While I would have preferred to see the franchise to return as a nice and proper sim like the old days, MechWarrior 5 still scratches my itch to stomp around the battlefields of the future in a giant robotic war machine.
The story is through and through a classic Star Wars tale, set within the first and second trilogies, and yet it falls short of truly being a must-buy due to its technical problems and its somewhat disappointing combat and mechanics. I simply wanted more, and a more polished game.
For now, it’s still a recommendation, albeit a recommendation that comes with some caveats.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find a decent amount of things to like in The Outer Worlds, but at the same time I can’t help but feel like it has the potential to be so much better.
It nails the aesthetic and gameplay of Genesis era side scrollers, and looks like something that could have been released during that era and go down in history as a fondly remembered classic. Even if you’re sick of retro-inspired action-platformers, you should still consider giving Valfaris a shot.
If you aren’t already a fan of the series, then Trine 4 probably won’t change your mind. If you love the series already like I do, then you’ll find a worthy new installment in the franchise that only occasionally stumbles in a few places here and there.
Nowhere Prophet is, I feel, a few tweaks and content expansions away from being a truly great roguelite deckbuilder. It has some great presentation, an interesting setting and lore, and fun tactical card-based battles, but stumbles when it comes to difficulty scaling, viable deck build diversity, and random encounter variety.
If you go in expecting a budget RPG that had some corners cut here and there, then you’ll probably find a lot to like here as well. I feel like Spiders has finally discovered their niche with GreedFall, and with some more refinement, tweaks, and added depth, I think they will eventually have a winning formula for their next game.
If you are in the market for a solid sci-fi 4X game that isn’t overly complicated and a bit more focused on combat, then you’ll find a lot to like in Age of Wonders: Planetfall. It’ll likely be my go-to game for several more months to come, even with all its flaws.
There’s still fun to be had in solving Etherborn‘s puzzles, but given how insanely short the game is, I’d probably recommend giving it a pass until you can find it on sale.
While Metal Wolf Chaos XD does get a recommendation from me, it comes with some caveats. The audio issues really should have been addressed as part of the remaster, and the PC port isn’t particularly good. Metal Wolf Chaos XD is an outrageous, goofy, and yet fun-filled cavalcade of delights.
Its not the best game in the genre I’ve ever played, but it does enough right to get a recommendation from me if you are in the market for a challenging new twin stick shooter. Luckily, the game has a free demo on its Steam page, so go give it a try.
I think there’s a pretty good ARPG here somewhere, and after a few post-launch updates and tweaks, it might end up being something genuinely really good. As it stands now though, Warhammer: Chaosbane just has too many flaws for me to give it a full recommendation just yet.
Gato Roboto features some charming animations and character interaction between Gary and his beloved kitty cat. The only truly disappointing thing I found about the game is that its over way too soon.
It certainly has its fair share of flaws, and anyone looking for a horror game that’s less linear and features more gameplay might be a bit disappointed by it, but Layers of Fear 2 is still worth experiencing at least once.
As a tactical combat game, Druidstone offers some solid combat encounters, challenging missions with good objective variety, around 20 hours of content, and a unique take on character progression and gear, even if its not quite as deep as a traditional RPG.
There will be many runs where you won’t really have much of a chance, and if that might turn you off. However, Slay the Spire still offers a nice variety of content, an addicting card-based combat system, and a compelling gameplay loop that will keep you coming back for more punishment.
While there’s no confirmed release dates for the next acts and side story DLCs, I look forward to seeing what comes next for both the detectives of Igrasil, and the developers at Igrasil Studio.
Glitches, inept AI, and low player counts aside, I do still recommend giving Tannenberg a shot, especially if you are looking for a game that really nails the look, feel, and atmosphere of WWI.
If you like the idea of building your own dinosaur theme park and are a big fan of the franchise, then Jurassic World Evolution is still a decent buy during a sale. Just be prepared to battle with some wonky mechanics and disappointingly simple management options.