DeMandre Pressley's Reviews
Wild Blue Skies is a solid homage to Star Fox 64 overall. It’s visuals are fantastic and it’s gameplay controls well and is fun overall. Unlike other recent rail shooters however, the game doesn’t do enough to step out of the shadow of Star Fox, nor does it really seem to try to. If you don’t have a Switch but want a Star Fox style experience, it’s still worth checking out however.
Overall Marvel Tokon is a blast to play as a fighter. The game looks fantastic, its combo system is fun and it pays great respect to the rich lore of Marvel with how the characters are designed to fight. While a couple things do hold it back from perhaps standing with Arc Sys all time great fighters, it’s another good game in the current line up of fighting games that doesn’t seem to stop growing.
The missing features might hurt another game much more but, Avatar Legends gameplay is so good that it still didn’t deter me from playing it a ton. Mechanically, I truly think it may be the best fighting game to come in a long time and if those issues get sorted soon, hopefully the game can see a long life cycle within the fighting game community.
Star Fox overall is a fantastic remake of one of the best games of all time. Its gameplay loop remains highly replayable, it’s a great entry for those who’ve never played while the additional challenge modes are sure to keep veterans busy as well. While it could use a bit more on its multiplayer and revisiting aquas may not be fun, those are small complaints to say the least.
UFC 6 overall does feel like a good attempt by EA to make a great MMA game. With its improvements to striking, it’s always solid representation of the brutality of MMA and its promising Legacy Mode, there’s a lot to like here. If they can make the same progressions towards the grappling and the Career Mode, perhaps one day people will stop holding Undisputed 3 as the gold standard for MMA games. For now, UFC 6 still makes for a fun time in its own right.
Well… I guess persistence pays off. While Bubsy 4D may be over too soon, it’s still an overall very fun platformer and Bubsy is finally a likeable protagonist. If this is what the future holds for the bobcat, What could possibly go wrong?
Although Invincible Vs has some rough spots, it overall succeeds where it needs to in a fighting game. The gameplay is fun, the netcode is good overall and the roster is a blast to play with along with solid presentation. While some character omissions are lamentable… The fact that Quarter Up made me want to try Dupli-Kate out makes up for it and thankfully we’re in the age where bugs can be fixed rather quickly.
Mouse: P. I. For Hire is a great send up to old cartoons and detective stories as well as being a pretty good old-school style fps. There's a lot to like here with its fun Gunplay, solid story and characters, funny animations and good soundtrack. Although it's difficulty may not be enough for hardcore fans of the genre and some things hurt it's replay value, it's a great package overall.
Although the game can get frustrating if you’re playing alone, Scott Pilgrim EX is definitely worth picking up if you are a fan of brawlers. It’s light on the plot but its chaotic combat and fun cast of characters more than make up for it. This is definitely a game where it’s definitely better to partner up for, but frustrating or not that’s pretty much the case with any brawler of this nature.
Overall I had a blast with High On Life 2 from start to finish. With improved gameplay and in my opinion improved writing as well, fans of the first game and maybe even some detractors will find a lot to like here. Although the reduced metroidvania elements are disappointing and some tech issues can be annoying, it wasn’t nearly enough to bring the overall experience down. If Squanch decides to go with High On Life 3, I await it greatly.
All in all Titans of the Tide is a decent platformer and a game with a funny premise as well as fun dialogue between its two leads. Purple Lamp is clearly working with what they’ve got here and put forth a solid game. If they’re given perhaps a bit more to work with, maybe a truly excellent game can come and it’s definitely something a character as beloved as SpongeBob deserves at some point.
The story may not be the greatest but that’s not the primary reasons people play character action games. Ninja Gaiden 4 delivers with fun and fluid gameplay. After Ninja Gaiden 3 as well as the spinoff Yaiba left a lot to be desired, it’s a very welcome return to form and along with Ragebound being a great game, the future of Ninja Gaiden looks to be great.
While it’s not perfect and could use a bit of rethinking in some of it’s systems, Slime Rancher 2 is still a fun, low conflict game. I honestly think everyone needs at least one game they can turn on and just relax with and much like the first game, it’s a good option to go with if you’re looking for a fun cozy game.
Although the rubber band ai can get annoying like it generally does in kart racers, the fact that Sonic Racing: Crossworlds actively tries to give you abilities to combat it does help out significantly. And the gameplay is just so fun and there’s so much content in the game that it’s far from a game killing experience by any stretch. In my personal opinion, Sonic for now is the king of the kart racers.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a grand step forward from a game that was already excellent. With a stronger protagonist and story, improved mobility and exploration and familiar yet very different combat, as a fan of the first game, by the time the credits rolled, it’s a rare case where I immediately just wanted to keep playing more and more. It’s a game that no one should miss this year through and through.
The difficulty being occasionally uneven is a very small detraction from an otherwise fantastic game. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is otherwise an excellent 2D action game and is a great way to kick off the influx of retro revivals Sega announced in 2023. Art of Vengeance is another must play in the year 2025.
Although the gameplay isn’t going to win any awards, Mafia: The Old Country still delivers what people love about the franchise. It’s a great crime story featuring a new protagonist that holds up with the others in the series and is a nice story-driven experience overall.
Short length aside, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is one of the most enjoyable games of the year. It’s a great retro revival with two protagonists I hope return and if Ninja Gaiden 4 is anywhere near this good, the franchise may be firing on all cylinders again.
Overall, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has perhaps one of the most enjoyable combat systems I’ve played in a modern FG and with the blend of strong offensive and defensive options it seems like SNK is really working to create a system that tries to force constant two way interactions. With strong mechanics and a cast that’s fun to use all around I do hope the game can really take off and find it’s place in the ever growing line up of Strong fighting games in a high point for the genre overall.
All in all Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a great package much like just about every other game in the franchise is. It shows that RGG can still add to the old formula while keeping things enjoyable and they make a great case for Majima taking a more staring role in future games, especially if Kiryu’s arc is done after the events of Infinite Wealth. I hope for a Majima/ Ichiban team up in the future and that it’s the most wild entry in the franchise yet.