Last Game You Played and What You Would Rate It Out of 10

[Eapoe]

Cronos: The New Dawn 6/10
Had multiple people tell me this reminded them of Dead Space. Well, it did not remind me of Dead Space. Just because it’s a futuristic setting with body horror does not make it an equivalent.
Decent enough game, but considering it plays like Silent Hill f (run thru avoiding as much as possible u til you get to a boss/gauntlet, and I just played that not too long ago, it felt way more repetitive than it probably should have.
Also, like Silent Hill f, it requires multiple playthroughs to get the good/true ending, and that’s a lot to ask for an average or slightly above average game.

[Throwawayx]

Tainted Grail: The fall of Avalon
It is like a better, more polished version of Skyrim
Highly recommend if you're into first person RPGs

[tehealadin]

Octopath Traveler 0 - 9.5/10

Fantastic JRPG. Great battle system is back, huge cast of characters, more focused central story, great sound track. I put in over 100 hours in this one, loved every minute of it. If you like JRPG's and haven't played this, I highly recommend it.

[Ashana Darkmoon]

Dispatch -- 8/10

This was my first "Telltale game." I went in pretty much completely blind, outside of the hype surrounding the GotY award. I was hooked pretty much instantly and this game never lets up. Engaging characters, clever writing and absolutely insanely good voice acting. I never thought I'd find myself enjoying gravel-voiced Jesse Pinkman, but here we are. Without a doubt, the best written game I've played in at least a half-decade. Everything just works. It has a few surprising emotional beats, too. If you're going in just for the story and animation, this is a solid 10/10. .

My biggest disappointment was the last chapter, turned the villain into an idiot. Absolutely still worth playing, though!

[Askyl]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 33/10 (10/10)

I finished the story yesterday after being gifted this by my wife for Christmass. It's one of the absolute best games I've ever played. Everything about it is just fantastic, and on a 10 million dollar budget? Holy shit AAA-studios have to be shivering.

Music and Story is the absolute highlights. Characters and the world building felt incredible. Combat was fun, I rarely enjoy the turn based JRPG type of combat, so the interactive part of it really worked for me.

Can't say much more than I really look forward to their next game.

[tehealadin]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 33/10 (10/10)

I finished the story yesterday after being gifted this by my wife for Christmass. It's one of the absolute best games I've ever played. Everything about it is just fantastic, and on a 10 million dollar budget? Holy shit AAA-studios have to be shivering.

Music and Story is the absolute highlights. Characters and the world building felt incredible. Combat was fun, I rarely enjoy the turn based JRPG type of combat, so the interactive part of it really worked for me.

Can't say much more than I really look forward to their next game.

I kind of feel sorry for them, having to follow this up. This was my personal GOTY, and a strong contender for my GOAT.

[xenogear3]

Deathloop 10/10

[KrayZ33]

I kind of feel sorry for them, having to follow this up. This was my personal GOTY, and a strong contender for my GOAT.

The trick is to do a rather small game next.

[Jastall]

I kind of feel sorry for them, having to follow this up. This was my personal GOTY, and a strong contender for my GOAT.

Being facetious, I'd say the power move would be to declare that they got perfection on their first attempt and close the studio.

More seriously, I liked that they said they wouldn't expand too much. Keep the studio relatively the same size, and take as much time as they want to release the game. It worked for Silksong, it should work for them.

Also,

WH40: Rogue Trader 8/10

It's taken me more than a year to finish this, and honestly an 8 is just about the most generous score I can give it. Which sucks for me because there's parts of the game I really like, but it's buried beneath stuff that I either dislike or don't care about but can't be really avoided.

The gameplay is pretty fun. They go for a half X-Com, half turned-based RPG approach and it works fairly well; when things align having your Heavy Bolter blow chunks of enemies as your Space Wolf buddy charges in and chops fools in half with a power axe is satisfying. It's very easy to break but that's not that bad a thing in this sort of game.

The game's greatest strength is probably how well it uses the setting. Now I'm a hopeless 40K fan so obviously I'm going to appreciate almost any game set in it at a base level, but unlike most games that explore it on a surface level (such as Dawn of War, Battlefleet Gothic or the Space Marine games) this one goes into the weeds of what it means to live in this universe, and the myriad reasons it gloriously sucks. You interact with a lot of organisations, factions and races and the vast majority of them are quite well realized, including some that rarely every get to shine like the Drukhari. It all gives the universe room to breathe beyond the typical "you are space soldier man, go kill aliens/demons" fare. And, the setting is also used as a backdrop for competently written characters. Now, none of the companions are stellar by any means, but a good half were interesting enough for me to engage with them and they feel like more than token characters from (insert race or faction X), even if I can tell most started that way.

The one exception is the Heretic path, which requires far too much suspension of disbelief. Your character on this path often isn't even trying to hide the fact that they're a Chaos worshipper, and on the times I tried the dialog options characters seemed to mostly treat it as an unusual quirk rather than the instant execution-worthy offense it is for everyone else in the universe. There's even spoilers related to some characters in your party reacting very, very harshly to offenses far lesser than the shit you can pull in Act 2, Rogue Trader or not. I get that the player should be able to express themselves and do some dumb shit as the main character of an RPG, but this goes so far that it would just take me out of the experience.

The worst part of the game, however, is the same flaw that held back Pathfinder; the sheer padding. The game is a good 20 hours too long. Too much menial busywork between ship travel, ship combat, colony management, loads and loads of loading screens, and Acts 2 and 4 that force the player to mess around in a XBOXHUEG regional map that holds far more of said busywork than it does interesting content. Now yes, a lot of it is optional, but exactly what is and how much of it do you need to complete isn't made very clear on a first (and certainly only, for me) playthrough. As well, the constant level ups and spreadsheet/wall of text based character building get pretty tiring after a couple dozen hours. The combat and RPG aspects weren't compelling enough to actually make me want to slog through so many menus.

Still, the fact I finished it at all after so many hours is testament to its qualities. Anyone who likes the setting should pick it up, and even if you don't, it's hardly the worst way to spend dozens of hours in a fairly reactive and deep RPG , even if it has its warts.

[kieraTM]

Gates of Hell: Ostfront - 9.5/10

This is the definitive WW2 RTS experience on PC. It blows Company of Heroes out of the water, and is a must-play for any WW2 enthusiast.

Essentially the game is a very realistic RTS game but with a few caveats that make it stand out. You can play it with a wide battlefield view, controlling multiple units/squads of units at once, or you can use 'dynamic control' where you take control of an individual soldier, tank, AT gun etc in a 3rd person view. The graphics are very good, but do fall off a bit when you go into 3rd person and zoom in a lot, especially on the soldiers. The sound effects are amazing. Rifles crack, explosions boom and shells ricochet and whistle at high velocity. Everything sounds impactful and each hit or explosion feels weighted and deadly. Animations are a mixed bag. Vehicle animations are great, and soldiers getting shot look very realistic, but soldiers in cover or aiming (basically when they are not idle) are motionless and static.

There are several expansions/DLCs; the base game, as the title suggests, covers the Ostfront, or Eastern Front, from 1940-43. Talvisota covers the Finland Winter War/Continuation war, Scorched Earth covers the Eastern front from 1943-45, Liberation covers Normandy and Europe from 1944-45, Airborne covers Normandy/Europe in 1944 (essentially a game version of Band of Brothers), and the latest DLC Finest Hour adds the British and Commonwealth forces from 1940-45. There is a clear roadmap and players hope the game will eventually encompass most if not all theatres of the war, with the Pacific being a highly anticipated release, but north Africa/Italy seems like the next best bet.

There are a few game modes. There are loads of single player missions which vary hugely in scale and scope, but most are either attack or defend. Some unique missions where you control a small squad, but most you control large forces. Majority of missions are scripted encounters, but some are 'skirmish' maps where you are tasked with taking 7 points on a map any way you see fit - each point allows you to call in more diverse reinforcements. There is a Dynamic Conquest mode where you build your own force out of hundreds of units to choose from, unlock tech and upgrade your units. Each map is 'live' (no pause, save or slowing of time) and the games are dynamic depending on whether you win or lose. There is also multiplayer, coop vs AI or PvP.

In terms of actual gameplay, the learning curve is pretty steep and the game is very micro-managey which can be daunting at first, but the more you play, the better you get, and you learn something new every game. Units need to be supplied and re-armed. You can loot fallen enemies for weapons, grenades, bandages etc. You can repair damaged tanks or repair/hijack enemy tanks you knock out. Because the game ballistics are very realistic, you have to play very methodically and carefully. One wrong move or wrong order can get a squad or vehicle killed. You need to use combined arms, protect tanks with infantry, and play methodically. Games can often take hours, if not days of saving and coming back to them.

I would give it a 10/10 but there are a few issues (but it is to be expected with the scope of the game): the AI pathfinding kind of sucks. The enemy AI often seems more accurate (especially with mortars). Despite the game being very realistic, the planes suck. You don't control them but you can call in air strikes and they fly super slow and level, but shoot the ground as if their guns are on pivots. It would be much more realistic if they swooped in incredibly fast at an angle. Some of the animations are a bit janky, and a personal pet peeve of mine - there are no slings on the guns!

TL;DR: incredibly realistic, complex WW2 RTS game with heavy micro-management but beautiful graphics and audio. Large scope of DLC with much more to come and a very active dev team. A few minor issues are annoying but in no way make the game unplayable. Plenty of game modes for players to enjoy.

[SpaceMistakes]

Starfield - 5.5/10

Not a terrible game but easily the most disappointing one Bethesda GS has developed internally since like, the pre-Morrowind days. Two years later and basically every crippling flaw remains, 2025 went without any content (unless you count 'creations') or noteworthy updates, and promises of improvements in 2026 have been seen by people who are asking us to temper expectations.

There are moments when the game shines (terrormorph questline for example) but there is enough vapid, boring, copy paste filler in between those moments to fill 10 games.

[Trifle]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 33/10 (10/10)

I finished the story yesterday after being gifted this by my wife for Christmass. It's one of the absolute best games I've ever played. Everything about it is just fantastic, and on a 10 million dollar budget? Holy shit AAA-studios have to be shivering.

Music and Story is the absolute highlights. Characters and the world building felt incredible. Combat was fun, I rarely enjoy the turn based JRPG type of combat, so the interactive part of it really worked for me.

Can't say much more than I really look forward to their next game.

I really hope they make substantial improvements if they make another one rather than just resting on their laurels. The combat system is engaging, but also highly problematic. In particular an obvious issue is dodge/parry completely negating all damage... because of this they can't make it too easy to dodge/parry everything which is why we have:

* Enemies getting multiple turns in a row (especially when fighting higher level stuff)
* Enemies spamming out 8+ hit attacks (bonus points for fights where even 1 of the 8 hits are enough to kill you)
* Combat animations seemingly designed solely to fake out your sense of timing with random weird delays everywhere
* Audio/visual cues often not lining up with the parry timing properly.

[hellhamster]

The biggest problem with Clair Obscur, which is overall a small issue considering how good the game is, would be the fact that the balance in act 3 is all over the place. Once you get Stedhal, the game is essentially over and the combat is solved. The developers need to implement a solution for this. I read the latest DLC and patch solves this, I haven't played it yet though to confirm.

[Jastall]

The biggest problem with Clair Obscur, which is overall a small issue considering how good the game is, would be the fact that the balance in act 3 is all over the place. Once you get Stedhal, the game is essentially over and the combat is solved. The developers need to implement a solution for this. I read the latest DLC and patch solves this, I haven't played it yet though to confirm.

The solution is mostly making the hardest bosses so tough the (nerfed) Strendahl isn't enough to reliably oneshot them, or by giving them a lot of phases so it doesn't really matter if Maelle demolishes one HP bar out of 5, or by other means like being invincible at battle's start. Of course, the DLC also contains pictos/weapons so powerful that they essentially replace the ability as the go-to boss nuke combos but are available to everyone. Simon ain't shit when everyone on my team except Sciel can get off combos that kill his entire phase 2 HP bar without much need to cheese. But his Divergent Star counterpart hardly even lets you play so you can unleash said combos in the first place, and fully heals when he wipes out the first team to boot. It's an astronomical difficulty increase that can't really be cheesed anywhere near as much.

IMO the bigger problem in Act 3 is that it brings the game's pacing to a halt. Gameplay wise Acts 1 and 2 are perfectly paced, with the player growing in power and skill and learning new mechanics as they go, with the 9999 cap keeping the player's damage output under control so the encounters can feel bespoke at almost every point in the journey.

Act 3 then gives you unlimited damage and tells you to go have fun... except a good half the new areas are far too hard to handle. If you know where to go and where to grind some levels/catalysts until you can do the vast majority of the map it's not an issue, but on my first playthrough I spent a lot of time meandering around not knowing if a given Nevron would be easy or kick my ass. The Danger signs on high level areas helped but weren't quite enough. Also, there should have been some story moments before the final assault; at the very least, visiting Alicia and the Reacher should have been mandatory as what happens there is important to understanding the ending. And, IMO the final boss should have scaled with player level at least to a degree, it's sad how pathetic he is compared to more than half the endgame content even before the DLC.

[Askyl]

I really hope they make substantial improvements if they make another one rather than just resting on their laurels. The combat system is engaging, but also highly problematic. In particular an obvious issue is dodge/parry completely negating all damage... because of this they can't make it too easy to dodge/parry everything which is why we have:

* Enemies getting multiple turns in a row (especially when fighting higher level stuff)
* Enemies spamming out 8+ hit attacks (bonus points for fights where even 1 of the 8 hits are enough to kill you)
* Combat animations seemingly designed solely to fake out your sense of timing with random weird delays everywhere
* Audio/visual cues often not lining up with the parry timing properly.

I both agree and don't agree. Playing the game on hardest difficulty and timing parry all the time is not the easiest feat, but after 30 hours it gets a bit old. The fact it negates all damage is nothing wrong with. Write the same sentence with Dark Souls in mind, which this is obviously inspired from.

[DarkAmbient]

Citizen Sleeper - 8/10

A really wonderful dystopian visual novel set on a rundown space station. Your character is a Sleeper, a sort of hybrid organic robot imprinted with an emulation of a human's consciousness. The human remains in cryosleep while the Sleeper works for its manufacturer until the contract is up. Sleepers are built with planned obsolescence in mind, and so the core of the gameplay revolves around you having to manage your constantly depleting energy and health whilst completing various tasks for which you have limited dice rolls per day.

Good writing, high quality art and an excellent music score elevate this into a memorable experience. The atmosphere is contemplative, hopeful, and occasionally emotional. The characters and their stories are vivid, and after the credits rolled I found myself wondering what they might be up to.

One minor gameplay annoyance was that because it's set on a circular station there's a lot of going backwards and forwards in a long narrow space. You'll probably want to increase the scrolling sensitivity to make the constant up/down navigation bearable.

Really glad I took a punt on this. I'll definitely get the sequel.

[Eapoe]

Ghost of Yotei 7/10
Very solid and fun game. Combat is fun, story is well done, and a good spiritual successor to Ghost of Tsushima.
The biggest downside of the game is what happens to a lot of games these days, and that’s that they are sometimes too long with side quests that become repetitive. Just not enough variety to them.
Despite that, I didn’t get nearly as close to the frame of mind of “okay, let’s end this” as I did with some games like the Final Fantasy R’s, and had quite an enjoyable time playing this.

[melodramocracy]

Diablo 4, Season 11 - 8/10: I played D4 at launch, enjoyed it well enough, finished the story and never went back. Decided to pick up s11 out of boredom and not much else going on. Granted, I did roll game destroying meta builds (CE sorcerer / Auradin) , but I did massively enjoy myself in the process. Boredom set in eventually as expected but it's also the most gaming fun I've had in a while.

POE2 - ? This is the second time I've tried this game, and it's just not for me. It lacks some level of polish that's hard to really describe, and simply doesn't feel great to play.

[alekblom]

I played Apogeo for like 5 minutes before I was bored. I'll give it a 5/10

[Mysterymask]

Void Stranger

Seriously ya'll should play this. This game is such a god damned trip really needs more love than it gets
What does it have?
-Incredibly cryptic story that you really gotta work to get
-Secrets galore that game gives you ample hints towards but won't spoonfeed it to you
-Tough but interesting puzzles
-A lot of "Oh shit I missed that"
-VERY brutal difficulty that really is your fault if you fail
-And really anything else I could tell you would be spoiling the fuck out of it GO IN BLIND its worth it and if you think you beat the game..you probably haven't plus its like $10 and I got like 60 hours in and I haven't even completed it

10/10 would do it again