Games

It seems Game Informer's death was... Greatly exaggerated

I tried playing Harvest Moon on the SNES today and having played Stardew Valley for hours, I thought I'd try and see how tolerable the original Harvest Moon was in comparison. I know and understand it is unfair because there's a 20 year gap between Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, while also discrediting Harvest Moon's later entries since there's more than one.

Harvest Moon to me is a bit hard to revisit. Having to get used to only carrying two tools at the same time, your farm doesn't seem as big, you don't have a way to know that you're tired as readily, you just have to watch for the signs and the village you visit doesn't seem as characteristic. It's a basic farming sim, it has to start somewhere.

But Stardew Valley does so many things that it is easier to revisit.

Cross posted from !deadlock@sopuli.xyz, but really applies to most games with matchmaking that I've played...

I've seen a lot of people lately saying that upscaling (fsr, dlss, etc.) is a bad thing, including some calling it 'fake frames', which is probably due to them confusing it with frame generation.

What upscaling does is take an input (a frame rendered at 1080p, for example) and attempt to improve it by generating more information (bringing that 1080p frame to 1440p). this does make things a little fuzzy, but it also frees up resources to allow stuff like improved lighting to be rendered which makes games like cyberpunk able to be rendered at a decent framerate without a $5,000 gpu.

Frame generation is different. It takes an input as well (same 1080p frame, for example), but it doesn't improve the frame. It makes a new one based on that frame, sometimes several. These actually are 'fake frames', and this is what the people who called upscaling fake frames were really talking about.

I won't lie, upscaling is definitely a crutch and the goal should be to be able to render that cool stuff at native resolution. however, the tech that can render that stuff is too expensive to be worth buying unless you have money to throw away, which real people typically don't. it's up to you whether a little fuzziness in the graphics is worth it to you, but the fact is it'll give you the leeway to choose between higher framerate and prettier lighting. without it most people are stuck just setting their graphics to 'no', because they can't afford the kind of processing power making things look good at native resolution takes.

Part of why I am making this post is that I wanted to see what other people think of this take, and more importantly get feedback so I can improve the take later. I'm currently running a laptop with a 1650, and I've had it for years. I'm used to balancing frames and quality and making compromises, and upscaling tends to be one of them that's worth making.

Today's game is Far Cry 3. I got to do this whole quest chain where you go through some old temples and stuff. The whole thing was a lot of fun and helped break up the pattern the game had going. As much fun as i was having i felt it was starting to drag on with the some sort of missions it was having it do. The ruins questlines really highlighted how pretty the game is though. The above i took while exploring one. It's hard to believe this is a PS3/360 era game. It looks closer out of PS3 era.

One of them had you jump in this pit of water (in the picture above i'm looking out of the pit of water), which if you've ever played Fallout 4, reminded me a lot of that mineshaft filled with water that's a big Lovecraft reference. I spent a little bit swimming around underwater looking for things but couldn't find any.

One of the tombs was filled with these skeletons which had really dorky looking skeletons. Their ribs were all wonky and they were missing a ton of bones which makes them look silly.

Finally, i went into this cave supposedly full of acid. I have to say, for Acid it looks really drinkable in this waterfall. On my water rating system i give it a S, for "Stings, but this water looks really good"

Happy birthday, BB. You deserved better than to be stuck at mid-20 frames per second on the PS4.

Played it on Commodore 64. It was a space rocket/shuttle sim where you launched into space on a rocket amd progressed through some minigame-tasks.

(I am fairly certain it was not a good or widespread game.)

One of the tasks was about grabbing a satellite using an arm or a cable. You would try to extend it pixel by pixel to grab the satellite and it was super finicky. I only ever managed it by luck.

I try Google every few years and can't get anywhere. Tried stuff with spacey names in emulators and looking on youtube. List of close-ish games it was not:

• Project Space Station
• Space Shuttle - A Journey Into Space (but this has really close vibes)
• Space Shuttle Challenger
• Apollo 18 Mission To The Moon
• Samantha Fox Strip Poker (i mean it could have been - had to check)

It's happening! Release must be sooner than we think. SILKSONG IS REAL!!

Yeah pacman and pong were seminal but so was elite on the BBC, and Populous which I think was on the spectrum. Also unreal tournament, silent hill, vice city, homeworld, doom 2016, beam ng, I enjoyed em all but I can't decide. Ppl here have done much more gaming than me, I'm wondering what you all think is the best game ever. Age, platform, genre, bla bla - what's best ever?

Today’s game is some more of my Minecraft PS3 Edition world with my friend. I hauled my PS3 over to his house again for Splitscreen, and we made some progress towards getting to the end. And by we, I mean he did while I worked on my house (Pictured Above). Mostly because he lived next door to the Nether Portal and I in fact, do not.

I built this cool 2-story interior balcony for my home. The second story is host to my bed and a ladder up to the roof.

I also have this amazing view over a pond from my front door.

Moving on from my home, despite my minimal availability to help with the End, I did in fact help discover the End Portal. Our stronghold turned out to be split in two. My friend found the half without the portal but I managed to jump down a cave on the opposite side of his house and find the portal almost instantly. Unfortunately all but one portal slot is empty.

Despite him not finding the portal, my friend did find a floating torch. Which is fun.

Game Information

Game Title: The First Berserker: Khazan

Platforms:

• PC (Mar 27, 2025)
• PlayStation 5 (Mar 27, 2025)
• Xbox Series X/S (Mar 27, 2025)

Trailer:

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 79 average - 74% recommended - 33 reviews

Critic Reviews

But Why Tho? - Eddie De Santiago - 7 / 10

There is plenty to enjoy about The First Berserker: Khazan, but it requires you to commit to overcoming its challenges in a way most other games do not.

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CGMagazine - Justin Wood - 9 / 10

The First Berserker: Khazan stands out in the crowded Soulsborne-inspired genre by delivering relentless, weighty combat and immersive world-building.

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ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 8.5 / 10

Nexon’s The First Berserker: Khazan is another great entry into the soulslike canon.

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Digital Trends - George Yang - 3.5 / 5

The First Berserker: Khazan has some of the most balanced defensive and offensive combat systems I’ve experienced in a Soulslike game, as well as some rich progression. However, some frustrating boss mechanics, braindead AI, and puzzling mission structure hold it back from reaching its full potential.

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Fextralife - Tyr - 9 / 10

The First Berserker: Khazan is a brilliant blend of the Soulslike and Hack and Slash genres, offering some of the best combat in recent gaming years and an incredibly polished product. While it does have some shortcomings in its story, replayability, and occasionally borrows too heavily from past titles, if you live for action games such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Devil May Cry 5, this game will likely be your Game of the Year so far and a title we can recommend at full price.

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Final Weapon - Alex Patterson - 4 / 5

The First Berserker: Khazan is the best Soulslike I've played since Lies of P. The game can sometimes overstay its welcome, but the excellent combat, boss fights, and stellar presentation more than makeup for that. If you're hungry for a new hardcore action RPG, Khazan is the game to pick up.

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GAMES.CH - Sven Raabe - German - 88%

However, generic side missions, enemy types, and environments, as well as the controls that aren't quite as straightforward as its predecessor "Sekiro," hold the game back. Nevertheless, fans of challenging action RPGs can expect an early highlight in the relatively young gaming year of 2025.

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GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 7 / 10

The First Berserker: Khazan nails its combat and presentation fundamentals but skimps on the narrative, loot and Khazan himself. Not terrible, but it could have been so much more.

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Hardcore Gamer - Adam Beck - 3.5 / 5

Neople brings us The First Berserker: Khazan, an anime-inspired soulslike that tries to stand out in a crowded market.

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Hey Poor Player - Shane Boyle - 4.5 / 5

The First Berserker: Khazan is a brutal, beautiful delight. Its elegant parry system, demonic boss battles, and flexible yet approachable take on character development have come together to create a package that may pull directly from many sources in the genre but ultimately delivers a standout experience that easily stands amongst the stiffest competition the genre has to offer. Its early hours may suffer from linearity, and its parry-heavy combat system may not sit well with everyone, but if you’re up for the challenge and willing to adapt to how The First Berserker: Khazan requires you to play, then you’re in for an absolute treat.

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IGN Spain - Mario Seijas - Spanish - 7 / 10

The First Berserker: Khazam and its brutal action combat will be a real challenge for you, and manages to deliver a very enjoyable gameplay experience. Although with some bumps in the road, it is a game that manages to earn his spot in the genre with a challenging proposal and with some very interesting ideas

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Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 9 / 10

The First Berserker: Khazan has a massive focus on rewarding the player’s perseverance, whatever their skill level.

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MonsterVine - James Carr - 3.5 / 5

The First Berserker: Kahzan features a fun combat system, an interesting world, and an enjoyable revenge tale, but tedious and overly long boss fights make what should be the most exciting part of the game too frustrating to enjoy. It's unfortunate, as the rest of the experience is a ton of fun, but when the main selling point of the genre is the weakest part of the game, it weighs down the entire experience.

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Noisy Pixel - Bailey Seemangal - 9 / 10

The First Berserker: Khazan is a masterclass in action combat, delivering thrilling boss fights, diverse level design, and tight mechanics that rival the genre’s best. While the narrative and side characters falter in depth, the fluid progression, customizable skill trees, and satisfying difficulty curve make this a standout soul-like experience—even for players unfamiliar with the Dungeon Fighter Online universe.

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PC Gamer - Sean Martin - 80 / 100

Despite somewhat samey missions and a flat protagonist, Khazan's combat and boss design are some of the best I've seen in a soulslike.

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Push Square - Issy van der Velde - 6 / 10

Ultimately, The First Berserker: Khazan is a good time. Its aesthetic differentiates it from the plethora of ARPG Souls-likes we've become used to, and its brilliant boss fights are engaging enough to entice you through levels that start to feel boring around the mid-way point of the game. But its lacklustre story and bloated, inconsistent mechanics hinder what could have been a better game if it were more refined.

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Quest Daily - Tom Greer - 8 / 10

The First Berserker: Kahzan is a game that doesn’t mess around. It’s tough, flashy, and brimming with style, but it does have its rough patches... If you’re looking for a game that lets you live out your berserker fantasy — complete with tough-as-nails combat and jaw-dropping visuals — this one’s definitely worth the ride. Just be prepared to die... a lot.

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RPG Site - Josh Torres - 6 / 10

Neople and Nexon's Soulslike-inspired action RPG set in the DNF universe sadly misses the mark on many of its components with a dull color palette that masks its lovely art style, sluggish combat flow due to its restrictive stamina system, and just doesn't distinguish itself from its many contemporary competitors.

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Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Lewis Parker - Unscored

A hack 'n' slash soulslike with an uninspiring plot and tedious level design but its satisfying combat and tough boss fights might make it worth trying.

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The Outerhaven Productions - Erica Alatorre - 5 / 5

The game offers intense boss fights, rewarding progression, and a satisfying loop of loot and upgrades. With fluid combat, strategic poise management, and accessible systems, it provides both a tough challenge for veterans and an approachable experience for newcomers. A must-play for fans of hardcore, Soulslike action RPGs.

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TheSixthAxis - Jason Coles - 8 / 10

The First Berserker: Khazan is a great action game that's not reinventing anything by any means, but is consistently fun to play. The visuals are lovely, the action is a lot of fun thanks to ever-evolving skill trees, and the boss designs are great too. If you're after a Soulslike challenge, it can fit that bill in some ways, but it should also have a broader appeal thanks to the easy mode and more.

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Thumb Wars - Luke Addison - 4 / 5

A beginner’s introduction to difficult games, The First Berserker: Khazan has many of the accessibility options Soulslikes/Action RPG fans have cried out for, and it does it all with an excellent combat system, interesting lore and story, and some fine visuals.

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VG247 - Connor Makar - 4 / 5

Khazan is the perfect example of a game that's more than its individual components. The game does re-use a lot, but the gooey core of the game is so engaging, so fun, that you don't really care.

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Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 8 / 10

Everything about The First Berserker: Khazan is entirely competent. It's a fun and well put-together Soulslike that would serve well as someone's first dip into the genre, especially if the stereotype of high difficulty usually frightens them off. At the same time, Khazan doesn't do anything particularly new that makes it stand out from the crowd. This isn't necessarily a problem, especially if you're a fan of the DFO universe, but it means you need to be in the right mood and mindset to play Khazan.

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XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 8.7 / 10

The First Berserker: Khazan is an excellent action-focused Soulslike. A few minor quibbles and a predictable story aren't enough to hold back one of the most brutally difficult games we've ever played.

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Norland on Steam (in early access)

Updated: Changed headline.

I genuinely can't believe Half Life Alyx is five years old.

No other video game has felt the way Alyx felt. No one else has taken such a bold swing in what a video game can be. It's burned into my mind as my Half Life game, the one that came out at just the right time for me.

It was also my "pandemic" game. While everyone else was playing Animal Crossing or Doom Eternal, I was playing and replaying Half Life Alyx.

It definitely feels like it's somewhat doomed to be less remembered in the popular consciousness than most big games that come out, and indeed the rest of the games in the Half Life lineage. Cries of "Half Life 3 when?" still abound in spite of the very clear effort Alyx made to move the story forward. But to me it feels like a game that still hasn't been topped in the five years since it came out, not by a long shot.

Half Life Alyx received a Game of the Year win from GameSpot, and nominations from a few other publications. When it came to events like The Game Awards with a dedicated "Best VR Game" category, it won handily.