Song in the Smoke excels with fantastic controls and VR mechanics, accomplishing some things that veteran VR developers still struggle with. A full-sized, immersive experience, Song in the Smoke is not easy, but it is engaging and fun.
Far Cry 6 excels in a lot of ways, with stellar visuals, performances, exploration, and story. But the character advancement mechanics have been reworked in a way that takes agency away from the player, forcing them to use the skills they can scrounge up instead of building the character they want. There is a mountain of fun to be had here; this pivot away from skill points doesn't ruin the game, but it also doesn't feel like the right direction for the series.
Diablo II Resurrected offers fans of the original game exactly what they want – the same game they left behind in 2002 with gloriously updated visuals. Everything works well on the controller (despite some inventory issues). New players might take a while to acclimate to the somewhat dated gameplay mechanics, but settling in, they will find a ton of enjoyable adventuring to be had with friends.
While ostensibly a first-person RPG, Chernobylite surprises with its fun base-building and personnel management mechanics. Creepy, weird, and unique, Chernobylite offers a great story and interesting combat scenarios-even if the gunplay is a bit glitchy. An unconventionally unique game in a very cool setting, Chernobylite is recommended for those looking for something a bit different.
Astria Ascending is a gorgeous JRPG with wonderful world-building that overwhelms the player with characters and progression systems. With somewhat standard-feeling combat that is overly punishing at the default difficulty, I felt at a loss as far as what to concentrate on to improve my party. Astria Ascending tells a beautiful story, but too often that story is buried behind too many mechanics and systems.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is an instant classic, a licensed game with AAA production values that never stops delivering thrills. With enough content and features to satisfy the most demanding audience, Hot Wheels focus on razor sharp arcade racing delivers exactly what fans want – tons of cool cars, wild tracks, and collectable, customizable fun. Our highest recommendation.
The Artful Escape tells a heartfelt story of artistic self-discovery through a filter of color, light, sound, and joy. Combining gonzo sci-fi imagery with blaring space-rock guitar chords, The Artful Escape is a playable concept album – or at least a grand trip through that album's cover art. Never difficult but always fun, The Artful Escape is highly recommended as both a great narrative and a fun exploration into Bowie-style space rock imagery.
Life Is Strange: True Colors is a fantastic slice of life from an idealized alternate universe. Alex is an excellent protagonist, and her adventures with her attractive, funny friends in their beautiful town is a great way to spend about 12 hours. Beautiful, touching, temporary, artificial, charming, enchanting, and strange, True Colors will touch your soul like the three-minute indie pop songs it loves so much. The taste of ashes in your mouth at the end is purely optional.
King's Bounty II is a great tactics game nestled within an okay open world RPG. While nothing in the exploration is offensively bad, it is clear early on that the real meat of the game lies within it's fun and engaging battle system.
Islanders: Console Edition trims every bit of fat from the city-building genre, stripping it down to the core mechanic of plunking down buildings for points. While the controls are a bit fidgety, the chill gameplay and focused mechanics more than make up for it. Play for a few minutes or a few hours, either way, Islanders delivers.
Fire Tonight is a very brief, albeit enjoyable, tribute to the early '90s and synth-pop band Information Society in particular. Though the mechanics in the game are somewhat basic, it is still fun to see a video game take the time to visit a world 30 years gone. People of a certain age (and Information Society fans) will likely get a charge out of this one.
The Forgotten City is a modern classic, an utterly compelling video game that reinvents the adventure genre through intriguing writing and exploration. With stellar voice acting, sparkling conversation, and story twists to spare, The Forgotten City is one of the best games I've played this year, and one of the best video game narratives I've ever encountered. Utterly original, completely entrancing.
Ayo the Clown is a fun, light platformer with origins that can be traced directly back to any number of Nintendo classics, putting it in esteemed company. Though the difficulty might be a bit much for the smallest kids, Ayo the Clown is a light-hearted, family-friendly game that deserves attention from platformer fans.
Sniper Elite VR offers a hefty experience for a VR game, with up to seven or eight hours of well-designed levels to creep through. The mechanics of the game take some time to get used to, and even after becoming accustomed to the controls, still feel a little awkward - though a nice selection of settings helps alleviate those issues. Some forced repetition pads the game towards the end, but overall Sniper Elite VR is a solid and fun experience.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a mixed bag. Hatching and maxing out your Monsties is a lot of fun, but the battle system in which you spend most of your time eventually wears out its welcome. While the story becomes interesting in the late game, it takes a long time to get there, with extended periods spent wandering from quest point to quest point on autopilot. There are a lot of systems at play here, but they don't always gel into a compelling game.
Summer Olympics Tokyo 2020 is fun with a group of friends and family, but there is very little reason to pick up the controller if you are going to be playing alone. Fun customization options allow a great deal of weirdness, and the wide variety of minigames offer breezy fun without a ton of depth. Lower your expectations, invite some buddies over, and you'll likely have a good time.
A brief jaunt through a side story in the Star Wars universe is made better with some sky-high production values and some fun lore drops. Don't expect a ton of interactivity, though it is fun to throw Stormtroopers around with the Force. A nice side mode allows for endless lightsaber battles, but the main draw is Vader himself, delivered by the game in all of his intimidating glory.
Dark Alliance has the core of a fun game, but many design decisions and some very spotty enemy AI prevent the game from fully taking flight. While the game still feels early, there is some fun to be had running around and taking advantage of Dark Alliance's many issues. But with time, this game will become a mid-tier action adventure-which is exactly what it should be.
Final Fantasy VII Remake, only a year old, gets a next-gen remake, and the results are visually stunning. The new Yuffie-based Intermission chapter is a ton of fun, and its lighter tone demonstrates ways that the Remake saga can move away from the sullen tone of the first game. Bouncy and full of life, Yuffie brings some much needed levity to the proceedings, shining a new light on the game as a whole.
DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power successfully translates the beloved animated TV show into the video game space. While the game might feel a bit fluffy for adults, playing with kids is a blast. With reasonably well-done combat and a ton of side activities, Teen Power is a meatier (and more fun) experience than one might assume-an absolute win for a licensed game.