Cory Wells's Reviews
Players looking for a sci-fi retro shooter experience with a bit of modernization will no doubt enjoy Rogue Flight out of the box. The replayability comes into question as it comes off more grindy than an arcade shooter or the unlockable roguelike mode should. The visuals and the experience along with the voice acting are superb, while the soundtrack is fantastic and most fans of this genre will enjoy the music alone. The steep PC requirements for an indie title may hurt this in the end, though.
NHL 25 leaves the previous generation behind and opening the doors on changes and improvements the series is in need of.
EA SPORTS has introduced FC IQ to EA SPORTS FC 25 that aims to overhaul the gameplay and add strategy to building teams and approaching game day.
NBA 2K25 is still geared more towards its community but the devs have made it more approachable for casual players than in recent years.
Age of Mythology: Retold eliminates the need to play the original titles as it takes everything from both of those games, modernizes it and brings the experience to 2024. While it lacks the polish of Age of Empires IV, the game remains extremely fun thanks to the mythological units and God Powers that can be recharged and used multiple times. This aspect adds more depth that may have not been there for some players for AOE4. The gameplay aspect does still feel like a RTS from 2002, but the campaign, skirmish and the option of PVE multiplayer will supply a ton of hours to dive into Retold.
Football is played on the field and this is clearly where the development team focused with Madden NFL 25. The changes to the physics are meaningful and can create opportunities that weren't previously available in the series thanks to BOOM Tech. Getting a perfect hit with Hit Stick 2.0 can be satisfying thanks in part to sound of the pads and the visual cue. Receiver and defender interactions when going for the ball are engaging and the offensive line play is fantastic. The steps EA has taken to make Madden look and sound like Sunday are clear. The holdback comes down to the same experience with the modes in the game, albeit some surface level changes. The new broadcast options and the presentation updates help Madden NFL 25 to feel different.
EA put all of its chips into College Football 25, and it truly paid off. People are buying consoles just to play this game. It's a cultural phenomenon and the experience that's provided isn't replicated anywhere else. All the new additions to help make the game stand out including Wear and Tear, Turbo Mode, different coverage shells and added hot routes for pre-play, and basically everything added isn't just a gimmick, it's a substantial change. While some bugs and logic need to be addressed, College Football 25 is undoubtedly the most fun football game to come out in years. Everything College Football is here.
The removal of content hurts this year's official Formula One game. F1 24 went in a bold direction with its physics, but now the game borders on a casual racer due to the lack of difficulty for simulating a Formula One car. Racing will be more aggressive because these cars stay glued to the track with minimal punishment for pushing the car. The graphics and audio options are where the game stands out the best. The ongoing bugs will continue to hamper the experience, so here's to hoping these things are addressed. It's neat to take one of the Legendary Drivers into the career mode, as Senna hasn't been playable in years in the series. The changes to Career Mode are subtle, but a good bit of the modes come down to the same experience previously seen or just a mode to get rewards or a high score. Maybe the overhaul needs to begin with focusing on current-generation systems.
MotoGP 24 sought out to provide what its community requested the most and those small handful of things are readily apparent in the game. Milestone didn't do that much outside of this, but the action on the track and the Career Mode are the highlights to what's offered here. Struggling on the track isn't an issue like it once was, and with the adaptive AI, racing is fun while still providing realism for players. The increase in visual fidelity is nice, but pausing the action may change some minds. A racing game should continue to build on its actual racing and MotoGP 24 does just that.
Anyone who is a fan of South Park needs to play SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY!, especially if they really enjoyed Stick of Truth. The cooperative gameplay with the action/adventure combat element actually makes this more approachable to play with others compared to Stick of Truth, which was a turn-based RPG. If you are not a fan of South Park, some of the gameplay limitations may inhibit the experience as it seems the development team didn't want to over-complicate the gameplay while also focusing on the story being told. With post-game options and the ability to play with others, this adds replayability, but currently it's hard to tell if the longevity will be there unless there are plans for narrative DLC down the road. The horde mode option helps to add to this. The art and combat design here does work, but the main issue comes with the audio complaints with mixing and repetitive lines. The world of South Park is the driving force of SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY!.
San Diego Studio focused on a few primary additions for MLB The Show 24. Adding two Storylines and the way this was produced and the pacing of the gameplay opens the door for the future. These docu-series without taxing gameplay that provide rewards will keep players occupied early, on top of learning about baseball history that includes one of the greatest dynasties of all time. Other changes to Road to the Show and Franchise are noticeable at the surface level, but the experience of both remains unchanged. The same goes into the other modes that are here. The game still feels dated, but the addition of more animations and the emotion that's felt from individual player's faces animations help with upping the experience of each game played.
Tekken 8 is a bold direction in the fighter genre that ultimately leads to it being one of the greatest fighting games of all time. The amount of content that Bandai Namco is offering here is more than ever before seen in a fighting game. The Dark Awakens, while only a few hours long, focuses more on the narrative of Jin and Kazuya with cutscenes and comes close to jumping into JRPG territory. Tekken 8 is about the fighting, and the integration of the Heat System and changes to the fighting system propel the series forward while offering some of the most rewarding fights out there. The visuals and gameplay bring together an experience that's truly next generation. Tekken 7 was an excellent base to go off of for the next game, and Bandai Namco added so much more with Tekken 8. Fans of the long-running series will not only love the additions, but also newcomers to the series will have all the tools laid out for them to get properly acclimated with Tekken.
NFL PRO ERA II offers a solid update over the original and this one would be the one to pick up for those who missed the first one. It's only thirty dollars on PSVR 2 and offers a type of immersion that isn't seen anywhere else. The improved controls are certainly that, but still far from perfect. The continuous Career Mode is a surface level addition, but like much with this game with proper investment, there's a lot more that could go into it. The fact that you can only play as a created player no matter the mode or team is both a blessing and a curse. It would be great to play with different quarterbacks of different sizes and attributes. You are playing against these players, after all. The multiplayer that was added is basically non-existent unless you have a friend who has a headset. The mini-games are more frustrating than they are fun, but the quickest way to play with friends is the Two-Minute Drill. This, and the practice mode, is the best way to get the feel for the game. NFL PRO ERA II is a must play for any football fan who has a headset to use with VR and space to play.
EA SPORTS WRC makes a few moves that are different for the franchise that work, but the difficulty that made DiRT Rally 2 so challenging yet rewarding is missing.
Outside of a straightforward Career Mode and an 0nline mode that has occasional hiccups with connectivity, however, there isn't much to do for a single-player experience. One can train and spar and focus on playing online or taking their created player online with a few different match options, but that's about it. The focus is the fighting, as it should be, and this is where UFC 5 brings home the gold. If there is one UFC game to get, this would be it.
Alan Wake 2 is the perfect release for Halloween as it presents a psychological horror movie into video game format.
If you're a returning player of the Payday franchise, you'll like what Payday 3 offers with multiple heists and keeping its core gameplay design intact.
NHL 24 does do some things that make changes to gameplay in a positive way.
Turn 10 Studios and PlayGround Games have improved the simulation racing aspect with Forza Motorsport. The racing is clearly the focus and the results are best experienced with a wheel as the tire model physics have helped to push this more into sim racing territory.
What EA has done with its relaunched soccer title is define the series going forward.