The Furious Wild provides even more reason to return to Three Kingdoms and to lose yourself once again for a score of hours engaging in some of the most rewarding gameplay modern strategy games have to offer.
That being said, Age of Empires III Definitive Edition is a fantastic trip down memory lane, and the goosebumps I felt hearing that title theme again were very real. But without that nostalgia factor driving you onward, I just wonder how a player completely new to the series would fare.
While nothing revolutionary, Steelrising is well worth your time and attention.
Minecraft Legends lacks the strategic depth to entice genre veterans but could be a great place to get newcomers or younger audiences interested. It has a lot of heart and can be a good bit of fun, provided your expectations are properly calibrated.
RoboCop: Rogue City does an admirable job of bringing the gritty universe of the films to life and of capturing the feeling of playing as the armoured enforcer himself. However, there are only so many cyberpunk lowlifes one can blast to bits before the repetition sets in.
Grandia HD Collection makes two classic, influential RPGs more readily available to a modern audience. But with little in the way of extras and quite a steep asking price, it is unlikely to appeal to anyone other than the most hardcore genre enthusiasts.
It has a bevy of minor issues, however, like a cumbersome UI and stilted animations, and its lack of tactical depth on the battle map leaves it feeling like a game from a decade ago. But if you are looking for a 4X game to get lost in, with interesting lore and diverse factions, Planetfall will feel familiar and scratch an itch that isn’t often catered to.
Shovel Knight Showdown is a rare misstep from a developer known for pixel-perfection. It’s a fun diversion for a few dozen minutes but falls short of the base game, and the brilliant single-player expansions that came afterward.
There is some fun to be had here, but for me at least it quickly became tedious.
There is a very promising kernel at the core of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. With some more game mode variety, some basic controller and accessibility options, and a stable player base, I could see it being a great alternative to other live-service games. It just isn’t quite there yet.
Scars Above is a more appealing prospect than it is a final product - an interesting premise that's ultimately lost amidst repetitive gameplay and mundane design. Some aspects of it are genuinely intriguing, if underexplored, but simply reaching for the stars alone is no guarantee of ever actually leaving orbit, let alone getting off the ground - and recommending this experience over any other is a bit rich, even for the lower asking price.
Mato Anomalies is a tough sell; it features some fresh ideas and concepts (which should be applauded) but fails to create a compelling core gameplay loop in the process. With so many other other excellent turn-based titles demanding your attention, it fails to provide a compelling reason to undertake this surreal journey.
We can't imagine who Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is for, as it mostly boils down to being a worse version of an existing IP, with some fairly bland gameplay tacked on for good measure. Newcomers will be lost, and enthusiasts won't appreciate the corners cut, so while technically - and mechanically - sound, it leaves very little to recommend.
Vambrace: Cold Soul falls down in almost every way that matters, and there are far better games out there more worthy of your time.
Wherever you play it, Death Stranding is an unforgettable experience, and it isn’t often that a high-profile game is able to take such artistic swings. They don’t always connect, but when they do, they show why the name Kojima holds such reverence in this industry.