Overall, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a fantastic game and one of the better open-world exploration titles in recent memory. Combat is great, puzzles are fun and there is so much to see and experience that it's easy to get sidetracked. It would be nice if some of the puzzles were a bit less tedious, but I can hardly fault them for trying to offer a more engaging experience. So if you want a lovely world to explore, look no further than Immortals Fenyx Rising.
To make it simple, there are really two ways to look at Heroes of Hammerwatch – Ultimate Edition. Either you decide you love the simple and engaging gameplay, the one where you run around, fight swarms of enemies and slowly build up the town or it's a grind-heavy mess. As a fan of the roguelike and roguelike genres, it falls more in the grind-heavy mentality, simply because the limits are less skill and more resources. Still, it's engaging enough to, if nothing else, get some fun out of it.
If the answer to that question is a story, it really is a wild ride. The new arc has been interesting and the latest addition continues things in a way that makes me excited for the next release. However, if you want to stealth kill some enemies, scale buildings, and more, this really isn't for you. Norway is a largely bland world with mountain ranges and other less interesting things to deal with. It really isn't a bad experience, it's just when push comes to shove, it's essentially what you'd expect given the previous entries.
Even if Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is more The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild than Dynasty Warriors, both games are present. The gameplay is still an odd mix of mindless fun and engaging challenge that makes it really fun to play. It would be nice to see more done with the concept, though there is only so much that can be said for the concept. Perhaps the best way to put it is, given the concept, it's the best possible outcome and that is really all that matters.
For those who have a PC, the Xbox version that you purchase digitally will give you access to the Windows 10 version of it as well. It also has the Play Anywhere feature meaning you can continue your progress whether you are playing on an Xbox console or PC. Sadly, I've experienced several crashes when playing on PC but it certainly looks the best on PC running at max settings on an RTX 3080.
There is only so much you can say about Destiny 2 Beyond Light before it becomes a question of what is worth grinding for. The new classes add a fun new take on the experience, as does a new location, but right now the main draw is the story. It's a good adventure, even if it is just a couple hours, though at the end of the day it's still more Destiny 2.
There really isn't a whole lot of new things to say about Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition. It's a stunning game that added a new character, giving players something new to experience, plus various improvements to the overall experience. Ideally, it will be an idea of things to come, over one of the early games that suggested gimmicks were actually features but regardless of the outcome, it's easily one of the most impressive games you can play on PS5 right now.
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is honestly a very straightforward experience. Regardless of what Sora, Goofy, Donald, or whomever you decide to play as are doing, it's a game that comes down to pushing specific buttons at exact times. Cute visuals and an interesting idea, along with good music, make it easy to get into and enjoy. Toss in a couple of difficulties, some items to make things easier and it is a cute game that is fun to play both in short and long durations.
Where Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is difficult to comment on is the whole experience. Making farming such a critical part is going to turn off a lot of people and even skipping it makes things more tedious than it needs to be. As for combat, it's fun, though not overly deep. I found myself having fun and easily knew what to do to prevent dying, even if I still occasionally got overran. Unfortunately, a lot of this hinges on how much of a deal-breaker farming is. Even if you can skip most of it, things just get harder or you need to devote different amounts of effort to it. For some that is fine but you need to make that call for yourself.
Truth be told, Godfall is a hard experience to review. You have a serviceable story, impressive graphics for a launch title, satisfying combat centered around an underwhelming loot system, RPG mechanics, and diversity. I will honestly say I did not get the experience I was expecting, something like Destiny centered around swords, but it was still good. There are certainly great things to be said about everything here, you should just go in expecting more of a hack and slash game than one centered around loot.
The hard thing about Ghostrunner is that it's brutal, deceptively complicated and a blast once you get it down. Those learning might be turned off by the brutally accurate AI, easy deaths, and repeated failures. Still, it's a neat game that certainly has a place and is a lot of fun to both play and watch.
In a lot of ways, Watch Dogs: Legion gets the open-world game just right. There are seemingly endless things to do, outfits to try on and people to help. Some modern features give players the opportunity to remove annoying aspects like driving, making it a bit more accessible. Toss in a wide variety of tactics and there is something for everyone. Outside of some cumbersome mechanics, confusing prompts, and needless options, there is little to dislike here. So, if you want an open-world game to hold you over until the next major release, I strongly suggest looking into Watch Dogs: Legion.
Here is the challenge with Wonder Blade. It's fun, easy to play, has a decent length, and enough going on to easily see value in it. However, it's so closely inspired by Castle Crashers, which honestly does several things better despite being over a decade older. If I were, to be honest, unless you absolutely want new content, this is a game that doesn't invoke that feeling you want to progress and see what is next, as much as reflect back on how awesome another game was. In more ways I wanted to play Castle Crashers Remastered over this, making it a hard sell. Yeah, it's fun, cute, and a lot of great things, but it is also basically copying a proven model. For some, that is fine, especially if you just want more Castle Crashers, but for anyone else, it brings very little to the table.
Odds are if you're reading this review, you know what to expect from Onee Chanbara Origins. It's Dynasty Warriors with fewer characters, smaller stages and instead of historical figures, it's zombies and cute girls. This is enough to make it fun and give the experience value, though it's hard to really suggest it to anyone else. Between the lack of story and limited content, there isn't much really much of a reason to check it out unless you want to get into the series or already love it.
So much of the success of this expansion hinges on the second part, so we're cautiously optimistic. The story is building to interesting things that we would like to see, it just depends on how well they capitalize on the momentum. As for the content we did see, it's basically more of the main game, so if you want to fight even more intense waves of the same seven or so enemies, you'll love this expansion, whereas those who struggled with the base game will likely be underwhelmed.
Despite some shortcomings, this is still a fantastic JRPG that remembers what made players fall in love with the genre. You have a wondrous story that is topped with engaging gameplay that is more than enough to keep most people engaged. Toss in a wide variety of mechanics not even mentioned, exploration and so many details and it's easy to understand why so many people love this franchise. And while newcomers are better off playing through the other titles, the recap is robust enough to either remind you what happened or explain so many were excited about the conclusion.
Enjoyment hinges on what you're looking for in an RPG. If you want a great story that has tons of metrics to pay attention to, this really isn't that. Torchlight III is essentially a basic RPG that has a lot of extras if that is your thing, behind engaging gameplay. What makes more to you will differ but if you really just want to run around killing stuff, it's a good choice.
Perhaps the best way to explain Foregone is like this. It's a really fun game, one that I could mindlessly play for hours and feel like I got my money's worth, but there are a lot of generally lackluster ideas thrown in. Most players won't have to worry about most things, will be fine rushing through, and just having fun. For this reason, it's still easy to recommend Foregone, especially if you like the core non-roguelike elements of Dead Cells, you just need to keep in mind it works best if you just go with whatever your luck dictates.
The struggle with Robotics;Notes Double Pack is rather simple. It's a goofy game with a neat concept, but it takes a while before it catches you. The sequel does a better job of handling this, plus adding Daru to the cast is enough to get fans of Steins;Gate involved, though it's a big ask. If you're willing to invest in a new adventure that is more slice of life and less the gripping narrative of previous adventures, you'll probably enjoy it, otherwise, you might be better off skipping to the end.
For the most part, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time might not redefine the game or get every detail just right but it does a fantastic job of modernizing the franchise. Story has enough going on to be invested, new mechanics offer a different take on what you might expect, costumes are fun and there is something for everyone. Even if it can be challenging at times, it's the type of experience where you can learn, improve and ultimately master, either through watching a tutorial or trial and error. So, with this in mind, if you're looking for a new take on a old platformer, it's hard to say no to Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.