Somerville is a game where both the new and old ideas don't work in the game's favor. The platforming is nonexistent, while the puzzles are hampered by either a lack of creativity, an uncooperative physics system, or a combination of both. The use of 3D produces situations where your objectives can become obscured due to the camera angle and distance. The shock and awe one would expect from the game's pedigree is greatly dampened, and the wordless story doesn't do much to carry a narrative that seems pedestrian and doesn't care about its characters. Some will still find fun in the various situations, and the runtime is brisk enough if everything works in your favor. If you are still interested in Somerville, wait for a sale before checking it out.
Your impression of Fort Solis is going to depend on many factors, with the biggest one being how forgiving you are of its issues. The story seems fine until you break down motivations. The graphics look good until you start looking beyond the characters. The acting is good, but the gameplay isn't as tight as it should be due to some odd design decisions. It is a game that might be fine for fans of modern story-based adventure games, but don't expect it to be anywhere near the height achieved by some of the bigger titles in the genre.
We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie is just as magical as the games that came before it. The core mechanics remain just as charming and fun as before, while the more varied environments and requests give the concept some more depth. The Royal Reverie part may be disappointing, but it doesn't take away from the main experience that still does a great job of making everyone smile. Just like that first game, it's a classic and deserves a place in everyone's gaming library.
Atlas Fallen is fine in parts and frustrating in others. The world seems fascinating, but the characters are the least compelling part of the story. The combat can feel fluid, and the number of powers you can use makes for a good deal of build possibilities. You'll wish there were more weapons, though. Traversal is fun, but you will need to ignore Nyaal, who often calls out things that are nowhere in the proximity. The development team could've used some more time to tighten things up, but ultimately, Atlas Fallen remains a good distraction in between other, more polished action-adventure games.
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical isn't the roleplaying experience its title and marketing would have you believe it is, but the game commands your attention to the end. The story is a good, old-fashioned murder mystery with Greek gods. The various characters keep the tale feeling fresh and moving along at a good pace. The comic book look is striking, and the songs are outstanding, but the story and various choices grant the game longevity that endures beyond the novelty of using songs in almost every scene. Visual novel fans will love this title, and music lovers will be entertained by how the story doesn't slow down the proceedings. Players who are slightly curious about the visual novel gameplay style will find Stray Gods to be a good gateway.
There's a fascinating game hiding in After Us. The melancholy tale of resurrecting a desolate Earth makes for an interesting premise, but it isn't told in a way to make you care much about it. The platforming generates some good moments, but it is also clunky in places due to the physics and lack of explanation in the tutorial. The combat is rather unnecessary and unexciting, but it is functional, while the presentation remains fetching. Patches are still being created to tweak the game, and there is some potential to fix the technical issues experienced in the early portion of this playthrough. For now, it isn't a game that you need to seek out and play if there are other options to tackle.
Two years after its release on the PS5, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart remains a solid title in a long-running franchise that hits the mark. The simple story is bolstered by both the existing characters and new ones that carry the same amount of depth. The action flows smoothly between different types, and the addition of a dash move gives the game a sense of speed that makes combat feel better. It looks absolutely gorgeous thanks to the increased horsepower of the PC, and while some annoyances do exist, the release is much more solid when compared to some of the other big PC titles in the last 12 months. Rift Apart is well worth buying, and the hope is that Sony takes this opportunity to put the older adventures on the platform as well.
Your view of Strayed Lights is going to depend on what kind of player you are. If you love playing defensively, then you'll like what's on offer, as it mostly works with a few hiccups. If you're more of an attacker, then the slower-paced fights and lack of minion variety doesn't make for an appealing adventure. The game is short enough that it doesn't drag on for too long, making it worth experiencing for those who are intrigued.
The concept behind PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe is good. Mixing a beat-'em-up with garbage collection seems like a strange concept, but it all works thanks to the pacing of each segment and the simplicity of the mechanics. It's the little things - the paltry move set, the small opening for successful garbage collection, the need to repeat levels, the ease with which one can lose track of where they are - that pile up to drag down the experience a peg. It is still worth checking out for the semi-distinct nature of it all, but be sure to temper your expectations.
As we said in our initial preview, there's potential in Exoprimal. The basic mechanic of blasting away dinosaurs is absolutely fun, and the presence of competent bots filling in for missing humans ensures that no one is going to get shortchanged in a bout. There are enough goals in a match that there's no guarantee about what you'll get to play, and that keeps things fresh enough if you can progress through levels at a good clip. At the same time, the lack of a campaign mode hurts when it feels like the story is better served by having one, even if it only mimics Dinosaur Hunt with bots. Since this is an online-only game, it has a definitive shelf life unless Capcom can patch in something to help prevent the game from being obsolete if the servers ever get pulled. The game is fun now, and its presence on Xbox Game Pass ensures that subscribers can give it a shot before committing to a purchase, but it'll be interesting to see if the population holds up by the time the second season rolls around.
At its core, Terror of Hemasaurus is a fun title. The scattershot nature of the story might not hit the funny bone for some people, and the lack of online play is a shame. The addition of physics to the core gameplay loop along with varied objectives ensures that the game isn't monotonous during its short playtime. If you still have a soft spot for wanton destruction by abnormally large animals, Terror of Hemasaurus is well worth seeking out, especially with friends in tow.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie feels like a game that works best for players who are curious about the visual novel genre but want more recognizable game mechanics and a few restrictions to help them along. The Augural makes choices simple enough if you're trying to go for a specific outcome, but the story and character reactions make you second-guess your approaches. The game looks and sounds wonderful compared to many of its contemporaries, and while it might not make you a convert to the genre, it is an interesting adventure that you'll want to go through, provided you can get over the constant world-flipping and a few story quibbles.
As a sequel, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is at least on par with the first title. The game strikes a good balance of platforming and puzzle-solving, while also giving you the freedom to figure out things without much hand-holding. The art style may present small characters, but the graphics still shine, and the music is haunting enough to maintain a feeling of unease throughout the adventure. It is once again the fleshed-out characters, deep narrative, and excellent pacing that will keep you hooked on the game from the opening moments all the way to the end credits. For fans of adventure games, Oxenfree II is a worthy buy, even if you've never played the first title.
Crime Boss: Rockay City isn't a complete disaster. The idea of fusing together managerial duties with action-oriented shooting works well on paper since the gameplay styles complement each other. However, neither aspect plays out that well, and when you combine it with a lackluster story and worse than mediocre performances, the experience doesn't improve as you get further into it. Unless you're hard up for a crime-based game, there's little reason to give this title a shot.
The good news is that Crash Team Rumble isn't a bad game, mechanically. The play mechanics are solid, characters are well defined, and matches can be quick, which does well to compensate for the differently paced progression on characters and the season pass. Despite this, the concept is already a difficult sell, and with the absence of offline modes, the title is solely dependent on a player base to ensure that there is actually a game to play. The low price in this space, when compared to other titles from major publishers, might make it appealing for curious players, and they'll have a good time with it, but be warned that there is the real possibility of this being a title with a short life span if there aren't many other players who are either open to the idea or outright enamored by it.
Individually, the games in the Toaplan Arcade Shoot 'Em Up Collection Vol. 1 bundle are good. Zero Wing is fine, Truxton is solid, Out Zone is a forgotten gem, and Twin Cobra is one of the few shooters to star a helicopter rather than a spaceship. As a package, though, it is a reminder of just how good Toaplan was when it was around. This is good stuff, and we hope that Bitwave plans to release the rest of Toaplan's games soon on the PC.
Fans of the promotion and wrestling games in general will find themselves partially satisfied with AEW: Fight Forever. The flaws are noticeable, such as the truncated introductions, limited arenas, and a smaller roster compared to the competition. The presence of creative tools gets hampered by the lack of a built-in way to share them, and the absence/trimming of match types can feel off. While the story mode is goofy in several ways, it is the strength of the wrestling engine that keeps the game fun to play, match after match. If the rumors are true, then this good game can get much better with patches and downloadable content for years to come. Otherwise, if this potential series follows a more traditional development cycle, this title is a very good base to work with for a hopefully more ambitious and meatier sequel.
Classic Sport Driving is fine if you don't mind some quirks. Having to register before playing online is rather unnecessary, and some of the campaign bugs detract from the enjoyment of the title. Still, the racing is good once you get used to the handling and driving, while the track randomization and leaderboards for each permutation ensures that you can get in some quick challenges when time permits. It's a nice diversion for fans of old-school racers who don't mind playing solo.
Sonic Origins Plus still can't be considered the most comprehensive collection of the classic Sonic the Hedgehog titles. From a completionist's standpoint, it would've been nice to have Sonic 3D Blast, and the Genesis version of Sonic Spinball and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. Others will lament the fact that the original music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 remains missing. The inclusion of 12 Game Gear titles makes this feel like a better value, while the modified versions of the original four titles are still a great way for new players to experience these classics without dealing with the things that don't fly in modern game design. For fans of old-school platformers, Sonic Origins Plus is well worth checking out.
Players will find something special here, as the stories told in the overall game and the books you dive into are rich and well written.