CastleStorm 2 tries to keep many of the same elements that made the original game fun, but it just doesn't come together this time around. The new mechanics and expanded campaign design feel shallow and almost unnecessary.
eFootball PES 2021 Season Update offers a rather plain scenario. Returning fans will find nothing new here, except for rosters that still manage to be out of date, and thus present poor value for the purchase. But perhaps newcomers will use this opportunity to finally jump in at a reduced price and see what the franchise is all about.
Marvel's Avengers has some good ideas, a satisfying campaign and enjoyable combat across a variety of heroes. But it suffers from repetitive and shallow missions, borrowed mechanics that aren't executed particularly well, and not least of all, pronounced technical issues.
As the existing fans look on with shock, Project Cars 3 decides to make a franchise U-turn. It doesn't cause any huge accidents and merges into the new lane with decent grace, but it's already trailing the pack of other arcade racing games, leaving many to wonder if it was worth doing.
Iron Harvest has a unique setting with some original ideas, and borrows heavily from another RTS series. But rather than improve on those elements, it oversimplifies them, and lacks the content to justify its full asking price.
Battletoads is a strange collection of levels with different gameplay mechanics, and almost none of them are worth playing. Like an episode of a kids TV show, it looks nice and you might get something out of it - but it's quickly forgotten.
Spiritfarer is a nice looking, but mostly dull, resource management game that tries to integrate a unique setting with base-building mechanics. Its characters don't get enough development time for you to care for them, while they demand material comforts. The glacial pacing and repetitive gameplay make this an experience that only a select few will enjoy.
The 2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator is an impressive technical achievement, above all else. The flexible gameplay mechanics allow players of all skills levels to explore this incredibly large, immersive and live world. As long as you don't look too closely and forgive some of the bugs, it might just take your breath away.
Fall Guys has a decent foundation for creating some whacky multiplayer mayhem, but with so much of your success resting on luck, the lack of maps, and occasional server problems, the entertainment value rapidly dissipates.
Fast & Furious Crossroads just can't get anything right, becoming yet another licensed movie tie-in that fits the negative stereotype. The presentation is dated and actors reprising their roles is but a small consolation. A brief and very linear campaign with poor gameplay offers terrible value for a full priced release. The PC version suffers further, with empty multiplayer, instability, and barely any options.
Roki starts off as a straightforward narrative-focused adventure, and while it looks the part, the game is more of a traditional puzzle title, with a few of the typical downfalls of the genre.
Rocket Arena is a dull misfire that fails to compare even to EA's own Garden Warfare franchise. A few original ideas are lost behind a forgettable art style, small maps and questionable gameplay mechanics.
Ghost of Tsushima offers a well-designed open world that combines great combat with enticing exploration. The excellent art style brings this unique historical setting to life, and smart design choices help the game overcome its minor flaws.
F1 2020 continues to offer a great sim racing experience, and boosts its value by adding an engaging management mode. Elsewhere however, the presentation remains underwhelming, alongside a scattering of minor technical issues.
The Almost Gone is an occasionally enjoyable puzzle game, with a unique way of presenting levels. However, its high price and inability to adequately tackle heavy narrative themes leave it lost in the sea of mobile game ports.
West of Dead is full of style and brooding atmosphere, but the clunky controls and a lack of polish overshadow a few of its original ideas.
Disintegration is a dull experiment. Taking shallow replicas of two genres and squeezing them together results in a largely forgettable game that can hardly even be considered a curiosity. The technical issues and average presentation don't help matters.
The Last of Us Part II offers more of the same great stealth gameplay, as you face overwhelming odds in increasingly challenging and haunting environments. But with an ambitiously structured narrative that doesn't pay off, and the new cast lacking chemistry, this adventure can't quite live up to its predecessor.
Minecraft Dungeons is a straightforward action RPG spinoff that doesn't try to be anything more than an accessible entry for existing fans of the franchise. The low asking price helps offset the areas where the game comes up short.
Despite a fair amount of repetition and simple design, Maneater offers a surprisingly fun atmosphere with lots of bloody action to sink your teeth into.