That said, there's really something here to enjoy in They Are Billions. Taken as a whole, it is an entirely new and interesting take on genres that are as old as gaming. Billions has such great moments at times that it's rather surprising that these genres hadn't been smashed together already. Billions leaves plenty to be desired everywhere else though—in visual fidelity, art direction, sound design, and even game balance. Clearly, this is a first step on a new and mysterious frontier. Hopefully, not the last.
Solasta's tactical battles shine brightly, even in the shadow of a drab and by-the-numbers fantasy story.
Superbly written characters, the dark allure of its world, and an engrossing main story make up for Weird West's wonky action.
That said, for the budget price, there could be room on your digital shelf for Blast Zone! Tournament. At its core, you can get mostly the same experience out of it. I don't know the reasons why you wouldn't just spring for the real thing, but I don't judge. So long as you are willing to get over the strange music and art choices, and can work around how they can adversely affect your play, you can absolutely get something from BZT.
Despite its satisfyingly open Infiltrations and the brisk bite of its scythes, The Siege of Paris doesn't feel like an essential addition when Valhalla already has Mjolonir's weight in nearly identical content.
A fantastical setting and solid story can't disguise the fact that Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok has us running through the same motions as the main game a year and a half later.
Thymesia's aggressive combat can be enjoyable, but it's an adventure that's easily forgettable otherwise.
Starship Troopers: Extermination could become the premier bug-stomping romp for big teams, but in its current early state, mobile infantry can do the dying without you.
AEW: Fight Forever may have the audacity to challenge the current king of wrestling games, but despite its fun-loving spirit, strong sense of style, and solid fundamentals, it fails to execute on a level that comes anywhere close to its potential.
WrestleQuest’s love for wrestling catapults its creative and beautiful landscapes and strong characters into the main event, but isn’t enough to elevate its bloated level design or competent-but-repetitive combat out of the mid card.
Missed opportunity haunts every inch of Hellboy: Web of Wyrd. It's simple to dive into and play but all too soon you reach the bottom of its shallow gameplay. Its roguelike runs are short and sweet, but its enemies aren't a challenge worthy of Hellboy.
As a new interpretation of this almost decade-old formula, Sinner asks some great questions. When we strip away the exploration of the dungeon crawl and the tension of the storytelling, what's the core of Dark Souls? Risky, challenging, and rewarding encounters with larger than life baddies. Sinner may not be the final answer, unfortunately. It's too derivative, both in enemy and environment design. Sinner focused and simple, but over-complicates things with the sacrifice experiment. It's a step in a new and right direction, but it's only a half step at best.
Earthfall somewhat succeeds at it's core mission, if it's mission is to try to kickstart the multiplayer subgenre that Turtle Rock started a decade ago. It's biggest failure is convincing people that it is a better alternative to Left 4 Dead 2, which is still very available on limited platforms. There's also Call of Duty's Zombies/Invasion side modes, which are ubiquitous. Not to mention Vermintide, which is a fresh look at the genre. You will absolutely have fun liberating Earth from aliens with a group of your friends – friends make even the most rote experience interesting. But outside of a few sessions with the group, you'll all find something better to do.
Death's Gambit had such promise. At its core, it is the blueprint to properly take risks and make attempts to improve a game design that we all take for granted. But it's just surrounded with poor quality of life choices, while missing some things it should have absolutely nailed. Weird animations, strange pacing, counter-intuitive combat, and way too many bugs holds this game back from being something truly great.
Alas, if you're coming to Age of Wonders: Planetfall for a brand new angle on games you've played before, then you've come to the wrong place. It's novel to see several different recognizable mechanics blended into one genre soup. The final product isn't better than the sum of its parts, though. It makes the 4X a faster game to play, but not a better one, ultimately.
1C Entertainment's attempt to reinvigorate the long-dormant series proves two things: its turn-based tactical combat is timeless, and making a compelling open-world experience is harder than it looks.
Clid the Snail is a twin-stick shooter that's radula-deep in mediocrity. The slimy graphics and sluggish combat keep its decent story and characters from thriving outside of its shell.
As it stands now, Achilles: Legends Untold is an undercooked and fairly broken romp through ancient Greece, with underwhelming combat and a world that's full of pretty things to look at but with little to do in it.
Soulstice is a competent action game with creative monsters, but they're doomed to live in a bland setting with tedious level design.
Ravenbound is a roguelike that starts out promising before being grounded by obtuse systems, frustrating loot, and lots of bugs.