The Bad
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition
***click here for our review***
The one big disappointment of November 2021. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition is an unfinished mess of a remaster of three PS2 classics. Rockstar Games can usually be counted on for quality end products, but this release was sloppy and far from Definitive. The only reason this GTA release didn’t get a lower score is that the original games are still incredibly fun to play to this day. Our reviewer noted that “GTA: DE needs a patch. Or, maybe, it needs a boatload of patches.” This release is a shining example of game studios needing to not bow to fan demand for quicker releases, and focus more on taking the time they need to polish their final products.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
***click here for our review***
The gameplay of the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games remains solid to this day. And Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl introduce some quality-of-life upgrades, that improve upon those excellent originals. The updated visuals, however, are a mix of styles that ultimately look like an ugly mish-mash of static chibi, with polished surfaces that really take away from a quality gameplay experience. Our reviewer wrote “these choices suggest that the Pokemon Company isn’t exactly sure what fans want out of these games”, but also gave a score of 72, which shows just how good of a game release month November was.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
***click here for our review***
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a classic Western-style RPG, loved universally by all who played it 18 years ago for the original Xbox. This Switch release is that classic, with zero changes. No updated visuals, and no quality-of-life upgrades. The writing holds up very well, the combat feels somewhat dated, but the visuals are just plain ugly. Our reviewer called this version of KOTOR an “unadorned, unimproved semi-museum piece”, but still gave it a 76, which is a testament to the triple-A quality this game had in 2003.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.