Forbes's Reviews
Most of all, though, Circuit Superstars feels and plays like a game made with love. Even the occasional one-dev indie title can feel a little lacking in this department, but with every turn you take, and every detail you notice, and every precious win, this here gives you something you can’t help but smile at.
Despite its faults, and like Painkiller before it, Kingdom of the Dead is a very playable, wave-based gothic experience complete with ammo-pool weapons, a weird lore, and a surprisingly smooth performance–and to get your money’s worth, you have to ramp up that difficulty.
Nonetheless, and even if it’s a reskinned copy of the two Far Cry 6 DLCs that came before it, there’s a lot of challenge in Joseph: Collapse. It might also be the most beautiful of the three, too, especially with its revelations and cabin experiences. It’s just a shame for Joseph Seed that he once again had to follow Vaas and Pagan Min–two characters whose internal monologues could never get old.
I am incredibly impressed with the size and scope of Lost Ark. Even some of the later storylines started to resonate with me a bit, albeit there’s a ton of throwaway sidequest content that exists just to fill space. I am less impressed with the game’s loot system so far, but I know I have not fully mastered all its finer details at this point. But in a game like this I wanted to get excited about new drops, but other than things looking cool, that never really happened in the first 40 hours here. Another complaint is that because this is such a well established game that already got a number of updates over the years, dumping everything here all at once can feel overwhelming. It’s just a whole lot of stuff and systems and things to sort through, and it’s easy to feel lost.
Still, mileage will vary and fans of roguelikes will certainly find much to enjoy in Sifu. Hopefully further balancing and updates will help as well. The combat really is slick and fun and gives you lots of options to kick ass and take names, and the graphics and art-style are terrific. I just wish it wasn’t a roguelike.
It’s not perfect, but for the five hours of core single-player gaming you’ll get out of its challenge mode–and many more that casuals and die-hards alike will glean from its simple arcade mode and online leaderboards–it’s a sound casual investment.
And yet, leveling technical criticism at an experience that is so accessible, loving, and warm feels like kicking one, many, or all of the dogs that star in it. For all its faults, it’s hard to play Pupperazzi without a smile on your face, and this completionist-friendly outing will definitely resonate with players of all ages, even if it fails to live up to its true potential.
However, if that means Drinkbox ought to make a sequel to fully explore the world’s potential, I’m all for it. For action-RPG fans, Nobody Saves the World is a must-play; for Game Pass subscribers, it’s another classic surprise just waiting for you to stumble upon it.
Overall, Super Robot Wars 30 is an excellent tribute to the 30th anniversary of the series. The new mission setup is a bit daunting at first but works well on multiple playthroughs and with the new DLC. Considering the challenges the development team must have faced during the pandemic to get this game done, it’s remarkable how well it all turned out.
Halo Infinite might be the best campaign 343 has done, but considering I didn’t love the last two, I’m not sure how much weight that carries. Halo Reach remains the gold standard for me in that department, and while I had a lot of fun here zipping around the open world, and I can see the potential of the concept, something about Infinite feels small and unfinished to me compared to both other Halo campaigns, and other open world titles. I don’t need (or want) a sprawling Assassin’s Creed map that takes 200 hours to clear, but I think I need more diversity than what’s here, and a better story with better characters told within it.
Even if you don’t decide to go back, and you only decide to clear its initial level in three or four hours before tapping out, one thing’s for sure: it’s a much more memorable experience than Far Cry 6 was.
All told, Call Of Duty: Vanguard has exceeded my expectations, especially after a less-than-promising pre-launch Alpha and press event. Then again, the Beta was drastically improved overall so I was already feeling more optimistic by launch.
For all its incredible characters and acting, Vanguard has somewhat confirmed that Call of Duty campaign modes are going in two very different directions: the stagecraft is getting better with each release, but the wider experience is going downhill.
I suppose we can now venture into the old “is Guardians worth $60?” debate. If you miss hyper linear story games with no live service BS, and are a big Marvel fan, then this might be the game for you. If you are hoping for Devil May Cry level combat and God of War type puzzles and exploration within a linear story, you will be disappointed. But I can safely say this is probably a better end product than most people were expecting, and that alone is a pretty big win for a game that felt like a bit of a risk and like it’s been lacking in buzz leading up to launch here. It has issues, but it gets a lot right, and pushes storytelling in ways I haven’t seen in this genre before.
Overall, Metroid Dread brings a narrative close to a decades long story with excellent level design and combat. It also looks great as well. So until Samus Aran is needed once again to save the Galactic Federation, I am happy to just savour the joy of another successfully completed mission.
EA Sports has delivered a strong next-gen experience with FIFA 22. The primary focus was on gameplay and the attention led to a tangible improvement overall. However, the feature set is still in need of more layers.
Yes, its AI is slow and a bit stupid. Its driving and flying mechanics are dated. Those all-new ideas just don’t quite land. Its UI seems getting more confusing with every new game. But Far Cry 6 is definitely the most fun I’ve had from the series since the delightful Far Cry 3–even if everything seems to hinge on extremes, and rely on old tricks.
Overall, Actraiser Renaissance stays true to the original game, while building it out even further and keeping the essence of what made it so special intact. If you never played the original Actraiser, then you are definitely in for a treat as it’s not every day you don the mantle of the Lord of Light and defy the will of Tanzra.
Nonetheless, for all its minor annoyances, Hot Wheels Unleashed gives you a remarkable bang for your buck. Alongside a big career mode, livery editor, two-player local and 12-player online multiplayer, and licensed vehicles, there’s a tightly controlled, great-looking arcade racer that’s perfect for players of all ages and skills–and thanks to its track builder, it’s only going to get bigger and better by the day.
And yet, if you’re coming to Embr thinking it’s the latest in a long line of multiplayer-oriented classics, your hopes may be snuffed out by how it performs right now. Luckily, plans are in place for updates in the coming months–the fires of passion may burn brighter in the near future.