I’m fully prepared to see the entirety of gaming journalism as a whole take the opposite opinion of The Pathless as the years go by. There’s a giant list of titles that my peers absolutely love, then I play them, and I swear we’ve experienced two different games. That being said, I can see how someone could absolutely love The Pathless, even if it didn’t do anything for me.
With a ton of replayability, a haunting and beautiful world, and satisfying gameplay, the PS5’s first exclusive hits it out of the park. Bluepoint did an excellent job updating Demon’s Souls to feature modern graphics and quality of life fixes without stripping anything away from the original. After how well this and Shadow of the Colossus turned out, I can’t wait to see which classic the studio tackles next.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is yet another big win for Treyarch Studios. Despite the reduced development time between releases and the current state of the world, Treyarch has produced one of the better multiplayer/co-op/campaign combinations. If the devs stick to its roadmap for upcoming content, including the syncing of Cold War weapons to Warzone, then I’m confident players will be happy with this package.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a competent platformer with tight controls. However, the generic craft theme and lack of memorable characters prevent it from being outstanding. The 3D platforming genre is filled to the brim with classics, and to stand out, a game has to do more than just be playable. There are plenty of costumes to collect and bits and baubles to pick up throughout levels, but Sackboy lacks that hook that’ll keep gamers coming back.
Overall, Observer benefits from the improvements implemented with System Redux. However, those who didn’t like the original won’t find enough changes or improvements here to fall in love. It’s still a Bloober Team game, which means a large part of it is merely walking forward and drinking in the environment and atmosphere. However, I will say there are enough puzzle elements, especially considering the new side quests, that it can’t be regarded as a pure “walking simulator.”
The only downsides to Astro’s Playroom are that it is fairly short, and it could have used a little plot to tie the whole thing together. However, for the price, it can’t be beaten, and it’s a must-play for those booting up their PS5 for the first time.
Yakuza fans were anxious about whether the series would survive without the glue of Kiryu Kazama to hold it together. However, Ichiban Kasuga is a worthy successor to the Dragon of Dojima, and Like a Dragon is a great new start for this fantastic series that will please long-time Yakuza fans and newcomers alike.
If the game is patched extensively, there are hints of an interesting enough story to make it worth a playthrough. However, at launch, the amount of game-breaking bugs present makes Broken Porcelain practically unplayable. It’s only because I had the duty to review it that I got as far in as I did, and I doubt the typical gamer will have the patience to get past the first hour.
Port Royale 4 will be an interesting distraction for fans of management sims, but none of its systems are complex enough to hook players for long. Both the trading and town building are surface deep, and after 15 or so hours of gameplay, everything is just repetition. There’s no big buildup to an endgame, so everything has that mid-game feeling of going through the paces.
Star Wars: Squadrons is a flawed homage to flight sims of decades past. It’ll be a dream come true for fans of the X-Wing and Rogue Squadron series. It’s the type of Star Wars game that seemed to be extinct. It’s a niche title that highlights the fantastic starfighters of the franchise.
In a year where new consoles are dropping, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is at risk of falling off the radar. I hope that players avoid that pitfall because this game is something special. It’s unique art and gameplay make it an unexpected treat, and it’s got the makings of an instant cult classic.
If you’re a Nintendo fan, you’re going to want to get Super Mario 3D All-Stars. However, just because the games are good doesn’t mean that these ports are great. They’re adequate, which has to be enough, I guess.
Crusader Kings 3 takes the massively-popular formula of its predecessor and distills it into a much more accessible and attractive package. The drama is even better, the plots sneakier, and it’s a game you can play for hundreds of hours without getting tired of it.
Wasteland 3 is a marvel of a game, especially from a small studio like inExile. It’s not without its flaws, but the excellent writing and enthralling world overshadow those.
If you’re a big fan of Souls-likes and want to play a game that follows that formula fairly closely while introducing a few unique gameplay elements, Hellpoint isn’t a bad choice.
I would have liked to see Mojang put more resources behind Minecraft Dungeons and put a unique spin on the hack-and-slash RPG genre by utilizing Minecraft‘s unique aspects. Minecraft Dungeons is fun in short bursts but does little to actually adapt the Minecraft property into its gameplay. Mojang plans to expand Minecraft Dungeons with DLC that may address some of the issues it has at launch. However, with the gameplay loop being so shallow, I wouldn’t count on any DLC expanding the game’s depth without fundamental alterations to the game’s core systems.
Mafia 2 is still a game that’s worth playing, but if you own the original for PC, you’re better off just modding it. If you don’t own it, the Definitive Edition is only $20, and you get Mafia 2 Classic with it, so you don’t have anything to lose.
The Switch version of Ion Fury is worth a buy if that’s the only platform you own on which it’s available. The only advantage this edition has over others is that the Switch is portable. The lower framerate really works against this version of the game, and I feel like players will get more enjoyment by playing it on a platform with the horsepower to provide a steady 60fps.
Gears Tactics makes a wonderful addition to the franchise, and I hope that it spins off as its own series.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a video game experience we only get every once in a while, and it’s one of the best titles I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.