Ignoring all the hype (and hate), Highguard needs a lot of work

The Essential Open Earbuds are here to help you crush your new year goals. Go to https://www.buyraycon.com/skillupOPEN to get 20% off sitewide. Thanks Raycon for sponsoring!

--

Setting aside all the noise around this game, the reality is that it's poorly optimised, poorly balanced, and its core game loops have not been nailed down yet. Progression, looting, weapon variety/rarity, map design, destructibility, character and kit designs - it all feels like a first draft. Highguard may one day be great (and I hope it gets there) but right now it feels like it would have benefited from an extensive closed beta testing program that would have identified and ironed out these issues before showing this game off to a live audience of 100m people.

--

Visit our website https://www.thisweekinvideogames.com for ad-free, ai-free, clickbait-free games coverage. Sign up for free, or become a supporter for access to exclusive content like features, expert columns, newsletters and an ad-free version of the weekly news show. Thanks for supporting the work we do.

--

You can find all the Skill Up content (reviews, previews, This Week in Videogames & The Friends Per Second Podcast over on Spotify, where you can listen ad-free if you're a Spotify premium subscriber: https://open.spotify.com/show/2w3Injyqj2VoxOxQg6ESbl?si=b651261f52c24e58

--

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/skillup.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skillupyt/?hl=en

--

Check out my curator page on steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/curator/28625128-Skill-Up-Curates.../

--

Recent vids:

Arc Raiders review:

https://youtu.be/wXB9flDrIXs

Dispatch review:

https://youtu.be/TyWU33qspwE

The Outer Worlds 2 review:

https://youtu.be/PzcPyEYlyA0

Hades II review:

https://youtu.be/L2BGd3x5gP4

Silent Hill f review:

https://youtu.be/PBW3NH7OaXM

Borderlands 4 review:

https://youtu.be/vRvKRcSCXU0

Cronos: The New Dawn review

https://youtu.be/3hIGaJfEk4E

Hell is Us review

https://youtu.be/cQDG_f_REPU

Mafia: The Old Country review

https://youtu.be/GTPe44ictv0

Donkey Kong Bananza Review:

https://youtu.be/0E2T-Ne9N5Q

Death Stranding 2 review:

https://youtu.be/UxMJ5WAp1gY

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 - The Making of a Masterpiece

https://youtu.be/mXLOLgC2V2Q

Doom: The Dark Ages review:

https://youtu.be/6CNivLBwLkM

Marathon preview:

https://youtu.be/bZVwBavB0Mg

Assassin's Creed Shadows review:

https://youtu.be/gdWyGurnSbU

Split Fiction review:

https://youtu.be/hajChij56Xo

Kingdom Come Deliverance II review:

https://youtu.be/_wFHtqKYMaM

Avowed review:

https://youtu.be/yxnyOmJzg_0

The best games of 2024

https://youtu.be/ShInfDuzl7A

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review:

https://youtu.be/HtbtcLxJTtY

STALKER 2 review:

https://youtu.be/BRCLRAJkqjg

Dragon Age: The Veilguard review:

https://youtu.be/QF-Kd2BBpx8

Silent Hill 2 review:

https://youtu.be/dBoU9SNFw9w

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 review:

https://youtu.be/OZ6ur9NOkpE

Astrobot review:

https://youtu.be/JVAEWreFU0I

Star Wars Outlaws review:

https://youtu.be/sKo1owZzYcs

Concord review (RIP):

https://youtu.be/vRrWp_MVAxU

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review:

https://youtu.be/d1FQ3BiL-L8

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review:

https://youtu.be/_LaI5Knv4wM

Helldivers 2 review:

https://youtu.be/5j4TsO8vngA

Skull and Bones review:

https://youtu.be/z_BKf5cdV_w

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League review:

https://youtu.be/reQKHNg0jh8

The Day Before - A Scam To Remember:

https://youtu.be/tdQXfXm8rjg

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review:

https://youtu.be/QNKS3vkGAag

Final Fantasy XVI review:

https://youtu.be/PzfUardkloY

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum review:

https://youtu.be/E21qSEyRa88

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review:

https://youtu.be/BQFImTqvW8E

Redfall review:

https://youtu.be/YTpFvYbDuqA

Resident Evil 4 Remake Review:

https://youtu.be/iIXQ3sospSo

Calisto Protocol review:

https://youtu.be/mm8pxfU9c6E