Jefklaks Codex

E. A. Sports. It’s In The Game!—who doesn’t remember that jaw-dropping introduction? Just in case you do need a reminder on how awesome it was to boot up FIFA Road To World Cup 98 in 1997, here’s a video highlighting all the exciting moments from the beginning to the menu system to the end of a match:

After finishing Hollow Knight, I rather fancied playing another metroidvania—one I actually, to my big shame, never really touched: the granddaddy of ‘vanias, Super Metroid.

I hope they get divorced. That’s my review, condensed into a single sentence. As much as I loved my deep dive into the world of Hallownest, as the end came near, I tried stopping playing three times.

Never before have I bashed my head against the (virtual, thankfully) wall before. Celeste came close - very close. But this game… Oh, where to start.

I finally cracked it. I finally know what makes a grand game. It turns out to be astonishingly simple: if it makes me smile.

Originally released only two years after Sacred, Titan Quest combines Greek mythology with hack and slash: a world full of mesmerizing creatures to kill, wealth to collect, and above all: horrible bugs and boring gameplay.

Three years after the highly appreciated Torchlight, Runic Games continues the trend with Torchlight 2, released only a few months after Diablo III. Should we be comparing this versus Diablo 2 or 3? Is it worth it to again hire a pet, gear up, and go after the Alchemist? Let's find out.

2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the beloved and mostly undisputed hack and slash king, Diablo II. Does it still hold up, twenty years later, compared to modern Diablo clones?

After twelve years of agony and resorting to other Diablo-like games, series finally returns with a third installment. Not developed by Blizzard North, and not quite being Diablo, how does Diablo 3 hold up compared to other hack and slash games, and to its predecessor?

In 2009, the masterminds of the guys behind Fate and Blizzard North created the near-perfect Diablo game everybody was waiting for since Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Oh, and it was released within 11 months. Suffice to say that it is worth a long and hard look!

Ideated in the 1995 college years of Michael Booth, this intended to be multiplayer focused fast-paced wizard combat game ultimately would wound up to be compared to Diablo II, which was released five months later. Yet, a lot of the likable charm, quickness and quirkiness remained. Is this really a traditional hack & slash game?

Next in line after finishing Sacred: whacking my way through endless hordes of Krugs, skeletons, crystal shards, and goblins. How does the original Dungeon Siege hold up compared to the hack & slash king Diablo 2?

Sixteen years after its initial release, I finally managed to take the time to thoroughly inspect Sacred (the Gold release). I've always been a big fan of hack & slash games, so let's take this opportunity to compare mechanics of Sacred VS the undisputed king: Diablo 2.

It’s amazing that the second disk is still readable by my Retro WinXP machine. It has been heavily abused in 2003 and the years after that.

One year later, Ritual of the Night is still unplayable on the Nintendo Switch. Numerous patches later, the game still stutters and crashes, with its most popular screen being the loading one. We're off to a great start here...

Time to kick ass again - and don't forget to chew bubblegum! Does Shelly and the Build engine stand a chance anno 2020?

As the hunt continues, from Aria of Sorrow to the beginning of Castlevania’s appearance on the GBA, Circle of the Moon, I have the uneasy feeling that my whip offers less solace in this scarier version of the castle.

Calling Aria of Sorrow the best handheld Castlevania is quite a bold statement: they’re all great in their own way. But after replaying this again (and again…) I’ve made up my mind: it is the best Castlevania - period.

Old School dungeon crawlers. It has been a long time since we’ve seen these types of games properly released.

Hooray hooray for classic urgh-so-bad-graphics-but-so-good-gameplay RPG-games like this! Arcanum is without a doubt the best game Troika ever made, and that deserves something extra.