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I could go on and on gushing about how much I truly love SHINOBI: Art of the Vengeance. From its stylish, quick-witted gameplay and challenging experience to its beautifully designed character portraits with maps, I scrape to uncover each secret until I reach that 100% completion. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap was one of my first games I played on the Nintendo Switch that introduced me to this developer, and Lizardcube has done it again with this Shinobi rejuvenation’s smooth and sleek gameplay.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is a pleasant and relaxing farming simulator that mixes up the usual formula in an interesting way. The pacing is a bit wonky towards the beginning and can feel a bit repetitive, but playing at your own pace helps to make this a worthwhile game to kick back with.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is an outstanding remake of one of the medium’s finest works. The story is timeless and gripping, the gameplay has been improved upon without losing any of the original’s charm, and the visuals are extraordinary. I’m so glad that one of my very favorite games of all time has been brought to modern consoles in such a loving and wonderful way, and I hope to see the rest of the mainline Metal Gear Solid series get this very same treatment in the future.
Fans of Western RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons RPGs, and CRPGs will find much to enjoy about Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition. Players new to the game and preferring to play on console, this is the only way to play it, and it’s a deal considering how much content is in this game. But if you’re on PC, a modded version of the original might be better.
Herdling tells a poignant tale using simple mechanics, alternating light environmental puzzles with more treacherous gameplay. Some players may find the potential for animal harm in the game upsetting, but the emotional core of its story would ring hollow without adversity.
Regardless of the multiplayer woes I faced, having a small group that played together regularly kept the game fun and fresh. If you have a reliable friend or friends who can play with you, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is a very fun game. If not, it can still be fun for a solo player, but a lot of the magic from co-op, one of the major draws to the game, is completely lost.Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is a lot of fun despite the massively overlooked quality-of-life features that are missing from the game. A few small updates could really put a shine on this otherwise flawed gem.
All in all, my time with Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition was nothing less than spectacular. I understand now why a larger portion of the Warhammer community praises this game. It has a lot of heart and offers a lot to both the RTS and Warhammer communities. Each expansion provides something different and unique; the supported multiplayer is a nice cherry on top. If you've ever been curious about Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, I couldn't think of a better way to play it than with the Definitive Edition.
The saving grace of Mafia: The Old Country is its linear focus. There is not a single point in this game where I was asked to explore the large open map or search for some resource to get arbitrary upgrades. This linear focus and a 10-hour run time kept me from ever getting frustrated or annoyed with my experience, even if I never felt particularly engaged throughout. I’m not mad that I spent my time with Mafia: The Old Country, but for such a focused experience to feel so bland is ultimately disappointing.
Those looking for experimental games made with minimal budgets and offering deep human stories and experiences, Camille and Laura is the game for you. Camille and Laura is short and sweet.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is an incredibly stylish follow-up to an already solid 3D fighter. There’s a wide range of neat characters, a satisfying combat system, exceptional presentation, and a good range of modes. If you’re into Demon Slayer, you’ll be into The Hinokami Chronicles 2.
Ra Ra BOOM is a beat ‘em up and a short experience that doesn’t ask too much of you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t draw interest beyond the great introduction to what could’ve been a group of characters that people started to cosplay as and look forward to wherever they showed up next. The game even has an odd moment where it pokes fun at itself, which feels entirely unearned. The game also has a number of moments that feel like a cutscene or animation of a boss terrorizing the ladies or lurking in the environment are missing, breaking the rule of “show, don’t tell”. As a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mark, I should’ve been ecstatic when I encountered what was effectively an entire level devoted to the franchise, only to feel nothing upon completing the level.
Abyssus is another roguelite that could be balanced much, much better. While I’m sure a friend group could have fun as is, the sheer amount of gameplay-related things (weapons, mods) that must be unlocked could lose players’ interest before they even get to them. There is also an enhanced difficulty setting, which I’m not sure how players will tackle unless there are some extremely powerful hidden charms. The awesome aesthetic (minus the player characters) would’ve made for a great adventure into the depths, provided there were fewer jokes, but maybe a game about colonizing an ancient Aztec/Mesoamerican-inspired civilization shouldn’t think too hard about what it’s actually saying.
Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact is a bit of a mess, despite some fun being present throughout. If there were better visuals, more content, and less exploitable gameplay, it would be a blast to play casually, but what’s present is simply a bit too busted to really get into.
Atmospheric but not scary or interesting.
Donkey Kong Bananza is a near-perfect 3D platformer, delivering groundbreaking mechanics, rewarding puzzles, and incredible creativity—only minor technical issues hold it back from absolute perfection.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an absolute blast through-and-through. The visual style is top-notch, the gameplay is tight and exciting, and the game is perfectly paced with plenty to do for those who wish to push themselves. Outside of a couple of minor bugs, this is one of the sharpest games of the year, and worth playing whether you’ve got any experience with the Ninja Gaiden series or not.
Killing Floor 3 provides a great FPS experience for people looking for a horde shooter to play with friends. It has deep, fulfilling customization for the genre, great feeling gunplay, surprisingly good melee combat, and fun perks to choose from. You might be quick to exhaust the content with only 8 maps to choose from if you don’t want to dive deep into multiple perks. I think Killing Floor 3 is one to watch if you aren’t sold yet. I think the fine folk at Tripwire are cooking something up that is only going to get better from here, despite feeling a little bare on release.
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game offers a very fun gameplay loop and a great year living in Middle-earth, but fades out a bit too quickly and should offer more to keep the player going beyond the main story.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is a faithful and fantastic remake by Iron Galaxy, but a gutted soundtrack and changes to THPS4’s structure slightly hold it back.
Wheel World is one of the few games to feature arcade bicycle racing and manages to keep it light and fun while offering depth of play and a lovely collection-based gameplay structure.