Niko Lähteenmäki's Reviews
Despite a few minor annoyances, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – which took around 30 hours of my time – was a pleasant surprise and one of the best Metroidvanias in a long time. Its excellent level design, impressive boss fights, satisfying gameplay mechanics, and well-thought-out puzzles elevate Sargon’s adventure to the top ranks of its genre.
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Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is an interesting time capsule from the year 2000 — an era when the internet wasn't accessed from anywhere (at least in Finland), when all the computers in the world were NOT crashing thanks to Y2K, when The Matrix was shaking up audiences and when the first Half-Life was still a hot topic among gamers. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the third Turok doesn’t look pale at all as a modernized version compared to today's “boomer shooters.” Instead, it held my attention with a convincing grip. If the genre interests you and you’re not bothered by brutality and excessive bloodshed, this is easy to recommend to both fans and newcomers alike.
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WarioWare: Move It! is one of those games that's very difficult to rate. It's fantastically entertaining and by far the best WarioWare since Wii's Smooth Moves, but unfortunately the game has so little content for single players that it's quite hard to recommend for 50-euro price tag. But as you probably guessed, the multiplayer is as great as ever.
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Especially the second and third entry in the series has aged surprisingly well, and for newcomers, the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is definitely a collection worth exploring (if purchased from a bargain bin) and an important piece of gaming history. Even for those who played them before, it’s probably nice to hear that these beloved games are more or less intact. And the convenience is certainly worth the money – digging out a PlayStation 2 or 3, messing with emulators, or even hunting down the MGS HD Collection online certainly won't excite everyone. But for all the others – it makes no sense to buy this collection (at least not at full price), if you already own the original games, the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, or the Legacy Collection released exclusively for PlayStation 3. You've been warned.
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Sonic Superstars is a genuinely frustrating creation. It's basically a decent Sonic game, and by no means the worst entry in the series, as it includes some solid ideas here and there and can be a really fun platformer at its best. However, at its weakest, it is an extremely frustrating experience, and everything reeks of being blend with lack of imagination. It just can't be recommended as a full-price release, even though it does have some decent content.
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Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged improves moderately on its predecessor in every aspect. At the same time, it's fair to say that as a sequel, it plays it very safe and doesn’t shake up the formula much, which might be a disappointment for some. On the other hand, when the driving itself is this enjoyable, does it really matter? If you've already played the first game thoroughly, you can’t go too wrong with picking up the sequel!
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Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy – the modern-day counterpart to Blizzard’s The Lost Vikings – is an absolutely brilliant puzzle-platformer and a must-buy for anyone even remotely interested in the genre, with or without the Finnish flag coloured goggles. Prior knowledge of Trine isn’t necessary either, as the story is easy to follow even for newcomers, and overall, it’s undoubtedly the most polished entry in the series.
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There is no reason for collective concern, however, as EA Sports FC 24 looks and feels very familiar – for better or worse – despite of losing the FIFA license.
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Despite technical issues, I have to admit that playing Samba de Amigo: Party Central was simply a blast – and I worked up quite a sweat dancing with my amigos. Nostalgia and that signature Japanese quirkiness are still strongly present in the series, and the song selection works well. Plus, the sensitivity of the motion controls doesn’t significantly detract from the enjoyment.
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Disney Illusion Island is light, charming and visually stunning metroidvania style adventure that feels like it’s missing something. More action, some kind of combat mechanics, or at least a faster pace. Even as it is, it’s an enjoyable experience, and if you can get a friend to join you on the same couch, you can easily add an extra star to the rating. If a sequel ever happens (and hopefully it will), this game provides a solid foundation for the future — but the lack of variety should be addressed by then.
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Gimmick! Special Edition can be summed up in one letter and two words: a cultural achievement. Despite its difficulty, it remains as a unique and memorable classic. As a remaster, it offers only minimal updates and improvements, but on the other hand, I’m very pleased that the graphics, physics, and especially the music have been left untouched. This long-overlooked platforming rarity has truly earned its place in the modern spotlight.
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Despite its flaws, Sonic Origins Plus is a much more polished and content-rich package than the original release, earning it an extra star in the rating. However, if you already own Origins, whether the ability to play as Amy, the tougher missions, and the added Game Gear titles are worth the price largely depends on the player. Personally, I’d say yes. If only Sonic Origins had been this solid from the start!
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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece that improves on its predecessor virtually every way. I've missed this kind of joy in freedom and exploring the wonderful world of Hyrule, and I wouldn't trade a single moment of it.
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In the wonderful world of the internet, a game about Gollum has largely been seen as a doomed idea from the start, but I have to disagree. In capable hands, the character could make for a perfectly solid stealth adventure. As a protagonist, this grey trickster is interesting, primarily because of his tragic backstory. Too bad that almost nothing works in this game, and therefore Gollum's Adventure is one of the worst games ever made.
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Street Fighter is one of the oldest and most recognizable fighting series in history, and its latest edition is the best the franchise has ever been. That's an incredible feat few, if any, series can lay claim to, and Street Fighter makes it look easy.
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Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a fantastic purchase for both longtime strategy fans and newcomers to tactical turn-based games. More than anything, it prooves that a great concept never gets old. The updates complement the classic GBA games well, though I do understand that some would have preferred to keep the pixel art intact.
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Despite its flaws, Local News with Cliff Rockslide is worth experiencing purely for its unique theme and clever writing. While playing, you can also tell that the studio clearly had fun working on the project. It certainly doesn’t come with a steep price tag either, which makes it even easier to push the purchase button.
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All in all, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is great action RPG for fans of soulslike games and especially for the fans of the Nioh series. Despite the many comparisons in the review, it firmly stands on its own feet. While Team Ninja has once again crafted an excellent experience, it's worth remembering that soulslikes are not for everyone, and Wo Long doesn’t actively try to attract newcomers to the genre, even though its difficulty level is quite fair—at least for the most part.
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Despite its thin plot and small nitpicks, playing Hogwarts Legacy is truly enjoyable. In addition to the main adventure, activities like interacting with fantastic beasts, broom flying and wand combat are all incredibly fun. There’s also plenty of side content – like Merlin’s Trial puzzle challenges, which are quite clever. Although Hogwarts and its surroundings are vast and full of details, I didn’t experience the usual open-world fatigue, because the experience feels so unique. The audiovisual execution is also second to none, with both sound effects and the soundtrack successfully mimicking the atmosphere of the Potter films.
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Although Forspoken has more points of criticism than the average game and there are definitely better RPGs, the "DON'T BUY THIS" campaign by certain YouTube personalities feels a bit over the top. There are some good elements after all, and the gameplay itself is quite enjoyable. The fantasy adventure that blends the present and the past strongly reminds me of the '90s, when similar "ordinary person in a magical world" setups were seen more frequently. Too bad, that the main character is quite unlikeable.
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