Mollie L Patterson's Reviews
I don’t think I’m being unfair at all to Microsoft Flight Simulator to say that suggesting a purchase for those outside of the flight sim fanatic crowd is complicated. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, however, this is one of the easiest recommendations I can make, even if I’m still a ways out from being able to formulate any sort of final opinion. This is an exciting and enthralling video game experience the likes of which rarely come around, and if you’re already paying Microsoft a subscription fee, there should be nothing stopping you from giving it a try.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving Game Builder Garage a score or full evaluation until I’ve made a game of my own that I consider to be complete and finished, but I’m still far from having any clue what that actually means. One of my personal goals is to make a multiplayer party game that my friends will legitimately enjoy, but I still need to come up with a concept and plan out its design, let alone start building it to see if it’ll all come together. How do I put a timeframe on that, when the very first step is reliant on creativity and inspiration? And then, how much time will I need for coding, testing, bug fixing, focus testing, and so on?
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster brings back one of the most celebrated and beloved entries from the Megami Tensei franchise nearly 20 years after its original debut. The original Nocturne was a heck of a JRPG in its time, and Atlus has now upgraded it with higher-resolution widescreen visuals, richer vocal tracks, and some much-appreciated quality of life upgrades. Unfortunately, it also misses some areas of the game that equally needed touching up (such as the controls and camera), and it's hard not to feel like the game deserved a full remake rather than just a remaster.
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir is a captivating window not only into Nintendo's past, but also into the past of adventure games as a whole. While it retains some of the gameplay frustrations that plagued the genre back in its earlier days, The Missing Heir offers a gripping murder mystery at its core, wrapped in video and audio upgrades that freshen up the experience for a whole new generation of would-be detectives.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487129… remakes an under-appreciated action RPG for a new era of consoles and players, giving us another look into the beautifully bizarre mind of creator Yoko Taro. Replicant isn't the most impressive remake on a technical or visual level, but it's received some very welcome upgrades, such as an improved combat system. More importantly, the thing that didn't need fixing wasn't broken: the original's captivating storyline and cast of characters. Everything in that regard is still here as it should be, just told through the eyes of the initially intended protagonist, and with a few pieces of originally cut content restored.
Gnosia takes the classic social game of Werewolf and transforms it into a single-player graphical adventure experience. Arguing against the computer in an attempt to determine who is the human-killing alien in your group is far more dynamic and exciting than you'd ever expect this type of game to be. Unfortunately, its compelling gameplay gets tarnished somewhat by the requirement to go through those searches so many times that their charm can wear off. Still, Gnosia's engrossing story and fantastic cast of characters make the game's duller moments worth getting through in the end.
Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection marks the return of Capcom's brutally challenging action platformer series after a 14-year hiatus, and it's a game that hasn't forgotten the teachings or techniques of its ancestors. While it's more of a "best of" for the series than a fresh new chapter, Resurrection is both a trip down memory lane, and a new experience that'll test both longtime fans and players alike. It probably won't resurrect the Ghosts 'n Goblins franchise for a new era, but at least it reminds us that both Arthur and his enemies aren't ready for the grave quite yet.
The Medium builds upon a lot of gameplay gimmicks and ideas that aren't always used to their full potential, but when they do work, they work incredibly well. Controlling main character Marianne as she jumps between worlds is both engrossing and exciting in practice, and the game's main location serves its job as a setting for horror masterfully most of the time. This is a game that definitely could have been better-but which is also better than a lot of other horror games that don't take such daring risks.
While the idea of a Western studio completely reworking what is arguably FromSoftware's most important title ever was initially worrying for many fans, what Bluepoint Games has accomplished with Demon's Souls is something special. This is a game that honors its origins without being afraid to also modernize them, and though it might not offer enough modernization for some, this is probably the best balance between keeping what works and upgrading what didn't that we could have gotten.
While many may initially see it as a throwaway free demo for the features of the next-generation console it comes installed on, Astro's Playroom is a wonderful surprise whose price does not speak to its quality. Though it certainly does showcase what the PlayStation 5's new DualSense can do, the game actually has far more value being just that: a game.
Still, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a project on a level of scope and ambition that Vanillaware was crazy to try to pull off. While the team continually pushes the complexity of the story to the breaking point all of the way through, there’s something oddly satisfying about a game that always feels like it should be falling apart yet never does. And, when you brush aside all of the narrative craziness, there are thirteen personal stories that at times can have a surprising level of emotional depth.
At least in my time with it, Wasteland 3 has been a fascinating experience. I’ve come to appreciate its depth of gameplay, character, building, and exploration, even if some of its pieces and parts still feel very foreign to me.
Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection has most of what it takes to be a definitive collection of SNK's legendary fight game series, but just misses the mark in the end. All of the games thankfully play and feel as they should, and there's a tremendous wealth of quality bonus features included. Unfortunately, its basic approach to online versus means it'll be harder to find matches among the smaller playerbase. Still, for both older franchise fans, and fighting game players looking to finally dig into the series, this is probably the best Samurai Shodown collection we've ever gotten.
Ghost of Tsushima falls short of the kind of gameplay we expect from developer Sucker Punch at this point, but then excels all other expectations in its storytelling and world building. Protagonist Jin Sakai and the rest of the cast are all fantastic characters, and the tale they tell is one worth experiencing—even in those moments where the gameplay may falter.
Project Warlock is a first-person shooter created by a tiny indie team that punches way above its weight. While its reason for existence may initially seem to be for paying homage to its genre's forefathers, Project Warlock quickly grows into a game all its own, providing an enthralling shooter experience all the way to the end.
No matter if you want something to help pass the time, are looking for new ways to connect with family and friends, or simply wish you could finally learn how to play those classic card and board games you've yet to try, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics is a stellar collection that provides an extensive selection of games without ever feeling overwhelming.
With the game finally completed and released to the world after nine long years, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories marks the return of Granzella's cult classic series about surviving natural disasters. This time around, the team has traded action set pieces in for a more personal look at the human toll of horrific events—but they've done so without injecting enough humanity into that new direction to make it truly work.
It was always a long shot that a new take on Resident Evil 3 was going to be able to live up to the expectations set by 2019's Resident Evil 2 remake, and that's exactly the case here. Still, beyond a few examples of missed potential, this is another stellar attempt by Capcom to bring its survival horror series into the modern era, and retains a sense of individuality and personality that make it stand out from its peers.
For now, Animal Crossing: New Horizons feels like a no-brainer for fans of the franchise, and a perfect place to start for newcomers—with the exception of ruining every other previous Animal Crossing game, should you ever want to go back to them.
Nioh 2 takes the ideas of its predecessor and greatly expands on them, bringing a greater sense of depth to everything from gameplay, to stage design, to your ability to have a main character customized to your particular play style (and visual preferences). Admittedly, some of the simpler elegance of the original Nioh has been lost in the progress, but the result is still a game that'll terrorize and thrill those looking for a real challenge.