Jeff Cork
Sayonara Wild Hearts crackles with style, but is an ultimately inconsequential ride
The first few hours are a treat, and the late game has a nice element of experimentation. Unfortunately, its flaws balloon during the lengthy middle stretch.
Slight improvements to the original game are welcome, though it's still not quite as fun as it is funny
Star Fox Zero is like visiting a place you remember fondly, but have outgrown
The fourth chapter adds some interesting character dynamics, but an overreliance on block puzzles drags the whole thing down to a series low
Rhombus of Ruin is an interesting VR experiment, but it doesn’t do enough with the tech – or the Psychonauts themselves – to make it a must-play experience
Brawlout lacks gameplay variety and standout characters. It may be good enough for Smash Bros. fans supremely desperate for a Switch release, but everyone else can safely sit this one out
State of Decay 2 has a lot to love, but it's overwhelmed by legacy issues and a slew of all-new ones that came along for the co-op ride
Moving Out is clearly inspired by Overcooked's chaotic co-op, but its inconsistent controls add a layer of aggravation likely to test friendships, marriages, and parent-child relationships
Puzzles require a level of precision that the controls and physics just aren't up to. An inspired last act is buried in a frustrating slog of a game
Crackdown 3's campaign is like a thawed-out relic from more than a decade ago. Multiplayer's environmental destruction is interesting in concept, but its bare-bones nature keeps it from being more than a curiosity
Despite a fun core of a game here, rampant technical issues make it impossible to recommend
Challenging to a fault, Thumper provides few reasons to indulge its difficulty
Steer a metallic beetle down a fast-moving track, avoiding obstacles and collecting doodads along the way
Faithful almost to a fault, Hangar 13's remake puts a glossy finish on a title that is fundamentally musty by contemporary standards
It's a deep dive into Animal Crossing's ordinarily shallow home-design pool, without the town elements that make the series such a success
This is the Police is far too long for the amount of content it provides. Only true believers will make it within shouting distance of the ending
Birthdays the Beginning is about as exciting as watching paint dry – even if you get to pick the colors
The Imaginati Studios' first game is an interesting experiment. Unfortunately, its façade of consequence and choice falls apart on repeat sessions
Little Dragons Café is a tedious, charmless bore that plods along at an unforgivably slow pace