KeyWe does a great job at delivering exactly what's on the parcel: it's a cute and charming co-op experience that will challenge your communication skills. So grab a friend and get ready to sort the mail, because this one is something special.
While Call of Duty: Vanguard does what it does well, it’s as I wrote at the start: the expected experience. There’s nothing overly surprising here, no major shakeups to the gameplay, nothing that rejuvenates the franchise like 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, Call of Duty: Vanguard offers a solid experience for those looking for their annual fix from the franchise.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a marked improvement upon the first game, despite suffering from some of the woes I had with the 2019 title. Cal Kestis’ journey across the galaxy is fraught with danger and the supporting cast are a treat to chat with whether in the midst of a mission or as you explore Koboh. While the combat and movement is still quintessentially Star Wars, it feels like the game has yet to reach its full potential. The good news is that, if you’re a Star Wars fan, you’re going to have a great time in this galaxy.
One More Level has nailed the important bits in Ghostrunner 2: the combat, the movement, the visuals, the soundtrack, and the challenge. It’s all a cacophony of intense action and pulse-pounding exhilaration – it’s just that the connective tissue keeps it from being a cohesive vision. By increasing the scope and breadth of the game, Ghostrunner 2 loses part of the essence of what made the first game so great. And yet, for the faults I do have with Ghostrunner 2, it’s still an awesome game that had my head bobbing to synthwave beats as I slow-moed around lasers and turned my foes into giblets with a flick of my cybernetic katana.
South Park: Snow Day! does a great job at delivering a new type of genre in the South Park setting while nailing everything we’ve come to love about the franchise. As vulgar and hilariously uncouth as it can be, there’s a charm to it that takes me back to my childhood, enjoying a day off and playing with friends, even if I’ve never had a snow day. If you’re looking for a roguelike you can play with a few pals, South Park: Snow Day! will have you laughing and yelling as you hack, slash, and cast spells at kids, and of course, fart on Cartman whenever possible.
There’s a time and place for games like Crackdown 3. It’s not bad by any means, it’s even quantifiably good and enjoyable. However, while games can be lauded for not following trends, there’s a difference between carving your own path and simply not innovating.
A Way Out is full of heart and soul: you'll grow to love the characters, and you'll become invested in Leo's charm and curious about Vincent's problems, but it's light and it could leave you unsatisfied.
While Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has some exciting combat and moments of genuinely interesting storytelling and acting, it just falls short of hitting the mark. It borrows heavily from several genres without actually adding anything new to the conversation. That’s not to say it’s bad, it just didn’t leave me wanting to revisit this galaxy.
Much like its namesake, Wildfire takes a while to kick off, but once the perfect conditions are met, it can be chaos. The unique abilities make for interesting moments, which is needed thanks to the often monotonous stealth systems that plague the game. For those looking for a neat game to play co-op, you’ll find it in Wildfire.
Unfortunately, while Mortal Shell has a heart of gold, there are mechanics and core decisions that prevent it from being a truly great entry into these hallowed halls.
Though the experience is hampered by bugs, glitches, and a few design issues, the snappy and moreish combat, the treasure trove of stats and skills, and the delightfully chaotic co-op play make Torchlight 3 a must-have for anyone looking for more ARPG goodness.
While there are some problems with the design, narrative, and dialogue, overall, the story and experience offered in Little Hope left me rather impressed.
For long-time Pokemon fans, Pokemon Unite will be an enjoyable, if simple, adventure into the world of MOBAs. Even those who are intimately familiar with MOBAs may find Unite’s quick and approachable matches to be a nice palate cleanse. Unfortunately, at launch, it’s limited roster, simplicity, and hidden pay-to-win nature leaves it not being the very best.
Though there are moments of joy to be found, they’re punctuated by fetch quests and odd collision detection. Fans of the original will no doubt find fun in a return to the world, but for everyone else, you might want to wait a bit longer before you take a bite.
Asobo Studio has done well to continue the story of Amicia and her brother Hugo in A Plague Tale: Requiem. The narrative excels at exploring Amicia’s internal strife balanced against the need to protect and help her brother. Unfortunately, while the puzzles, lighting, and rat swarming systems are neat, they are weighed down by the tedious stealth sections and clunky controls. Those who enjoyed the first game will likely want to see it through to the end, but those who are new may find the experience lacking.
As far as Dead Rising games go, Dead Rising 4 may be dumbed down, but it’s still dumb fun.
While the narrative does take a few beats to get started, the real problem lies in the overly simple puzzles that the game is built on. It’s a lovely experience that is quickly forgotten.
Last Stop feels like a glorified interactive cutscene, though a cutscene I was eager to continue watching. It's just unfortunate that the gameplay comes across as an interruption rather than anything that lifts the experience.
Unfortunately, Sons of the Forest doesn’t quite manage to bring all of its elements together in a tidy package. While the building, crafting, and survival elements are neat, they’re not intertwined with the story, with both feeling like they’re completely separate ideas. Even the story seems unsure of what it wants to be, with odd pacing and poor audio design. I feel that fans of the original Forest game will relish the experience on offer here, but for everyone else, there are far better survival games out there.
Strange Brigade is an odd bag. It tries to capture a 1930s charm but instead of being charming, it becomes unbearable. It attempts to wrap a story around a horde mode experience but the narrative is unoriginal and the threat of being overrun with enemies is rarely present. Strange Brigade is a disappointing and repetitive experience that offers mildly enjoyable combat but is otherwise entirely forgettable.