The question falls apart once Kengo is mentioned. Depending on you ask, Kengo is either truly amazing in how realistic it is or really boring in how overly realistic it is. I’m in the first camp but we’re talking about the most samurai game that would be fun to roughly anyone. Not the most Dark Souls of samurai games.

A Tale of Two Clans

That’s where we get to Way of the Samurai on the Playstation 2. It came out in 2003 and had you take the role of a ronin who arrives in a small town facing change as the new, foreign-influenced government rolls in. Yes, we’re out of the Tokugawa Era and now we’re in the Meiji Era. It’s 1878 and Japan has been opened.

There are two main factions fighting for power in the area, the Kurou Clan, lead by Tesshin Kurou, has had power for years and wants to hold on against the new government. The problem is that the new government, heavily influenced by western innovation and culture, have the advantage in weaponry.

To prevent loses, the Kurou opt to sell the iron foundry in the area but have to deal with the villagers who won’t leave. Mind you, it looks like everyone already bounced outside a few villagers and the rival clans. The village is bare, just about devoid of life and its just weird how the Kurou assaults the few folks still left.

The other clan is the Akadama Clan was formed by the illegitimate son of Kurou’s leader. Young and hotted, Kitcho wants to defeat the Kurou whom he can feels are traitors and smash the Meiji government. Tall orders right? Especially when your base of operations is a near ghost town where the population is mainly split between your two clans!

Where It Shines

There are two areas where Way of the Samurai shines. The first is the gameplay, it’s a straight up slash ‘em up action game. In some ways its similar to Samurai Warriors or Dynasty Warriors only you’re not mashing square over and over until its time to pop a Musou attack and clear the room. Instead, it’s a not-as-flashy version of the Warriors approach and it works since you’re not fighting on wide battlefields.

It’s also cool that you collect swords from fallen foes and can have them improved. Of course, since you only have a handful time to make money to do this. Also, you can only have two or three swords at a time. Swords gained can dull and break, losing their effectiveness.

The other area where Way of the Samurai shines is the story. Depending on your actions the game can take several different paths for six endings. You can avoid conflict and just leave Rokkotsu Pass without becoming involved or removing your sword. You’re also able to pick one of the clans or side with the villagers–all four of them.

From there, depending on how you carry out certain missions for the faction or what time of day that you run into main characters, the story can branch off. Character deaths also play a role in how the story unfolds. Way of the Samurai was pretty much ahead of other games in this respect.

Verdict

The glaring flaw with Way of the Samurai is that you only have two days of story. This changes with the sequels but this game gives you a little time to do quite a bit of story. On one hand, there’s not really much going on in Rokkotsu Pass because there’s no villagers. On the other, there’s a lot going on, you just showed up at the tail end of everything.

The bright side to this limitation is that it cuts down on the whole “I’m just gonna run around aimlessly!” style of plan. Some love that, I’m not a fan of it and it’s boring to watch and do. Doing that in Samurai and the game is over before you know it.

That aside, the actual combat is very solid, allowing for heated duels and intense melees. It’s a combat mechanic that totally works. Definitely pick up Way of the Samurai if you can. It’s available on PSP and you’ll have to hunt for it Amazon or eBay–where it’s most likely worth more than it was at launch.

Rating: 7 out 10 (Recommended)

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Meanwhile, Blizzard’s mobile offering Diablo Immortal and the previous console/PC offering Diablo III were several seasons in—themed seasons with stories. From following players who had been in since season one, I don’t want to say there was a drought of content—it’s not Outriders or anything—but Diablo IV wasn’t pushing like a games as a service title such as Destiny 2.

I mean, folks were stoked about Diablo IV on launch and they pretty much ate through the campaign quickly. Hell, me and Tardell—my younger brother and AfroGamers writer—went through the campaign quickly just to get to the “Season of Blood” content. A lot of the lore stuff, some of the cut scenes, and the random, wordy journal entries were skipped over.

Listen, I wanted to slam and would read all of that afterwards on dedicated wikis or as a story time from Diablo loremasters on YouTube—shout out to TheBritishRunner for their four-hour documentary on the timeline. I love hearing the lore timeline of a game but the writers for D4 were really in their creative bag with how much dialogue and how long some of this lore was in game. A little too in their bag at times.

It’s Diablo: I want to get loot, boost it, and slam, slam, slam, folks.

Diablo IV Season 4: Loot Reborn

So, season two had stuff I liked in the vampiric powers and just fighting vampires in general. It was a blast and so far, they hold the honors as my favorite seasonal threat. As mentioned before, season 3 “Season of the Construct” introduced a little mechanical buddy that fought alongside you or healed as necessary. It was a cool addition and more importantly, it introduced something that should’ve stayed in season 4.

Nay, it should’ve replaced a Diablo staple or been presented more than said staple: the vaults. The ever-popular vaults were fantastic while presenting this great blend of challenging but not time-consuming and grindy like dungeons. I wouldn’t totally scrap the dungeons because I’m certain many players enjoyed them but there’s no denying that the vaults were it.

My rogue and my brother’s sorcerer would just chain vaults back-to-back and throw in a little Helltide or camp out in the field to just summon frenzied constructs to slam. With vaults, we chained them back-to-back but there was a tedium to doing them after four or five. It was time to throw in back-to-back Helltide runs just to dull what was beginning to feel like work and drudgery.

Unfortunately, the vaults were scrapped for season 4—where did they go? No one knows nor does it matter since each season pretty much takes place after Lilith is clapped. These aren’t continuing adventures your character is having, each seasonal character just came back from beating Lilith. Or perhaps they’re a new hero in town. Interesting.

The point is that the hero of Sanctuary didn’t clap Lilith to sleep, clap the vampires to sleep, then put Malphus in the dirt. It’s a thing. Having heard player suggestions and complaints, Blizzard made some massive improvements. So massive that they proclaimed it was an entirely different game and could’ve “been called Diablo V.” That’s pretty bold but guess what? It’s a very different game.

This Season Is What It Says It Is

Season 4 dropped on May 14, 2024 and presented with it upgrades to loot and how it drops, how stats and skills are presented, and most importantly, a reworking of the crafting. The crafting element introduced tempering and masterworking—the latter being available after completing a level 46 dungeon—which can really open your gear and your build up. These work in tandem with being able to select an Aspect from your library of gained Aspects.

It’s a season that truly lives up to its name and even has an advanced dungeon run where you can gain special resources for masterworking gear. Blizzard really did the dew with this season although I didn’t need the extra month of waiting nor the removal of vaults. Of course, they made up for the wait with all this grease they gave players at just World Tier 2.

Of course, we always start at World Tier 2 and after the fall of Lilith. No one’s playing through that lengthy story again unless they’re new.

You can actually make some of the builds you see online and on YouTube easily if you have the resources. Not only that, Blizzard also moved some crafters around to be closer to each other in towns, added a jeweler to the Tree of Whispers, seasonal potions, new consumables, Helltides for every World Tier, and—you can speed through town on your horse.

If you’re a Diablo IV player, share your impressions on “Loot Reborn”! Is it too easy? Did Blizzard give us too much grease? Or are you enjoying the game more than you did before? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Hell, there are even retroactive builds where players make powerful builds for older games even if they didn’t have the greatest customization options. 

What Are Builds, Exactly? 

Without getting heavily into the specifics, a build is basically the entirety of your character’s attributes, stats, gear, and abilities. In games back in the 90s and 00s, all of these contributed to each other but it was much simpler to calculate and plan. 

This is, in part, because of the aforementioned lack of customization options. Builds as they are now rely heavily on flexibility in customizing the actual capabilities and survivability of your character. And wouldn’t you know it: gaming allowed more customization options cosmetically and gameplay-wise.  

With that said, builds existed in games that didn’t even offer actual customization options. With characters locked into class types, there was still the option to leave them equipped with a piece of gear that allowed for certain abilities or buffs. You could even apply attribute points that impact stats—-although, because the character was locked into a class type, it could be useless to allocate points to certain attributes. 

A warrior having a lot of intelligence isn’t going to do much with the magic spells they can access, if any. In a few cases, developers have made it so that all attributes contribute to something in that build as it does in Diablo IV. Like D4, there are class types and at least of the attributes can be ignored for the most part. 

The Important Parts to Your Builds in Diablo IV

I say “for the most part” because once get around your Paragon board at level 50, you’ll notice that you end up investing something into that ignorable attribute since a +5 boost to it might pop up while en route to a targeted node. Sometimes you’ll even notice that the path to that node is riddled with +5 to that fourth attribute that you ignored—especially when you need X amount of attribute points for a glyph’s bonus. 

In that case, you really have to know the best place to attach the next board for what you’re trying to do. Again, these are level 50 and above problems. An important part for your character build while leveling up towards level 50 is your gear and attributes. Both of these factor heavily into your stats along with what you do with your Paragon board. 

In gaming now, gear tends to come in different rarity and tiers and Diablo IV is no different. From the lowest to highest you have common, magic, rare, legendary, and unique as well as two upper tiers of sacred and ancient. What you want is ancient gear which drops at World Tier IV but you start to really work on your build with the sacred gear of World Tier III.  

While you can craft in the lower tiers, the aspects on legendary gear really starts to pop with World Tier III since they can only be applied to rare and other legendary gear. If you’re new to Diablo, your stats are going to be something you’ll want to pay a lot of attention to because gear comes with all kinds of boosts to armor, attack power, your attributes, rank bonuses to abilities, and support boosts such as more elemental resistances as well as reduction to physical at different distances and in different situations and bonuses to your different attacks under the say conditions. Again, it’s a lot. 

One last thing I feel is important: aspects. They can be found on legendary gear and stripped at an occultist in different towns. From there, the occultist can apply the aspect to your gear as mentioned before. These aspects can be support, movement-based, offensive and defensive in nature. They range from bumps in attack speed to extra buffs or actions in combat such as explosions harming surrounding enemies or instant kills at certain health levels. 

Also note that certain aspects can be applied to certain pieces of gear. These same aspects can be gain by completing dungeons where that aspect is housed but in season three, I’ve been mainly stripping them off legendary gear. 

The last thing—and personally, I find it negotiable but important on hardcore builds—is your Class Mechanic. Necromancers have the Book of the Dead, barbarians have the Arsenal, rogues have Specializations, sorcerers have Enchantments, and the druid have Spirit Boons. Each one offers each class that something extra in combat whether it be the type of undead warriors a necro utilizes or applying the damage type tied to a weapon type to another for a barb. 

My Rogue Build 

I tend to stick to the rivers and the lakes that I’m used to when building my rogue. I noticed the basic attack-core attack trend of Puncture and Twisting Blades—and I’ve tried it, played with a ranged build in season two, and I found that I prefer to play how I like. 

Many build guides are done with maximum damage or high survivability in mind. They also tend to require that the player play a certain way. You’re relying on critical strike chances to go unlock certain combat tide-turners, going through abilities in a certain sequence—and I can see their effectiveness and it’s always awesome to see during World Bosses and Legion Events.  

However, that’s not particularly fun for me. I fight in the middle of a bunch of enemies and utilize a Blade Shift-Furry combo while utilizing Poison Imbuement, Poison Trap, Smoke Grenade, and Death Trap. My Paragon board is based around Basic Attack, Core Attack, and Trap Skills, I invest most of points on dexterity, strength, and intelligence, and I might flip between the Victimize and Exposure Key Passives. 

That’s the build I have fun with and build my gear and aspect around that—and that’s without getting all into what does what and why it’s there. Then again, when I play with my brother we’re usually leisurely doing nightmare vaults and dungeons and the Helltide. We might start off with a lair or two. 

Anyway, what is your preferred build and class in Diablo IV? Let us know down below!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

I don’t know what it is but I really enjoy melee-focused classes in games—especially the heavy-damage dealing ones like rogues, thieves, monks, and archers. However, my second long run character in season two was the barbarian and let me tell you, dual wielding is a blast. 

We’ll get into my view on builds in another post but let’s dive a bit into season three. 

Season 3: Season of the Construct 

The Cliff Notes version of the season is that the demon Malphas has managed to get his hands on an artifact known as the Loom. As with demons wielding any forgotten artifact it allows the wielded access to either incredible power or some great advantage. It’s the same in any game where you have to race against the bad guys to unlock something, collect a bunch of items, or find some mystery. 

With the help of friend of the Loom’s creator, the player gains a construct companion and sets about ending Malphas’ plans. As you can expect—and as shown in the main story and season two—the main villain has a legion of fiends and foes to stand in your way. 

Not only are the enemies—who come in all species and faction—great in number, you also have hostile forces not corrupted by the demons directly. All of them are aggressive as hell in World Tier IV, so this is a very slash ‘em, bash ‘em, blast ‘em party. 

Thematically, it reminds me of dungeon delving in Dwarven ruins in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or the Ayleid ruins in ESIV: Oblivion—and I’ve always enjoyed that. We even have traps to evade and wards that allow you access chest with high-quality loot. 

Well…occasionally high-quality loot. As I’m writing this, I’m still on my first character of the season and the loot hasn’t been that hot at level 85. I’ve been getting a lot of stuff fit only for salvage, folks. 

The Construct Companion 

That isn’t to say there’s no strategy to Diablo IV’s seasons. The game allows you to play it however you wish. While it isn’t particularly heavy on the PvP side, there is an area for that kind of action with its own risk, rewards, and adventures. 

For everyone else, there’s plenty of side quests, aspects (or buffs that can be applied to gear) to gain for all classes that season, valuable loot to gain, crafting options, challenging dungeons, brisk cellars, light adventures called World Events, major dungeon bosses, and the World Boss for all players of certain Tiers to tackle. 

There’s a lot. 

And to be truly effective at clearing these quests and just survive. Three things that contribute heavily to both is your build, your play style with certain classes or archetypes, and how you utilize that season’s theme mechanic. 

Last season, players got vampiric powers as they went about disrupting the great vampire Lord Zir’s machinations. While my brother and I came in midway through the season, it was a blast to see how the powers boost your character’s offensive power and defensive abilities. 

In the third season, we have a fresh character—because these constant world threats that strike the world of Sanctuary after the Lilith situation was solved. It’s something that I’ve thought about. As players, we know that the character goes to the Eternal Realm after the season ends but I wouldn’t be against playing as a character who experiences all the threats that befall Sanctuary. 

It’ll give me that same attachment to a character that you get from playing a full MMORPG character that you’ve invested in for seasons. Just an aside. 

This season the vampiric powers are replaced with a construct—a spider-like robot—that can be given two different offensive, defensive, or supportive capabilities. Split into two side, each feature one main slot for a Governing Stone that determines the construct’s behavior in combat. Under those governing Stones, we have three slots for different support options that impact what the robot does within those behavior approaches. 

Meaning, you can have a healing construct, an attack construct that draws enemy aggression, or a construct that fires magic projectiles. There’s a lot that can be done here and it took a bit before Blizzard actually made the construct useful while tackling Malphas-controlled constructs and vault mazes. 

Before, I found it a bit annoying because it wasn’t doing much. I figured it would end up like season two where I didn’t fully utilize the vampiric powers for my play style until my third character at the end of the season. However, this time it became fun enough to play with that I’ve actually invested time in doing the vaults and customizing my construct. 

Actually, it kind of took me back to how you could customize your companions in Diablo III. 

Diablo IV Season 2 vs. Season 3 

So, how does season three compare to season two? Well, both seasons pick up more after you finish the seasonal story and clap Lord Zir or Malphas. After that, you’re left to run about Sanctuary unbound by anything to really do with the vampire dungeons or vaults. I find more fun in the field fighting the constructs, fighting the Herald or Malphas, and going into the Helltide in Diablo IV. 

However, just as we found out in season two, doing seasonal dungeons and the nightmare dungeons is how you really make progress with your Paragon board and gear. If you enjoy crafting, numbers, and really shaping up your gear for your overall play style, you’ll hit those a few times unless you aim to farm the World Events and Whispers until the World Boss hits. 

Again, Diablo IV allows you to find your own fun while getting to your own ideal build. As for which season was better: I find the companion mechanic more interesting than the vampiric powers—which were fun. Story-wise, neither of the two season stories were that interesting. 

If anything, they were vehicles to explain how you got this season’s mechanic and why you have it—and that’s fine. I really prefer the enemy density and aggression in season three although they can be a bit daunting in vaults along with the traps. If I could have season three enemy density with season two enemies, that would be great. I loved fighting the Blood Seekers and the Ancients at altars. 

The braziers serve the same purpose in season three but ehh. If you’re clapping demons in Diablo IV, let us know how you’re feeling about season three so far! 

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

1. Graphics and World Design:

“Spider-Man 2” offers even more enhanced graphics than its predecessor. The bustling city of New York feels alive, with realistic lighting, reflections, and intricate details. Swinging between skyscrapers, you can’t help but appreciate the game’s visual fidelity and the way it captures the essence of the Big Apple.

2. Gameplay Mechanics:

The swinging mechanics have been refined, offering more control, fluidity, and realism. Combat has also seen improvements, with new moves, abilities, and gadgets that allow for a broader range of strategies against enemies. The integration of these mechanics ensures that players are always engaged, whether they’re in the midst of a high-octane battle or simply exploring the city.

3. Storyline:

Without giving away spoilers, “Spider-Man 2” promises a deeper, more intricate storyline that challenges Peter Parker’s morality, relationships, and identity as Spiderman. The game introduces new characters and villains, some of whom have never been seen in the video game world before, providing fresh narratives and challenges.

4. Side Missions and Activities:

One of the highlights of the first game was its array of side missions and activities that kept players engaged outside the main storyline. “Spider-Man 2” continues this trend, offering even more diverse tasks, challenges, and collectibles, ensuring that players always have something to look forward to.

5. Character Development:

The game delves deeper into the psyche of Peter Parker, offering players a more intimate understanding of his struggles, joys, and growth as both a young man and a superhero. This character development is enhanced by top-notch voice acting and motion capture performances.

6. Replayability:

With multiple difficulty levels, challenges, and choices that affect the storyline’s outcome, “Spider-Man 2” offers high replayability value. Players can return to the game multiple times, trying out different strategies, exploring alternative story paths, and unlocking various achievements.

7. Sound and Music:

The auditory experience in “Spider-Man 2” is nothing short of phenomenal. The game features an original score that captures the emotions, tensions, and exhilarations of Spiderman’s journey. As you swing through the city, the dynamic music system responds to your actions, crescendoing during intense battles and quieting down during stealth missions or emotional cutscenes. Additionally, the ambient sounds of New York – from distant sirens to the chatter of pedestrians below – add another layer of immersion.

8. Multiplayer and Co-op Features:

While the main allure of “Spider-Man 2” is its single-player narrative, the game does introduce some multiplayer elements that are worth noting. These co-op missions allow players to team up with friends to tackle challenges, bringing a fresh dimension to the gameplay. It’s a testament to the developers’ commitment to catering to various gaming preferences.

9. DLC and Future Expansions:

The developers have already teased upcoming downloadable content (DLC) for “Spider-Man 2,” hinting at expanding the story and introducing new characters and missions. This promise of additional content not only extends the game’s lifespan but also ensures that players will remain engaged for months, if not years, to come.

10. Accessibility Options:

In an era where inclusivity in gaming is rightly becoming a focal point, “Spider-Man 2” shines with its array of accessibility options. From customizable controls to subtitle sizes and colorblind modes, the game ensures that a wide range of players, regardless of their physical abilities, can enjoy the Spiderman experience to the fullest.

11. Value for Money:

Considering the depth of the main storyline, the plethora of side missions, the potential for multiplayer adventures, and the promised future content, “Spider-Man 2” undoubtedly offers great value for its price tag. It’s an investment in hours of entertainment, emotional engagement, and thrilling gameplay.

12. Technical Performance:

The game runs smoothly on various platforms, showcasing the developers’ dedication to optimizing the experience for players. With minimal loading times, stable frame rates, and almost no bugs reported at launch, “Spider-Man 2” stands as a benchmark for technical excellence in the gaming industry.

13. Game World Interactivity:

One aspect that sets “Spider-Man 2” apart from other open-world games is its high level of interactivity. Almost every element in the game world responds to the player’s actions. From dynamically changing weather patterns to NPCs (Non-Player Characters) that remember past interactions, the game creates a living, breathing environment that players can genuinely feel a part of.

14. Skill Progression and Customization:

The skill tree in “Spider-Man 2” is expansive, allowing players to customize Spiderman’s abilities to suit their gameplay style. Whether you prefer a stealthy approach, direct combat, or a mix of both, the game provides ample opportunities to mold Spiderman into the superhero you envision.

15. Costumes and Aesthetics:

A nod to fans of the Spiderman lore, the game boasts a wide array of costumes, each with its unique attributes and references to various Spiderman arcs and eras. This feature not only offers aesthetic pleasure but also impacts gameplay, as certain costumes grant specific advantages in battles or exploration.

16. Community Engagement:

The developers have actively engaged with the player community, taking feedback, hosting events, and even integrating fan-created content into the game. This two-way interaction has fostered a strong bond between the creators and players, enhancing the overall gaming experience.

17. Environmental Storytelling:

Beyond the primary narrative, “Spider-Man 2” excels in environmental storytelling. Scattered throughout New York are subtle clues, graffiti, notes, and easter eggs that hint at broader stories within the Spiderman universe. These details encourage exploration and reward players who take the time to delve deeper into the game world.

18. Emotional Depth:

While action and adventure are at the forefront, “Spider-Man 2” doesn’t shy away from exploring the emotional challenges faced by Peter Parker. The game delves into themes of responsibility, loss, love, and sacrifice, making it not just a visual and interactive treat but also a deeply emotional journey.

Final Thoughts:

“Spider-Man 2” isn’t just a game; it’s an experience. It masterfully blends storytelling, gameplay, and technical prowess into a cohesive package that appeals to gamers of all kinds. Whether you’re in it for the thrill of swinging between New York’s skyscrapers, the emotional rollercoaster of Peter Parker’s life, or the sheer joy of being Spiderman, this game delivers on all fronts. It’s a testament to the power of video games as a medium of art and entertainment. So, if you haven’t already, swing into action and get your copy of “Spider-Man 2” You won’t regret it.

Staff Writer; Amos Brown

A gamer at heart, you can find this brother playing games on both the Playstation and XBox game consoles. One may contact him at; ABrown@AfroGamers.com.

Now, some games don’t really allow for it but some changes to how combat is done would really help. Here are five game franchises that could use the Nemesis system.

Infamous

Honestly, Infamous could’ve done with some base-building as well. Just build up strongholds for allies who are taking it to D.U P. However, reoccurring enemies would also have to be introduced. Instead, Infamous typically had one-off baddies and a main villain throughout a game. Introducing some reoccurring threats would eliminate some of the repetition.

I really don’t know to kill the repetition in Infamous games. You know what the formula is, you get caught in the formula, and eventually it’s like “It could’ve been more, really.” This is a common complaint from me after playing Infamous.

In enjoyed the ride, the side characters, the missions—that’s all fun. But what happens afterwards when I finished the game? Why can’t a foe interrupt my character while they’re going another mission? These are villains, they would take the opportunity, normally.

Marvel Spider-Man

The same could be said about Spider-Man, well fleshed-out game world with great characters but reoccurring, named villains—even some native to the games—would be great. Again, this is another game where you can weaken a force’s power in an area—just like the Shadow… games. Have some Spidey villains who never stay locked up cause trouble here and there.

Let them return for revenge after a loss. Those would be fun ongoing stories unique to everyone’s game.

Ghost of Tsushima

Once you get the combat down pat, Ghost of Tsushima really rocks. Unfortunately, there comes a point where taking over Mongol territory becomes repetitious. Nemesis system to the rescue! Sure the Mongols were fearless but like the Orcs, there were definitely a few who valued their life and might come back in an ambush.

You’ll never know when a Mongol or a raiding party might roll up. This was my favorite part of dealing with stuff in Ghost of Tsushima and Assassin’s Creed Origins. Finding that combat might not be that escapable and having to throw down—GoS would be perfect for returning duels.

Then again, combat in Ghost of Tsushima is pretty definite. There’s few dramatic battles here, folks.

Elder Scrolls

I’m sure there’s a reason the Nemesis system just wouldn’t work. There would need to be a setting for either killable or hard-to-kill rivals. Every character is fairly easy to kill with the right gear and strategy. This is the case with Fallout as well. NPCs prove to be particularly easy to kill and that would kill the need of having the feature in the franchise.

That doesn’t mean I don’t see it be very good for the franchise. Hell, they could tweak combat so that potential rivals can be spared, suited, or killed. Have a bit of a rivalry with this character. I’d say that’’s worthy tweaking combat a bit or having features to allow game AI to act accordingly.

Of course, Bethesda games tend to drop with a bit of willy-nilly in them.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

However, the humble pirate doesn’t get that same attention. Sure, they pop up here and there but pirates didn’t begin to pop until Jack Sparrow swaggered onto the scene. We’re going to look at four pioneering pirate-themed games.

Uncharted Waters: New Horizons

It’s important that I mention the second the game in Koei Tecmo’s Uncharted Waters series on the Super Nintendo and Sega Master System and Genesis consoles. While the first is a fine game and establishes many of the mechanics in the second game, it simply isn’t as polished as New Horizons. The game—more of a sea trade simulator than outright pirate title—takes place around the world a bit before the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean.

Actually, it might take place during the early years of the Golden Age as you’re not running into too much activity in the Caribbean in the game. Most of the activity is in the form of sea trade and travel by both traders and pirates.

You have three main paths to take as an explorer, trader, or pirate. However, I’ve found that no matter the play through and with whichever character, you’ll dabble in all three before for trafficking in one or two. While I wanted to dedicate more of my time to trading, I just dabbled and tend to be a natural pirate and explorer since that’s just free stuff to trade, gold, and more influence for investing in ports for a country.

Uncharted Waters: New Horizons also serves as a fun and pretty accurate simulation of sea trade but other games on this list would go deeper.

Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag

Black Flag isn’t one of those games. This is an Assassin’s Creed game with a pirate theme and storyline which ties into the main storyline of Desmond Miles. Let me just say that, the Miles part of these games tend to be the least interesting part of these games. The historical parts with these characters in their time periods should be…the game. That’s it.

However, Ubisoft is usually working with something with these large, lore-heavy stories of Assassins vs. Templars and the fate of the world. The influence on pirate-centric games here comes from the exciting, easy to learn naval combat improved upon from Assassin’s Creed III. Something was just perfect about the mix of parkour assassins and piracy that just works.

It features something of simplified trade system—simpler than AC III’s I feel—which you’ll need for ship and gear upgrades. I will say that the away naval missions from AC III returning in Black Flag was also a perfect move.

Port Royal

Another game that is more a sea trade business manager set during the Golden Age of Piracy or Caribbean Colonial era. You can play as a trader aeagssociated with one of the colonial super powers or as a pirate, there’s a very active commerce system, but the sea combat can seem a little stiff and slow. Honestly, I put this down to the game going the strategy route with combat so sea battles are slower paced and centered heavily on placement and artillery.

It’s very similar to the sea combat in Uncharted Waters. This isn’t action combat like Assassin’s Creed. That aside, this game is also like Uncharted Waters: New Horizon in that you’ll eventually engage in piracy even if you’re a legit trader investing in colonies.

Pirates! Gold

The perfect pirate game belongs to Pirates! Gold. I’m certain I touched on this game before in passing but it’s definitely the greatest pioneer on this micro genre. You start as a citizen of France, England, the Netherlands, or Spain but as in all mentioned games—besides Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag—you can turn against your country, align with another, and either get a letter of marque to operate as a privateer or go full pirate.

You’re also able to assault town and forts, claim them for a country, attack treasure ships and big merchant hauls, and improve your ships—or get new ones. Of course, you’ve got to split the loot after lengthy voyages and you’re able to move up in society in the colonies.

There was a lot going on in a game made in 1987. I play the 1993 remake on the Sega Genesis as I was really into games like this and Aerobiz early on. They were just different from the more action-oriented titles I normally played.

Now, you could very well go the trader route and it’s actually recommended. It seems like the game kind of gives you more wiggle room as a trader who dabbles in a bit of piracy. However, the piracy in this game is just so lucrative that you’ll be tempted to just spin the Caribbean with cannons blazing!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

If a game has at least two of those, I’ll stick around to see how it pans out. It might not hit all four but that doesn’t eliminate it from being a fun experience, after all. We’re going to get into five video game franchises with truly satisfying stealth mechanics.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War

We mention this game every now and then on AfroGamers but the Middle-earth really encourages a stealthy approach to dispatching enemies as opposed to just berserking on hordes. Mind you, if you’re armed and geared up enough, you could very well go berserk take out a small group of orcs.

However, the wise thing is to target lone or small groups of them away from larger groups or encampments. A stealthy approach is best for this kind of long game and Shadow of Mordor’s spin on stealth gameplay works perfectly with its setting and combat mechanics.

What really bolsters the stealth in Middle-earth—and the game as a whole—is the Nemesis System. Having enemies who remember their encounters with the player and actually improve if left alone was next-level AI—really years ahead.

It adds to the stealth by having the player stalk the movements of their main prey. That comes in the form of just following them if you’re close enough to remember their last location or interrogating other enemy commanders and either forcing them to serve you or getting info.

I’d love to see this in more games with stealth gameplay.

Elder Scrolls

I would’ve put Elder Scrolls and Fallout since their stealth mechanics are similar but Elder Scrolls’ setting makes stealth much more rewarding and fun. Sneaking around and lockpicking is more practical in Fallout. It’s something you should be doing because of how dangerous everything seems to be in the wasteland.

In the Elder Scrolls games, the danger—even at high settings—was never such that it was utterly impossible to avoid or overcome. That’s also in part because while looting, there’s not much to load up worth keeping in your inventory. You can always ditch something.

Meanwhile in Fallout 4, a glass bottle or tin can is worth keeping up until a point if you’re focusing on base building and crafting a lot. In Elder Scrolls, it’s more like you’re keeping the most value things for trading or salvaging skills.

Obtaining those valuable things by delving into dungeons, rummaging houses, and spelunking in caves requires a lot of sneaking, lockpicking, and trap avoidance. Well, at least to do it with a degree of caution.

Elder Scrolls’ stealth game is ridiculously solid for this kind of approach. Plus, doing it regularly actually shows some improvement while using stealth class skills. Locks become easier to pick, traps can be run over without triggering them, and you can sneak up on enemies and secure stealth kills. Love it.

Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man is a game with a good stealth mechanic that has a flaw of enemies always reaching a point where they’re aware of the player’s presence. The mechanics are actually good enough that you should be able to clear a room without alerting the remaining force.

Part of the stealth mechanic in games is enemy AI—particularly, their awareness that an enemy is nearby. Most of the enemy’s you’re clapping—and the same is the case with the Arkham games—are goons. Sure, some ninjas and cybersuit super soldiers might pop up but you’re mostly dealing with robbers and street toughs.

They shouldn’t be as quick as they are in spotting the player for some reason. I don’t know. Regardless, the swinging around rooms with conveniently placed bars, rafters, levels, platforms, and ledges makes for an awesome experience while sneaking around.

Also, Spidey’s combat of webbing enemies up and quick melee attacks makes dispatching enemies quickly and quietly very rewarding.

Metal Gear Solid

A stealth list wouldn’t be complete without Metal Gear Solid. Depending on the game, you might either really love the stealth and combat or really dislike one or both. I enjoyed MGS 3 and MGS 4’s stealth and combat but the first two games—eh, the stealth just wasn’t as fun for me.

It could be that I discovered stealth games during the PS2 with Tenchu and missed out on the initial PS1 run of Metal Gear Solid. Revisiting it after playing something more fluid in MGS 3 when analog movement wasn’t an addition might have impacted my view of the first two MGS games.

However, by the time we reach MGS 3, it’s an eye-opener for people new to stealth gameplay. Trying not to make noise, taking enemies out with knife attacks or sleeper holds, having to move bodies to avoid detection—it’s all presented extremely well in MGS 3 and it only got better with MGS 4 as consoles and PC power improved to where increasingly complex enemy AI and level design made the stealth pop.

Splinter Cell

The fifth one was a difficult pick but it just means we’ll have to do a second list down the line. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell was probably my second experience with stealth gameplay and it was more complex than MGS 3. I sum this up to a preference in approaches. While MGS action/sci-fi/stealth mix is extremely fun, I liked the more rooted stealth/action approach of Splinter Cell more.

Both games—as well as Hitman—require some clean up in the sense of hiding bodies to avoid detection but Splinter Cell made heavy use of tighter quarters/smaller rooms to discourage using firearms inside. Another thing that the three games focus on is paying attention to enemy movements.

I can’t say that one game does it better than the other. However, MGS often gave you more room to groove as far as level design. As the franchise went on, you were given more and more space to explore in your missions. Splinter Cell gave players more to explore as well but exploration never really became a focus of the games. This was more like practical space with better development technology. Think of it more like the early and mid-console Hitman games where knowing enemy location and a lot of navigating rooms and floors are necessary. That’s Splinter Cell’s stealth approach. There’s rarely a lot of places to hide if enemies are detected without backtracking a bit.

Let’s say this was part one of our stealth series. Did any of your franchise picks make the list? Also, what games do you think will make part two? Let us know down below!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Beat ‘Em Up/Brawlers: “A City Ravaged by Crime…Take to the Streets!”

If you’ve ever played Streets of Rage, Rival Turf, River City Ransom, Final Fight, or Double Dragon you know this trope. Often times, you just start at the far end of a stage—a city or town—and you have to throw fists with every gang in town.

That’s it. This town is flooded with street gangs and apparently, you’re the only one who can bring down the big boss. There have always been questions about this trope.

How was the “big boss” able to unify these gangs? Why are they wilding out now? Where in the hell are the police? Oh, they’re working for the big boss as well? Skip that question. Why do these street gangs have such advanced weaponry?

That last question is an important one because you’ll end up fighting robots, they have helicopters with gatling guns, and of course, our next entry.

Beat ‘Em Up/Brawlers: The Bad Guy Who Is Way Bigger Than Everyone Else

This is a Konami trope in their titles but in beat ‘em ups, you will always get to a stage where the boss is this guy who is just massive. Not even obese just…muscle-bound and large.

Height-wise, he’s probably a little under half the height of your screen. Not only that but he does damage. The solution to beating him is usually the jumping kick and staying out of the way of his attacks but where does he come from?

Seriously, if you—and maybe another player—were busy spanking all of the thugs and minions that came after you, why didn’t the big boss send this guy out earlier to put an end to all of that?

The big boss is just throwing people at you and you’re mowing them down. Wouldn’t it mess up their operation if they’re short on able-bodied henchmen to do the dirty work?

Apparently not since there are so many coming out nowhere like roaches when the lights come on. Just send Birdie out to put Guy and Cody to sleep already.

Old School JRPGs: The Forgotten Economy

We don’t have so much of a trope here as something I always bring up to my brother when we talk about old school RPGs. The old Japanese RPGs had a linear progression that even extended to the game world.

There are often weapon and armor shops in every town. In addition to this, there is usually one main quest in the general area. Players will take their party into those towns, get the best gear available, a couple of potions, and set off to beat the monster or boss of that area.

Once that boss is defeated, the story moves forward and so does the party. There is absolutely no reason to return to this town now. When that happens, I picture the town falling into an economic depression because no one else is buying gear!

If they were—meaning another group of heroes swing by—then sure, that town or village can thrive. However, no one comes through. That town is cooked, it’s done. Why would a group of heroes come through anyway?

After your party kills the area boss, there’s no work for another group of adventurers. There’s no gold in killing mobs out on the map. The big money and best gear is in the dungeon, cave, and spanking the dungeon boss.

Final Fantasy: A Kingdom is Corrupted or A Large Oppressive Government Needs to Stopped

This has always been a backdrop to Final Fantasy games and sometimes, it has been a major part of the story. Basically, whatever kingdom the main character hails from is corrupted by some kind of influence—magic, schemes, or magical schemes.

Things go bad real fast but you and a party of adventurers aim to stop them. Well, you have to because if you don’t, maybe the world will be at risk. If there isn’t a kingdom, then it’s a government or organization going hard in the paint with oppression.

They’re breaking new ground in oppression, folks. Just like in the more fantasy-oriented “corrupted kingdom” trope, it’s up to you to stop them. Tie it into the above “the forgotten economy” for a primo RPG mix.

“This Is My Strongest Form!” or “I’m Not Out Yet!”

I first ran into this in Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo. After you beat King K. Rool, he’ll be down, the music becomes intense, then sh** gets real. K. Rool becomes faster, the music becomes faster, and your reflexes have to be better than in round one.

This trope is a little cheap. You might go into a boss fight with a certain amount potion or whatever and think “This should get me through this fight.” You’re right, it should and often it does.

That is until the boss gets back up after the first round and you realize that it’s a two-part fight! Not only that, the boss is even more powerful or faster. They might even have an attack that fills most of the screen.

Meanwhile, you ate through your resources in the first round. I mean, you’ll learn after getting clapped in that encounter but that was a little excessive. Then again, they’re a main boss so you shouldn’t expect them to fight fair.

What is really cheap is when sub-bosses do this. Who do they think they are? Ganon from Zelda? King Bowser? It’s sub-boss going for round two and halting your progress.

Again, it’s a wee bit excessive but fun all the same.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Mega Man in a Nutshell

The storyline of the core Mega Man series is that in the year 200X, Dr. Wily, a robotics engineer, goes rogue after not receiving the same recognition for his work as friend Dr. Light.

Wily begins creating powerful robots to wreak havoc on the world prompting Dr. Light to convert his best robot—Rock—into Mega Man. Affectionately called “The Blue Bomber”, Mega Man is basically like Astro Boy—who was a robot version of Pinocchio.

Throughout the main series, his most iconic power is the ability to take the elemental ability of the Robot Masters (highly advanced robots that serve as bosses in each game).

Once Wily and his Robot Masters were defeated, peace returned to the world only for Wily to show up with another rotten plot in the next game.

The interesting thing here is something I brought up when going into the Sonic games: how much 80s game designers were able to mention story-wise in the instruction manual.

As it was in the 70s, 80s, and into the early 90s, the gameplay rarely explained the plot unless it was an RPG. If you were renting this game from a video store, you weren’t going to know the plot. You were just thrown into things and left to rip through stages.

Of course, that worked since a lot of platformers were similar in execution. Once the Mega Man games hit the Super Nintendo, we started to see more story in the game.

A Beacon of 80s and 90s Gameplay

The gameplay in Mega Man was pretty stock platforming. Remember, the Nintendo Entertainment System had tons of games that were considered “Nintendo hard”.

This was a combination of poor programming in some games and the technology just not allowing for crisp, accurate movements. Timing and landing jumps and shots was something that gamers from that time had to master to compensate for stiff controls—or at least stiff by today’s standards.

MM at its core is a run, jump, and gun franchise. As the franchise matured, a few features were added to modernize the gameplay while tried-and-true features were improved.

This is where Capcom was at its most consistent in experimenting with features. A few gamechangers for platformers that we saw in the original MM series include the running slide, the charged attack, and the wall climb.

Also, when I mentioned Dr. Wily’s Robot Masters all had an elemental ability of some sort? This was an essential combat mechanic. When developing the first game, a “rock, paper, scissors” approach to combat was chosen.

That means certain elements or attacks will be more useful against certain enemies. It’s similar to a fire-type Pokémon being super effective against a grass-type. In this sense, Capcom was way ahead of others.

Growth of the Franchise

By the mid-90s, Capcom began expanding the franchise. In December 1993, the Mega Man X franchise started followed by the Battle Network series in 2001, the Zero series in 2002, and the ZX series in 2006.

Capcom saw that the Mega Man/Rockman character was still marketable and managed to keep the ball rolling. What I love about this is that several of the above-mentioned series—X, Zero, and ZX—were canonical continuations of the original series.

These weren’t just a bunch of reboots of the original story. Capcom actually attempted to build on the lore at a time when other classic, ongoing franchises were basically presenting new, unlinked adventures.

It’s something that always bothered me about franchises from the 80s that are still seeing games. The gameplay is rarely bad in the games I’m alluding to but the lack of strong story links between games? Not a fan.

That aside, the franchise as a whole has always been solid at the minimum. I’m big on the Battle Network games but the Zero and ZX games are very good. These three series are all on the old Gameboy Advance handheld which makes sense as the GBA was beast for platformers and RPGs.

Why the Original Series Should’ve Continued

Capcom started to have this weird relationship with the Mega Man franchise in the late-2000s. The consistency with the main series ended by 1999 with the last proper game in the series being MM 8 in 1996.

That is until MM 9 in 2008 then Mega Man 10 in 2010. After that, we didn’t see MM 11 until 2018. The X series ended in 2005, the Zero/ZX series ended in 2007, and Battle Network was wrapped up in 2009.

In that 2010 to 2018 gap, Capcom could’ve done with both a regular platformer and a series that all audiences could play. Street Fighter always thrived and was usually geared towards teens and older. The same could be said for Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Dragon’s Dogma, and Dead Rising.

MM still had a place in Capcom even went in this direction as it was also the most marketable to multiple demographics without having to adjust it. Just like Sonic and its come from behind revival, MM could’ve been a bigger media franchise in the 2000s and 2010s than it was in the 80s and 90s.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.