Steve Wright's Reviews
Much like Road 96 though, the true joy of Tides of Tomorrow comes from its cast of recurring characters — survivors, pirates, and those of faith who make the world around them feel fully fleshed out. That’s enough to balance out some rather lacklustre stealth bits that get in the way of what’s next.
The trouble is, [amazing] moments are too few and far between for me, and I bet for many others too. My best piece of advice here is to take advantage of Living the Dream's publicly available demo; create a couple Miis, set them loose upon one another, and get the flavour of what's going on. From there, it'll be up to you if you want to go whole hog.
Cadence, Fret, and the rest of her band are not only interesting in their backgrounds, but unique in the ways that they sound and play. And if the idea of puzzles on top of all this dissuade you, they shouldn’t — each of these pillars can be dialled up or down to present a challenge that you can set for yourself.
Infecting yourself is mandatory; Infection requires you to compromise yourself, using newfound abilities to grapple past crevices or subdue opponents. While it wouldn’t have been my first choice, I understand the design of the decision; it’s far less compelling as truly Trek stuff, but everything’s got to have a gimmick, eh?
Gaming has moved on since 2003, but Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly Remake seems to want to look and play true to its original. I can’t recommend this to most as a result, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Grab the demo here on Steam, here on Xbox, here on PlayStation, or here on Switch 2 and have a look for yourself. Save data carries over if you decide you want to continue with this $75 AUD game.
There's something admittedly unique about Romeo is a Dead Man, but that quirkiness doesn't make up for its middle of the road design. In fact, it's not long before quirky is just there for the sake of quirkiness, not serving anything larger.
While fun from moment to moment, Code Vein 2 has a cookie-cutter plot, matching dialogue, and combat that isn't polished to the level it needs to be.
Simply put, this is $10 USD well spent.
Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden 4 is fun, but not memorable -- something that extends into its general narrative. You're not there for witty banter though, nor for its plot twists and turns -- but instead to decapitate enemies as a bad-ass ninja. In that sense, Ninja Gaiden 4 does exactly what it says on the tin.
What a difference three years, and four versions of Just Dance makes!
The combination of level- and base-gameplay is really what makes Ball x Pit a joy to play. You’ll either end up with a winning run and get to either progress further down the pit, or you’ll quickly realise that a character needs to be levelled up through more levels, or through careful upgrading of buildings tied to speed, damage, and so on. There’s always something to do, and you’re always progressing in some way.
If you’re a fan of Little Nightmares, or similar games in this genre — and, are willing to overlook some pretty loose design — then you’ll find enjoyment in this; a $60 AUD price point also helps. Otherwise, you’re better off steering clear, or engaging with other co-op titles like It Takes Two. If you’re on the fence, a demo is available, though it doesn’t offer progression into the main game proper.
If you like to dabble in Alien games and haven’t played Alien Isolation as yet, I’d recommend that over this. If you’re a true Alien fan and happen to love VR, grab that version of Rogue Incursion instead. If you’re still reading, don’t have VR, and don’t mind a $45 AUD price tag, then this one is for you, warts and all.
All up, LEGO Party is a worthy contender to Mario Party; you’ll need to decide if its strengths and weaknesses appeal to you. With noticeable framerate drops during fly-throughs, even on PS5 Pro, I’m also a bit concerned about how this will actually play on a Switch.
Know what you’re in for, and pull the trigger accordingly; though kudos to publisher Cult Games for setting this at a very digestible $60 AUD price point. I had a blast setting things to easy in order to blow through the lion’s share of its story (as in I missed a side mission or two) in roughly 6 or 7 hours.
Dead Reset has something of a consistency problem when it relates to special effects, storylines, and acting — though I need to commend Daniel Thrace for a very strong performance as Cole — but that all comes together to nail the feeling of a B-grade horror film. Again, that’s a compliment; it’s giving off a pre-Disney Doctor Who vibe.
Hockey is family. Hockey is life. Hockey is a source of joy. NHL 26, less so. For all the good it does, this is an off year; this is certainly no NHL 17. I hoped for more.
Ultimately, Metal Eden is a close to a great game, but falls flat. It’s short, repetitive, and gets in its own way when it comes to a core combat loop. If you’re on the fence with this one, I’d heartily suggest that you check out demos here on PC, here on Xbox, and here on PlayStation.
If you’ve played before, the low price point should be enough to either sell you on playing the updated first game and bolstering your digital collation or simply turn you off. There is around 90 minutes of new gameplay compared to the original but if you don’t want to shell out $50 AUD for that, this isn’t for you.
Shinobi Art of Vengeance is a fantastic start to Sega’s Next Level program, and one that’s easy to recommend. Priced at a budget-conscious $48 AUD and offering around 15 or so hours of gameplay, fans of the franchise or the likes of The Lost Crown will certainly dig this.