Scott Ellison II's Reviews
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is just a downright fun and adventurous game, one that continues to bring the turn-based tactics genre to a wider audience and also makes its own unique mark in the gaming space. There’s just so much to love about this game, and it’s incredibly easy to recommend it to anybody who’s a fan of tactics games or Mario games. It’s a great one to kick back with and play in short or long sessions, and really the only thing holding it back in any way is that the source material naturally limits the depth and nuance of the story that the game can tell beyond the fairly standard “big bad villain wants to ruin everything” structure. And that’s okay; this is a Mario game after all, a franchise built on big bads wanting to ruin everything over and over again. We don’t come to Mario games for the story (usually), we’re here for the cute, whimsical setting and characters and the highly polished gameplay. Sparks of Hope is a fantastic follow up to the original Mario + Rabbids that meets or exceeds it in every way, and once again it is a title that we are lucky to have the opportunity to play.
Gotham Knights features a lot of perplexing changes, and suffers from being a good game fraught with bad decisions. While I think the combat can be sluggish, and the grind is not especially interesting or engaging, it never stopped me from having fun. When the game gets out of its own way, I was having a blast solving crimes and interacting with my favorite villains. It’s these glimmers of greatness that’ll keep its hold on you just long enough to see the credits. This won’t be able to take on the mantle and legacy that Batman: Arkham Knight left behind, but that’s okay, and so is Gotham Knights.
CULTIC is off to a great start, with Chapter One being an assortment of excellent combat, familiar enemies, and sometimes samey levels. It’s perfect to dig into for this Halloween season, and has a really great atmosphere that can’t be beaten. I’m eager to return to this when Chapter Two is released, as this is only half the story, making it feel a little incomplete. Chapter One of CULTIC offers a Nu-Blood experience, lots of replayability, and tons of memorable and emergent gameplay moments.
Chasm: The Rift has quickly became one of my favorite shooters of all-time with fun weapons, great enemy design, and solid puzzles. It’s a standout game, and now saved through video game preservation. I’ll admit that the game is a bit high-priced, but there’s value here thanks to the remastered visuals and the DOSBox emulation. You’ll get two similar, but different looking experiences from them. Chasm: The Rift is short enough to play in a single sitting, but long enough that you’ll always remember.
Dakar Desert Rally is a way to experience Dakar in digestible chunks, that never overwhelms the player. Admittedly it’s in dire need of some patching, but what’s here is absolutely playable and enjoyable until then. It’s so close to greatness, but the bugs and missing features make it feel not ready and incomplete. Dakar Desert Rally is still a great introduction to the sport, and when the dust settles, what remains is a solid racing game that’s like nothing else.
GOOD BOYS possess the technology and talent to make a well made game, but clearly lack the experience in making it wholly enjoyable. TRAIL OUT asks the player to endure a lot of problems for the pockets of fun you could potentially have. Now, if you can overlook its many rough edges and tedium, it’s essentially the next FlatOut when had in small doses – but Wreckfest this is not. In the end, TRAIL OUT is unfortunately more trouble than it’s worth, and doesn’t come recommended.
Dome Keeper blends resource gathering, defense, and roguelike elements seamlessly. Each run was truly fresh start once you got underground to dig for resources, gadgets, and relics. There’s lots to explore and replay in just a single mode, compound that with other difficulties and configurations, will keep you coming back for more. Bippinbits excels at the micro tactics here, where one small change in how you focus your tech tree can alter the trajectory of the run. Dome Keeper is lovingly crafted, rewards thoughtful play, and has more going on under the surface than it leads on.
Shovel Knight Dig is an absolute treasure to behold, the visuals are so colorful and vibrant, and the soundtrack is equally as bubbly. It’s a wonderful addition to the lore of Shovel Knight without being clumsy or overwrought. It’s a roguelike doesn’t feel like one, and isn’t a slog to get to the good stuff, as every run is an exciting escapade. You won’t have to dig too deep to find the fun, because Shovel Knight Dig is a worthwhile adventure that feels like an evolution of the series for another reason to adore it.
Off-Peak City is an off-beat city with a cast of characters of enigmatic proportions. You’ve not lived until you try to get a bartender to open up to you by either telling a joke or dancing, but perhaps jumping over the bar is more your style. This is one of the most surreal gaming experiences I’ve had, and it’s something I want more of. Having achieved four of its eleven endings, I’m contemplating my next run and what I can do differently. Roll the dice, and give Betrayal At Club Low your time and money, because it’s full of so many surprises and sagacious moments.
Isonzo shouldn’t be overlooked, it’s the most beautiful and haunting World War I multiplayer game I’ve played. Each map is distinct from one another, and the careful selection of encounters highlights the trials and tribulations both sides faced during this two-year war. While there’s only six maps, they offer different approaches to offense and defense during the lengthy and endurance-style matches. Isonzo a historically accurate and deadly authentic multiplayer shooter that teaches you about the horrors of war as much as it entertains.
Actoon Studio gets so much right, and it fills me with joy to recount my time. Now if I were to make one complaint, is that it’s too short of a runtime. The Steam page suggests about two hours of gameplay, and I rolled credits in 90 minutes. While accurate, I felt like I just got going when things wrapped up. I certainly hope there’s DLC or a sequel planned, because I’m rather invested in seeing more of Dan and this world that crumbling. Like No Other: The Legend Of The Twin Books really is like no other, it’s just an honest-to-goodness game that you should definitely check out.
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed prioritizes fun first, and everything else after. It repeats a lot of the same notes and themes of the first game, which in turn make it a little less humorous this time around, but it’s hard to deny the charm Crypto exudes. With this being the 16th anniversary of Destroy All Humans! 2, there’s no better time to play this, and I’m likely to go and complete all the side activities for. Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is offers a sandbox full of toys that compliments its destructive nature, a great way to unwind this back to school season.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is one of the best open-world games out there. While New York City can be bland at times, it’s the playground that makes Spider-Man work so well. The PS4 game remastered for PS5 is now on PC, and it’s the definitive version of such an epic game. Spider-Man has been sorely missed on PC for years, and it’s a great return for the web-slinger. Everything you’ve heard about the game is true, and Insomniac nailed every element of it. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is just incredible, and is one of those games that will stick with you, and you’ll return to often.
Cursed to Golf has solid gameplay, a great soundtrack, a fun retro aesthetic, and even replayability, but it doesn’t have my attention. As it is currently, it just doesn’t come together like it should for a hybrid of golfing and roguelike. I’ve played side-scrolling 2D golf games, but everything is too claustrophobic for my liking, even though it’s essentially a platformer this way. The promise of never-ending gameplay is enticing, but games like Desert Golf just do that better, and the bugs left me wanting to go play something else. Cursed to Golf is far from a bad game, but it’s a game that feels too restrictive and repetitive for its own good that gets in the way of enjoying it to the fullest.
Rollerdrome is simply brilliant, and a worthy contender for Game of the Year. The fact that we’ve gotten two banger games from Roll7 in the same year of this caliber is astounding. The precise controls are what Roll7 does best, coupled with intense combat is pure excellence. The leaderboard chasing among friends and enemies is why you’ll stay, but the Out for Blood mode will be the reason you don’t put it down. Rollerdrome is an exquisite mash-up of maintaining a combo while killing to survive that’s pure kineticism, the de facto “skate or die”.
While the game pokes fun at things or uses a lot of puns for its humor, it’s never at the expense of itself. Fashion Police Squad is not a joke game, it’s actually a seriously cool game with clever parodies and homages to first-person shooters of the past. In fact, it’s innovative for the genre that could offer a dynamic shift of non-violent shooters in the future. It’s witty and smart, and Mopeful Games really have something special here. Fashion Police Squad is Avant Garde, shaking up what a first-person shooter can be for others to follow.
It was hard imagining how running a campus could achieve the wackiness of Two Point Hospital, but Two Point Campus proves that college-level humor will go a long way. It’s a familiar yet wildly different game that carves its own path, a sequel that delivers in every aspect. I laughed out loud at the goings on at these themed universities, I applauded the bespoke animations each prop has, and I love how clever this game is. This management sim cannot be overlooked, Two Point Campus is a ridiculously charming and endlessly playable.
You’ll reap what you sow as you cultivate a cult following towards you goals. While it has many gameplay elements that are introduced over time, it can get overwhelming. This is a bigger game than it lets on, that said, I enjoyed engaging with everything it had to offer me. Cults have never been cuter, and the art style is a perfect match for the personality with such dark undertones that many will flock to. Cult of the Lamb is every bit successful as a roguelike as it is a colony management sim for a truly rich experience.
The exploration is great, characters and interactions feel special, and left to your own detective skills in some cases to track down the next lead or find a wanted criminal. It’s a game that’s mission-based, but is a cohesive and streamlined to be really enjoyable and kinetic. While it puts the “hard” in hard west, it is a wholly satisfying combat experience. Bravado is going to be a mechanic we see with a different name but used the same across future turn-based RPGs. while not totally new, just remember that Hard West 2 is out here reminding everyone how great it is. Ice Code Games nailed this, and Hard West 2 is a paramount purchase for anyone who enjoys the wild west, supernatural, or turn-based strategy games.
Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course is another triumph of style and substance. At $7.99, you’re dining good at not only is a great price but a great reason to return to the Inkwell Isles. It’s a smorgasbord of content with so much new added, and can now be considered complete with this release. This last morsel of gaming greatness is something that should be savored. Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course is a required and essential piece of DLC that would make the rest of the game feel incomplete otherwise.