Worth Playing
HomepageWorth Playing's Reviews
It's difficult to muster up any excitement for Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs. The formula is decent, but the lackadaisical AI doesn't encourage you to play with the parts of the game that make it distinct. The lack of other modes makes this package feel expensive, while the lack of any human players this early on robs the game of any reason to keep playing. It's a dead game that makes you wish that Bandai Namco would resurrect Pac-Man 99 instead.
Monster Jam Showdown is a title for the fans who aren't so critical of their games. Performing stunts is undoubtedly fun, but the stadium events are boring even though they mimic what you'd see in a Monster Jam event. The races are enjoyable until you get stuck behind a truck or crash into a rock wall and spin around unrealistically. The number of available events makes for a lengthy single-player mode, while multiplayer is a good addition. Young players enamored with monster trucks will enjoy this title the most, while all other racing fans should approach it with the above caveats in mind.
Gundam Breaker 4 is a game for fans of the franchise, and it's a darn good one. It even eclipses Gundam Breaker 3 in terms of customization options and the sheer fun that it offers. It's definitely a huge step up from New Gundam Breaker. It's a "create your own digital Gunpla" game first and a beat-'em-up second, but it's difficult to deny the fun of creating the most absurd mech you can and then using it to beat the living crud out of swarms of bad guys. If you like Gundam, Gundam Breaker 4 is probably the best available title for English-speaking audiences.
Visions of Mana is extremely close to greatness. The core combat system is a lot of fun, and I'd adore seeing it come back in a more polished form in a future game. The graphics tend to look amazing, and it captures the tone and feel of a Mana title well. A lackluster main plot and a seriously rushed second half tend to drag down the experience, and some of the technical hitches are disruptive. Despite this, I'd argue that Visions of Mana is probably one of the best titles in the franchise and should be a fun time for Mana fans.
Overall, Star Wars: Outlaws delivers pretty much exactly what it promised. Players have the chance to take on the role of a smuggler to blast, sneak and fast-talk their way through the Star Wars universe. It does an excellent job of capturing the tone and feel of the franchise, and it feels like a Star Wars game should. It has its flaws and imperfections, but if you're looking for the chance to zoom around blasting TIE Fighters and outwitting the Hutts, it's exactly what you'd want.
Bakeru is a cute, fun, instantly accessible game for kids of all ages - and maybe even some adults. It doesn't reinvent the genre, but it's a pleasantly comfortable platformer that provides the sort of pleasant experience you'd expect from a developer named Good-Feel. The only things potentially holding back the title are that it's a bit simple and basic for older gamers, and there's some occasionally poor performance. If you're a parent looking for a safe and comfy game for your kids, Bakeru is a great choice.
If you're looking for a 30- to 40-hour adventure, Castaway is not for you. If you can appreciate a budget-priced, bite-sized love letter to a gaming classic, Castaway is right up your alley. For a busy gamer, the short play sessions are a plus, not a negative, and the speedrun mode adds additional replay value.
After all those years of waiting, Black Myth: Wukong is a very good adventure game. Using a setting that rarely gets seen in the Western world makes the game intriguing, and that's strengthened when you discover all of the character background stories. The combat is just as varied as the environments you traverse, and while the game isn't as masochistic as other modern action games, it is difficult enough that a little patience and planning will still take you a long way in skirmishes. The presentation is amazing, but it stresses out even the best hardware at the moment. To optimize the gorgeous graphics in Black Myth, players need beefy hardware that can take advantage of various upscaling technologies. It is a worthy pick-up for patient adventure fans, and the title will keep players busy for quite some time.
Cygni: All Guns Blazing is a "jack of all trades" type of shooter. It isn't afraid to use as many different gameplay mechanics as possible, and it isn't fearful of creating chaotic situations almost all of the time. You'll wish that more time had been spent refining these elements or adding some quality-of-life elements and tweaks to make the mix stand out more positively. What's available is good enough that hardcore shooting fans will enjoy it, and the hope is that improvements are made to tighten up the experience either through various patches or a potential sequel.
Steamworld Heist 2 is a full-on sequel to the first title. Overall, it's better in every way that matters: more weapons, more skills, more enemy types, more gameplay, and a lot of adjustments that make the game more fun to play. Only the new world map feels more like a lateral move than an actual upgrade, but it doesn't get in the way of the quality of the rest of the game. Steamworld's streak of excellent titles continues, and it makes me excited to see what the development team comes up with next.
Berserk Boy is a fine side-scrolling adventure that's elevated by its high-speed movement and fast action, which takes it above being another Mega Man-style clone. The inclusion of some light exploration elements also gives the game some legs to make it more than a mostly straightforward adventure. However, the overall low difficulty is a little disappointing, while the need to be a near-completionist to get any ending is irksome. It remains a good game, but it could've been better if some of those quirks had been ironed out.
I haven't had this much fun with video game football in years and years, and it's been cool to witness the unifying power of EA Sports College Football 25. It's been the runaway hit of the summer and has secured an immediate seat at the sports pop culture table. I was legitimately sad when this series dropped off years and years ago, and its return - even with its flaws - was cause for celebration. College Football 25 clearly understood the assignment. Now we'll see what happens next.
In the end, Earth Defense Force 6 maintains the status quo set by Earth Defense Force 5. The initial tone might be an immediate cause for concern, but the quick pivot to more familiar elements reinforces the idea that the team still understands what makes the game appealing. The gameplay changes are mostly miniscule to the point where only the keen-eyed will notice too many things different beyond the bestiary. With a presentation that also remains unchanged, the game lives up to the ideal that it really is "more of the same." That's exactly what most fans want, and they'll certainly be most excited to get their hands on this game. For those hoping for some kind of evolution that doesn't rob the game of what made it a cult hit, there is little hope of that happening anytime soon, considering how divisive most of the past entries were.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep The Board! appeals to a very specific type of player: someone who's already a big fan of the series and also loves digital board games. The concept is fine, and the day/night cycle and demon fights make this an intriguing party game. That said, between the mediocre collection of minigames, small board selection, unfair CPU characters, and poor online performance, there's not much to keep players interested for very long. It's not a terrible party game, but you'll only be tempted to grab it if you really, really need to play a party game.
Zero Division is a game with a good amount of potential, but it still needs a few passes to get smoothed out. The core gameplay is fun and engaging, but some balance issues and bugs keep it from reaching its full potential. It's difficult to recommend right now, but it's the definition of a game to check out once it's had a little more time to bake. Despite my complaints, I am genuinely looking forward to returning and trying Zero Division again once it's more stable.
Flock is a cozy game that's done well. The simple act of chronicling creatures is both exciting and relaxing, and the same goes for you flying around without worrying about mastering what could've been a complicated control scheme. The objectives are breezy but challenging, and the game looks rather neat all around. It's different enough from other cozy titles that fans of the subgenre would do well to give Flock a shot.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a delightful surprise from Capcom. It's not a big-budget blockbuster or the obvious start to a franchise, but this unusual stand-alone game really feels like something creative and special. The core gameplay loop is plenty of fun, and the graphics are a testament to strong art design. Indeed, the only real complaints I can find are a few lackluster boss fights. It's a game that hearkens back to the days of titles like Okami - and not just in visual appearance. Kunitsu-Gami is absolutely worth a look if you're a fan of Capcom's unconventional titles.
Anger Foot is a very good game if you're fond of its mashup of ideas. The short levels, fast speed, and mostly one-hit kills all work well with the game's offbeat and goofy nature. It's a boomer shooter that demands near-perfection in execution but has enough tools to accommodate those who may not vibe with that ideal. Anger Foot has a good campaign length and a stylized presentation, so it is a strong option for fans of pure action.
In terms of story and characters, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is probably the strongest entry the franchise has had in a long while. It fixes a lot of long-running issues and manages to be self-contained and capable of standing on its own merits. The new combat system has potential but ends up feeling a tad one-note, and it's the only thing that isn't a full improvement over Reverie. On top of that, it's probably the best starting point for new players that doesn't require going back and starting with Trails in the Sky. If you're interested in the franchise, Trails Through Daybreak is a great place to start.
Oh, and by the way, if you've been turned on to this game series for the first time because of the TV show and are thinking about trying The Last of Us: Part II - Remastered to get ready for next season ... good luck. And prepare yourself.