Travis Northup's Reviews
Recompile is a short-lived metroidvania with a great story but forgettable platforming, puzzles, and combat.
The biggest problem with all the logic puzzles in Chronicles won’t be a surprise to veteran players though: most of the time the solution is just too obvious. There are exceptions of course, especially in each game’s latter cases, but it’s not uncommon to be several steps ahead of each of the characters as they peel back layer after layer to get to the truth. This can lead to some frustrating parts where you’re not sure which piece of evidence to present, because you’re already way ahead of the characters’ current understanding of the sequence of events. But like I said, this isn’t a new problem to the series and ones that fans (myself included) are likely to be quick to forgive.
Cris Tales is a clever time-traveling JRPG that's held back by monotonous combat.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a fantastic Zelda adventure that's aged like wine, even if Wii-era motion controls still aren't great.
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is a tedious co-op adventure with lots of goblins and even more bugs.
Necromunda: Hired Gun shoots itself in the foot with bugs galore, brain-dead AI, and a dull, nonsensical story.
There are few games that have ever made me scream in anger or shout with unbridled joy as often as Knockout City and I absolutely can't stop playing. It's a near-perfect team multiplayer game packed with strategy, heart, and an incredibly impressive level of polish. Even if it's a bit buggy and lacking in content at the moment, I can't recommend it enough.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a multiplayer stealth-action game that rewards sloppiness over cunning. That can be fun, but it also badly needs more content.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is an excellent remake of a delightfully weird '90s platformer with tons of charm, challenge... and annoying bugs.
Skul: The Hero Slayer puts skull-swapping and fast combat front and center in this bone-afide retro rogue-lite.
Destiny 2 breaks new ground with Beyond Light, while other parts remain frozen in time.
Pokémon Sword and Shield: The Crown Tundra puts your legendary monster hunting skills to the test in a fun but short-lived expansion.
An incredible open-world and addictive exploration make Genshin Impact anime-zing adventure.
Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck is a bizarre odyssey through Kreig's cranium that holds one great boss battle but few other surprises.
Mortal Shell is an action RPG that uses the sleeve of the soulslike genre to create something unique enough to stand on its own two feet. Though its campaign is short and predictable, the beautiful world, interesting body-swapping mechanics, and strong technical performance more than make up for how liberally it borrows from other games.
Battletoads (2020) keeps the soul of the notorious original game intact while revitalizing it with interesting minigames, hilarious writing, and couch co-op that makes this a worthy reason to revisit Zitz, Pimple, and Rash. While the absence of online co-op is pretty disappointing and the beat 'em up gameplay can become dull by the end of the campaign, this short ride is one I can full-throatedly recommend.
As Pokémon's first-ever DLC, The Isle of Armor is an entertaining but shallow return to the Galar region.
Disintegration is a unique game held back by oftentimes irritating and dull game design and a weak campaign. While practically everything about the world and gameplay is unlike anything I've played before, too little of it succeeds in being consistently enjoyable.
The new Future Connected story chapter isn’t particularly inspired, but the impressive graphical overhaul and welcome (if small) quality-of-life improvements make this the best version of Xenoblade Chronicles we’ve ever had.
Gears Tactics is a stellar tactics game that still manages to feel like the Gears you know and love. With a solid story, addictive RPG systems, and dozens of hours of gameplay, this is a must-play for any fans of turn-based strategy games or the Gears franchise in general.