Dalton Cooper's Reviews
The Silent Hill 2 remake is absolutely an incredible horror gaming experience that successfully expands on the beloved original.
Starfield's Shattered Space expansion is weighed down by bugs and is ultimately a disappointment compared to the base game.
God of War Ragnarok is an incredible game no matter where it's played, with PlayStation delivering yet another quality PC port.
Funko Fusion's interesting concept is wasted by its repetitive objectives, horrendous boss fights, and constant technical problems.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster features game-changing quality-of-life features and significantly improved endgame content.
Jackbox Naughty Pack has two really fun games for fans to check out, and one that is an all-time worst for the series.
Hollowbody is a solid survival-horror experience that takes clear inspiration from the genre's early 2000s offerings.
Astro Bot from Team Asobi is a brilliant 3D platformer, one of the best PS5 exclusives, and an absolute joy to play from start to finish.
Those wanting to roll the dice on Concord will find an excellent FPS full of exciting abilities, intense battles, and eye-popping visuals. The game's character designs, premium price point, and general lack of interest from the public may make it so Concord never really gets a chance, and so potential consumers need to weigh the risks of investing [money] on a game that may be dead before too long.
Black Myth: Wukong is a game that shies away from the Soulslike label, yet it is clearly gunning for the Soulslike audience. It is far from the best in the genre, but it's also not the worst game that has followed in Dark Souls' footsteps. If you go into it expecting a mostly standard Soulslike experience with some blood-boiling boss encounters mixed in with basic level design, you will have a better time than if you were going into it expecting it to be like a traditional character action game.
Like previous games in the series, Earth Defense Force 6 is a ridiculous B-movie-turned-game filled with giant monsters and explosions.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess isn't perfect, but it's a fascinating game and one that begs for a more refined sequel that builds on its ideas. What's here is still mostly great and should greatly appeal to fans of tower defense games, the Pikmin series, and even the Demon Slayer anime. It's great to see Capcom willing to roll the dice on such a unique concept, and hopefully there's more of Kunitsu-Gami to come.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is not going to convert anyone that isn't already a fan of these types of games, and honestly, there are better, more polished versions of this already out there. Hardcore fans of the Killer Klowns movie will get the most out of the game adaptation, and it's hard to recommend it to anyone else, really. The game has its moments, but it's unlikely to keep most players entertained for all that long.
It's a good thing that Braid's puzzles are hard enough for players to get stuck on, because otherwise, the game would be an even shorter experience than it already is. Back in 2008, some critics singled out Braid's short length as one of its flaws, and that rings true in 2024 as well. Even with the added content, Braid: Anniversary Edition is very short, to the point where most players will be able to finish it in about three hours. A consequence of its short length is that the time-manipulation gimmicks feel like they don't really reach their full potential. There are only a handful of puzzles for each gimmick, and then players move on to the next world and the next gimmick. It would have been great to see a bit more meat on the bones for the Anniversary Edition.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes can sometimes feel like the Dark Souls of puzzle games, but no one will regret challenging themselves to solve its many mysteries. Players who enjoy analyzing complex stories will have a blast taking apart the many layers to Lorelei and the Laser Eye's bizarre tale, while those looking for an addicting puzzle game will find it to be an incredibly satisfying adventure. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a must-play puzzle game and one of the genre's best.
Fans of classic survival horror games don't need to think twice about picking up Crow Country. The game is a love letter to old-school horror titles from the 90s, and is one of the better attempts at recreating the feel of PS1 horror on modern platforms. It's a short, but sweet adventure with solid replay value and fun puzzles that perfectly captures the feeling of playing an old horror game on a PS1. The optional Exploration mode, which does away with combat to let players focus entirely on puzzle-solving, means that even horror fans who don't like 90s-era survival horror combat and ammo management can safely pick up Crow Country and have a great time.
There's a difficulty spike with the last couple of boss fights, but for the most part, Stellar Blade is like a breezier, sci-fi Sekiro. The near-naked main character is unsurprisingly stealing a lot of attention, but remove that element from the equation and what's left is an absolutely incredible action game that provides a satisfying challenge and rewarding melee combat. Simply put, Stellar Blade is the next great action game and one of the PS5's best exclusives.
Princess Peach: Showtime has a lot going for it, but it sometimes comes across as a concept demo for a larger game that will be much better. Peach shouldn't have to wait another 19 years for her next solo outing, but hopefully her next game takes the time to give the Mushroom Kingdom's princess a proper, full-scale adventure.
Horizon Forbidden West on PC is another incredible port from Nixxes. It successfully brings the Horizon Forbidden West experience to PC with a ton of content and tremendous performance. It's a must-buy for anyone that enjoyed the original, and it should leave fans excited to see what the studio is able to pull off with its upcoming Ghost of Tsushima PC port.
The 2024 Alone in the Dark is a deeply flawed game, but at least it's never boring. The first playthrough is fun despite its issues, mostly thanks to the campy story, and exploring Derceto is rewarding, even with the simplistic puzzles. The second playthrough is where it becomes apparent that there isn't much to the game. At best, it's an incredibly basic and generic survival-horror game that's stuck in the past, and at worst, it's buggy and doesn't justify its $60 price tag.