Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is fast, frenetic and frustrating and makes no pretences about the kind of game that it is.
The Wonder Boy Collection is a solid retro collection that finally puts some respect on old Tom-Tom's name (and Asha's as well, for that matter). Despite some anachronistic design elements and difficulty spikes due to the earlier titles' arcade origins, all four titles included here are well worth diving into if you're a fan of classic gaming and, if nothing else, the theme song from the first title is a straight up banger.
There's an old saying that goes "You can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter". Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is almost the exact opposite of that proverb, with the core foundation of the three titles still retaining their charm, albeit in an anachronistic way, but the sterling gold nugget that is the original trilogy is now slathered in so many scoops of steaming shit that it's hard to appreciate them for what they are.
Although a solid offering overall, one can't help but feel that the series has taken a step backwards in terms of the content available as well as the era depicted; instead of expanding upon the almost non-linear structure of the Cold War campaign we instead get a safe reversion back to the standard model and the Zombies mode is barebones as all get out no matter how you slice it.
If you're a fan of puzzle and adventure titles like the Broken Sword series, as well as more intimate character focused experiences that derive a lot of its influence from cultural folklore, such as the aforementioned Never Alone, then Röki is more than deserving of your time. It's not the longest experience but is engaging throughout and spins a yarn that is honestly one of the more emotionally affecting I've experienced this year.
Lost in Random wears its visual influences on its sleeve and is more than worth a look for those who are fans of that kind of aesthetic alone. The story grabs you immediately and maintains a steady drip-feeding of excitement throughout its playtime and the game is just overall a refined and lovingly crafted adventure that will appeal to even those who are generally turned off by "card battle" games, as the content and gameplay here goes much deeper than that.
The core gameplay loop is definitely not for everyone but the rewards for persisting are well worth pursuing here. The gunplay and movement feels absolutely divine and the "one more run" approach to the gameplay is certainly addictive and unique amongst larger budgeted titles.
Doom 3 VR suffers somewhat from being a product of its time, and not everything works after this transition to VR. The game experience itself is fairly solid, offering up around 13 hours or so of content, but the movement and gunplay can feel a bit janky at times regardless of which control method you're using.
Nioh 2 is an fast, frantic and fluid action-RPG experience that will appeal to fans of Code Vein, Dark Souls and Sekiro for its intricate combat and role-playing systems, extensive character customisation and striking historic fantasy Japanese setting. While the storytelling for the main narrative mostly falls flat and is confusing to follow, the rest of the package more than holds up against its predecessor. The game presents a great challenge for those willing to put in the time to master its numerous playstyles it caters, so it might not be a great fit for those seeking a more casual adventure.
Probably the safest entry in the series of late, it's fairly safe to say that if you like Call of Duty games then you'll most likely enjoy what Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has to offer.
Overall, if you're a fan of Nioh 2 and desire some more Yokai slashing action, then there is definitely enough on offer here to justify picking this up. My main issue is that this DLC, much like the final DLC for the first game, is where I just finally have become burnt out on being expected to run through another full playthrough on an extremely crushing difficulty.
Maneater gets a fairly rudimentary upgrade to PS5, and although the flashy lighting and other additions are welcome, some more quality of life and performance changes wouldn't have gone astray. The inability to transfer save files may also be a bit of a pain for those who previously played through, as there isn't too much incentive to dive back in again.
Intended to complement Spider-Man: Miles Morales, this return to the game that started it all is well worth taking a gander at, even if ironically being bundled with Miles may have cast an even larger light on Spider-Man: Remastered's flaws, as the tighter story and streamlined objectives of the former really draw attention to the more grindier portions present in the later stages of the game.
Make no mistake, the Tony Hawk series is back in all of its resplendent glory. It's awesome seeing the Birdman back up on his perch and coming back to these games after a decade of unworthy entries really felt like a revelation as I was immediately reminded of how much I'd been missing the series from my life.
With the crumbling edifice of the world being chipped away every day by the chisel of COVID-19, it's a welcome comfort diving back into these three games and reliving the classic days of Mario's early adventures in the third dimension.
Although a bit light on main missions, the amount of new content on offer here makes The Tengu's Disciple a must for anyone who enjoyed the base game. The new weapon is a blast to use and the new difficulty ensures that those players who had capped out all of their gear and explored all regions fully will now have an incentive to play through not just the new content but also previous missions as well.
If you liked the tainted dreamlike aesthetic of games like Inside and the exploration and platforming of titles like Ori and the Blind Forest and Hollow Knight, but also appreciate a tightly constructed narrative then you can do far worse than giving Neversong a few hours of your time.
I was really hoping that this game would make me feel like a "goddamned sexual Tyrannosaurus" but unfortunately I'm sure Jesse Ventura's character would compare it to a wildly politically incorrect and anachronistic slur instead.
Obviously my experiences with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered (and you can bet that's the last time I'm typing that unwieldy title in its entirety) are affected somewhat by the fact that this was my first time playing through, but woowee boy, what a campaign it is.
Ultimately, how much enjoyment you get out of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX depends upon how big of a fan of the franchise you are; the gameplay, whilst nothing revolutionary, is solid enough to grab your attention but really does start get grindy as all get out by the later stages of the game.