Redfall is a bigger and much more deliberately paced game than I was expecting. Fun in multiplayer, I found that I enjoyed it even more solo. Creeping around with a sniper rifle, shooting vamps with stake launchers from afar, I was able to play Redfall as a stealth game, which was highly enjoyable. Some technical issues still need to be ironed out, but there is a lot of fun here for folks that vibe with the spooky open world.
A tightly contained VR experience that performs it's one trick very well. This is a game that is short on mechanics but long on charm. Players' tolerance may vary, depending on how much they enjoy tilt mazes in the real world. An inexpensive way to experience a fairly unique - and cozy - implementation of VR technology.
Strayed Lights surprised me into liking it, though the action/combat genre isn't regularly my jam. The interesting mechanics kept me coming back - sometimes against my better judgement - and the beautiful visuals went a long way towards keeping me engaged. The combat in the game is deceptively straightforward, but the ways you are forced to use it continuously ramp up the difficulty in an enjoyable way. This game might feel simple for some, but it was difficult enough for me that I felt pretty proud when I would down one of the bigger baddies. Recommended.
Creepy enough in a low-budget, cookie-cutter sort of way, Afterlife VR gets a lot of milage out of darkness and sound design. VR horror fans won't find much new here, but the gameplay isn't offensively bad, and I enjoyed my two hour playthrough well enough. Decent puzzles, some functional - though limited - shooting. Worth a look, especially for it's very reasonable selling price.
A mix of RTS, tower defense, and open world epics, Minecraft Legends feels completely unique; a strategic breath of fresh air with interesting mechanics and an amazingly fun gameplay loop. But the absolutely stellar game design in Minecraft Legends is ultimately undone by bugs and AI/pathfinding issues. There is an amazing game at the core of Minecraft Legends, addictive and compelling. I'm frankly obsessed over it. But that makes it all the more disappointing that the technical implementation of the game can't support it's lofty ambitions.
The Last of Us Part I could have launched cleaner, to be sure. But my personal experience with the game was far better than some of what I'm seeing reported online. I was experiencing a stellar game for the first time, and it behaved itself for me well enough that I had a great time. If you are worried about your PC handling TLOU, give it a bit of time for the technical issues to be resolved, but rest assured that the game that everyone loves is intact.
Diablo-like gameplay, hysterical writing, a AAA cast, and a winning story all combine to make this one of the best kid-appropriate games of the year. Some technical issues mar the Switch version, but this game is still miles above what you might expect. Get Cosmic Chaos for your kid, but expect to take the controller yourself, as the game is just too good to sit and watch.
What the Bat? isn't going to set the VR world on fire with it's ground-breaking use of VR tech, but it is going to make VR fans looking for a simple, fun game smile and laugh for a few hours. With a barrage of minigames and weirdo mechanics, this game radiates creativity and fun. Just, uh, don't expect any baseball.
By strengthening the writing and characters, Square Enix has brought every other aspect of Octopath Traveler snapping into focus with this second entry. Beautiful, engaging, and challenging, Octopath Traveler feels like a classic JRPG, in all the best ways. This is a huge, and hugely rewarding, game.
A sequel in everything but name to PS VR's delightful Rush of Blood, The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR takes everything that made that title successful and refines it further. The shooting is great, the thrills are some of the best on the platform, and the overall vibe can be downright terrifying. Ride a coaster, shoot some demons, scream, laugh, and cuss. What's not to love?
Cave Digger 2 is just too mechanically inconsistent to fully recommend. While there is a fun roguelike at the core of this experience, I had trouble with almost every mechanic in the game bugging out or being overly difficult due to technical issues. When you have to struggle this much to get a game to perform, it's tough to recommend, no matter how good the ideas behind it.
Demeo is pure, uncut geek wish fulfillment. If nights spent in the basement playing a living, breathing board game with your buddies sounds like something you would enjoy, then don't hesitate to grab this fantastic tabletop RPG sim in it's best current incarnation on PS VR 2. Tons of content, a wicked level of difficulty, and spectacular visuals all combine to make this the best board game night of all time. Better with friends (they don't need PS VR 2, but it helps), Demeo can provide some howlingly fun dungeon crawling.
Townsmen VR takes classic city-building mechanics and aptly converts them to the VR space, resulting in a well-made and delightful VR RTS/city-builder experience. Well designed interactions and smooth VR features make for a very fun and satisfying experience. Newcomers to the format might want to check this out just to see a different take on what VR can do well. An extremely entertaining, well-made delight that will eat hours off of your afternoon.
There is no getting around the fact that Zen is the best in the business when it comes to creating (and recreating) pinball tables in the digital space. The new Pinball FX is a solid package with several new ways to play your tables. That said, this is a platform, not a game, and your experience will vary depending on your level of investment in tables. New modes and interfaces are nice, but the game still aches a bit from what could have been.
WILD HEARTS marks the emergence of a worthy new AAA franchise. While the game suffers a bit from some minor technical issues on PC, the core gameplay is astoundingly strong. The mixture of wildly creative Kemono monsters and player-built karakuri creates a strong, addictive cocktail of fun. The challenge level is high, but victory feels triumphant. Highly recommended.
Pharaoh is a throwback in the best possible way. Harkening back to a time when city management games were actually manageable, Pharaoh will still present players with a good amount of challenge. There is a ton of game here to enjoy, and it continuously pushes the player to find unique ways to solve interesting problems. It is worth mentioning that there may be a gators hiding in the Nile right out of the gate upon release, but one can expect those to be cleaned up in short order; there is nothing here that should stop prospective players from starting their own Egyptian empires. Fun and addictive.
Mahokenshi will test every logical and strategic bone in your body. A mix of deck builders and board games, Mahokenshi pushes the player to try different strategies, and the game is not shy about smacking down your pitiful attempts until you get it right. Come prepared for a unique experience, and put on your toughest armor, and you may get hours of enjoyment from this one. Just don't take it personally when you find yourself face down in the mud.
The weirdest Marvel game is also one of the best. With an enormous number of complementary systems, a simple but deep combat system, and a mountain of delightful character moments to explore, Midnight Suns shines a brilliant light into one of Marvel's lesser-known corners. This is a huge game, but also a comfortable and warm game for strategy and Marvel fans alike. Possibly the best release of the holiday season, and one of the strongest games of the year.
Far Cry 6: Lost Between Worlds feels like a bit of a wash, echoing too much of what came prior in the base game and DLCs. With required repeated runs through the same environments and a new combat mechanic that doesn't amount to much, this expansion doesn't provide much players haven't seen before outside of a strange new story for Dani Rojas.
Camouflag has put an extraordinary amount of work into the Quest 2 port of Marvel's Iron Man VR, solving many of the issues that held back this extraordinary game upon its initial PSVR release. What is left is the best superhero sim on the market, with amazing flight and combat and a pretty great Marvel story. VR fans should not hesitate to grab this game; it's quite simply one of the best VR titles ever released.