Evan Norris's Reviews
Not every game is worth playing, and the online component requires a serious overhaul, but for Turtles aficionados focused on solo and couch co-op play, this collection is like a pepperoni pie from Antonio's, the turtles' favorite pizza joint — a must-have.
Its mixture of fast-paced rogue-like action and deliberate cult management works wonders, delivering crunchy, high-stakes combat and rewarding, open-ended simulation gameplay.
Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince is bigger and bolder than the first installment and even approaches the greatness of the better top-down Zelda titles.
While this collection has more individual experiences and many more customization options, the line-up is arguably inferior to Turrican Flashback. As a result, last year's collection would be easier to recommend to general players, while this first volume would be better suited for collectors and Turrican super fans.
Altogether, Vol. II falls into the same category as Vol. I: a collection of deep cuts better suited to completionists and Turrican loyalists than the everyday player.
Spidersaurs doesn't have the staying power of the great run-and-gun games, but it's decent fun while it lasts.
With 30+ games, an embarrassment of customization options, and plenty of opportunities to play casually with local friends or seriously for online high scores, it's a rock solid collection both for arcade enthusiasts and old-school players.
It takes what was already one of the industry’s best run-and-gun games and makes it even better, thanks to reliable controls and mechanics carried over from the base campaign, plus a new playable character, a handful of uniquely challenging bosses, gorgeous visuals, and delightful music.
Unfortunately, due to overlong dungeons, difficulty spikes, and long loading times, the overall experience doesn't quite live up to the game's production values. That said, developer Retro Forge has turned in an expansive action-RPG with an interesting premise, engaging combat, and a huge, diverse world waiting to be explored.
With ten games, online lobbies, multiple achievements, and many opportunities to master your fighting technique, there should be plenty here to keep you busy while you wait for some enterprising Capcom executive to green light Red Earth 2.
Thanks to its many playable characters, multiple modes, addictive action, fetching graphics, and support for up to six players both online and offline, it's arguably the best brawler in the expansive Turtles canon.
It can't compete with the brilliance of Elden Ring (no shame in that) but it also falls short of other AA sci-fi action-RPGs like The Surge and Hellpoint. Ultimately, it seems less like an offshoot of Dark Souls and more like a proof of concept launched before From Software birthed the sub-genre.
Artistically and thematically, it hits all the right notes, and conjures memories of Kurosawa and Mifune. However, if you prefer deep, diverse gameplay to art and story, you might find yourself only partially satisfied.
An acceptable party game that's moderately fun in small doses and with the right group of friends. Its repetitive nature, fussy controls, and generic graphics hold it back, but its high replay value and accessibility give it some staying power.
There are a few gems here, including Alpine Ski, Halley's Comet, and The Ninja Warriors, but also several middling or clunky titles. They might be milestones, but they're far from essentials.
It boasts an invigorating sense of player agency, a clearly-defined framework of rules in which to make your fun, and a carefully-calibrated concoction of farming, role-playing, and life simulation designed to keep things interesting.
Dawn of the Monsters is immediately one of the better kaiju games out there. In part, that's due to the fact that, historically, there haven't been many great games in the genre. More importantly, though, that's due to the simple fact that it's a fun game with four playable heroes, lots of layered fighting mechanics, a good amount of content, and some excellent monster designs.
A quicker start, more gameplay variety, and better performance would push this title into the next tier. Even without these things, Young Souls is a promising start for an equally young studio with something to prove.
Sergey Noskov has crafted interesting characters, a powerful melancholy mood, and a convincing sense of place. Regrettably, the gameplay elements that surround the narrative aren't up to par.
The game's not perfect — its dungeons and combat are relatively mild and its main campaign is eclipsed by more engaging optional content — but it successfully channels the adventurous spirit of Nintendo's fan-favorite Zelda franchise, particularly in its overworld.