Hades 2 is undoubtedly a great game and one I’ve definitely enjoyed playing. At the same time, it somewhat feels like it’s trying to catch lightning twice, which almost never happens. What I mean by that is, Hades 2 is simply more Hades, it’s a very safe sequel.
I purchased No Man’s Sky when it released back in 2016, and it’s one of the few games I’ve ever refunded. It’s not that it was bad, it’s that it felt non-existent, even with your controller in hand, there simply wasn’t a game in there to actually play.
Over the years, No Man’s Sky has redeemed itself in a way I don’t think any other game has. It has received numerous updates that have essentially overhauled the entire game more than once, and have added a ton of new gameplay systems to its core identity.
Total Warhammer 3 and its DLCs already make it almost infinitely replayable. Taken together, there are 24 playable factions with 92 legendary lords split between them. Each faction has its own roster of units and unique game mechanics, and each legendary lord can branch off even further with mechanics of their own.
However, it was only recently that I realized the full potential of Total Warhammer 3’s sandbox, and the fact that it took me so long made me feel a little dumb.
Battlefield’s identity has always been about large-scale combined arms warfare, at least up until the hero shooter TEMU version that was 2042. As Battlefield 6 finished up its two open betas, I’ve seen plenty of sentiments proclaiming that Battlefield is back, baby! Yet as an old-time fan, I feel like I’ve woken up in a bizarro world.
Now don’t me wrong, there is a lot I liked about the beta. It’s certainly better than 2042, but that’s not saying much considering the bar was quite literally on the floor. However, the large-scale combat and combined arms both felt notably missing in the beta. There were moments where, if you had handed me the game blind and told me it was Call of Duty without the crossover madness, I might have believed you.