With production values that are through the roof and an extremely engaging story, Death Stranding is among Hideo Kojima's best games. The moment-to-moment gameplay, however, falls short due to its repetitiveness, and the long stretches without any real action make it difficult to recommend the game to all open-world fans. Death Stranding is something different, and only approaching it with an open mind will reveal the brilliance of its themes, its characters and its hauntingly beautiful dystopian world.
With its excellent world-building and intriguing story, P.A.M.E.L.A could have been a great survival game, but it sadly fails to reach the must-have status due to a variety of issues. The game can still be an enjoyable experience, but how much really depends on the player's tolerance for mediocre combat, bad enemy AI and the many technical issues.
Despite some interesting mechanics that make the game feel like a true adaptation of a tabletop RPG, The Dark Eye: Book of Heroes is a cRPG that needed a lot more time in the oven. With some technical issues to boot, it is really impossible to recommend the game in its current state to any type of RPG enthusiast, as there are classic and modern games that offer much better experiences.
Roguelikes aren't for everyone, but The Persistence manages to show that a few tweaks to the usual experience can make wonders for accessibility. With a great atmosphere, intriguing setting, and great mechanics that allow for a variety of play styles, The Persistence is a more than worthy game for both roguelike diehards and those looking to finally get into the genre.
Deep Rock Galactic features everything a first-person shooter needs to be great: excellent mission variety and character design, an engaging gameplay loop, smooth co-op and huge amount of content.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a masterful modernization of the series' classic formula. The game is an extremely solid JRPG that looks, sounds and plays great, despite some pacing issues and linearity. That said, the unexpected story twists may sour the experience a bit for those who expected a faithful remake.
Bleeding Edge is an interesting combination of features taken from Overwatch, MOBAs and character action games, featuring a solid character roster, a good map selection and two plays modes that feel varied enough. The limited amount of content and the lack of a ranked mode, however, make it difficult to recommend the game as a stand-alone purchase as of now. As an Xbox Game Pass game, however, Bleeding Edge works much better, as players can wait for new content to drop without having to spend money just to get the game.
Sadly, the general lack of polish and low amount of content damage the experience in the end, making Warlander a game that can be recommended only to the most die-hard fans of the Souls series
The Surge 2: The Kraken offers a new area to explore, new enemies to fight, new items to find and new side-quests to complete. Sadly, the new content is not particularly meaningful, and the short length makes the DLC a worthy purchase only for those who love the main campaign.
Darksiders Genesis manages to twist the series' formula successfully, offering plenty of engaging puzzle-solving and treasure hunting, both elevated by the good mission and location design. Repetitive combat, lack of a true loot system and a few other issues prevent the game from being a must-buy for everyone, but Darksiders fans will surely enjoy their time with the game, even more if they have a friend to play with.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is yet another excellent game developed by Respawn. With its excellent story, charming characters, engaging platforming and combat mechanics, the game is a must-buy for any self-respecting Star Wars fan, despite a lack of innovation which doesn't truly harm the experience as a whole.
With its solid gameplay mechanics, excellent world-building and character development, The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel III is an excellent Japanese role-playing and a more than worthy new entry in the long-running series. Some small flaws like slow pacing do not impact the experience as much as the lack of knowledge about the entire series do, which lessens the impact of several events and plot development. This makes Trails of Cold Steel III a game that must be played only after the previous two entries in the series have been completed.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a very good 2.5D platform featuring a familiar experience heavily inspired by the Donkey Kong Country series and some interesting mechanics for the overworld map which deepen and expand the experience. While the game is not innovative in any way, it's an extremely enjoyable experience that no fan of platform games should pass on.
The Surge 2 is a definite improvement over the original game in pretty much every possible way. Combat is much faster and smoother, with an offense-oriented focus that makes it even more engaging, exploration is much more interesting thanks to the improved world design and the story will keep players moving from one dangerous district of Jericho City to the next in search of answers. The technical issues currently found in the game, unfortunately, do damage the experience a bit, and so does the fact that, despite the changes, The Surge 2 doesn't offer anything substantially different from the original game.
Blair Witch is, undoubtedly, a very good horror with an enjoyable, albeit a little predictable story, great atmosphere and more involving gameplay, which all take full advantage of the license. Despite some issues here and there, like the excessive linearity, little replay value and technical issues, the game is definitely among the best titles created by Bloober Team. Recommended to all horror games fans
Astral Chain is, without a doubt, one of the best games ever released by Platinum Games and one of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives to date.
Mutant Year Zero: Seed of Evil is a good expansion, introducing a new compelling mystery, a powerful new character and some brand new locations. Sadly, it includes very little gameplay changes, and the new weapons, upgrades and ability ranks do not force players to change their tactical approach over the original game. Still, the additional content is definitely enjoyable, making Seed of Evil an essential purchase to all those who love Mutant Year Zero.The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a dream come true for any Marvel fan thanks to the huge character roster and the serviceable story involving the Infinity Stones. Sadly, the game may not be all that appealing to those who are not particularly invested in the Marvel universe, as the combat and RPG mechanics, while solid, lack depth. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order gets quite repetitive after a while and the lack of content variety also means that even co-op will eventually feel old. A solid effort, for sure, but far from one of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is better than the original game in every possible way, introducing many quality of life improvements and fixing some of the biggest issues like the linear progression system and more. And with a simple yet engaging story, excellent exploration, crafting and building mechanics and multiplayer features, the game is an excellent title that no fan of the Dragon Quest series and sandbox games should pass on, even if they never played the original.The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
The Sinking City is probably the Lovecraft inspired game currently available on the market, thanks to its oppressive atmosphere and its story, which utilizes the lore masterfully without deviating from the canon. AI and technical issues, as well as the clunky combat, are often immersion breaking, but the excellent investigation mechanics and exploration features make it easy to look past these issues. Highly recommended to survival horror fans and those who live and breath Lovecraft.The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.