At the end of the day, Mato Anomalies feels like a budget title with a lot of things going for it. It has some decent mechanics and some interesting story bits if you are willing to read a lot. The RPG side of the game can have some difficulty spikes and level grinding side dungeons will be needed in some instances, but for RPG fans and visual novel fans, if you can get past the different mechanics and are willing to learn some unconventional ones, this could be a decent experience for you even with the lower budget feel.
That’s where I stand with Scarlet and Violet. It’s got the trappings of a great Pokémon game, but I think this is most certainly a learning experience for both the players and the developers. Hopefully, the next generation will improve on both the pacing and the technical issues found here. In the meantime, players can get a lot of enjoyment out of this outing, just remember, even though this is a choose your own adventure style game, it doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want when you want.
At the end of the day, The Devil in Me feels like a safe bet for the series. Sure, it may not be imaginative like House of Ashes or Little Hope, but it serves as a decent choice-driven horror game that I didn’t mind going through the padding to see what was going to happen next. While this is the “season finale” of The Dark Pictures Anthology, I wonder if it will ever really return? I guess we’ll see. In the meantime, The Devil in Me offers a decent experience with little to no issues.
Aside from a few issues and a single voice actor, I had a great time with The Chant. It has a good atmosphere, simple mechanics and a fun overall story that kept me going for the six to seven hours it took. This is going to be one of those games that will be looked at in a few years as a hidden gem that people didn’t play. Let me at least be one of the people to tell you, play this one. You’ll have a pretty fun time.
It’s a short experience and I get what they were going for. I feel like after about two play sessions, most players would get everything they could out of it. There is an online leader board that players can chase for the high score, but other than that, there is not much replay value. Granted, it’s a six dollar game and one that has some easy achievements for those achievement hunters out there, but for the shmup fan, there are better ones out there. If you’re looking for a parody game with some tongue in cheek commentary, there are some here, and a decent shooter to go along with it, but let me be the first to tell you, this is a two-hour experience at best.
Inquisitor Martyr is a fun action RPG that I think fans of the genre will enjoy. The moment-to-moment combat is fine and serviceable, but the true meat of the game is in the builds and skill trees. So much so that it can be a little daunting to the player. If you are looking for something to hold you over until Diablo 4, you have something here to sink your teeth into, and if you’re a Warhammer 40k fan, it makes the package even better.
Obviously, I would highly suggest this game, but only if you have played the other games in the series. As a single game, and as a whole, this is a fantastic game series that I believe any fan of great puzzles and a good mystery story will enjoy. I highly suggest it and now, everyone can enjoy these games on Xbox.
At the end of the day, Circus Electrique is still a fun time. The RPG blend of character maintenance, challenging battles, and circus management has a lot here and it can sometimes be overwhelming, but if players take their time and keep up the performers’ devotion, they can explore the mean streets of London by the skin of their teeth. It’s not an easy game, but much like Darkest Dungeon, it can be rather rewarding.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is no doubt a great fighting game. It offers a decent story mode and a few extra bells and whistles. On top of that, a top notch netcode and this is a solid fighting game experience. Is it beginner friendly? I’m not so sure. Is it a must purchase for Persona fans? Possibly, but keep in mind, this is a complex fighting game that will require hours of devotion to get into completely.
Still, I had a fun time with all these games especially Sonic 2 and Sonic and Knuckles. Sonic 1 was a bit rough to get through and while I admire Sonic CD, the time travel mechanic was a bit too much for me when I’m just trying to go fast through levels. At the end of the day, that’s what I got out of Sonic Origins. Fun titles that hold up wrapped around a compilation package that is lacking in some sense and charging for extras that would be free in any other bundle. I can still recommend this one for the die-hard Sonic fans or for people like me that never got to experience these titles back in the day.
Aside from the small issues I had, one of which made me upset, I still enjoyed my time with the game. So much that I played halfway through it, stopped, convinced my wife to join me since she liked Until Dawn, and then played through it again. Oh, and my wife and I are wanting to play through it again to try out the opposite decisions. I still find Until Dawn an overall better experience, but The Quarry is a fun time especially with some friends arguing what we need to do in a situation.
The small issues aside, Shredder’s Revenge was the fan service I needed. The music feels like it came straight out of a 1994 arcade machine, the visuals look like it too, but with some great design choices, and the gameplay is just as smooth and fun as it always was all those years ago. If you’re a fan of TMNT, this is a no-brainer. If you enjoy a good beat ’em up or have had the itch to try out something like Streets of Rage 4 after beating it, you won’t find a better game to dive into. This is one for the books, guys.
Rogue Legacy 2 is a fantastic game. It takes everything I loved about the first game, refines it, adds way more content, and keeps the gameplay just as tight and smooth. It’s a rogue-like that even non-fans of rogue-likes can warm up to. If you played the first game, this is a no-brainer. Even if you haven’t, you’ll have a great time here with a game jam-packed with content. I cannot suggest this one enough.
Time Loader was a nice breath of fresh air for me. It was simple, fun in execution, had a nice little story to tell, and was never overly long. It may be a bit too simple for the hardcore puzzle fans out there, but even then, they can find enjoyment out of this one with everything else it has going for it. This is one game that many will find themselves wanting to see all the endings and it is one that is worth it.
It’s crazy to believe that I can be down on a game that is really fun to play both offline and online. Somehow, Square-Enix has thrown so many things into the game that either you must pay for, or grind for weeks to unlock. It wouldn’t be that big of an issue if it was just cosmetic items, but characters who have different stats and special moves that could possibly throw the advantage to the player that paid money. I just can’t get on board with that.
Glam’s is a game that is hard to recommend. Players and fans of twitch platformers can most certainly find some challenge here but in the precise jumping and puzzle solving of each level. The problem is, I feel like because of the control scheme and the way it feels, it makes it even more difficult to get into. Still, people looking for that challenge and having patience can find something here. Anyone who gets frustrated easily or does not like the sound of a trial-and-error style game should avoid this one.
Monster Crown is a game that I would say try out if you’re into the old school Pokémon games. This is obviously a primitive game, but offers some new things to the monster catching genre. It’s most certainly not the best game or even the most flashy game out there, but as a Pokémon style game grounded in a more traditional turn-based RPG, it’s not a bad ride.
Windjammers 2 is a really great game. There’s a nice community of players still going strong online and this game could be a great controller passing time for local play. Sure, the tutorial is a bit rough, but just playing and experimenting with the game allowed me to get better and have a fun time with it. Anyone who is into arcadey sports titles and to a lesser extent, fighting games should give this one a try.
There’s a lot to do here, but I feel like the mechanics of the game itself gets in the way of really letting the player explore what’s around, and in the end, the rewards just may not be enough to bother with a lot of them. That’s not to say I didn’t have a fun time with the game. I did. There are some great shining moments here and when the story ramped up, I was in it until the end. If you have the patience to get to it, you too can have a good time, but don’t say I didn’t warn you that it will take some time to finally get to it.
Even when I was beating my head against a wall on a certain level, I was still having a fun time with OlliOlli World. The simple controls kept me engaged, the progression was as difficult as I wanted it to be, and the style really sold the entire experience, I think fans of the Trials or Joe Danger games should really give this one a shot and fans of skating games can have a lot of fun here as well.