With routine patches and dedicated bug fixes, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet could end up being a transcendent moment in franchise history. The ambition of its branching paths, the size of its open world, and the selection of different Pokemon available are all massive, signaling that Game Freak and The Pokemon Company wanted this to be a flagship moment for the series. Unfortunately, all of that ambition is marred by the technical trials left in its wake, creating some truly infuriating moments during a game where I should be adventuring with a smile on my face. The foundation of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is strong, but there are too many technical shortcomings in the experience to truly call it great.
God of War: Ragnarok is, simply put, the complete package. It tells one of the best stories in video games, one that will have you run the gamut of emotions while playing through it. Fighting the enemies of the realms feels a lot like the previous game, but there's enough new and refined elements to help it stand on its own.
Bustin' makes us feel good, but not for as long as we'd hoped.
That said, none of these additions are net negatives to the game either. Overwatch 2 simply exists in an awkward transition phase between the game it was and the game it wants to be. It's not a revolution by any stretch, at least not how the original game was, but it's still Overwatch and that means it's still a ton of fun.
Madden NFL 23 feels a lot like previous entries in the series, although it's a pretty good football game overall.
Warner Bros' all-star battle proves to be a worthy contender to the platform fighter throne.
It's not going to unseat some of the bigger titles of the year, but as a fun and unique experience Stray is the cat's meow.
A robust fighting system and brilliant online play make DNF Duel a worthy new contender.
This fighting game compilation is a great window to the past--even though the view is full of monsters.
What seems like just another Bugsnax biome has a lot more crawling under the surface.
The puzzle/RPG hybrid returns with a sequel that focuses less on adventure and more on match-3 puzzle action.
Horizon: Forbidden West is everything I wanted from a follow-up to the excellent Zero Dawn, from the twisting story and fierce combat to the cast of memorable characters.
Let's get one thing straight: I do enjoy playing Dying Light 2 Stay Human. The story is great and warrants additional playthroughs thanks to multiple endings, the combat feels awesome, and there's a ton of stuff to do in this sprawling city (500 hours worth, apparently). It just needs to clean up the technical issues
It is hard to articulate just how detrimental the Chaos Portal section of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn is to the rest of the new content. Until those portals opened this felt like a story worthy of Amalur, with a few twists and turns and Agarth acting a fool (as is tradition). Then the brakes were pumped, and I was buried in purple Chaos energy for far, far too long in the main arc. If there's one lesson I hope any prospective sequel developers take from this big adventure, it's this: leave the Chaos Portals out of this and just make the game you know you can make. As the rest of the adventure proves, the Amalur franchise can still hold its weight.
Extraction is certainly worthy of the Rainbow Six moniker, I just don't know if it will be laying Siege to the other game's fanbase anytime soon.
This new take on the well-established League of Legends universe serves as a high bar for further explorations into the lore.
Rainbow Billy tells a charming story of friendship overcoming all--even a few technical missteps.
I want to fully endorse Gamedec, and up to a certain point I do, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the radical shift in the game's focus. Up until then the investigations are mysterious and fun, telling a legitimately interesting tale. After it the game feels like it goes into hyperdrive, not stopping until the credits roll. If this universe is ever revisited, I would hope there would be more investigative stories and less weird color-coded mazes. As it stands then, Gamedec is best described as a promising title with uneven execution.
Far Cry 6 doesn't move the needle at all, but it still holds its own amongst the other shooter games available.
Naraka: Bladepoint does have a lot of cool and unique ideas for the battle royale genre. I love its melee-focused combat, I love the varied weapon selection, and I dig the durability system replacing the "limited ammo" functions of other games in the genre. However the game's longevity suffers due to becoming stale quickly, the lack of variance in the core gameplay loop rearing its ugly head quickly. It's the kind of game I would absolutely recommend to a friend, but only for one or two matches at a time. For long marathon sessions, there are far better options.