Horizon Chase 2’s visuals and approach may deter the more hardcore audience, but it’s a solid throwback to the arcade racers from years past that is ultimately a very satisfying experience.
System Shock’s presentation is honestly quite great as it retains the look of the original while expanding on its locations and scale. The limited voice acting that is here is good, even if the overall narrative just did nothing for me. While the game is rather difficult, it is easy enough to just save anywhere you want with a fast load time to get back into the action. Nightdive Studios has taken a game that was a beloved classic and retooled it to work within a lot of modern sensibilities, even if it does still maintain a certain look and feel.
Like Senua's Sacrifice before it, Saga is a showpiece of technical innovation by an incredibly small team. Its use of mental illness as a narrative device continues to be a core pillar of its experience, tapping into nearly every avenue of combat and narrative. Melina Juergens is joined by a phenomenal cast that each has some fantastic moments to shine. Senua's Saga is a cinematic masterpiece with noticeable blemishes in its puzzles that don't quite measure up to the quality bar raised by nearly every other part of this whole experience.
Hypercharge: Unboxed has been an absolute delight in being one of the only true gaming experiences that allow you to really relive your childhood. The battlegrounds are filled with so many toys that I remember playing with to set pieces and encounters that feel ripped directly from my memory.
Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters was the first title in the series to really disappoint me, and yet Game Maker R:Evolution hands down disappoints me further, making me question if this series is even for me anymore. Its combat and level design are barebones and empty of anything remotely engaging. While the visual novel charm of its writing and characters are as good as they have always been, it's not a strong enough outing for the game's flaws to not be front and center.
Heading Out is a solid concept that I would love to see perfected and improved upon should we see a follow-up, because frankly, it’s a sharp-looking game that really stands out in a sea of games that all look the same.
Mullet MadJack is a tour de force of sensory overload and pure chaos, wrapped in a tight 2-3 hour package that begs to be played over and over. If the final chapter is any indication on where a possible sequel could go, I am strapped in and ready to count down the seconds as bullets and mullets coalecse into something downright incredible.
Terra Memoria does a great job at presenting its story, characters, and combat in a very easy-to-read package, making it a fun almost bite-size adventure that is certainly worth the journey.
Little Kitty Big City will certainly entertain those looking for this type of experience. My own cat was personally interested in the journey I took and was hyper-focused on many of this cat’s movements. The Untitled Goose Game approach certainly works and the game is extremely digestible that you can easily polish it off in a single day or a more casual weekend. If this is the start of a Little Kitty Big City franchise, then Double Dagger certainly has my attention and my time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more adorable hats to find and a city to explore.
Stellar Blade is a game I could sit here and detail every single enemy, outfit, skill, and character, and feel I am never saying enough about it. Combat is downright incredible, and the style and substance this game brings is impressive.
I went into Another Crab’s Treasure expecting it to be a solid adventure. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t into what the game offered after a few hours, leaving me with a world I didn’t want to explore, and one that felt like a chore to even navigate. While it has some decent accessibility options, and even a gun to one-shot anything in the game, the standard approach here is nonetheless pretty challenging, especially given its aesthetic.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink brought an engaging story with incredibly fun combat to the forefront, packed with a ton of secondary missions that allow you to get the most out of your team, especially in co-op.
Wrath of the Mutants as TMNT brawlers are rarely bad, but while this expanded port is by no means bad, it’s a pretty remarkable disappointment in that it offers more than what was present in the original and yet feels lesser in many ways.
Dragon’s Dogma II is certainly a title I strongly recommend, but one that I do caution as it lacks a degree of hand-holding many are likely accustomed to within the genre. If you can meet the game on its terms and find a vocation that works for you, then I certainly recommend this journey as there is nothing really quite like it.
Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a solid adventure that allows every tool at its disposal to be used well and by a team that is clearly passionate about what they do. It doesn’t always land, but I still found it engaging, enjoyable, and very entertaining.
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is often incredible and a top-tier experience in so many ways; however, some of its reliance on padding the experience with its open world and reliance on far too many mini-games, doesn’t always pay off.
Unicorn Overlord never faltered and has cemented itself as one of the best tactical strategy games I’ve ever played. The similarities to Fire Emblem are certainly there, but its gameplay during battles presents a different approach to its combat that absolutely soars.
South Park: Snow Day, likes its use of COVID here feels out of date across the board. The simplistic visuals feels several generations behind, and its shallow gameplay cannot be saved by a card system that shows some true promise. As a lifelong South Park fan, I know the series can produce strong and compelling video games because we have seen it done twice before.
I do think the final encounter is a tad harder than it should have been, given the encounters before it, but all in all, Pepper Grinder is incredible fun that takes its drilling gimmick and creates a fun and engaging experience around it.
Alone in the Dark does well to utilize their performances within their own campaigns. While the dual canon approach to telling the story doesn’t ultimately satisfy in ways I personally was expecting, especially as it makes both campaigns far too identical, I found it to still entertain, even if I never felt the main story to really grip me. I think Pieces Interactive has a solid foundation here with their take on this franchise, I just would prefer a more direct horror route to really amp up the atmosphere and make me free truly alone in the dark.