A combination of uninspired gameplay and a completely bonkers handling of its release are just two of the factors that led to MultiVersus wasting a treasure trove of IP; add a poor microtransaction structure and spotty server connectivity on top of that and you've got a recipe for disaster, and a disaster is exactly what MultiVersus was. It's a shame, too, because with better gameplay and a better handling of its great cast of characters, MultiVersus had the potential to be one of the few live service success stories, but alas, a success story it was not.

Gameplay woes and character issues aside, the team over at Naughty Dog pulled off the impossible: they not only made me not hate Abby, they made me like her so much I think she may just be the new best character in the series. Unlike Ellie, Abby actually shows growth and an ability to make her own decisions, whereas Ellie becomes a less interesting character the longer the game goes on, eventually becoming someone I almost, kind of, don't like anymore--the final confrontation is a perfect showcase of the how feelings have changed from the beginning of the playthrough to the end of it. While I still don't think Naughty Dog is the best at gameplay, they prove with The Last of Us Part II that they still know how to make one hell of a story.

Unlike some of the games I've recently played for The Last Call, Dauntless had a good run, launching in beta in May 2018 and lasting until May 2025. That's seven good years. Well, as someone who didn't regularly play it, I can't say they were good years with any kind of authority, but as someone who played it near launch and near death, it was a fine time. Ultimately, I think it never found a way to get out from under Monster Hunter's shadow, so it was only a matter of time until it died. To all the players who will miss it now that it's gone, I hope you're able to remember all the good times you had as you try a find a new game to play with your lads.

This was a long time coming. I've talked about wanting to play The Last of Us Part II for years now, but the mood was never quite right. After luckily stumbling into a 30th Anniversary PlayStation 5 Pro, I said The Last of Us Part II would be the game to break my new console's cherry. Fast-forward six months later and that time has finally come (insert eyebrow raising here). This episode covers a little over half of the game's story and this shouldn't need to be said, but expect heavy spoilers. With all that out of the way, give this episode a listen to see if I think The Last of Us Part II is a significant improvement over its predecessor, or just more of the same.

Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is one of the few games I've not completed for Attack the Backlog. The reason is twofold. First, it's structured in such a way that you can just play whatever level you want in whatever order you want and actually "beating" the game feels inconsequential. Second, and more importantly, it's just an incredibly frustrating game. That said, however, there's so much potential in a game like Jedi Power Battles, which reminds one of games like Gauntlet Dark Legacy and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, that I'd love to see either a proper remake or a brand new game in the series. Sadly, I doubt that will ever happen, but I'll continue hoping because if you lose hope with Star Wars, what do you have left?

Or it could just be that LEGO games are no longer for me. (It's probably a little bit of both.) What I thought was going to be a nice chill time and a return to a game formula I remembered loving, quickly turned into a sad realization: maybe I've grown out of LEGO games. The constant need to change characters in order to interact with this and that, and having to randomly smash bricks until you find the ones you're looking for, frustrated me more than I expected in my old age--it's surprising how often I got stuck, unsure of what I needed to do in order to progress. My only hope is not Obi-Wan Kenobi, but that maybe LEGO Batman is just a bad LEGO game and the next time I return to the series will have a more favorable outcome. Until then, I'll just be left with a sour taste in mouth.

If Road Redemption was a pleasant surprise, Road Rage was a crashing disappointment. It didn't help that I played Road Rage immediately after playing Road Redemption, but where Road Redemption found a few elements to focus on and refine, Road Rage went the other route and tried doing too much. I can see a version of Road Rage that's good, but the Road Rage we have fails on all fronts and only manages to frustrate and bore instead of giving players anything to enjoy.

For a game with drift in the title, the drifting in KartRider: Drift felt terrible. That could be excused if everything else was good to great, but that wasn't the case. Sure, there's a lot of content there, from a large cast of drivers to a decent selection of tracks, but none of that mattered when the game wasn't fun to play, and when you're in a crowded genre full of some very big hitters, you need to be more than fine to stand out. Unfortunately for KartRider: Drift, that never happened. Now KartRider: Drift is dead in all forms except on PC in Korea and Taiwan, so let's toast to it one last time in this here episode of The Last Call.

Anyway, that's it and that's all folks. You can get an even more in-depth discussion by listening to the podcast and, if you're feeling extra generous, you can become a patron to show your support for the site, the podcasts, the streaming, the videos, the art, and everything in between--and you'll get a few nice bonuses while you're at it. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to consume any of the content I make and thank you for being a fan. I can't begin to express how much I appreciate each and every one of you. Cheers.

Email: atb[at]pixelatedsausage[dot]com - Twitter: @PXSausage

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