Though it's a small package, Unto the End manages to deliver both an amazing visual experience and surprisingly deep combat systems. You won't want to miss the sort of adventure that will keep you coming back for more punishment, death after death.
Despite being the second go-round for Chronos, Before the Ashes does feel like a decent take on the popular From Software Souls formula. It's stripped-down design, while somewhat rewarding, does tend to leave a bit to be desired in the depth department. And though it may have been a welcome sight in the barren VR landscape of four years ago, trying to simply re-release the same experience without progressing the gameplay any further ends up leaving quite a bit to be desired. Unless you are extremely invested in learning more about the back story of the Remnant universe, you'd probably be better off dodging this skirmish entirely.
When you take a step back and look at the game as a whole, MLB The Show 20 is exactly the experience I was expecting. There was very little that wowed, and even less that evolved more than incrementally this season. And while this is still easily the best baseball title ever released, it did very little to raise the bar over its prior installment. If you are hard up for action on the diamond, rest assured that this will help to temporarily satiate your desires. However, if you have last season's installment, you may not need to make the upgrade this trip around the calendar.
It's highly unlikely that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is going to be winning any awards for originality or genre-defining evolutions. That said, it's a perfectly competent tactics experience, set in a world that many have grown to love. If you're looking for solid gameplay mechanics, featuring an interesting narrative and meaty campaign, this may be just what the Mender ordered.
So, for those keeping track at home, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is an extremely authentic port of the PC experience that stays very close to the source material. It certainly doesn't hurt matters much when you consider how legitimately stellar the writing is. If it weren't for the unfriendly control scheme and obscene loading times, this could very well have been an early contender for best PS4 RPG of 2020. Regardless, it can still easily stand on its own as an extremely solid title that's very much worth your attention.
As an interesting intellectual exploration of the role that word-of-mouth plays in storytelling, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine plays like a proof of concept that never graduated beyond an initial prototyping stage. Sure, it has plenty of narratives to uncover, but ultimately the repetitive, shallow mechanics prevent the experience from meeting its full potential. Despite the best efforts of the excellent visual presentation and voice acting, the net product is a hollow shell of what it could've been.
While there were many compelling reasons to take a chance on Golem, there were far too many technical issues marring the overall experience. When consumed in bits-and-pieces, the component parts could all stand on their own with little problem. It's only when these individual parts coalesced that the seams begin to show a bit more prominently. Fortunately for everyone involved, it seems like the team over at Highwire Games are dedicated to fixing these foundational blunders. However, until these overhauls have been completed, I'd recommend taking a cue from Twine and sitting this one out.
There’s no need to consult Yoda, Fallen Order absolutely deserves to appear in your immediate future.
Despite faint glimpses of the greatness that could’ve been, you’d be better served waiting for the proper reboot that this franchise absolutely deserves.
The argument could be made that if GRID had been an early-generation PS4 title, it would've been a bit more praised than it will be this late in the console's life cycle. As that may be true, the title's genuinely compelling AI mechanics and multi-faceted livery of vehicles help it stand on its own as the proper reboot that this franchise deserves. It may not feature all of the bells and whistles that we've grown accustomed to in 2019, but it's certainly a solid foundation to rebuild a brand around.
Despite some of its difficulties, Tropico 6 is a perfectly adequate port of an impressively layered and comically disarming PC experience. It isn't going to be lighting the world on fire, as far as innovation is concerned, but I wouldn't be surprised to see El Presidente try it on the forts of his opposition. If you've been hankering for the next chance to embrace your inner fascist, this should be a fantastic way to satiate the bloodlust.
If you’ve been looking for a reason to take the plunge and upgrade, consider this your penalty kick in the pants.
It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they've certainly made up enough ground to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the competition.
As I've attempted to pound home several times at this point, none of these enhancements should really be classified as true game-changers. If you made the plunge last year and you're looking for NHL 20's one marquee feature that makes this a must-buy, there really isn't an overarching reason to upgrade. Pure and simple. That said, this year's outing has plenty of incremental improvements that deliver a superior experience to what you would've played twelve months ago. Allow your level of fandom to dictate if this purchase is right for you. Ultimately, regardless of where you land, you won't be disappointed.
At the risk of sounding overly infatuated, I cannot begin to understand how the hell Torchlight II has aged so well. The art style, combat mechanics, and even loot drop loop are so finely tuned that it feels like the game fits in as well now as it did, seven years ago. With the obvious exception of the big boys over at Blizzard, the argument could be made that this is the best dungeon crawler on current generation consoles. Factor in the price tag of a mere $20, and this becomes an instant must buy. Just do yourself a favor and download this game. You can thank me later. …Don't worry. I'll wait.
There's still plenty of room for Decay of Logos to mature into a quality experience. However, it's hard to shake the feeling that with these many issues, it had no business being released at this point in time. Through diligent work and keeping a keen ear to the community, these missteps can be overcome. But really, the paying audience shouldn't have to be your QA team. Unless you are fond of the "early access" style of unpolished releases, you should absolutely steer clear of this cataclysmic clusterfuck.
If you're looking for a beefy console RTS experience that's inspired by real events and oozing violence out of every bloody orifice, then look no further than Ancestors Legacy. It may not be the perfect experience, but it's shockingly solid, especially when you consider the design hurdles that the development team must have been facing. This is the perfect entry-point for anyone who's been curious about real time strategy, when armed with only a Dualshock.
Is Sairento VR a masterpiece of technical innovation? Far from it. But despite its obvious visual and mechanical shortcomings, the game knows what it does well and takes every opportunity double-down on delivering this experience. You will find very few games on the PSVR that can provide a combat experience this frenetic, kinetic, and goddamn amusing. If you're looking to take a slice out of crime and indulge your inner ninja, this one's a cut above the rest.
Bluntly put, I found Madden NFL 20 to be a fairly vanilla entry in the franchise.
One of the staples of an awesome game is the fact that it leaves you jonesing for more. Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark accomplishes this with a style and grace of a bygone era of game design. Here's to hoping there is more content on the way, because I can't wait for my next dose of tactical action.