and players help him to fight everyone openly, in battles, or act rather silently and demonstrate miracles of the stealth style.

The game Ghost of Tsushima is a great chord in the swan song of the PlayStation 4. It’s an exclusive for this game console, released on the threshold of the PS5/XSX era. And this is one of those games for which many people think about purchasing the PS consoles.

Jigsaw Puzzle Deluxe (a free browser game)

It’s nice to have a relaxing gaming time in such big games as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and still, it may be nice to open time after time something much smaller but with the same calming effect. So, what about a relaxing playing experience? Jigsaw Puzzle Deluxe invites you into a calm atmosphere and offers a lot of pictures to assemble from many pieces. Colorful flowers, cute animals, peaceful landscapes - choose whatever you like.

Hard or Light: 7 games for your style

Usually, gamers look for perfection in their virtual adventures - perfection of visuals, storytelling, multiplayer interaction, and various gameplay mechanics. The game difficulty is one of the most significant but often not so obvious aspects. Would you prefer (almost) a sadistic level of Dark Souls or the cute simplicity of Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World? 

There are lots of games somewhere in between, and sometimes they tend to come much closer to hardcore or casual. Let’s take a look at 7 very good games: 4 unexpectedly difficult and 3 relaxingly simple.

PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X - the choice beyond specs

Two major console manufacturers have already presented their new devices - gamers saw the Xbox Series X in late 2019, and Sony revealed PlayStation 5 in June 2020.

Once again, the gaming community becomes divided on fans of Xbox or PlayStation and those who witness their pointless fight. For the fanguys, the choice has been made already - and that’s great because it’s ok just to enjoy the hardware, ecosystem, and games of your choice without any thinking. For many others, it’s a work in progress. Good news: we still have time till the holidays 2020 (and many years ahead).

Fight, Collect, Upgrade - Minecraft Dungeons (game release)

The original game Minecraft has lots of aspects. You explore the world, fight dangerous creatures, collect materials, craft tools, and create various objects. Isn’t this too much for one game? What if we keep only explorations, fighting, and collecting? Then we won’t get Minecraft but a totally new game from the same universe - Minecraft Dungeons.

The game has been released in May 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Pinstripe - a dark journey, full of clever puzzles

Ted woke up on a weird train. His daughter Bo was there. And then, they met that guy. He sat in one of the coaches and offered a balloon to the small girl… a black balloon. Bo got super excited, and Ted couldn’t stop her from running away. It was in vain to run after - the evil man took her. His name is Pinstripe, and Ted tries to find the villain and rescue the girl.

You can help Ted in the game Pinstripe. It’s a pretty small piece of gaming art, with rather a dark world but also with very interesting puzzles. Pinstripe is available on PC, Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Ori and the Blind Forest - a small sparkle to save the world

Something went terribly wrong in the magnificent forest. Lush green changed to sharp thorns. Instead of friendly animals, dangerous creatures are lurking around. It seems like only Ori can return water, wind, and warmth to revive the forest.

In short, this is an initial story of the game Ori and the Blind Forest. It’s a very good Metroidvania with unique art style and super various mechanics. The game is available for PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

PC vs Consoles, Consoles vs Consoles...

Only when we sleep and see a dream about passing a difficult location, we don't need any hardware for playing games. In other times, we enjoy exciting game emotions using different devices.

Many gamers have their preferences rather settled. Communities of console brands and fans of PC gaming may even have a kind of weird confrontation, arguing that their device is better and everyone should agree with this. Still, many players have no prejudgements and are glad to hear various opinions. In any case, it’s good to think properly before making a decision on your gaming device - this thing may remain with you for many years, projecting its unique style on your gaming life.

This article doesn’t give ready-made answers. It just gives you the food for thought by highlighting features of gaming computers and consoles. So, let’s delve into gaming hardware!

All the Pokémon of Generation IV in Pokémon Go

Getting all the creatures into your Pokédex is a huge part of Pokémon games - core RPGs and many spin-offs. Still, it’s not so easy to achieve this exciting goal. There are lots of Pokémon in the virtual existence and some of them are quite rare.

Niantic, the developers of the AR adventure Pokémon Go, add new species into their product gradually. In April 2020, we have most of the creatures till the Generation V. You can easily catch lots of them, but soon, you will be meeting mostly duplicates. Some Pokémon appear in special areas. Others can be met during time-limited events. Only very dedicated trainers can gather the whole collection.

Final Fantasy VII Remake, revision of the great adventure (game release)

The game industry creates quite a lot of remakes these days, and this is a decent activity for the developers - great classics will not be forgotten on the shelves of gaming history.

Final Fantasy is one of the longest and most popular series. Its seventh instalment appeared in 1997 for the original PlayStation console. Now, Square Enix releases a remake, which in fact is rather a new game than a polished version of the old one. 

Final Fantasy VII Remake is available exclusively for the PlayStation 4. It’s planned to be released on other platforms in April 2021.

The power of choice - Life is Strange (game impression)

Max started her study at Blackwell Academy quite recently and she is still in the middle of social adaptation. Suddenly, the girl finds herself involved in a mystical and criminal story, where she becomes a central figure who decides the fate of many other people.

Max is a heroine of Life is Strange, a very popular graphic adventure game. It’s available on PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and mobile devices. Have you played it?

On one hand, this game is absolutely amazing - the very possibility to make choices and see them changing the world makes a powerful impression. On the other hand, the story of Life is Strange is very dark, so it’s not really a cheerful gaming experience.

The Adventure Pals - one of the funniest platformers out there (game impressions)

A boy has received a birthday present from his father, and it was… a giraffe!  And more precisely, a very small giraffe that can fit in the boy’s backpack. The joy was almost overwhelming, and the sincere friendship was born. Alas, an evil guy interrupted this celebration. The awful villain Mr. B kidnapped Papa to turn him into a hotdog, like he already did with so many elderly people. What to do here? Of course, the boy Wilton should start the rescue mission and save everyone from evilness. The giraffe Sparkles and funny little Mr. Rock will be his pals - but nothing is possible without the players who control them.

The Adventure Pals is a colourful platformer with a unique style and amazing humor. It is available for PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Would you like to delve into something super fun and a bit challenging but not really difficult? Then this game may be exactly for you.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal - essential game releases

It might be hard to imagine more different games than these two, and still, they have something in common. Both were released on the same day, March 20, 2020, and both were highly anticipated by the gaming community. Also, these games offer a kind of portal for gamers to distract attention from the surrounding pandemic - this factor is a primary one for adding information about Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal in one post as essential for many players.

So let’s take a closer look at them.

Lego Worlds: bright goofiness (game impressions)

This game conveys the unique spirit of the Lego construction sets very well - players jump into the vast Universe made of Lego bricks to explore its many “planets” or create something unique. Still, Lego Worlds differs from the physical toys quite significantly. The digital incarnation is obviously not so comfortable in controlling and offers an unusual system of quests.

Lego Worlds is available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It’s a very good game if you are ready to adapt your playing style to it and even to get your patience activated.

GeForce Now - a month after release (service review)

Nvidia presented its cloud gaming service quite a long time ago, but only on February 4, 2020, GeForce Now came out from beta. This starting period wasn’t simple for GFN - the service solved many technical issues but faced a wave of legal obstacles and the following powerful dissatisfaction of some users.

I personally use Nvidia GeForce Now actively, and for me, it’s a very good service that gives access to a vast library of very good games. Here is my review of GFN in its “after-release-but-still-in-the-trial” state. This article is also a look at the very technology of cloud gaming.