Ken McKown's Reviews
AVGN 8-Bit is a great retro title and a great AVGN game. He seems to understand how to license out his work to the right people. I highly recommend it if you loved those old NES games or are a fan of his work. Others with a sensitivity to offensive humor should probably stay away, but for everyone else this is a retro must-have. I loved every minute of it, just expect to die…a LOT.
The MK Legacy Kollection is a dream come true for me. Growing up with MK from the beginning this hit all the right nostalgia notes. MK is easily one of my favorite gaming franchises and have been a fan for over 30 years and will likely be playing it until my hands no longer work. Digital Eclipse understood the assignment and aced it.
Kaku: Ancient Seal is one of those games that reminds me why I love discovering smaller projects. It’s ambitious, heartfelt, and fun, even when it stumbles. The team at BINGOBELL clearly poured their hearts into this world, and it shows.
Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac is not a flawless remake—but it’s a surprisingly heartwarming one. It enhances visuals, smooths out rough edges in control, and layers in replay value without losing the core DNA of the original.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a great return for the series. Sure, it deviates from the first two entries, but has its own appeal. This is a quality Platinum Games release, which I know is hit and miss at times. Team Ninja and Platinum is a good combo and it feels good to have the series back.
Silent Hill f is a solid entry in the series even if it bucks all the reason to be a Silent Hill game. I still feel like this would have been a great original title. The combat is its biggest weakness and the chasm of fun between the real world and the Shrine Realm really drives that home. I am glad Silent Hill is back, but I do wish they had made the combat a bit more fun and interesting.
Earthion is a stellar shooter that not only captures the heart of Genesis shooters, but brings the genre forward with stellar visuals, interesting mechanics, and a soundtrack that I could blast on repeat. I love that we live in a world where a game like this can exist. If you grew up loving titles like Hellfire, Truxton, and Musha, this is definitely a game for you. I cannot recommend it enough.
If you’re a shmup fan, this is an easy recommendation. If you’re curious but hesitant, prepare for pain—but maybe the good kind. And if you just want something flashy to show off your Series X, well… this ain’t it.
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Ghost of Yōtei is another outstanding achievement by the team at Sucker Punch. While I didn’t love it as much as its predecessor, it is still one of the best games to launch this year. Sony continues to push the envelope when it comes to single player experiences. I just wish they would step outside of the template more often. This game hits all the notes I expected, for better or worse, and it suffered at times because of it. It rarely disappointed me, but it also rarely blew my socks off. I wanted to love it more, but it just played some parts too safe to make it stand out.
Mafia: The Old Country is a solid entry in the long-running franchise. I love the focus on the story, and the runtime is welcome in a world of bloat. The performances are stellar and the visuals fantastic outside of the performance issues. Anyone who enjoys a good mob story should not miss this.
Bubsy is a weird character. So many old school gamers know and love him but will freely admit they are bad games. Yet here we are in the year of our lord 2025 and getting one of the best compilations created for a collection of games that so many people do not enjoy. I love it. We need to preserve all games, and I only wish we could get collections like this for every series that has been forgotten by time. This won’t make you love Bubsy, but if you have even an ounce of nostalgia, this is a no-brainer.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is an impressive first effort by Sega to re-ignite their classic franchises. The year of the ninja has delivered, and if the rest of their lineup is this good, we are in for a treat. The campaign is short enough to digest, long enough to keep players coming back, and overall is just a blast to play. Even if you don’t have nostalgia for the original games, this is worth checking out. Now bring back Eternal Champions cowards!
Madden 26 is the biggest upgrade in years. The revamped franchise mode is great, the on-field mechanics are a welcome change, and it just feels good to play. I ran into several glitches early on, that seem to have been ironed out over the weeks after release.
So, the big question is this worth revisiting with the HD collection with the original already existing. For me it is a mixed bag. I loved revisiting this absolute classic. The new visuals really do look amazing, and the minor quality of life improvements make it easier to just enjoy the game. Still, I would have loved to see so much more included or updated.
Gradius Origins is a phenomenal package that has just about everything you could want from one of these. The games included are incredible, they created a new entry just for the collection, and the additions and inclusions are simply amazing.
Donkey Kong Bananza should have launched with the Switch 2. This is the first game that has made me super excited to own the console. This is the next great platformer from Nintendo and gives me even more excitement for the next proper Mario game. DK holds his own though and I cannot recommend this enough. If you have a Switch 2, this game should be in your library.
Cyber Clutch: Hot Import Nights is a game that looks good on paper and screenshots but falls short in several aspects. The biggest issue is the AI and handling, which are key components of a racing game.
While this collection doesn’t have a marquee title to boast, the games included here are definitely fun. I enjoyed revisiting these as well as playing something I had missed when it came out. I love these old collections and hope we continue to see more of them. Bring on Volume 4 and let’s get even weirder with it.
Shadow Labyrinth is a hard game to nail down. It does some cool things here and there but is bogged down by poor level design and tedious Metroidvania game play. I wanted to love it, but came away just slightly entertained.