Recent reviews by Meat-King, The Ultimate

Avowed (2025) represents a first-person action role-playing game (ARPG), developed by the company Obsidian Entertainment and published by the company Xbox Game Studios. Other notable titles of the development studio are Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2 (2004), Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006), Fallout: New Vegas (2010), South Park: The Stick of Truth (2014), Pillars of Eternity (2015) and Tyranny (2016).

Pros & cons:

+ The best part of this game is its world design, a beautiful and vibrant world with emphasis on discovery and exploration. And your curiosity will be rewarded by treasure chests brimming with loot.
Alas, you cannot move items and 99 percent of the few destructible objects are empty and therefore obsolete. It feels like window-dressing to an extreme degree; you may look but not touch.

+ The combat model in combination with the enhancement and upgrade system are further highlights. They allow for smooth combat and personal customization, including power leveling. An honourable mention goes to the possible monk build based on the Iron Fist ability.
But they are overshadowed by repetitive opponents and static enemy behaviour. You can brute force every encounter. Just invest two ability points into Arcane Veil and laugh at any ranged character trying to hurt you with projectiles.

o Which brings us to the point of player’s agency: it is almost non-existent. I cannot pickpocket, I cannot attack any NPC except for pre-determined enemies, I am not punished for unleashing a Khorne demon on the main square, I am inert to the game world until it allows me to participate, but only within the boundaries of a quest line. In other words, I cannot play in the sandbox; it’s content on rails.

- As a veteran player of both Pillars of Eternity parts and part-time masochist, I had high hopes for the Path of the Damned difficulty. The resume so far: underwhelming HP sponges. It lacks the challenge or finesse of the prior instalments.

-- “Can I trust you?” The moment I read this sentence addressed by my protagonist to a potential companion, I lost my... countenance. By the Nine, was the quality assurance team sleeping on the job?! And that marks just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the dialogue diarrhoea I have encountered so far. We are talking about some Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017) also known as “my face is tired” level of writing here. The quality of most verbal exchanges ranges from mildly interesting to frontal lobe damage. I would not be surprised if the more “talented” writers asked to be left out of the credits.

Summary:

Dear developers at Obsidian, you were always the odd one out, the nerd with his D20 dice in the corner. I went to you because your worlds were filled with complex characters, gripping narratives and innovative gameplay. Basically, the opposite of Bethesda’s modus operandi.

But you have disappointed me with this title. You lost your passion, failed to implement the features of other competitors, and took the path of least resistance, resulting in a mediocre game.

To me, this means that your priorities have shifted, and I can clearly see that you want to be mainstream: reach a larger audience, increase your profits, etc.; I recommend that you consult my arch-nemesis and great illusionist Todd Howard on these topics. I am sure he can teach you a few tricks and optimise your value streams.

Of course you can do all these things… without me. In the famous words of the G-Man: This is where I get off.

My recommendation, I hear you ask, my inquisitive reader: Just wait for a big sale.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +70 hours

Offline achievements: 50
Online achievements: none

Intravenous 2 (2024) represents a top-down shooter, developed by the company Explosive Squat Games and published by the company HyperTrain Digital.

Pros & cons:

++ Confront your problems head-on with a highly customizable, military arsenal. Or, embrace the shadows, elude all foes, and become a vengeful ghost.

+ Usually, I prefer the stealth approach. But sometimes when you are spotted in this game, and one of the banger soundtracks by the composer Xtrullor kicks in – you just say "♥♥♥♥ it" and go all out.

+ A gripping narrative around two protagonists that allows you to shape its conclusion through your hits and occasionally your mercy.

- The AI's tactic to kill you works most of the time... until it must besiege a room in which you have barricaded yourself. I expected to be showered with grenades; alas, the AI is unable to use them which reduces its effectivity significantly.

Summary:

A stealth action game with solid mechanics that offers various ends depending on your choices during each playthrough. Furthermore, it helps if you have played the first part; Steve demands his 15 minutes of fame.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +30 hours

Singleplayer achievements: 55
Multiplayer achievements: none

MechWarrior 5: Clans (2024) represents a BattleTech mecha game, developed and published by the company Piranha Games. Other notable titles of the development studio are MechWarrior Online (2013) and MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (2019).

Pros & cons:

++ Experience the clan invasion into the inner sphere space first hand. And get… outsmarted by a based pirate king, disgraced by guerrilla tactics of renegade yakuza, bested by the bravery of planetary militia, and humiliated by the guile of house Kurita. A wonderful depiction of where strict adherence to the clan code can lead.

+ The integration of a cooperative mode allows to play the campaign with up to four friends. Freeborns, why do you run from our obvious superiority in numbers and machines?! On another note, they also made the dialogue so dense with BattleTech jargon.

o At the base the following aspects need an overhaul: Missing filter for tonnage of ‘mechs. Overview of loadouts is suboptimal. Missing filter for research science lab. Missing filter for aced chassis milestones. Science projects cannot be cancelled. On the battlefield: When issuing commands on the tactical battlefield map, the game should pause. More repair platforms on the various maps. It would incentivise close combat builds, otherwise you will be playing a sniper build with hide and seek OCD most of the time.

- Everything in the menu screams console adaptation to an unholy degree.

- Loadout-wise, you can swap weapons and equipment only. Jump jets or other hardpoints cannot be exchanged or removed, limiting the potential builds considerably. In addition, you have only 16 clan ‘mechs to customize; four different models of each tonnage class. Heavy and assault class ‘mechs are too agile for their weight, the overall speed of the game is too high and feels off. No drop damage: You can fly towards the sky and land like a feather with a bipedal death machine no matter the weight. No critical heat death: Just equip your ‘mech with every PPC or large laser available and alpha strike anything into oblivion. No salvaging of the inner sphere ‘mechs. Yes, the clan philosophy does not allow it.

- Characters do not look like real people. The mimic, movement and synchronization of them feels uncanny. The genetics program of the Smoke Jaguar clan clearly dropped the ball when creating your team. If the size of your lance does scare your enemies, just project the pictures of them in front of each mech. You will be feared by the inner sphere in no time.

-- Standard 2x zoom only. Dear devs, how am I supposed to snipe a mech? Give me a 5x or 10x zoom. Where is that legendary clan technology when you need it? With four machine guns equipped the muzzle flash will blind you. Therefore, I am the only pilot with sunglasses. Four AC2 units generate so much smoke, I guarantee you that you will not get a second hit on your opponent with that level of visual impairment. It seems to me no one has play tested such builds, otherwise these effects would have been corrected. And by Kerensky, what did they do to the PPC? Bring back the iconic PPC screech sound effect!

Summary:

The game is driven by a strong clan narrative with its ups and downs, and it positively surprised me with some presented story elements. The solid co-op allows for sessions with up to 4 additional players within the campaign.

On the other hand, this title focuses on an arcade-style gameplay; it is not a MechWarrior simulation. Furthermore, the complexity of customization in the ‘mech bay has been reduced with a clear emphasis on our estranged cousins, the console-loving couch potatoes.

As a seasoned veteran of all prior instalments, with more than 1000 hours in MechWarrior Online alone, I can clearly state: unworthy before Kerensky.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +40 hours

Offline achievements: 40
Online achievements: none

Warhammer 40.000: Space Marine 2 (2024) represents a third-person hack-n-slash shooter game, developed by the company Saber Interactive and published by the company Focus Entertainment. The first instalment (2011) was developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ.

Pros & cons:

++ The campaign features the beginning of a Tyranid invasion, with all its horrors and endless tides of claws and teeth. Perfect setting for the grim dark future in which every melee execution results in a fountain of blood and guts. In the middle is our protagonist Demetrian Titus, who lets us see and experience the new story around him. That, dear reader, I consider the short-term motivation.

++ Now comes the long-term one, for the excellent integration of the cooperative modes allows us to play the campaign and secondary missions, called Operations, with up to two friends. Four difficulty levels in combination with six classes provide a broad spectrum of replayability. And for the brave, there is Eternal War mode, essentially a 6v6 PVP match that culminates in a battle between Space Marines and the Archenemy.

o What happened to the weight of the power armour? Each step of several hundred kilos of high-quality ceramite should leave an impact, yet the game does not convey the sounds or weight of it in a credible way. Just look at WH40K Boltgun for reference. What about the precision of ranged weaponry? Every time I fire several bolter shots the spread leaves me in disbelief. Any guardsman would severely doubt the marksmanship of that drunken angel of death standing next to him. What about crippling a Tyranid warrior? Unfortunately, not possible. A more detailed hit box with additional dismembering options would have been a great addition.

- Upon first launch of the game, an automatic installation of the Epic Online Services started. This constitues heresy of the highest order! The developers stated: „We can assure you that this was only implemented to support optional cross-play between Steam and Epic players and to synchronize friend lists between the two stores.“ Whatever the case, I immediately deinstalled it and the game runs just fine. And so should you, brother.

- A couple of bugs corrupted the holy binary code, e.g. floating items, delayed rendering of textures, clipping and collision issues. Saber Interactive’s tech priests have initiated counter protocols. The Omnissiah knows all, comprehends all.

-- I am shocked to witness the atrocities committed in front of my sacred codex. A simple Tyranid hormagaunt survives a bolter shot, and it takes a magazine to fell a warrior type. A fundamental misunderstanding of the technical background of the weapon. And I will not even start complaining about what they did to my dear melta and plasma weapons. Furthermore, there is a crippling imbalance between ranged and melee attacks, with the emphasis clearly on the latter. Just try to execute a warrior from 10 meters away, let me know how it went. The Inquisition has been informed of the devs’ transgressions; their punishment will be servitude in a penal legion against the greenskins on Armageddon.

Summary:

The game nails the atmosphere of a Tyranid invasion, and the superb co-op gameplay allows for countless hours of playing the campaign with your battle brothers or prove your team’s tactical prowess in PVE and PVP sessions.

On the other hand, it displays some blatant lore inaccuracies and focuses more on close combat than on firearms, which completely undermines my attempts to crowd control the waves of biomass with ranged weapons. The Codex Astartes does not support this action!

Recommended for determined initiates and seasoned veterans, loyal to Roboute Guilliman, standing firm against the xenos filth in the darkest hours of the Imperium of Man.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +60 hours

Offline achievements: none
Online achievements: 50

Songs of Conquest (2024) represents a turn-based strategy game, developed by the company Lavapotion and published by the company Coffee Stain Publishing. The game was released into the early access state on Steam in May 2022.

Pros & cons:

++ A highly addictive cycle where you level up your avatar, collect artifacts, manage resources, upgrade units and wage war against your mortal enemies. And once you have exhausted the four faction campaigns, simply jump into sandbox mode, play on pre-made or randomly generated map and push your avatar past level 35 to taste absolute power. My favourite map: The Lion's Den, it showers you with artifacts and opportunities for conflict.

++ Fame and glory await those who prove themselves in the arts of war on Overwhelming difficulty. Position your troops on elevated fields and earn increased damage and ranged advantages. Combine troops to maximize available spells and damage potential.
Or, forget spamming spells and tactical finesse entirely. Join the Oathbound legions – the unofficial necromancers’ guild – and fill your ranks to the brim with simple, ranged-resistant skeletons. Then learn the magic and ranged resistance skills and bath in the tears of your opponents. For no arrow or spell shall stop your undead tide in its wake for absolute dominance!

o I have ordered a gilded skeleton transformer for my emerging necropolis from a dubious, one-eyed mummy merchant. Alas, it was never delivered. My disappointment is immeasurable, and my night, raiding human villages for new vic… volunteers, is ruined.

- Why are you hiding the neutral creatures from me, dear devs? I would like to recruit some elementals or golems alongside my rotting hordes. After all, they are the only one who can tolerate the sweet odour of decay. That aside, what happened to my second favourite unit in form of vampires? As the leader of immortal horrors, I feel incomplete without them. I demand blood suckers… and death knights!

Summary:

The vibrant fantasy world with its gorgeous pixel art invites you to venture to lands unknown, hunt for powerful artifacts and ponder tactical choices in glorious battles. A perfect just-one-more-turn drug.

The last time I had so much fun in this genre was with Heroes of Might & Magic III (1999) and Disciples II (2002), and I tip my imaginary hat to Lavapotions’ modern interpretation of these timeless classics.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +80 hours

Singleplayer achievements: 54
Multiplayer achievements: none

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (2024) represents a Japanese role-playing game (JRPG), developed by the company Rabbit and Bear Studios and published by the company 505 Games.

Pros & cons:

++ Meet the members of my dream team, straight from the mental asylum. Mighty Mellore, a delusional sorceress in a sailor moon costume with late-stage OCD for justice one liners. Youngling Yusuke, the misunderstood gangster with his hands glued to his pants and the tendency to kick his enemies into a bloody pulp. Fierce Franscesca, a stereotypical tsundere character with a split personality. And yes, I can fix her! Crazy Carrie, the petite blond who is one teleportation away from summoning a demonic creature from the immaterium or falling victim to the infamous turning-the-inside-out incident. Muscle mage Maureus, a beefcake with a severe concussion trauma believing muscle points (MP) are the most crucial metric for determining how much magical power a caster can draw from. Punisher Prunella, the last survivor of a dwarven commando unit likes to clean her massive bazooka, that I call Fatman, at the campfire while telling stories about past war crimes.

+ You will be buried under an avalanche of 71 playable characters, who you can assemble into a team of six to fight a power-hungry empire that threatens to annex your worthless fishing village. But you will abandon your main quest soon enough, because of the countless distractions in form of customizing your castle, cooking, fishing, playing cards, spinning tops, and starting a breeding program for pseudo-chocobos. And for the ambitious among us, enter a neverending dungeon with overpowered mobs to reach your final form. Then steamroll the rest of the campaign.

o The supposed challenge of the cooking mini-game confuses me. I simply served the unwashed masses fried eggs, omelets and apple cider soda every time, and effortlessly rose to the status of culinary godhood.

- Some scripted sequences have a massive delay before they continue, e.g. the first duel on the bridge, or the song with the shi’arc. It required the patience of a saint to sit through those lags.

-- Dear developers, where is my option to double or even triple the speed during combat sections? Just look at The Last Remnant (2009) for such a quality-of-life feature. Heresy, I hear you scream as you try to suppress your tears and clutch your little game codex. But, to quote my arch-enemy and grand illusionist Todd Howard: it just works.

Summary:

To roam the realm of Allraan with the farmer-turned-warlord-protagonist Nowa and my bizarre team of MIN/MAX characters, provoking encounters and hoarding ridiculous amounts of money and resources for the end game weaponry of mutually agreed mass destruction, constitutes my only purpose in this game.

Recommended for JRPG freaks eager to refill their nostalgia meter.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +150 hours

Singleplayer achievements: 56
Multiplayer achievements: none

Stasis: Bone Totem (2023) represents a point-and-click adventure game, developed and published by the company The Brotherhood. Another notable title of the development studio is Stasis (2015).

Pros & cons:

++ The company Cayne is doing what they always do. Erasing their mistakes. Problem is… you stumbled into it. Still, you can rejoice because you get to read the deprived and entertaining stories left behind by the crew as you try to survive in the ever-deteriorating environment, which I consider to be a literal slice of hell. Also, you will unearth secrets best kept buried, and find answers for questions you never wanted to ask in this Lovecraftian fever dream. But most importantly, beware of Russian captains bearing gifts.

+ You travel with an artificial creature in the form of a toy teddy bear, which gives me PTSD flashbacks of Freddy’s. Unbeknown to me, it is a very smart bear equipped with elite hacking software. Later, it performs brain surgery on a derelict, organic supercomputer. And to top it off, it declares itself the cleverest bear while tinkering with underwater seismic charges and an atomic warhead. Hands down, the MVP of the game.

+ The puzzles got better in comparison with the first instalment. Sometimes you need to disassemble or combine objects, read the PDAs scattered around, or pay attention to the illustrations placed in the rooms to progress. Based on my personal experiments, just try to apply some of the items from your inventory on your characters. You will be surprised by the Darwin awards you can discover.

- A handful of logical errors catapulted me out of my alcohol induced delirium as I walked on that cursed station, for example debris falling at the speed of sound; underwater, if I may add.

Summary:

The techno-religious story of Cayne and his believers committing scientific atrocities in his name continues. And once more the stars of the show are the gripping atmosphere and exceptional writing; both combined create an experience that I can only describe as haunting.

Recommended for desperate adventurer seeking the last frontier on planet earth. Your very own maritime abyss.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +20 hours

Singleplayer achievements: 20
Multiplayer achievements: none

Warhammer 40.000: Rogue Trader (2023) represents a turn-based roleplaying game (RPG), developed and published by the company Owlcat Games. Further notable titles of the development studio are Pathfinder: Kingmaker (2018) and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (2021); both prior instalments were RPGs based on real-time with pause (RTWP) gameplay.

Pros & cons:

++ You could play as a lackey blinded by the imperial doctrine. Or, you let the whispers of an ancient blade flood your mind, replacing your thoughts with a singular urge. To rule them all. Let the benefactor from the warp guide you on your ascension to ultimate dominance. Give in to your heretical ambitions, and support the ruinous powers wherever possible. A planet left to the incursion of chaos, the sacrifice of gullible allies who have outlived their purpose, every deed and gift in their name is welcomed by the dark gods. Serve them faithfully and in return they will grant you powers beyond your mortal boundaries!

++ The faithful visualization of the WH40K lore in combination with a well maintained balance between characterization, combat and mini-games make for an immersive RPG experience. The alignment system, based on dogmatic, iconoclast or heretical decisions, increases the replay value. Most side quests allow for multiple solutions and rely on character alignment or skill checks. A massive skill tree broadens the tactical depth, and provides the basis for unsanctified MIN/MAX builds.

+ The first implementation of a co-op multiplayer within an Owlcat game can be described as successful. Several sessions with my siblings / battle brothers, purging heretics and xenos alike with bolters, flamers and melta guns, bear witness to this.

o I would like the following for the successor AKA Rogue Trader 2: A companion from the Officio Assassinorum that must be kept in stasis, while not on the field, otherwise he will massacre your ship crew in a drug induced rampage. Classic invasion by tyranid forces foreshadowed by a genestealer incident. Good old ork raiding party featuring my favourite boyz from the Deathskullz clan with tons of dakka. And one hell of a boss fight against an ancient obliterator tainted by Volk-Sa’ra’ram; I still owe one of them a meltashot to the visor.

- A couple of bugs corrupted the holy binary code, e.g. area attacks are sometimes not registered, differences in height are not calculated correctly, and some co-op sessions are prematurely terminated. Owlcat’s tech priests have initiated counter protocols. The Omnissiah knows all, comprehends all.

-- While the first and second acts are well developed and the third one constitutes a welcome change in pace, the quality of the fourth act drops like a base jumper without a parachute. Therefore, I consider the numerous comments made by other reviewers regarding a “front loaded game” as correct. And before you ask, the fifth and final act is short and to the point.

Summary:

Due to the complex and long history of the WH40K fandom, spanning several decades, I would like to acknowledge the discipline and effort put into this project to successfully apply such intimidating source material.

For newcomers to the franchise, the game provides an excellent cross-section of the grim, dark future within the Imperium of Man. As a fan, with over 60 books in my personal black library, it feels like finding a long forgotten STC with schematics for pre-30K armaments.

Recommended for determined recruits and seasoned veterans, loyal to the Palatine Aquila, seeking a faithful adaptation of the sacred lore of the God-Emperor of Mankind. And remember inquisitor, innocence proves nothing!

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +200 hours

Singleplayer achievements: 65
Multiplayer achievements: none

Turbo Overkill (2023) represents a retro-inspired first-person shooter (FPS) game, developed by the company Trigger Happy Interactive and published by the company Apogee Entertainment.

Pros & cons:

++ What starts as a stereotypical revenge story with a cardboard cutout hero escalates into a full-scale planetary war, where you slide at breakneck speed, followed by a triple jump to finally ram your chainsaw leg through multiple heads. High octane FPS action from humble beginning to the spectacular finish.

+ The amount of upgradable body parts, skills and weapons turn you into a murder machine that would make the T-800 jealous. In addition, an aggressive playstyle is supported by allowing for armor and health leech in melee combat, which becomes essential at higher difficulties. It also results in more fluent battles and higher combos.

+ The Overkilled difficulty is a wet dream of mine. An endless spiral of excess with boss battles worthy to be remembered and timed sections that need perfect execution. Johnny Turbo demands peak performance!

Summary:

What is better than one chainsaw leg? A chainsaw on every limb and an unquenchable thirst for vengeance against the entity responsible for your unwanted cyborgization.

Recommended for aficionados of overclocked killer cyborgs with nothing to lose.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +30 hours

Singleplayer achievements: 67
Multiplayer achievements: none

Ion Fury (2019) represents a retro-inspired first-person shooter (FPS) game, developed by the company Voidpoint and published by the company 3D Realms. The expansion Aftershock followed in 2023.

Pros & cons:

++ Wherever Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison lands, the law is enforced in beautifully brutal fashion with her custom-made revolver. Dirty Harry's unofficial daughter makes her way through hordes of cyborgs and mutants while dropping snarky one-liners left and right. All in the pursuit of her arch nemesis Dr. Heskel, a megalomaniacal supervillain who can only be stopped in a final confrontation in the depths of an erupting volcano!

+ The Angel of Death difficulty will transform the melee baton into your new best friend, in order to get you through this challenge. For the fallen shall arise and haunt you once more, unless you destroy their physical shells permanently.

- While the successful replication of the classic FPS experience from the 90s constitutes a strong basis, it comes with the disadvantage of mostly static enemies, where each confrontation boils down to a hide-and-seek encounter.

Summary:

Shelly's tenacity and penchant for law-abiding weapons give this old-fashioned shooter a solid foundation. And I am surprised at how much the 90s style gameplay and presentation resonates with me.

Recommended for citizens who are asked to turn around and put their hands on the wall.

Achievements:

Estimated time for 100% completion: +40 hours

Singleplayer achievements: 62
Multiplayer achievements: none