Hi-Fi Rush’s combat is nuanced, responsive, and utilizes its musical conceit well to give it its own unique identity.
Giving players the freedom to capture anything sounds liberating, but its lack of structure makes it all a hollow endeavor, a feeling that’s only made even more extreme during its general, unsatisfying ending.
Frey may “do magic” and “kill jacked-up beasts,” but she can’t overcome the mediocrity that surrounds her and spills out of her mouth at nearly every turn.
Outside of some trippy, awe-inspiring vistas that throw Yara into space, the only impressive thing about this DLC is that it is the fourth time Ubisoft has failed to turn Far Cry 6 into a compelling roguelite.
With a vivid and extraterrestrial setting, combat that uses its bizarre tools well, and a straightforward campaign that doesn’t demand to be played eternally, Squanch Games’ first shooter is impressively able to claim its own space within the genre.
With such a rushed story and sloppy mechanics, The Callisto Protocol betrays the legacy it was built upon.
Pumping out tired horror adventures annually instead of taking the time to develop more refined, original experiences has led to an overall disappointing Dark Pictures season with a finale that fittingly encapsulates that unrealized potential.
God of War Ragnarök’s successes with its finale can be applied to the game as a whole since it is also an exquisite end to this Norse saga.
The Winters’ Expansion is inconsistent in a way Village wasn’t, yet it still has plenty of Village’s qualities and is a decent sendoff to a standout game.
What started out as a humble new series has expanded into something much more ambitious. But while that ambition is admirable and sometimes extraordinary, it’s also the root cause of many of its problems since it lacks focus and seems like Asobo spread itself thin going this much larger.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope expands on almost everything else Kingdom Battle did much more successfully. Its tactical combat is more open and customizable, which leads to engaging battles where player resourcefulness is always rewarded and rewarding.
Unless the studio reverts its unwise focus on individuality and five-on-five play, then Overwatch 2 will likely remain a disappointing and fundamentally unfulfilling game that has frustratingly taken the place of its vastly superior predecessor.
Prodeus travels down well-worn territory but does so covered in substantially more red (and blue) goo. Its mix of modern effects and retro visuals coalesce well and give it enough of its own identity that’s bolstered by its buckets of blood.
Metal: Hellsinger’s leanness isn’t wholly damning since it is an impeccably paced shooter that cuts everything down to its essentials and hones in on its musical gunplay, which is what matters.
The Last of Us has already endured for almost a decade and this thorough and loving restoration ensures that it will survive even longer.
Midnight Fight Express needed more focus to realize its potential. Constantly throwing out different hazards and enemy types at a dizzying pace doesn’t work if the foundation is rocky, and confusing variety for quality is one of its structural problems.
Destroy All Humans 2 - Reprobed is better than the first remake on paper, but Reprobed’s advancements are severely diminished because of its repetitive nature.
Much like its cursed chibi protagonist, Cursed to Golf is stuck in a sort of purgatory. Its unique mix of golf and roguelike mechanics, sublime soundtrack, and charming style ram up against its brutal difficulty and handful of questionable design decisions.
Rollerdrome doesn’t completely nail every trick, but it’s still a smooth shooter with more style than most other entries in the genre.
Cult of the Lamb is a twisted and successful balancing act. Even though its combat lacks some nuance, the game balances its roguelite dungeon crawler and management sim halves quite well.