Khurram Imtiaz's Reviews
Dragons: Dawn of New Riders mostly keeps it simple and fun with an easy to follow story and gameplay. It is not the most complex action game but makes uses its licensed property creatively. So instead of looking like forced tie-in, it feels more like a proper spin-off to the movie.
As modern games approach a more broad design, God Eater 3 has continued with its linear but a more tightly focused gameplay structure. It works fine for what the game aspires here, but compared to its competitors, there is definitely a sense of disappointment and missed potential.
Kingdom Hearts III is a visual spectacle that presents playable versions of the various Disney worlds in a way that has never been attempted by a video game. It has a convoluted story that might confuse newcomers but once you dig deeper into it, there is a surprising amount of depth underneath it backed by a refreshing combat system.
Resident Evil 2 is one the best remakes released this generation that not only delivers on the lofty expectations set by fans, but it also manages to offer a fresh perspective for an old classic.
While not offering enough fresh content, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is still an excellent co-op platformer. The new playable character, Toadette, is an exciting concept that is best suited for kids. Every level offers secret coins and with eight different worlds and addition of the Luigi expansion, it is a content-rich game with excellent replay value.
Onimusha: Warlords is a fantastic game that will always be fondly remembered as a true classic. This remaster is, unfortunately, rather barebones and a big missed opportunity to bring back the franchise into the limelight.
Easily one of the best platformers released this generation with striking visuals and great game design. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is an absolute delight from the beginning until the end its epic story campaign.
Katamari Damacy Reroll brings back a cherished classic to modern consoles. It acknowledges the historical significance of the franchise and avoids making too many changes, sticking closer to the creative vision, therefore making it a great remaster.
Just Cause 4 shows that you don't need a story to provide an entertaining gameplay, but the lack of activities in a massive open world is also its biggest fault. Giving the players an open playground with tools of destruction is basically the selling point of this game.
Darksiders 3 manages to stick to its old-school roots but it comes at the expense of a game that fails to innovate and offer anything exciting. The difficulty curve can also feel relentless at times, and the game lacks some technical polish. If you can overlook these issues, it is a decent entry in the Darksiders saga.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War presents us the grim side of World War 1 which is now thankfully a thing of the past. It looks pleasant and this Nintendo Switch port seems to have fared better than Child of Light despite running on the same game engine, so if you are seeking a brief interactive story, this gets a solid recommendation.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a better remaster than Crash Bandicoot Trilogy, but it is not perfect. It is perhaps the most faithful recreation of the original games and deserves all the praise, but there are some minor technical issues with the load times and performance that cast a blemish on the remaster as a whole.
Death Mark feels genuinely fresh and absolutely shocking at times. It captures your attention with its psychological gore and then surprises you with the way the plot is laid out. This is not a visual novel for the light-hearted, but as a horror-themed game, it deserves a place near the top of the list. The atmosphere, sense of dread, the relationship between characters, it is all handled exceptionally well with multiple endings giving it excellent replay value.
As a game developed for kids first, the presentation is simple with a repetitive gameplay loop which doesn't offer any challenge. Kids will appreciate it for the first few levels, but even they can experience the boredom once the initial excitement is over.
It is a shame that there was not much effort spent on bringing back two of these classic Castlevania games to the current generation. Despite the dated look, they are still fascinating to play thanks to the masterfully crafted level design and an engrossing story.
The presentation and visuals are on point and nail the aesthetics of My Hero Academia, but the story is poorly told, battles are lackluster with a stupid AI offering next to none challenge. Combat is fantastic with the intense destruction of stages but lacks strategy that undermines its credibility in the long run.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a game trying hard to stay stuck in the past. It is merely using the Nickelodeon name as a promotional tool, offering a shallow karting game underneath it. The lack of licensed characters, terrible tracks, and average gameplay doesn't help it stand out among the countless other Kart Racing clones.
This has been technically the most polished Warriors game so far. Despite the overwhelming number of playable characters, the combat is fun even if it iterates on the same traditional dated formula. As a whole though, Warriors Orochi 4 lacks an engaging story and directly serves more as a fan-service game.
Marvel's Spider-Man is undoubtedly one of the most impressive superhero games this generation that also has many visible flaws. The open world content feels bloated and artificially padded, stealth segments are inconsistent and forced, while the boss fights are a letdown.
Visually one of the most pleasing looking games, Child of Light's turn-based gameplay hasn't aged that well. Despite that, it is only recommended for those who overlooked it during the initial release. There is nothing new added that provides an incentive to replay it again on Nintendo Switch, and you will have to deal with some mild performance issues as well.