Mad Streets is an okay physics-driven party game/beat ’em up. Its health bars and mechanics, which gleam more from traditional fighting games, are a step in the right direction.
Cris Tales is a mediocre JRPG-inspired indie that neither captures the strong characters nor the interwoven mechanics that make the genre so appealing.
Scarlet Nexus' accomplished combat and world are hamstrung by a shockingly low budget that oozes nearly every corner of the experience from its cinematics to its levels to even enemy composition at times. That said, action JRPG fans should be able to latch onto enough to walk away satisfied. .
Metro Exodus is a very fine entry in Artyom’s journey. Its inconsistent AI drains some of the immersion, as does its oddly silent protagonist that has a defined personality during loading screens. These are small bumps along Artyom’s intense and evocative journey. Metro Exodus’ diegetic design and thrilling encounters will leave an impact beyond reaching the end credits.
Rising Hell successfully captures the genre's addictive nature through its relative simplicity and adherence to personalization.
Before I Forget is a strong, concise story tracing a woman suffering from dementia as she slowly uncovers pieces of herself as well as the story framed within this mental health journey. It doesn't waste players' time with a run-time that doesn't overstay its welcome, helped by a protagonist that doesn't divulge too much information when she speaks.
A solid spin-off that capitalizes on the studio's strengths, but ultimately relies on its formula too much. Add in half-baked detective mechanics and Judgment doesn't realize its concept's potential.
So where does it all land? Like I said at the beginning, it landed me at “interesting.” I genuinely have an incredible time with the gameplay, especially when I’m playing co-op. I think the different character abilities that come with the classes are all really well designed and work beautifully to create different combinations in combat, both within a single character class and with other players. The fun I have with the core gameplay, though, does not lessen the frustration and issues I have with the difficulty balancing, consistent network issues, and the ultimately poor story—which has a disappointing ending that could have been so much more. What we’re left with is a game that feels tragically half-finished, because it was halfway to greatness.
Mundaun's lack of polish isn't undone by its startlingly unnerving atmosphere. Gamers without an appreciation for the slow moments in games will find themselves befuddled. Everyone else might find a hidden gem.
An incongruously designed mess that should be avoided at all costs. Awful framerate, poor storytelling, and monotonous mazes make Dollhouse one of the worst games in decades.
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is an inconsistent remaster and stealth action experience, but those slow motion executions are as satisfying as ever. Its arcade-like scoring system with short missions also encourages improving previous runs.