Nick Herber's Reviews
Those quibbles aside, Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is a welcome treat this close to Halloween. Having the likenesses and original voice actors reprising their roles in this game when it first came out was a major win for the development team, and it still puts a smile on my face today. The shooting mechanics are a bit clumsy, but that plays into the collateral damage aspect of the game, which is hilarious at times. Some aspects have aged better than overs, but overall fans of the Ghostbusters franchise will undoubtedly enjoy what this game has to offer.
Sega Ages: Ichidant-R is a pretty cool study in what was, even if what it currently is might not be for everyone. Ideally, this is the kind of game you want to sit down with some friends to play - or better yet just spectate as two newcomers play it with one another for the first time. Having done that with my kids, I can say that this was a particularly entertaining experience. The mix of action and puzzle elements, as well as the variety of games actually makes for a pretty charming and interesting title, even if it is one that does not have a particularly long shelf life after your initial few hours.
After a handful of hours, you will have experienced pretty much everything Sega Ages - Columns II: The Voyage Through Time has to offer. What is there is certainly entertaining and as a classic offering, should appeal to people such as myself who have fond memories of this type of game or just enjoy puzzlers in general.
Despite the randomly generated dungeons, there is not much in the way of replay value to be had in Children of Morta. The storyline is linear and it is a somewhat short game. That being said, the journey through that first time is delightful, due in large part to fantastic visuals and also the interesting family dynamics found in both the gameplay and the narrative. The rogue-lite elements work well here, encouraging progress without being terribly punitive. Fans of the action-RPG genre should definitely give Children of Morta a look.
Northgard is an accessible strategy game on consoles, and that in and of itself makes it appealing for those who might be new to the genre. The brightly colored visuals are appealing, even if the rest of the presentation is relatively average, but where Northgard really starts to shine is in its surprisingly depth of strategy the longer your session runs. Weather, different clans and a variety of ways to claim victory help to make for varied, entertaining sessions well worth a play.
The slower pacing and somewhat lacking early tutorials give Frostpunk a somewhat high barrier of entry. Do not go in thinking you will be successful right off of the bat. This is a challenging game with some uneven difficulty spikes that can feel punishing and even unfair at times, but the capability to rebound is almost always there, so long as you respond quickly and decisively. Frostpunk will not be for everyone, but fans of survival or city-building games really owe it to themselves to give this one a try now that it has made its way from PC to console.
Fight'N Rage is a lot of fun, and will definitely tickle the nostalgia in games like me that grew up on arcade style beat 'em up games like Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more. The visuals and music as spot-on, and the branching paths with multiple endings and unlockables provide some pretty solid replay value. Unfortunately the combat itself is still a bit too shallow for my liking, some of the stages can feel a bit cheap / frustrating as well. Brawler fans owe it to themselves to give this one a try.
Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns manages to hold true to the things that made the original Puzzle Quest title so fun and addicting the first time around. That being said, on the whole it does feel just a bit less fresh and original given that this formula has been copied and tweaked many times over the last decade. That being said, Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns still gets a lot right that many of its spiritual successors don't and it is absolutely worth playing if you are a fan of this hybrid genre.
Wreckfest is just a good deal of fun. At the end of the year here at Chalgyr's Game Room, we have a variety of awards and one we have had in the past is our favorite Guilty Pleasure. Right now, Wreckfest is easily leading the way for that one in my book.
By and large, Catherine: Full Body does most of what you want to see from a remastered game. It makes improvements upon some of its more notable flaws, adds some more content and does a great job of meshing all of it together. Is this enough to convince people who found the first game too difficult or frustrating to come back and give it anther shot? I hope so, but I am not entirely convinced. That being said, there is enough new content here that those who enjoyed the original or never played it in the first place should enjoy what Full Body has to offer.