Leo Faierman
Lamentum is a fine debut that happens to serve a very specific fanbase, the same players who will celebrate its lack of trusty modern gameplay conveniences.
The takeaway is this: Watch Dogs: Legion is an ambitious simulation which reliably fails whenever players push against its boundaries. Like the cargo drones which grant them the ability to freely fly, it hits an invisible ceiling that prevents players from soaring above London’s skyscrapers.
New indie game Itta combines a dreary narrative with hairy bullet-hell bosses, though some half-baked systems hold it back from greatness.
Indie action-adventure Yaga blends Slavic folklore with unique gameplay mechanics, but its stumbling combat leaves something to be desired.
Concrete Genie certainly has a vandal's heart, but this creatively-oriented PlayStation 4 exclusive struggles to tie its various mechanics together.
This game presents a unique approach to the franchise on PlayStation VR, though its high cost may deter some players.
Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son is the game sequel to the rom-com classic. While janky and lacking star power, it's still an appealing experiment.
Children of Morta is an ambitious, beautiful, but unsatisfying action roguelike, light on content and feeling considerably unfinished at launch.
Joymasher's Blazing Chrome is a retraux action game which seeks to woo Contra aficionados with its challenging run-and-gun pixelated gameplay.
Devolver's new Metroidvania-lite game Gato Roboto is an entertaining monochromatic Metroid homage, but isn't particularly memorable or deep.
Ubisoft's Space Junkies sets the groundwork for a great competition-ready zero-G VR shooter, but a lack of content and character dulls its shine.
The Wizards Enhanced Edition is a PlayStation VR port of a PC VR release, featuring gesture-based spell-casting and a new arena mode.
High-concept, bite-sized, and a bit janky, A Fisherman's Tale's on PS VR offers up a mesmerizing puzzle adventure that reworks the brain.
Combining clicker and dungeon crawler genres, its innovations boil down to a casual distraction, rather than a compelling ARPG.
The new PlayStation VR game Smash Hit Plunder is a fine diversion, but the game lacks depth and has some considerable navigation control issues.
Toadman Interactive's new Souls-like Immortal: Unchained throws firearms into the increasingly predictable genre of gloomy action-RPGs.
Most gamers are going to find something to enjoy here, with literally hundreds if not thousands of hours in these 53 titles, but hardcore purists will be put off at the absence of arcade ports, unlockable curiosities, game box art, and other fun bonuses that they’ve come to expect with these types of packages.
City of Brass brings its mix of challenging roguelite gameplay and Persian fantasy to the Nintendo Switch, but control issues mar the experience.
Defiant's hybrid action-RPG Hand of Fate 2 arrives to the Nintendo Switch.
Anima: Gate of Memories is an ambitious, but uneven, anime-inspired third-person action adventure game now available for the Nintendo Switch.