Trek to Yomi is an enjoyable, heavy, and atmospheric side-scroller whose presentation along can place it with the greats by way of Flying Wild Hog titles that’s hampered by poor combat. The engrossing story, immersive and highly cinematic presentation, and an excellent score are all indicators of greatness and Trek to Yomi seems to be on its way to being one of 2022’s best Indie titles; only time will tell.
Though full of frustrating elements, like snakes and leeches, Green Hell has some incredibly memorable elements that tie well together with the lush forest and oppressive weather effects. Though the UI aspect of crafting is a bit off-putting, the organizational aspects are interesting, engaging, and immersive and lend well to the overall experience that Green Hell provides you with. While veteran survival players may only spend a dozen or so hours in the game, Green Hell’s approachability, storytelling, and immersively gorgeous graphical fidelity make it one of the most accessible and forgiving survival titles of today.
Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the World is a unique look at the Atelier franchise’s worl outside of the mainstream titles. Lighthearted as it may be, it still feels shallow, though well-designed and full of things do to on a casual level. While fun, interest easily wanes after an hour or two, though its art, voice acting, and overall scope should not be taken lightly. Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the World is a niche title best suited to those that are deep in the fandom of the Atelier Franchise.
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is, I hope, the start of an interesting genre that blends relatively free-form movement until turn-based tactical combat rears its bestial head. A perfect title for those that are itching something different than their three hundredth playthrough of XCOM 2, Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is a great way to pass the long days of your holiday vacation.
Though I may be harsh on Strange Brigade it is because it is coming from a studio that has consistently put out top-quality, engaging, enjoyable, and replayable titles; Zombie Army Trilogy, next to Tom Clancy's The Division and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands is one of the most-played titles in my household. Sniper Elite 3 is literally one of the only games I have 100%'ed … since the Super Nintendo was the primary household gaming system. I can say this with utter certainty … After beating Strange Brigade I will not be back to play it again for a long, long time. I cannot say the same for other Rebellion titles, as they are not chalk-full of reused and tiresome puzzles, simple and predictable levels, or sympathetic player characters. Sure the mid-mission briefings done old-school Newsreel-style with a bit of comic relief thrown in are spectacular, but it just feels "off."
Observer is a first-person cyberpunk horror title from the minds behind the reputedly excellent Layers of Fear, Bloober Team. Stepping into the cybernetically enhanced mind of Daniel Lazarski, modeled after and voiced by cyberpunk veteran Rutger Hauer, as he investigates the disappearance of his son. Exploring a dark, retro-futuristic world full of dark secrets, "Big Brother" and mind-hacking, Observer is an interesting tale that, more often than not, is an exercise in patience more than it is a horror story.
In typical Ubisoft fashion, For Honor has received some significant hype over the past year or so. Set in a fictional world full of strife and chaos, choose your Hero from the noble Samurai, the relentless Vikings, or the bloodthirsty Knights and represent your faction in a war for dominance. Whether you are in the captivatingly beautiful wilderness or the majestic ruins of civilization, your Hero will stand as a bulwark against the oncoming threat of annihilation. With an interesting twist on the action-fighting platform, For Honor uses an innovative control system called "The Art of Battle" that provides full control over your choice of one of twelve heroes. Stab, parry, and block your way through the fight control. For all of the interesting new fight mechanics, focus on faction-specific persistent PVP world, For Honor is both new and exciting while feeling, at times, incredibly frustrating and empty.
The Solus Project is a moody title that blends exploration and light survival with stunning graphics and voice acting that is out of this world. Though exploration is a key driving factor in The Solus Project, the real gem is in the audio design; muting the game and running throughout the wet environs of Gleise-6143-C is a completely different (and worse) experience. While the map and littered lore are core bits to The Solus Project, the audio is what makes this a title that many gamers will thoroughly enjoy. Unfortunately though the strange mix between light survival, exploration, and moody lore-driven walking simulator means that while each genre is individually a strong case for a solid game, but together they seem muddied as the game progresses.
Obliteracers, while fun, seems shallow in a handful of departments; for one, there is the fact that there are about 10 or so weapons, which all get really old, really fast (most matches devolve into trying to "push" racers off of the map). Another is that there is no real "race" in the game as these are essentially linear, track based arena-style matches.
King of Seas more than earns its keep given its price-point (it comes in at a very respectable $25 USD on the Xbox/Microsoft store) as it is an enjoyable, casual gaming experience with combat that is easy to grasp, isn’t tedious, and has numerous diversions, from trading to resource gathering and exploration. Even with the minimal issues that I personally had with some of the design choices, King of Seas is still a wonderful and worthy title in the ever-growing pantheon of indie games that are sweeping the market in lieu of standout AAA-titles.
That said, Ys: Memories of Celceta *did* accomplish many of the things I was looking for within a new franchise; it is a series of games that I have not experienced before while scratching the action-RPG itch that I have had for some time. With clean, highly adjustable graphics, running along smoothly along at 60 FPS is a wonderful affair and after Nihon Falcom / XSEED pushed through a fix to address combat slowing down a bit at higher framerates, an extremely fast and engaging experience. When combining the delicious sound effects, voice acting, and snappy combat, Ys: Memories of Celceta is both a successful port and a fun little title; just try to reduce any expectation of it bringing something new and exciting to the table.
With the proper cultivation and growth, Stellaris can stand with the greats like Galactic Civilizations III or the upcoming Master of Orion reboot, but as it stands, it needs a little more love, whether that is from Paradox themselves or a dedicated fan-base, I do not know. One thing is for sure though, and that is that Stellaris is the planting of a seed that could grow into something spectacular.
Multiplayer felt flat, primarily due to missing the charm of sharing in and adventure that either one of us (my buddy) or I made, which is what a big part of the allure of D&D is; living the games that your friends and you build. Picking up someone else's adventure and running through it can be enjoyable and Sword Coast Legends is certainly that. If you have recently finished Divinity: Original Sin or Wasteland 2 and are looking for some rock-solid console RPG goodness then Sword Coast Legends can certainly scratch that itch. Not quite on par with Neverwinter Nights 1 or 2 of old in terms of campaign creation or single-player story, but still an incredibly welcome trip through a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure from the comfort of your couch. Sword Coast Legends on PlayStation 4 is a faithful adaptation of a solid D&D throwback.
Though it may fall short of its predecessor, Distant Worlds 2 is laudable sequel to what I feel is one of the most enjoyable and unique 4x titles on the market. That’s a hard gig to follow and though there are plenty of balance-related issues and more optimization can be done and I imagine that were Distant Worlds 2 given the same 4-5 years post-launch that Distant Worlds: Universe had, I imagine Distant Worlds 2 could very well be a quintessentially perfect 4x experience.
All told, Alder’s Blood is shaping up to be an extremely strong stealth + tactical RPG set in a horrific Victorian setting. With just a little love from the developers, working on difficulty curves and addressing the plethora of technical issues, Alder’s Blood could be a fantastic cult Indie hit. Time will tell and with their upcoming patch addressing the critical save game bug, a small step will go a long way to the enjoyability of it. Good hunting, folks.
With The Surge 2, the franchise is finally hitting the upward swing that a non-From Software title deserves in the hardcore action-RPG/Hack-and-Slash genre. Here’s to more titles in the Surge universe …
While it is no genre-defining title like Command & Conquer, Conan Unconquered is more than just a worthy successor to a team of developers known for their storied past. Excellent graphics, if troublesome user interface, and a pacing that will have you both glued to the seat and your heart beating with the very drums of war. Conan Unconquered should without a doubt, be in every RTS fan’s library.
Kenshi is a unique blend of pure squad-based RPG leveling set in a sandbox world where your goal is to first survive then thrive and it is an extremely difficult title. Not only is it difficult it is also extraordinarily complex yet with an dated but useful user interface that leaves no vital information too far out of grasp, with graphics that are both complex and at times, stunning while reminiscent of mid-late 2000's isometric viewpoint RPG titles (I believe it has graphics comparable to those found in the Dungeon Siege franchise) yet do not let the graphics fool you; Kenshi is deep and highly complex and at times feels like a management / sim game with RPG aspects built into it. This is a good thing and the brilliant mix of various game genres has me eyeballing their update notes as I am itching to get back in there … even if it means my squad ends up eaten by cannibals.
Slightly Mad Studios, the genius team behind titles like Shift 2 Unleashed, Need for Speed, and Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends is back after the success of 2015's overwhelmingly excellent Project CARS racing simulator. In the follow-up, Project CARS 2, Slightly Mad Studios is back at it, bringing full-on racing simulation to the masses on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, but how does it fare when compared to its predecessor? While it is an enjoyable and a must-buy for newcomers to the ultra-realistic driving simulator genre but may feel a bit stale to racing sim veterans.
Though there are plenty things to gripe about, from the lack of diplomatic options (like subterfuge) to a relatively dull selection of cultures, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is still a wonderful experience for both new and veteran gamers. With the seemingly smaller scale, Thrones of Britannia feels more intimate than Total War titles of the past, which adds a certain personal touch to the overall feel of the game. While Total War: Shogun 2 is still the crème-de-la-crème of the Total War franchise, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is a wonderful addition to the longstanding and beloved franchise.