Frank Streva
There is a lot to like in Bright Memory, and I can’t help but wonder how fantastic it could be as an eight or ten hour experience with a coherent storyline and some extra polish. Hopefully the next game will deliver a more complete package, whenever that might be.
The game’s setting, presentation, and themes are also all pretty engaging. It’s just a shame that the poor English translation will often pull you out of the experience.
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.
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.
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.
While it’s definitely a dated game that really wants you to jump into Bandai Namco’s equally dated gacha multiplayer game, Code Fairy contains enough worthwhile content to stand on its own if you are looking for a new single player Gundam experience.
If you are looking for a bright and colorful puzzle-platformer with some nice environment and NPC designs, then Unbound: Worlds Apart will probably scratch your itch for a few hours. What it lacks in mechanical and narrative originality, it makes up for by just being an all around solid and enjoyable experience while it lasts.
It’s probably the most polished game Streum On Studio has made yet, even if it doesn’t quite have the same level of depth and complexity as E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy. It’s both a pretty solid shooter, and a fairly good Warhammer 40k game overall; so long as you go in expecting a somewhat buggy and unpolished experience.
Fort Triumph has enough content and replayability to keep you hooked for a while. If you are looking for a more lighthearted and quirky take on the XCOM formula, with some really interesting physics-based combat mechanics, then you should give Fort Triumph a try.
If you like the idea of an alternate 1940s with steampunk mecha, demons, and a harem of cute anime girls, then you’ll probably find a lot to like in Sakura Wars, despite its flaws.
Even with its flaws, Bloodroots is worth checking out if you are in the mood for a challenging action game that rewards skillful play, and lots of practice.
A fairly chill and relaxing visual novel that has some decent worldbuilding and a likeable cast of characters.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It still comes with a recommendation from me, just be aware of the many performance issues and glaring bugs that can pull you out of the experience.
Still, despite its flaws, Battlesector is nevertheless a good new addition to the ever-expanding library of 40k video games. Whether you are a complete 40k virgin, or a long-time veteran of the tabletop game, you’ll probably find a lot to like here.
The gameplay is really simple; but tense, challenging, engaging, and the overall concept isn’t quite like anything else out there right now. When combined with its completely absurdist humor and story, Blind Drive offers a compelling experience worth playing through if you are looking for a very distinctive game that can easily be completed in one sitting.