It's an electric concept that works just as well in Lumines Arise as it does in Tetris Effect.
The exacting detail with which it's all been put together keeps the illusion strong.
Newcomers like Calamo and company offer enough new to spark interest.
Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs is a slight but wonderful mystery and, to be fair, it's only a few dollars for the privilege of puzzling it out for yourself (the developer even says in the credits that it'd be excellent to bring this puzzle formula forward into new adventures – which I'd love to see). Estimated to take a little over an hour to clear, it took me more like thirty minutes.
Each stage is full of delightfully posed little jokes, characters, and charming anachronisms before you roll them up.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a bloody good time.
Silent Hill f is fantastic at evolving that sense of unease and vagueness that's so defined the series in the past.
Enemies also feel much more aggressive in general, rising to meet the increased skill ceiling of Hornet's more acrobatic moves.
There's little sense of impact to blows.
While everything does eventually come together, what's perhaps pitched as a victory lap through what came before ends up a bit of a slog, spending an incredibly long time reiterating what you already figured out.
After all, I love Metal Gear Solid 3 in its Metal Gear Solid Delta form just as much as I loved it when I last played it as part of the Master Collection. There's no question about it though, this cardboard box still contains the same game at its core, there's no sneaking around that.
The thing I love most about these dust ups is how critical hits are managed.
Trickier plays, while cool to witness and to pull off, often don't feel worth it.
A marvelously polished puzzle game.
Bosses are spectacularly designed but often simple affairs.
It's always a delight to see how this household object or concept is brought to life.
"The streets have traffic, but also friendly hot dog vendors who throw delicious, healing sausage treats."
Let's hope the conductor doesn't come through because Monster Train 2 is a truly first class ride through deckbuilder roguelike heaven. I'm already going off the rails with all the possibilities these smart evolutions to the rules and cards on offer bring, each run teasing me to chase new ways to to master the rails. I'm well and truly on board.
With one chance to land a single, perfect shot – few games have this tension and impact, really making me sit with how I felt about everything.
"I'm still finding more that intrigues me as I continue to place rooms and expand my blueprints."