Alex Santa Maria
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
- Burnout 3: Takedown
Alex Santa Maria's Reviews
With its impeccable style and fast action, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a prime example of Metroidvanias at their best and worst. Setting a foundation for greatness, a follow-up that overcomes those weaknesses could truly take the throne.
Everspace 2 tells an interesting story in a massive galaxy that's worth exploring, even if the limitations of its scope creep in from time to time.
Just like the product on TV, 2K23 isn't perfect, but it's much improved, crowd-pleasing, and often enjoyable compared to the rocky past of the franchise.
Lone Ruin is a stylish good time while it lasts, but players will want more before too long.
Need For Speed Unbound is anything but. EA's latest is a bog-standard entry in the racing series with a muddled presentation and a limited feature set.
McPixel 3 delivers a unique brand of humor that you can't find anywhere else, but it's sometimes a struggle to work past its aging mechanical structure.
I See Red starts off strong and then immediately falters with shoddy controls, repetitive missions, and lackluster graphics. But at least it's got style.
Gotham Knights has plenty of great ideas to shake up the Batman formula, but never quite gets them together for an all-star team-up. Instead, it's a forgettable game that will only please the most diehard DC fans.
Atari Mania is a mess that fails to recall the tight gameplay or pixilated wonder of Atari's past despite its inspired premise.
Flippin Misfits feels held back by its small scope, but its multiplayer mayhem is notable for its innovative spin on zero gravity deathmatch
Metal: Hellsinger masters its genre mashup and provides metalheads and shooter fans alike with an innovative campaign they won't soon forget.
Preserving licensed games is a noble endeavor, and Digital Eclipse are the best in the business, but many of The Cowabunga Collection's inclusions are best left in the '90s.
Yars: Recharged will please fans of the 1981 original, but that isn't enough to excite in this day and age. Poorly implemented upgrades to aged mechanics and a flat presentation make this recharge run out of juice right out of the gate.
I’m glad I spent a few weeks with Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The experience didn’t make me a JRPG diehard, but expanding your horizons is always good. For anyone in a similar boat, this probably isn’t the game to start with, thanks to its overlong length and a combat system that can come off as tedious to the uninitiated.
Cult of the Lamb is devoted to a mix of gameplay styles that just doesn't gel. It's an addictive way to spend a dozen hours, but it's nothing worth your worship.
Redout 2 provides futuristic racing in the same manner that a school cafeteria provides meatloaf. This is a bland vision of the future that fails to capture the attention even despite a solid mechanical footing.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes has a lot going on both in combat and camp, and the result is a game that sometimes feels overstuffed but never fails to satisfy.
Shredder's Revenge brings the turtles out of their shells with great combat, a huge rogues' gallery, and a delightfully bright '80s environment.
WWE 2K22 is a solid effort that overcomes the problems of past years with ease, even if it will only appeal to a certain breed of wrestling fan.
Time Loader is a brief, puzzling journey that never even gets close to 88 miles per hour.