Austin Suther's Reviews
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is engrossing, deep, and atmospheric. It's a game that has aged marvelously, but even so, Nightdive's efforts in remastering this classic make it more accessible than ever before.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is a bit lacking in terms of difficulty and enemy variety, and the story doesn't feel too creative. That said, the abilities of each Ninja Turtle reflect their personalities well and allows for some visceral tactical takedowns. Generally, it's a game that turn-based tactics fans should enjoy for a few hours.
A classic with a quality remaster, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny features crisp, enhanced visuals and other improvements like auto-save and new controls. The campiness of the story is endearing, and the action-oriented, Resident Evil-like gameplay holds up after all these years.
Tons of exploration and adventure await across three episodes, the last of which ending with a challenging onslaught of enemies and obstacles. Wizordum doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it is a competent and well-made retro shooter with tight, spell-based gunplay.
There's no doubt Rusty Rabbit is a competent game made by talented developers. Its platforming and exploration are enjoyable in later areas, but Rusty Rabbit makes several missteps in several facets of its gameplay (especially early on) and lack of character development.
Driving around a spooky and mysterious Japanese town in a souped-up Kei truck is a surprising amount of fun. The business management is simple but deep enough to keep players engaged, and the gripping, mysterious story of the town will keep you engaged from start to finish.
Obsidian Entertainment continues to live up to players' expectations of delivering a game with quality writing, engaging choices, and compelling gameplay. Avowed is all those things and more: an epic fantasy that'll keep you hooked, which makes it one of the best RPGs this decade.
Freedom Wars Remastered is a competent take on the Monster Hunter formula. It has a fun hook and an addicting rhythm to its gameplay; that is, if you can get past the loads of dialogue. All that said, it's a competent remaster for an adequate game.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind is a wonderful homage to the IP and makes for a great beat 'em up. With an exciting soundtrack and outstanding visual design, fans of the Power Rangers will be pleased.
Ported by Nightdive, The Thing: Remastered looks fantastic and has all the bells and whistles you'd want from a remaster. As a follow-up to the cult 1982 movie, the story didn't quite do it for me, and the gameplay, mostly with its AI companions, can be a bit annoying.
There's a decent, tactical experience in Metal Slug Tactics, but the roguelite elements and repetition that stems from that make things feel old too quickly. Messy, confusing UI and infrequent bugs also hinder this title from reaching its true potential.
Killing Time: Resurrected is a charming shooter that stands out for its vast map, mysterious mansion, and FMV cutscenes. Though weapon variety is middling, it's a fantastic experience through and through and greatly benefits from Nightdive Studios' enhancements.
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred introduces a wide array of new content and changes, most, if not all of which enhance the experience for the better. The story doesn't quite reach the same highs as the base campaign, but the new class and lots of endgame content should keep players coming back.
Tactical Breach Wizards delivers a fresh and addicting tactical experience. Using an array of awesome spells, there are limitless ways to complete the mission, making for a very inventive experience.
Castaway doesn't reinvent the wheel, nor does it intend to. What Canari Games set out to do is to create a rock solid, short-but-sweet experience, and this endearing adventure game achieves just that.
Despite SteamWorld Heist II's shortcomings, it's a fun and polished game. It does, however, suffer from repetition and lack of depth, so it feels like you've seen it all it has to offer after a few hours.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter isn't a good game, nor is it necessarily bad, but its age shows as you play through its campaign. Not only that, but the port quality and terrible camera controls leave a lot to be desired.
It's commendable work by Nightdive to port this obscure title, but it's no wonder they announced its existence on April Fool's Day. Po'ed: Definitive Edition is a confusing mess of a game to play, but it does leave a lasting impression.
Combining elements from Ghostrunner and Bulletstorm in a 90s-anime-inspired package, slaying robobillionaires is a blast in Mullet MadJack -- though, it is a bit short.
Stellar Blade stands toe-to-toe with some of the best games of the character action genre. This package offers a satisfying combat system with plenty of progression, beautiful visuals, and one of the best soundtracks in years.