After seventeen long years, we finally got a new Dragon Ball game in the spirit of Budokai Tenkaichi, which honestly puts all the other arena battlers to shame. DRAGON BALL Sparking! ZERO is the culmination of all of the franchise into one big video game, with the presentation turned up to eleven. With a massive amount of playable characters, stunning visuals, and several scenarios to explore and complete, this is the best Dragon Ball game we’ve had in ages, and nothing comes close.
Capcom continues their hot streak of remakes and remasters with Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, as it’s able to reintroduce itself without reinventing the whole game. The enhanced graphics and quality-of-life (QoL) improvements really revived this game and reminded everyone that the original game was a certified classic. There are a few flaws here and there, especially noticeable by die-hard fans of the series. But other than its expensive price tag and a few nitpicks, the game is absolutely worth your time to spend more than 3 days for.
Enotria The Last Song is a game that has deep mechanics and amazing art direction that are bogged down by classic indie jank. It’s clear that the game needs polish, but regardless it delivers on amazing visuals and an innovative class system. There are clear positives and negatives in the game, and the latter are more of an outcome of being the indie studio’s first try at a soulslike. While there’s much to be desired, this isn’t a bad first attempt for Jyamma Games. If anything, I’m very much looking forward to their future releases in the genre.
Funko Fusion is an interesting case of having too much while doing too little. Even with the numerous levels, it’s a shame that not all of the IPs, or even half of them, were treated the same way. On top of that, the dull and repetitive gameplay loop doesn’t help its case even if the shooting mechanics are pretty good. While the graphics are pretty good, everything else sums up the game as a whole: an uninspired and mediocre experience.
Marvel vs Capcom returns in style! It’s amazing enough that Capcom decided to re-release these older titles for modern consoles, but to make a collection out of them while adding quality-of-life improvements was the icing on the cake. It’s seven games all packaged in one collection, while having tons of gallery items available for the player to view and unlock. It’s more Marvel; what more could you ask for?
Wild Bastards is best described as a comic book story in video game form, where you take control of the action. It has gorgeous visuals, amazing characters, and some interesting world-building when it comes to the banter between the gang. While the game’s combat does have its moments, it could also be its weakest aspect. The barebones first-person shooting mechanics make combat a drag despite having a good variety of enemy types. It’s a decent roguelike game, but as with all roguelikes, luck is one of the factors when it comes to the enjoyment of the gameplay.
Spectre Divide has big potential. It offers something new and fresh to the tactical first-person shooter (FPS) scene that’s been dominated by the same games for the past few years. Duality is a great way to change up the genre, but a multitude of issues are definitely holding the game back. It has a steep and uphill climb just to get noticed in the competitive scene, but the developers seem willing to support this game in the long run. This game definitely flew under the radar for most FPS fans, and I’m interested to see if they can catch a wave soon or even a few months down the road.
Astro Bot is, without a shadow of a doubt, this year’s best platforming game. Hell, it could even be a contender for Game of the Year (GOTY) because of how complete the game is as a whole package. The game is visually stunning, has great sound design, has simple yet fun gameplay, makes use of the exclusive PlayStation controls, and, most importantly, has a ton of content. Sony and Team ASOBI have knocked it out of the park with this game, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this game is regarded as one of Sony’s best releases to date.
Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 easily captures what it feels like to be a Space Marine. The brutality and intensity of the combat are unmatched and are supplemented by the game’s audiovisual experience. To top it off, the game has an amazing multiplayer experience that can function both in the campaign and in its other PvE mode. While the gameplay is the game’s biggest draw, it also has a few flaws. Some of which are its demanding performance and its intended difficulty. Nevertheless, the game is a near-perfect representation of what it means to be a zealous Space Marine under the Empire of Man and is an amazing sequel to the 2011 third-person shooter.
Squirrel With A Gun is a solid comedic experience that comes with a pretty decent 3D action shooter platformer experience. It has a good variety of different tools at your disposal to get through the game’s multiple levels, while having a good number of collectibles to keep you interested during your playthrough. It does have a bit of a problem of being a bit too repetitive after a few hours though, which makes the game a lot less interesting. It’s not the most compelling or most demanding game out there as a platformer, but it does get an award for being one of the funnier ones.
Crypt Custodian is an amazing isometric metroidvania that does everything quite well. It has a great art style, atmospheric music, simple-to-follow gameplay, and a compelling story to boot. It’s a gem of an indie game that deserves every bit of attention, and I can attest that you won’t be disappointed. It’s perfect for those looking to play a metroidvania like Hollow Knight to take their minds off of Silksong, and even better for those looking for a great metroidvania to play.
In a year full of different action RPGs, Black Myth: Wukong lives up to the hype, as it plays to its strengths quite well. It’s able to differentiate itself from the countless games in the same genre with its unique setting, engaging gameplay, and breathtaking visuals. It’s not a perfect game, however, as it has a few flaws that become apparent with its narrative and not-so-interesting level design. Nevertheless, Black Myth: Wukong is an amazing entry to kick off a series, and if they’re going to make sequels, you can expect us to play them as well.
Madden 25 is, without a doubt, an improvement from its predecessor. With better physics and gameplay features, it’s a way better game than it was before. Not only that, the game also ups the realistic graphics that it already had, with more animations, better scans, and more attention to detail. However, the game still keeps up with its online-only game modes, which may put some people off, especially if they just want to play certain game modes, like Superstar Mode. Ultimately, however, when compared to EA’s other recently released football simulation, College Football 25, it feels a lot less authentic than it could’ve been.
Knock on the Coffin Lid is an amazing roguelike deckbuilder that offers familiar turn-based card-battling gameplay, great visuals, fully voice-acted dialogue and cutscenes, and a compelling story. However, the game is also plagued by multiple bugs and a few problems that prevent it from catapulting to being one of the better deckbuilding roguelikes of the current era. Thankfully, the devs are actively looking to improve and fix the bugs quickly, so with enough time, it’ll only get better.
Volgarr the Viking 2 is an ode to the classic 2D platformers that were notoriously difficult. It has striking visuals, gameplay that demands precision, and a soundtrack that has you head banging and hyped even when you’ve repeated the same stage five times. However, this game is VERY difficult, that even with the QoL improvements and changes that it has, its reputation for being a hard-to-beat game still stands. If you enjoy Ghouls & Ghosts, Strider, Demon’s Crest, and other games of the same genre, this might be the game for you.
Deathbound is very unique, and if there was a score for uniqueness as a soulslike game, it would score an 11/10. It’s a fairly decent game with a great aesthetic and theme, but it is held back by a myriad of issues that affect the game’s core gameplay. It has enough variety to separate itself from the pack of soulslike games and even the giants in the genre. However, it may not be a game that a casual fan would enjoy because of the clunkiness and jankiness that exist in the game.
Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks is a fun reminder of the classic combat racing gameplay of old. With the game focused more on its gameplay and a bit of its cosmetics, adopting a live-service model works in its favor. It’s quite literally a game that you install and play immediately, and it’s actually simple to grasp and immensely fun. There are some missed chances with regards to introducing the Kult of Speed or other Warhammer lore with single player modes, music during actual gameplay, and other Early Access woes that it’s currently facing, but the game being free absolutely makes it worth it.