So, to recap my advice at the beginning: stick to your original copies if you still have them. If you need to see this mess in action for yourself, either wait until developer Grove Street Games heavily patches this collection or wait for a deeply discounted sale.
To wrap things up, again, I think Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a much better game than its predecessor was at launch. That said, I can’t shake the feeling that much like the original, it’s only going to get better and more content-rich in the next coming year or so. It’s a beautiful trend from Frontier Developments that I think will make an already great game all the more excellent.
This is all speculation on my part, but Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water comes off like a game that had some incredible artists with cool ideas for this setting and the Wii U tablet, but they couldn’t quite figure out a cohesive story to tell. To make matters worse, I get the impression they also didn’t want to scare away newcomers on a new system and toned the scare factor right down.
Despite my complaints, though, I legitimately love the world Neon Giant has crafted here and would love to see even more of it. There’s loads of potential in this setting for straight-up better stories to be told, and I think The Ascent itself is kept from greatness from a lot of jank, technical issues, and weird design decisions. All that said, I think once I get my hands on a Steam Deck, I’m absolutely going to treat that as an excuse to go back for more. Hopefully, by then, they’ll have a lot of the technical issues addressed.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: The Official Video Game doesn’t have a lot going on. Progression boils down to earning points to unlocking costumes, different titles, earning medals, and not much else. That progression can be kind of a slog, though, when a lot of the gameplay mechanics are too shallow to be fun for more than a few minutes (especially when playing alone). It’s at its absolute best when it’s over-the-top and absurd while competing in sports that are more than just button mashing.
It lacks so much of what made over-the-top arcade wrestling games great in the first place, while also being filled to the brim with microtransactions. The spectacle of its over-the-top moves and abilities are quickly lost in the tedium of its progression, lack of depth, budget presentation, and technical issues. It almost feels like 2K has come crashing down with the WWE license...and it hurts inside.
Overall, as much as I adore the story and atmosphere of The Sinking City, it definitely feels like a budget title at times. If you can get past the weak combat, harmless jank, and enjoy a solid detective experience that won't hold your hand and throw tough choices your way, you shouldn't pass up on it. Even more so if you're a fan of Lovecraft. Because as the Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, and the Old Ones shall be and that's a good enough reason for me!
Although I had my share of frustrations with Spark 2 during my first playthrough, I'm sure repetition and better knowledge of level layouts would make for a much smoother second playthrough. Die-hard fans of the Sonic Adventure games are absolutely gonna have a blast looking for the fastest routes possible and it's still a solid experience overall. But, I just can't help feeling like it's a less polished experience compared to its 2D predecessor.
Any good they might have had are quickly swallowed up by a plethora of issues. The desperate or the gullible may find a glimmer of fun hidden somewhere in the pit.
Ultimately, I'm excited to see Respawn's plans for the future. Although Apex Legends is fairly light on content at the moment, after having played it for over a week now, it's become my new favorite battle royale game. Matches are quick enough that I never feel burned by a sudden loss and jumping back in with different legend makes it more addictive than any battle royale I've played so far.
Ultimately, I can't help but feel like the Senran Kagura series is at its best when it's exploring other concepts like water gun tournaments, cooking, and even pinball. There's just more room for creativity all around. Outside of the catchy and upbeat Japanese rock music, almost every aspect of Burst Re:Newal is extraordinarily low budget and mind-numbingly simplistic.
Some technical and control issues aside, I still think the 3DS version of Luigi's Mansion is a solid option for newcomers or for people looking to revisit this GameCube classic. Catching various ghosts and completing Professor E. Gadd's gallery is a perfect time burner on the go and Grezzo have done a solid job bringing Luigi's Mansion to the 3DS. I just don't know if I'd prioritize playing the 3DS version over the GameCube version in the future.
Everything about Captain Toad is overwhelmingly charming. The soundtrack is solid, with plenty of levels having their own unique themes, as well as a few with familiar tunes from previous games in the Mario franchise thrown in for good measure
Sadly, Evolution just comes off feeling like it was rushed out the door.
Jank and sometimes dumb mutant cannibals aside, what Endnight Games accomplished with The Forest with only a team of four people is simply extraordinary. It's one of the best survival games I've played in recent memory. Whether I was creeping my way through the woods alone at night or playing with friends during the day and showing the local residents who the true masters of their domain are, I haven't played anything like this that's been so fun and terrifying all-in-one in a long, long time.
A package which includes a gorgeous aesthetic and lonely atmosphere with a haunting soundtrack and overall sound design to match. Throw all this in with enough alien weirdness, science fiction elements, some unique puzzle concepts, and it still kept my attention to the very end.
Warhorse Studios took a big risk with this game and hopefully in the long run the technical issues can be addressed, because as of right now, they prevent Deliverance from reaching greatness. If you can climb over the mountain of jank and poor optimization then you'll be in for an incredibly authentic experience, that when it works, truly puts role-playing front and center in a fabulous way.
After clocking in over 200 hours across both games, on the same save file, I can safely say the Cyber Sleuth games are easily some of the best Digimon games in the franchise. Despite some minor issues, a fair bit of grinding, and while still nowhere near the production values or quality of the Persona series -- Hacker's Memory is another solid turn-based RPG and a damn good Digimon game that you shouldn't miss if you played the original.
Mom Hid My Game! is a tough sell, especially when its mobile counterparts are arguably a better experience (and free, no less). But, if you've got five dollars to spend and you're specifically looking for a charming puzzle-based escape game for your Switch or 3DS that clocks in a little over an hour, this might be for you. If you're like Fiddy however, with a lot livin' to do before you die and got no time to waste, maybe pass on this.
Aside from a few minor gripes and this re-release of the game not offering much else from the 2012 PlayStation 3 re-release (other than higher resolutions and the return of loading screen mini-games), Okami HD is still a near-perfect game. If you haven't already beaten or played it yet, then now is a better time than ever before...