Hello post-spoopy month! With the chills and thrills of October gone, we figured it was time to move on to feeling thankful. However, here at TechRaptor, we had to leave you with one last scare. Perhaps the scariest thing of all: our opinions.

Yes, it's the TechRaptor Game Review Roundup! Here we collect all of our reviews and previews into one easy to digest article. So let's dive right in and show you what we hit up in the spooky month of October.

Reviews

Mega Man 11

Summary: Mega Man 11 marks some minor changes to the classic platforming formula. While nothing is wrong with the gameplay, it's feeling tired at this point. 7.5/10. Read the full review here.

The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep

Summary: The poor save system and technical issues combine to create something more frustrating than the sum of its parts. Combat is decent and the music is fantastic, but overall not worth the time spent in the rest of the game. You can instead just listen to the OST. 4/10. Read the full review here.

Life is Strange 2 - Episode 1: Roads

Summary: Life is Strange 2 excels on many levels but also has its evident flaws. Following the Diaz brothers through traumatic and unnecessary events will have you empathizing with their circumstances. However, Daniel's supernatural powers are a whole other conundrum. 8/10. Read the full review here.

Unforeseen Incidents

Summary: Unforeseen Incidents is a smart, well-written adventure game that keeps you hooked from start to finish. 8.5/10. Read the full review here.

The Council - Episode 4: Burning Bridges

Summary: Burning Bridges manages to keep The Council's plot going and introduces an interesting new mechanic. However, it is also glitchy and fails to deliver the puzzling fun of the past few episodes. 6/10. Read the full review here.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Summary: Black Ops 4 pulls together three distinct parts to create an incredible and dense whole. The action is tight, the changes are smart and well-executed, and Blackout may be the most exciting thing out this year. This is the best Call of Duty has been in years. 9/10. Read the full review here.

Super Mario Party

Summary: Super Mario Party brings back the classic formula, and while there are some features that haven't made the return, great new additions like Partner Party and River Survival make this one of the best Mario Party games in at least a decade. 8/10. Read the full review here.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

Summary: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 adds more characters, references, and story to the previous entry while remaining to stand still is most other regards. Plenty of fun with friends or hunting down that last objective, but when left to your own devices, you might find yourself deviating. 6/10. Read the full review here.

The Jackbox Party Pack 5

Summary: The Jackbox Party Pack 5 has a game for almost anyone. While including one false start the rest of the games included in the bundle will be a great addition to any kind of gathering or party. Jackbox Games has done an amazing job with this bundle showing they're still consistently coming up with bigger and better ideas. 8.5/10. Read the full review here.

SoulCalibur VI

Summary: SoulCalibur VI as a fighting game is all style over substance. While it retains most of its tactical combat it is easily the most user-friendly title in the series and for some longtime fans, that may be more discouraging than a return to form. 7/10. Read the full review here.

Shadows: Awakening

Summary: Shadows: Awakening doesn't do much that is new or interesting, but it does achieve a mostly enjoyable ARPG experience that will appeal to diehard fans of the genre. 6/10. Read the full review here.

Red Dead Revolver

Summary: Red Dead Revolver used to be an interesting, if not particularly great, third person shooter. Time has not been kind to its mechanics, frustrating design, poor voice acting, or forgettable story. 4/10. Read the full review here.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season - Episode 2: Suffer the Children

Summary: Suffer the Children is a fantastic second episode for The Walking Dead: The Final Season. Unfortunately, the reality is that it's also probably the final episode, and it just doesn't cut it as a finale. 8/10. Read the full review here.

Damsel

Summary: Damsel is an engaging, challenging platformer that has a little something for everyone. It may get too hard too early for some people, but mastering the mechanics is incredibly rewarding. 8/10. Read the full review here.

Return of the Obra Dinn

Summary: Return of the Obra Dinn breaks the mold of the gaming medium as an enthralling first-person mystery adventure with overtones of Edgar Allan Poe. This is an extraordinary conjunction of cerebral puzzle, supernatural nautical tale, and ornate art direction. 10/10. Read our full review here.

Call of Cthulhu

Summary: I struggle to call Call of Cthulhu a good game, thanks to its crummy stealth, bad puzzles, terrible graphics, and wasted mechanics. However, its fantastic story and tabletop-styled mechanics sure made it one of the most interesting games I've played. 6/10. Read our full review here.

Luigi's Mansion

Summary: Luigi's Mansion for the 3DS isn't a perfect game, but it provides plenty of fun for a decent price. The main issues with the game boils down to the controls and how it impacts the rest of the experience, but at least it looks good and has plenty of bonus content with the port. 7.5/10. Read our full review here.

 

Previews/Impressions

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Summary: I’m still only twelve hours in, so I can’t give a final judgment on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for a while yet. However, the new focus on role-playing elements, refined combat and stealth system, and wonderful exploration leads me to believe this is shaping up to be the next big RPG. Combining high-quality elements from several different Assassin’s Creed games while still managing to forge its own unique identity, Odyssey is genuinely a triumph. I’m excited to keep putting hours into it and seeing where this Odyssey will lead me next. Read our full impressions here.

Weedcraft Inc.

Summary: Suffice to say, cannabis has always been a big business. The tides are turning for making that business legal, and both Devolver Digital and Vile Monarch are confident that this is the right time for a game like Weedcraft Inc. to be making its debut. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it when it’s out. Read our full preview here.

The Last Remnant Remastered

Summary: Look, I understand cons like this aren’t really the best place to try a complicated JRPG. The only outcome was being thrown into the deep end of an extremely complicated game. However, in its limited time to impress me, The Last Remnant Remastered didn’t really do so. It just left me confused and kind of annoyed. Besides, Infinite Undiscovery was the better weird and mediocre 2008 Square Enix Xbox 360 JRPG. I guess we’ll have to wait for that remaster. Read our full preview here.

LEGO DC Super-Villains

Summary: Overall, I really enjoyed the Lego DC Super-villains demo, and I’m eager to see what the full game has to offer and how it uses new mechanics and carries over ones from previous games. Plus, as a comics nerd, it’s worth playing for the Justice Syndicate alone! Read our full preview here.

Gwent: Homecoming

Summary: All things considered, it’s a definite step forward for the minigame-turned-standalone. At its core, it remains Gwent: a unique and intricately tactical card game in three rounds. The overhaul shows a commitment from the developers in making it viable and compelling in the long-term. I would hate to see it flounder and die out after spending so many hours on it, even after so many frustrations and losses. Gwent: Homecoming has a great future if the developers continue to listen to player feedback and make a priority of balancing factions, archetypes, and cards. Read our full preview here.

Marvel Battle Lines

Summary: Overall, Marvel Battle Lines seemed like a fine game. It’s not personally to my taste, but for those who like a mix of story and strategy gameplay, this could scratch that itch. Read our full preview here.

For Honor: Marching Fire

Summary: So, with all that being said, For Honor: Marching Fire is in a weird spot. These are good updates, but I’m not sure it makes sense to shell out for the full package. While the new characters are fun, none of them change the game in such a way as to make them vital. Unless you’ve absolutely mastered the entire rest of the roster, you’ll find plenty to do outside of the premium options. The paid arcade mode seems rushed and undercooked, and most players will forget it exists after just a few runs. The best content by far is Breach mode, and everyone gets that for free. It’s disappointing to be sure, and I wish that there was something more interesting at the premium level. On the plus side, at least anyone can still pop in and play, even if they’re not neck deep in Viking tattoos. Read our full impressions here.

Fallout 76

Summary: It is clear that Bethesda hasn’t completely forsaken their fans seeing as how there’s so much to explore, and at worst one can consider the game to be an experiment for everyone involved. Fallout 76 has been and likely will continue to be a bit polarizing. If you genuinely don’t want a game that doesn’t have a traditional story or NPCs that you can talk to and bond with, it might be a good idea to stay away, but it seems unlikely that 76 will be the death knell that signals the end of Fallout as we know. In the end, there’s a lot to like about Fallout 76 regardless of how you view the game’s premise, especially if you are well acquainted with the Bethesda era of Fallout games. Read our full preview here.