Kyle LeClair
I really was hoping that Reverse x Reverse would turn out to be more than a merely average puzzle-platformer, but alas, it was not to be. Good level design and challenging gameplay sadly end up getting hindered by cheap shots, questionable controls and an underdeveloped premise. Code and Rithm may have been sent out on a quest to fix their game's technical issues, but it's a shame there was no one around to make sure the rest of it was as up to shape as possible as well.
Dust & Neon has all of the tools and gunslinging gameplay needed to offer up a good time, but it's hindered by a lack of story or characters to be invested in, bad AI on occasions and a structure that just ends up dragging things out for too long.
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue isn't necessarily a hot mess or a dumpster fire, but it is a rather unstable experiment made of promising elements that went up in smoke. The basic platforming and firefighting action is enjoyable enough, but the rest of the possible enjoyment is buried under a mound of RNG, bad procedurally-generated levels and a lack of good progression. Unless you're up for a big challenge, this is one title likely to leave you cold instead.
The cyberpunk world of The Ascent seems dazzling on the surface, but much like your standard cyberpunk world, the grime underneath all of the neon and futuristic landscapes ends up revealing a hefty mess once you go exploring it.
Stonefly had all of the right parts to create an impressive and cool-looking machine, but unlike its heroine, it wasn't able to fully assemble them properly.
Watch Dogs: Legion aims to be a truly ambitious entry in the series with its Legion system, but to paraphrase Ian Malcolm, the developers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
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.
Despite how negative I may have seemed there, I do genuinely want The Dark Pictures Anthology to continue and succeed (the game even seems to tease the next entry in it, seemingly already in the works), as I loved Until Dawn and would love to see more similar experiences from Supermassive. But despite having the same solid mechanics as its big brother, Man of Medan starts the anthology off on a thoroughly "meh" note, thanks its unimpressive, poorly-constructed story.
While SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy has the potential to be a fun hunk of cheese and fanservice, ultimately it relies too much on the game's premise to carry things.
Morphies Law is the rare multiplayer game these days where the offline mode is the vastly superior option.
OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes has all of the makings of an astounding beat-'em up thanks to its fun and action-packed combat, as well as a style and flavor in all areas that perfectly matches the show and is guaranteed to please fans. Sadly, it does not have the makings of an astounding RPG, though, and the bare-bones quests and overall story that goes on for too long renders the whole deal overly repetitive.
At its core, Genital Jousting is a decent and competent multiplayer game, but once you get your initial chuckles out of the way when it comes to its premise, it becomes clear that what you see on display isn't really going to rise above "decent" and "competent.
Kirby Battle Royale is by no means a bad game overall, but it just has so little content that it barely warrants a lengthy play session, let alone a purchase. The mini-games themselves are fun and well-designed, but the overall package doesn't do any of them justice. If you need a dose of classic Kirby action, you'd be better off waiting for the upcoming Switch game, because this is one party that you can safely skip going to.
Sundered has the basic foundation for a metroidvania/roguelike hybrid down pat, but its poor handling of enemy distribution and the otherwise fine combat that comes with it sadly drags it down.
Tokyo 42 has a lot of potential, and moments of greatness where it can deliver satisfying action, but unfortunately gets bogged down by an annoying camera and notable structure issues and technical snafus.
Blackwood Crossing begins with the promise of a fantastic and emotional journey, and provides one from beginning to end when it comes to a terrific story, but in terms of gameplay, the journey ends well before we can even take a stroll to the dining car or the like.
If you’re looking for a game that will completely sell you on the Touhou series and turn you into a fan, Touhou Genso Rondo: Bullet Ballet probably won’t do it, as it really feels like a weak entry with a lack of substance that doesn’t show off a lot of Touhou’s potential beyond the ability to have a massive amount of bullets appear on the screen.
As a five-dollar indie game, The Legend of Kurasaki is a competent time-waster, but nothing more than that.
What it boils down to is that if you have two or more controllers and the appropriate amount of friends to play with, then you should check out Overcooked, but if you’re looking to dine alone, then you had best move on.
If you were trying to convince your past self as to why FMV games would have a miniature comeback, The Bunker probably wouldn’t be the best example to use.