Do not play Heroes of Might and Magic VII. From the game's fundamentally flawed technical foundation to the abhorrently misdirected implementation and communication of design elements, this is one massively missed opportunity.
Dream Alone tries so hard to capitalise on the inspiration from its formative peers that it forgets to carve out an identity of its own. The poor platforming engine, floaty controls, and frustrating level design leave far too much to be desired for this to be the game of anyone's dreams.
Pokémon Quest is, from top to bottom, a mobile game. I'm not sure why it released on Switch first, but it doesn't feel at home on the platform at all. With an odd art style, intrusive mobile game trappings, and boring gameplay, it's hard to recommend this watered down spin-off even to the most dedicated Pokémon fans.
Contra: Rogue Corps is one of the worst games in the revered franchise and does a poor job of reviving the series for a modern audience by switching genres and failing to deliver.
Agony proves that, like beauty, horror can be only skin deep. With gratuitous amounts of violence and masochistic overtones, this blood-soaked adventure is not for the faint of heart. But while its bold and detailed environments depict Hell in the most nightmarish ways possible, even the fantastically obscene sights and creepy sounds become mundane and dull by the end of its series of repetitious mazes, unimaginative item hunts, and weak stealth gameplay.
Drawn to Death is one of the most disappointing games I've played in recent memory. The premise is fantastic and there is a heap of potential buried beneath the surface. Unfortunately, even after you dig past that rough outer shell, the inside is almost entire empty and devoid of engaging content.
Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion feels like a return to the old days of licensed video games. The developers took a classic genre in the turn-based RPG, boiled it down to its core mechanics, and plastered the Adventure Time setting and characters onto it with far too few original ideas. Even though it feels like a faithful recreation of the show's personality and charm thanks to the original cast and solid writing, the uninspired gameplay drags down any goodwill it builds between encounters.
Agents of Mayhem has enough gameplay diversity and fun characters to keep you occupied for a few hours, but it won't take long for the repetitive missions, horrendously heavy-handed comedic overtones, and tired gameplay loop to wear on your patience.
Fun combat and decent characters aren't enough to save a convoluted story, terrible pacing, and tons of performance problems.
Extinction is a derivative and uninspired game not worth the $60 price tag.
Co-op zombie-splattering will never be devoid of fun, but Overkill's The Walking Dead is lacking in both the series' storytelling and technical polish.
Phantom Doctrine has a lot of competition in the broader turn-based strategy genre and its unique Cold War-era setting isn't quite enough to really set it apart when all the cards are down. While the setting is great and fresh, the generally lackluster gameplay and mismatch of mechanics hold it back from feeling as clean as it should. Its best moments seem to happen almost completely at random or by accident instead of by design.
Metal Wolf Chaos XD is a bare bones HD upgrade that brings the bonkers cult classic West for modern consoles, including its cumbersome gameplay and outdated designs.
After the resounding success of Dynasty Warriors 8, Dynasty Warriors 9 feels like a major step back. What's lost in the move towards an individually-centered story spread across a massive open world far outweighs the minor benefits that are gained. While the excellent button-mashing gameplay stays intact with great tweaks and additions, it wasn't enough. The lack of multiplayer, missing alternate game modes, and emptiness of ancient China left me far from satisfied.
Godfall's incredible visuals and stylish combat lift up an otherwise repetitive and bland hack n' slash adventure that lacks depth.
Siege of Centauri is a capable tower defense game that doesn't do anything horribly wrong, but it's one also fails to impress in most aspects.
Shining Resonance Refrain feels like a filler game. If you've been aching for a 3D action-RPG to sink some time into now that we're entering the summer months that are often a lull in the game industry then this totally fits the bill, but it'll do very little to surprise you.
Despite the fact that Madden NFL 21 features arguably the best core gameplay the series has ever seen and the introduction of a fun, albeit novel, new mode in The Yard, the continued neglect shown to classic Franchise mode, lack of innovation across the board, and technical issues leave this gridiron mismatch coming up short.
Significant bugs, performance issues, and an almost entirely unoriginal foundation hold Hellpoint back from greatness, but the creepy atmosphere and satisfying combat progression manage to salvage some enjoyment for this sci-fi Souls-like.
The Wastelanders update at least solidifies Fallout 76 as something that's worth recommending to series fans who are interested in multiplayer. The new storyline is great, but not as easy to play with friends as it should be.