Chris Jarrard
As it stands right now, Super Mega Baseball 2 is now the top dog of baseball games on the PC.
As it stands right now, the game is a rough, uncut diamond that could’ve been the crown jewel of class-based multiplayer first-person shooters.
While there's nothing here that hasn't been done in other games before, I still feel the urge to hop in for another run to try and beat my previous high score. Testing various defense strategies and skill synergies is lots of fun. I have no doubts that some clown on the internet will discover some tactic or exploit that allows survival beyond one hundred nights, but I really like figuring out what works on my own. The art style works, though it doesn't really stand out enough to be a positive on its own. I played exclusively with a controller and found the game to be responsive. I never felt like my deaths were caused by anything other than my own mistakes. The PC version I reviewed performed wonderfully, though it lacks many of the basic options, like resolution or windowed mode, that players would expect.
It is the closest thing that bike nuts will get to a Gran Turismo or a Forza, and that’s a good thing. If you aren’t looking for a bike racing experience, I doubt this is the title that will open your eyes. It is far from perfect and incredibly limited in its appeal, but this is the best work from Milestone yet. 8/10 cranked hogs
While I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been a big fan of the series, I found a lot to like in Three Kingdoms.
At the end of the day, PC Building Simulator is a solid experience, especially for those who may already have an affinity for PC hardware.
Should you dive into APE OUT? Indie junkies who were enamored with Hotline Miami beyond its aesthetic will find lots to like about the feel of the combat and tight integration with the soundtrack.
Solid graphics, a smooth PC port, outstanding animations, and rewarding gameplay help eFootball PES 2020 stand out against its sports game competition. It is worth a look if you have even a passing interest in a game of footie.
Deck 13 has produced a game that offers genre fans a lot to like.
The enjoyment I have playing helps to push concerns to the side.
We are living in the golden age of metroidvanias and Will of the Wisps will deserve to stand with the best of the bunch should its technical shortcomings be resolved.
If this proves to be the final Sony-exclusive baseball simulation that we ever get, the development team deserves to be proud of what they managed to squeeze onto a 50GB Bluray disc. 8/10 banging trash cans
Admittedly, I am starting to suffer Milestone motorbike game fatigue. It has affected some of the initial excitement I had for MotoGP 20, but I cannot deny that my time spent was mighty fine.
Building on the foundation of last year's game, WRC 9 fleshes out the experience with new features and content.
Star Wars: Squadrons manages to stand out by not trying to be larger than life. Simultaneously a franchise cash-in and love letter to the classic LucasArts PC space combat games of the 1990s, Squadrons sticks to its mission and comes out the other side of a warp-speed jump successfully.
If you are all hot and bothered by the thought of tearing past some United Kingdom pastures at 240+kph on a crotch rocket with the best visuals of any two-wheeled racing game yet, RIDE 4 for PC and next-gen consoles needs to be on your shortlist. While I found the first-person cameras lead me to slower lap times, they were my preferred way to crash the bikes. I’ve still yet to win at the Isle of Man on a modern bike, but hopefully, that time arrives soon. 8/10 Ninja wheelies
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales will appeal to loads of gamers and I suspect it will be a hit for PlayStation owners this holiday season. While there isn’t as much to do this time around and what is included is mostly recycled, the asking price is lower than normal. Being Spider-Man is still as fun as it was in 2018 (and potentially more fun now at 60Hz) and Miles Morales is a character that is more compelling than Peter Parker. Should the few technical hiccups get sorted out, this will be a solid inclusion for any game library. Anyone grabbing a PS5 at launch would do well to grab a copy.
AAA-quality baseball is now available to all console owners (please Sony remember the PC in 2022) and the sun is shining on virtual big leaguers who are down for crossplay. MLB The Show 21 is once again an incremental step, but still an important one for the series moving forward.
The future of the F1 series is cloudy right now. EA is the new boss, but its influence probably won’t be seen until next year’s game. F1 2021 adds a few new fixins to the strong foundation of last year’s game, along with the misfire that is Braking Point. Having the option to add dynamic dramatic events to the existing Career mode would be preferable to bland pre-rendered cutscenes that come with Braking Point. There's a lot of fun to be had with F1 2021, even if a true next-gen leap may not come along until next year.
Was everything perfect? Not at all. The biggest frustration came from the gamepad controls. I started playing with my preferred d-pad input but found that aiming the water hose was nearly impossible until I swapped to the control stick. The adventure also ends just as things were really getting heated up. Nuclear Blaze understands the value of not wearing out a welcome. Just when I had decided that I was smitten with the game, I reached its narrative conclusion. If the idea was to leave me wanting more, then the mission was successful. Because this is still a small indie project based on a game jam submission, potential buyers should understand that Nuclear Blaze does not burn for long, but it does, in fact, burn twice as bright.