Overall, Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a strong effort that has a lot going for it. It's different and often fun, and when it works, it works. The current experience is dampened by a lack of meaningful content and a few balancing issues that frustrated me to a point where I had to stop playing - but I always came back for occasional matches. If Sumo Digital manages to keep the momentum going with much-needed updates and additional content and if the community stays active, Hood could be a very fun multiplayer title across the board. Until then, I'll wait to see which direction Hood takes over the coming weeks.
Demeo is a remarkable concept that works incredibly well on the Quest 2. Its lack of content and essential features holds it back. Not counting any repeated playthroughs or attempts, you'll likely see everything there is to see in a couple of hours. While new and potentially free content is on the horizon, the current price of $30 feels a touch steep. When Demeo adds some essential features, like a level editor or a save function, and some more dungeons, it could become one of the go-to VR experiences for RPG fans. It hasn't reached that lofty goal yet, though.
Swarm is something of a one-trick pony, but that pony is quite a noble steed. What it sometimes lacks in variety, it makes up with satisfying movement and truly addictive combat gameplay. It kept me coming back to try to clear a level just one more time, and it's a great showcase title for less-experienced players to demonstrate the capabilities of untethered VR using the Quest 2. If you're itching for a good arcade shooter in VR or to finally live out your Spider-Man fantasies, Swarm is worth a look.
Days Gone is a long and slow burn that is well worth it. It tells a relatable story that feels grounded, and the later stages have some truly memorable moments, both in terms of story and gameplay. With all previous DLC included, some nice improvements for PC gamers, and the capability to run at high frame rates, the PC iteration of Days Gone is the definitive version to play.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids is a solid stand-alone story experience that takes place during Valhalla's storyline. While boasting a decent story, it never breaks the mold of the established formula, feeling more like "yet another kingmaker story" rather than an adventure that lives up to the potential of the setting. It has a few new ideas and spins a few old mechanics into a new form, but at the end of the day, it plays it way too safe, which causes it to feel uninspired. If you loved Valhalla, this DLC will give you more of that, but if you're already fatigued by its repetitive gameplay, Wrath of the Druids won't change that.
Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife has some very good and tense moments. It gradually lures you into quite a few scary encounters, and it doesn't rely on jump-scares but an atmosphere that is carried by its strong audio design. It isn't necessarily a looker, and the visuals are a bit janky at times, but if you get over the slow start and occasional annoyances, you're left with about eight hours of a creepy and entertaining VR adventure on an Oculus headsets. The Quest 2 runs the game flawlessly on its own, making it perhaps one of its better-looking titles.
From start to finish, It Takes Two is a great co-op experience. The gameplay is fun and varied throughout the entire run, and it frequently manages to surprise you. It's simply a fun trip to share with a friend, and it's a game that looks like it was as fun to conceptualize as it is to play. That said, the game frequently gets in the way of itself with mediocre and ineffective writing that I found to be fairly forgettable. It's a great game that stops just short of being a masterpiece of co-op gaming. I simply cannot wait to see what Josef Fares comes up with next.
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante is one of the better games of its kind I have played in recent memory. The world-building and writing are enthralling, and the prospect of guiding your character from life to death is a fun and challenging exercise. I would have loved more interactivity, especially in dialogues, and some decisions seem predetermined and stacked against you a few too many times to truly feel open. In the end, that doesn't detract from the otherwise fun RPG adventure novel. If you're yearning for a good RPG adventure that is heavy on the reading side, I'd highly recommend The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante.
I'm hooked. I love Outriders' shooting, skill, and loot mechanics and how they work together to form a highly addicting co-op shooter. While it has a lot of features that I'm not fond of, the core gameplay is solid enough to easily carry the rest of the experience. If you're into looter shooter or dungeon crawler games, Outriders will scratch that itch - if you can play it. With its current matchmaking and server issues, we cannot help but score it lower than we'd like. Whenever the technical issues are resolved, the experience could be as high as 8.3, making Outriders a co-op shooter that's well worth experiencing either alone or with friends.
Overall, this review of Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town may sound a touch negative, and it is in some parts. I like how it deals with progression while keeping most of its addicting farming foundations intact. Most of what it adds feels nicked from other games and has often been implemented less convincingly. Combined with performance issues and a few other missed opportunities, Pioneers of Olive Town is a solid entry in the series, but it isn't the must-have experience that many had hoped for the series' 25th anniversary.
I'm aware that parts of this review may sound negative, but I'm glad to have played Sea of Solitude: Director's Cut on the Switch. It felt fresh and had an important message that it mostly succeeded in conveying. It's good if taken as an interactive experience, but it falters when taken as a video game. That's not necessarily bad, but it limits the potential a bit and may not sit well with everyone. Given how well this port turned out, it's worth a look if it piqued your interest and you haven't had a chance to try it elsewhere. This Switch iteration may be the best version of the game that you can currently play.
As great as Dirt 5's presentation may be, the gameplay is lacking. It looks and sounds incredible at times, but there isn't too much engaging content here to challenge players to do more and perform better as the driver. That changes if you're primarily racing against friends online or offline, but as a single-player experience, it feels flat once you peek under the flashy hood. It's fun for a few races at a time, and it's easy to jump in, but it's even easier to drop once you've had your fill.
Katamari Damacy Reroll is as good as you remember. While this remaster doesn't add any meaningful content, the core gameplay and stages remain addictive and fun. It's a relaxing and unique puzzle game with some outstanding colorful visuals and an incredible soundtrack. If that's what you're after, you can't go wrong with Katamari.
Little Nightmares II is a gem of a game that successfully builds on everything that made the first one great. It's a short but well-polished and atmospheric horror-platformer that oozes with creepy charm. While its core physics-based platformer gameplay hasn't seen many radical changes, the setting, storytelling, and world-building alone make it worth experiencing. If you're a fan of the first entry or the likes of Limbo or Inside, LM2 is well worth the adventure … if you dare.
The third Hitman game delivers a satisfying and worthwhile ending to the series and some fun and varied stages, all while adding a bunch of minor adjustments and content that fans will enjoy for hours. If you're a fan of the series, Hitman 3 is a very competent end to the trilogy that provides a massive and deep Hitman experience that is easy to recommend.
Ghostrunner was a pleasant surprise. It's a short and fun action platformer that keeps you busy with challenging but fair stages, while smartly mixing things up throughout the experience. It's not quite as great in telling its story as it is with its movement and combat, and it can be frustrating at times, but when everything works well together, it's a satisfying and fun skill-based action game. If you are looking for a linear and challenging game, pick up Ghostrunner.
Cyberpunk 2077 is far from ready on the consoles, but it's not close to being ready on the PC, either. Cyberpunk 2077 truly excels in the characters and stories it creates by forming a beautiful, dystopian city that dwarfs many digital cityscapes that came before it. Progression systems are solid if underwhelming; other areas, like civilians and the wanted system, are broken or neglected. The experience is undermined every step of the way, especially on the PS4. This was a disastrous release, and you're better off getting a refund or not purchasing the game until these issues are fixed - if not for your own sake, then perhaps out of principle after we were all misled by CDPR's attempt to hide last-gen issues until it was too late.
Doom Eternal on the Switch is another great port from Panic Button. Graphically, it is a massive step down from the other console versions, but it makes smart concessions to ensure the gameplay shines even when played on weak hardware. It's impressive to see how solidly the title runs, even though there were quite a few obvious visual compromises. If you can stomach the high price point given that the other versions have long dropped in price, the Switch port is a solid option to play the game. I'm a huge fan of the gameplay decisions that Eternal makes to evolve the formula, and I believe Eternal is a must-have title if you're an FPS aficionado - especially if you don't have access to another game console or value portability over visual quality.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is satirical, nonsensical, and just plain weird. It's also fast, bloody, impactful, and a few other things that I am not sure I can or should put into words. It sometimes makes the original title feel more subdued, which is strange to say since that the first game wasn't exactly tame. Given its much-improved gameplay loop, interesting side-quests, insane boss fights, and hilarious gameplay, NMH2 is indeed a wild rollercoaster ride that must be seen to be believed. If this does not get you hyped for the series' third entry, nothing will.
It may sound like I've been constantly ripping into Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but it's more complicated than that. I love the world and exploration, and I love that Ubisoft made a concerted effort to address many people's issues with Odyssey. I love that I don't get constantly blindsided by over-leveled mercenaries, I love that assassin missions have death cut scenes, and there are so many side stories to explore. It just doesn't come together as well as it could. It feels like the development team has branched out to try new things, but none of the good ideas and changes were followed through, making them feel like shallow attempts to change things. This would likely not have been a criticism if we were talking about a runtime of fewer than 30 hours. With a runtime of 50+ hours, though, these sorts of things eventually come crashing down as player fatigue sets in. I still enjoy Valhalla for what it does, but it hurts to know that this could've been a tighter, greater game that delivered on its ambitions rather than merely hinting at them.