In the end, a traditional review may be rather pointless, since the Deadly Premonition games operate on the same level as a film such as The Return of Captain Invincible (possibly the lone cult '80s film that York shockingly doesn't reference): something that operates on a completely different plane of reality than the rest of us, one where the mere notions of "good" and "bad" don't really apply.
Thanks to impressive level design, a nice range of cool abilities to try out and a spark of something truly unique (pun semi-intended), Wildfire succeeds at delivering a great stealth experience, even if it can be demanding at times.
It would be easy to dismiss a game like Monster Train as nothing more than yet another entry into the ever-increasing deck-building genre upon first glance, but after just a short while playing it, its various complexities begin to reveal themselves, making for deep gameplay that keeps you coming back for just one more run.
Honestly, there isn't a whole lot to be said about Sludge Life without giving away its more memorably bizarre bits, of which there are many. It's a twisted, hellish, yet surprisingly charming playground that you'll want to spend a good (if small) chunk of time in, soaking in the off-kilter surrounds, humor and visuals. For a game that basically revolves around a filthy hellhole, there's still a lot of care that was put into making it a unique and fun hellhole and it shows.
With a few more tweaks in certain areas when it comes to the difficulty and improved farming controls, Atomicrops could easily be a terrific roguelike shooter.
Huntdown is awesome, plain and simple.
While its story missions and their variety can be improved upon, especially when it comes to the endgame, Maneater is an absolute blast.
Bleeding Edge has a ton of potential, largely thanks to its fun and well-designed combat, colorful style and characters, and nicely-crafted levels and goals that emphasize the need for teamwork and strategy.
While some overly long levels and a few frustrating hazards threaten to hamper the game's enjoyment, the amazing and cathartic action in Bloodroots still finds a way to power through these flaws in order to help deliver one highly enjoyable game.
The games included in the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection aren't always perfect, but they're still a ton of fun to take on thanks to some impressive stories, graphics and a nice level of challenge. Like the previous Legacy Collections for the Classic and X series, it's something fans will love to rediscover or even discover for the first time and is worth picking up. It's an odd chapter of Mega Man history, but one worth learning about again.
Darksiders Genesis easily cements itself as not just a great entry into the franchise, but also as a fine action-packed dungeon crawler in general.
While Blacksad: Under the Skin shows a lot of promise in its story, world and a couple of neat gameplay mechanics that help put you right in Blacksad's shoes, it unfortunately suffers when it comes to the execution.
Black Future '88 is almost a quintessential throwback to '80s arcade games, with rock-solid gameplay taken straight from the era and mixed in with several interesting and unique gameplay twists.
Superliminal has a unique concept for a puzzle game and nice and trippy visuals to accompany it, but alas, that's the majority of what it has going for it.
While Afterparty arguably doesn't quite hit the same overall heights as its older sibling, it still manages to deliver one amazing adventure of its own, largely thanks to a terrific sense of humor, a unique story, and some truly astounding writing and dialogue.
While it has its occasional little issues here and there, Felix the Reaper stands out as one of the year's best puzzlers.
It would be easy to say that you should just wait until later to pick up Killer Queen Black once more content has poured in, but no, you should check it out as soon as you can.
Concrete Genie could have simply been a game about painting and creating virtual pets that you can interact with and it still would have been a fantastic little game.
Let it be known that one needs to really play Sayonora Wild Hearts in order to truly experience it.
Be it alone or with friends (though the latter is the more recommended option), Heave Ho is still a truly unique and challenging platforming adventure with a ton of charm.