With all these new systems, it distracts from how great Forza is to play and how gorgeous it is to look at. The dynamic weather is magnificently done and the night races are a hoot to race in. You can feel the road surface changing to the weather and your car responding accordingly. It’s such an amazing game to drive. It’s sad that there are now credit draining hoops you have to go through. New level restrictions placed upon you; creating this vision of a roadblock keeping you from playing a Forza game your way. Not something Turn 10 has forced upon players in the past. Then there is the ever looming threat of those pesky loot boxes. Forza Motorsport is my comfort food, my mac and cheese if you will. It always has been. It’s sad that I have to tear into extra layers of packaging before I can enjoy my meal this year.
Even with the small issues, Sonic Mania is a love letter to Sonic fans. As it should be though, it was designed by fans for the fans. Sonic Mania is right up there with the best Sonic titles and an excellent throwback that longtime fans have been hoping and waiting for – myself included.
My time with Overcooked was a blast and it fully gets my recommendation as a buy, even at full price. But be aware that you won't find nearly as much fun to be had unless you bring together a group who will play in your living room, or kitchen; I'm not one to judge.
The team at Introversion has made a very fun management sim and Double Eleven has done a wonderful job translating the game and it's controls to consoles. It's fun to design a prison and just as fun to run it like a well-oiled machine. That is unless you connect two power generators together causing them to short and lose power to your entire prison leaving the high security prisoners free to wander and kill any guard who happens to cross their path.
When the game first released, it came out around the time of Dark Souls 3 so it shared some of that same space with a game that already has an established base. With the Switch port of Salt and Sanctuary, I feel like this is as good a time as any to pick this one up and give it a shot. If you enjoy these styles of games you can’t do much better in 2D than Salt and Sanctuary.
The Jackbox Party Pack 10 is an excellent bundle of games. There are hours of fun to be had here, and you better believe the laughs and finger-pointing accompanying the Party Packs are here, too. With both Tee K.O. and the new Dodo Re Mi included in Jackbox Party Pack 10, you must absolutely include this Party Pack into your game night itineraries!
Turn10 has another hit on their hands in Motorsport. Where the previous three may have slowly descended with tricks like cards and boosts and the like, Forza Motorsport in 2023 gets us back to what matters: the racing, and with the focus on the CaRPG, ties us even closer to the cars we love to drive. Turn10 plans for this to be an ever-growing game, a live-service title if you will, so if Forza Motorsport is excellent now, one can only imagine how much better this will be down the road.
The Jackbox Party Pack 9 is an excellent bundle of games. There are hours of fun and hilarity to be had with this latest Party Pack, and another reason why the Jackbox Party Pack games need to be included in your game library.
Overall, The Cowabunga Collection is a near-perfect representation of what a fan wants out of the package. 13 great games, an incredible amount of bonus content, and adding optional enhancements make The Cowabunga Collection well worth the $39.99 asking price.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge tickled all my nostalgia keys, and it harkened back to the feeling I got when playing with my turtle action figures in my younger days. Days I would hop between battling toys to turning on my NES to play the TMNT Arcade game with my brother. Even with the license’s low points over the years, Shredder’s Revenge feels like a proper revitalization of a series I’ve grown up loving. So to answer my early question, yes, a modernized 2D brawler in the classic TMNT arcade style can revitalize these four heroes; I just love being a turtle!
Rogue Legacy 2 has entangled me in its grind. It has cracked that code in me where others often get it wrong. Thanks to the randomness of the heroes, the ability to carry over progression, and the fun combat, I have that urge to keep playing. Rogue Legacy 2 will easily sit in my top games of this year and possibly be one of the most fun times I’ve had this year.
Overall, Young Souls is a fantastic beat’em up with those RPG mechanics that fed my loot and number cravings. Toss in the satisfying combat and customizability of each twin’s loadout, and I found something that I’ll want to come back to time and time again.
I have been having a ball with this game; the new combat has made things much more fluid and exciting, the in-game puzzles are still easy yet thought-inducing, and the excellent new upgrade system and unlocks got me itching to dive back into the game to unlock more and more. The Skywalker Saga was first announced in 2019 and has had a delay or two to get to this point, including an unfortunate crunch cycle that the devs have had to deal with. But those delays have paid off. The developers at TT Games have crafted a top-tier LEGO title full of polish and one that has gotten its hooks in me all over again.
Even though Grapple Dog is just one 2D platformer in a sea of them, I believe this can be your one diamond in the rough. It’s a game that feels responsive and is relatively easy for anyone to pick up and play. It isn’t a cakewalk, though, and you will find challenges ahead, but at the same time, you’re going to soak up the bright colors and the fun story, placing this near the top of your lists.
The Jackbox Party Pack 8 is a heck of a bundle and honestly one of the strongest they’ve had as a package; it is the most consistent pack Jackbox Games Inc. has created yet. There are hours of fun and hilarity to be had with Party Pack 8, and this game gives no reason why it can’t be in your library of games.
If you’re looking for something chill to play in between the stressful first-person shooters this holiday season, you can’t go wrong with this calm puzzle game, one that doesn’t overstay its welcome either, lasting only a few hours max. At the end of the day, Unpacking unpacks, a captivating story through its use of the stuff we collect in our lives.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is up there as one of the best experiences I’ve had all year. I compare this to the excellent Marvel’s Spider-Man, and he’s my all-time favorite character! A title I hold in high regard. Don’t hold out for these heroes; you’ll want this one in your collection.
As I mentioned earlier, Cruis’n Blast is exactly what I want out of an arcade racer. It’s fun, it drives well, it’s over the top, and it’s arcade racing in its near-perfected form. The only way this could be better would be Raw Thrills shipping the arcade unit to dock your Switch in.
It’s hard to give a score to an idle game like this because many people come at these games from different perspectives. Me, I like to let the game take the reigns and slowly build up my empire, while others may want to be more engaged. If you’re looking at something that will keep your fingers twitching while earning, this won’t be for you. But for how I like to play idle games, Cookie Clicker is #1. Plus, after importing my web save into Steam, I sat there for 5 minutes watching achievements pop, and who doesn’t like that endorphin rush. Cookie Clicker is fun, peaceful, and respectful of your time. You don’t have to babysit this idler and can go at your own pace watching those precious numbers go up and up. Whether you like to manage every aspect and hit things right as they are available or like me, let the game chill while you watch YouTube, Cookie Clicker is tremendous fun. I’ve even baked cookies at home while having the game earn cookies for me; it feels kind of meta, doesn’t it?
Death’s Door has some fun lore and a fantastic main character; I mean, I love birds, and what’s not to love about a little bird with a sword? The combat is tight, and battles with enemies and bosses never feel unfair. If anything, each failure felt like it was my fault, something I could fix in a future run or my playstyle overall. Everything comes together so well in Death’s Door; it’s just so enjoyable to play. It has become a top ten contender for my games of the year list so far.