Modern Warfare Remastered is a near-perfect remaster. The developer has fiddled with things only when absolutely necessary, and though I do wish some of the multiplayer perks had been tweaked or removed altogether, I can understand why they have been left alone. Just be sure to brace yourself for the rapid time-to-kill, the frustrating deaths at the hands of un-counterable grenades, and the permanently active enemy UAVs. Get past all of that, and you’ll see the Modern Warfare magic that sparked huge changes for first-person shooters and pushed them to the forefront, becoming the industry’s powerhouses.
Perhaps a severe drop in price would make this worth a look, but for now only extremely hardcore One Punch Man fans should consider making a purchase.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition can be tolerable on the right system. Both PS5 and Xbox Series X offer users the best chance of brute-forcing past the performance barriers but, even then, occasional bugs and glitches can occur. Fun can be had on those current-gen systems, especially by those with some sentimental attachment to the original trilogy, but there’s still likely to be moments of frustration. When it comes to the Nintendo Switch version, as enjoyable as a portable version could be, the experience is heavily compromised and I can’t recommend players drop serious cash on this product.
Unfortunately, I feel like fixing this game goes beyond patching glitches, fixing bugs, and then cramming in expansions.
Sledgehammer Games is no stranger to righting wrongs, as seen with its previous Call of Duty entries, but even with additional balance tweaks and new content, I’m certain five years from now that Vanguard will be looked down upon as one of the weakest games in the series.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite sits squarely in the middle of other Alien games. There’s certainly worse out there, but there is also much better. It’s an uninspired struggle through a tired gameplay loop that just happens to be slathered in Alien slime and plays like one of the older Gear of Wars.
During the course of Tchia’s tropical adventure, players will experience many great, carefully-implemented ideas. The open world influenced by New Caledonia remains sensitive to its cultural inspirations, the unique soul-jumping mechanic is a joy to use and explore, the boat controls and fully-functional ukulele are overkill in the best kind of way, and the story has both unexpected darkness and humor. Unfortunately, a handful of good ideas can’t save Tchia from running out of steam before the finale and crumbling beneath a wave of performance issues.
Marvel’s Avengers is an identity crisis of a game. Moving from some excellent linear missions that capture Marvel fandom from the point of view of the fantastic Ms. Marvel, to a sudden smattering of seriously generic co-op missions featuring the most boring of enemies defending the most tedious of objectives, made me feel like I was moving between two entirely different games.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX tells a good Pokemon story from a unique angle and with visuals that help enhance the storybook feel. However, gameplay that might have held up in 2005 has not aged well.
In its launch state, however, We Happy Few pleases the eyes and ears, but much like the fictional drug it features, the Joy is great… until it wears off.
The Saints Row (2022) reboot takes things back to basics but with very little push for innovation.
While Dying Light 2 does a lot right with its gameplay and new-gen presentation, it’s still a far cry from zombie gaming greatness. The weak story, uninspired mission design, limitations on initial player skills, and bugs let it down in a big way. Sure, a lot of this will be easy to ignore when fighting the undead as a four-man squad, but “it’s fun with friends” is an excuse that can only get you so far.
Unfortunately, Far Cry 6 has missed the mark again, with too few significant improvements and a lot of bloat.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) is a fine sequel that checks all of the boxes when it comes to a serviceable CoD campaign, good co-op options, and a super shiny competitive multiplayer that plays well enough for most. However, Infinity Ward has played it safe with this CoD installment, leaning into the strengths of Modern Warfare (2019) while making minor improvements, but ultimately failing to push the envelope in any meaningful way.
Invasion Mode is the saving grace in Sniper Elite 5, rescuing a safe sequel that would otherwise be tough to celebrate. With that said, I still need to experience the competitive multiplayer side of things, which could also be a highlight.
Spellbreak has launched with a foundation for greatness, with a fantastic combat system that I’m determined to master through many hours of play. However, to earn that attention post-launch support will be key. Proletariat already has a roadmap detailed and new modes like the 9v9 Clash game type sound promising. Here’s hoping the game gets enough attention from players and receives the support to make it truly shine.
Ultimately, Burnout Paradise Remastered on Switch is a solid racing experience that offers a unique take on the arcade racer, where the player is encouraged to take down the opposition by any means necessary. There’s plenty of content to keep players busy for tens of hours in solo play, and a substantial online experience to master.
The Outer Worlds on Switch is too heavily compromised in the visuals department for me to recommend it above any other version of the game. However, for owners of the Nintendo Switch and no other supported system, then there is still plenty to love here, provided you can stomach the full price at launch.
If you’re not sick of the formula, or if you’re new to the franchise, then it’s easy to forgive the meh story, subpar visual presentation, unchanged battle system, and messy multiplayer. It’s a solid Pokemon game that anyone can enjoy. Nothing more, nothing less.
I feel like this Call of Duty could evolve to become one of the best ever, as there is certainly a solid foundation to build upon.