Ken McKown's Reviews
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a solid experience that I really enjoyed taking. It could have benefitted from a little more structure and fleshing out the characters a bit more. Still, it is great to finally have the game come to Xbox, and I am happy to have experienced it.
Mutant Football League is a nice throwback to those games. The problems lie in that it feels sorely lacking in the presentation department. I would love to see it do well enough to improve upon the foundation, but for $20 it is hard not to recommend for fans that have nostalgia for those classic titles.
Future War: Reborn is a mindless game that suffers from its roots. There is fun to be had, but the clunky menus and brief missions make it feel lacking. Those wanting something mindless will be in for a treat, all others might want to steer clear of this purchase.
Blossom Tales scratches an itch I have of wanting to venture through Link to the Past once a year. It is well-designed if not a bit cliché in its approach. Still for those with the same nostalgia for Link's SNES adventure, there are few games that capture it as well as this one.
A Hat in Time is probably the best platformer released this year that doesn't star that one plumber guy.
This game is best enjoyed in small doses with friends on a couch, which is not the ideal form of play anymore.
L.A. Noire was a unique game that deserved a second chance.
Where Jeopardy shines though is its progression. That is a weird thing to say, but every action in the game awards XP. Earn enough and players level up. Levelling up then unlocks new categories to choose from. It is a neat system that kept me playing far longer than I had intended.
Gear.Club Unlimited could have been yet another gem on the Switch, but ultimately feels like exactly what it is. The price tag is shocking and the changes from the mobile game don't fit the pace of the core experience. While there are moments of fun to be had, this racing game rarely ends up feeling worth the investment.
Star Wars Battlefront II stumbles out of the gate with its progression system. I hope it gets ironed out because the underlying multiplayer is extremely fun. The campaign is short and sweet, but a little too fan-servic-y for me. As it stands this is a solid sequel with some highly noticeable blemishes. I will continue to play because of my love for Star Wars, but I do hope it gets ironed out before players lose interest.
De Blob is a solid title that feels good to return to. Why they remastered the original as opposed to the sequel seems like a weird choice, but for those that never had a Wii it is a good pickup. It might get swallowed during this time of year, but I recommend giving it a look once things settle down a bit.
At the end of the day the most important aspect of any game is fun. Assault Android Cactus is the epitome of that.
I feel like I go through so many motions year-in and year-out with these games, but one thing is for sure – I always enjoy myself by the end of them, and CoD WWII is no exception.
Switch owners need this game, players without a Switch need to go buy one to play it. Nintendo knocks another one out of the park, and this may very well be their best year of games since the Super Nintendo.
The return of Bubsy is a travesty.
It is a solid, if not uninspired beat 'em up that delivers exactly what it promises. I would have loved to see online co-op and better paced levels. As it sits though this is a solid purchase for anyone who grew up with games like Streets of Rage or Final Fight.
Spintires: Mudrunner is an interesting game in a genre nobody knew existed.
Fire Emblem Warriors continues the excellent port of Nintendo's franchises into the world of musou. The little additives from the franchise translate well into the genre. The art style is outstanding and the combat is just as fun (if not repetitive) as it has always been. This is another solid entry for Nintendo's latest machine.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is the epitome of a sequel.
Shadow of War improves on almost every aspect of the original game. There is so much to do and the systems in place are truly special.