It’s been a long time since a game completely took over my life. I think the last time I was consumed by a game like this was when I first finished Bioshock Infinite , which then led me to play through the entire trilogy (I hadn’t played the first and second entries yet). Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (COE33 from this point on) managed to give me that same feeling again. From the very first second the game began, I was completely immersed in its universe. I think that's due to two things: 1) you’re presented with an amazing scene right at the start, and 2) the game looks absolutely gorgeous. Straight away, you’re treated to a beautiful shot of Lumière, showing that the developers mean business. Next, you go through some basic tutorials, which were executed perfectly—especially for a newcomer to the genre like myself. It took me a little while to understand what was being asked of me (dodging is your saviour, but you’re rewarded for parrying). After that, you're dropped into L...
I finished South of Midnight last night, clocking in at about 13 hours from start to finish. I did end up taking a break for a few days because playing a game like this on the train using my ROG Ally X just didn’t feel quite right. When I first booted up South of Midnight , I had no idea what I was getting into—zero expectations. All I knew was that the visuals looked different and the Deep South setting seemed fascinating to explore. I mentioned this in my previous post, and having now fully experienced a brand-new game this way (going in completely blind, not watching any reviews or impressions), I know I’ll be doing the same thing again going forward—especially with new releases. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is being released in a few hours and, apart from the trailers, I haven’t seen or read anything about it. But back to South of Midnight . I’ll be honest—I wasn’t a huge fan of the gameplay and combat. They weren’t bad or broken or anything like that. They were just... there. ...