The games in Sonic Origins are among the best Sonic the Hedgehog titles in existence and this package is a great way to experience these games, especially for new fans who were introduced to the franchise by the Sonic the Hedgehog movies. The people who already own these games in some other form won't find anything particularly worthy of a double-dip, as even the convenience of owning them all on a modern system is undercut by all of the original versions of the games being available on the Sega Genesis Classic collection. Those who don't already own the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games can get them in a neat package in Sonic Origins, with a few extra features to keep them interested after the credits have rolled.
As Dusk Falls is going to launch on Game Pass on day one and it feels like the perfect game for the service, and that's meant as a compliment. It's a strange experiment of a game, with an odd aesthetic and concept, that people might have otherwise overlooked. As Dusk Falls is worth checking out, especially with friends who can commit to experiencing the full story, as it's one of the few video games that have captured the feeling of controlling the story of a TV show, so long as everyone is fine with experiencing some HBO levels of dark themes, and the risk of sad endings along the way.
The Legend of Wright is a unique title that really captures a moment in time. It perfectly encapsulates the nostalgia for the days of old-school RPGs and creating games during lunchtime with school friends. Kenta's game doesn't last for long and it has some frustrating moments, but The Legend of Wright is worth experiencing, as there is nothing else like it out there, and its shortcomings can easily be forgiven due to its overwhelming charm.
Sunbreak is the ideal title for people who thought Monster Hunter Rise was too forgiving and that it gave the player too many options for evading the monsters. The Master Rank quests can be extremely punishing, but Sunbreak is intended for those who have beaten Monster Hunter Rise and are looking for that next level of difficulty. It takes time to hit its stride and the omission of Rampage quests is puzzling, but there is some great new content here that is worth exploring, especially for those who enjoyed the base version of the game.
Daemonhunters is a challenging game and can often tip the scales a little too hard against the player, but overcoming the odds is part of what makes it fun. Fans of the strategy genre who are seeking to be tested should check it out, as should fans of Warhammer 40k, as Daemonhunters is one of the best games to ever hold the Warhammer 40k license, even with its brutal difficulty.
It's possible to restart each chapter of Swansong if the player wants a do-over, but that's not the best way to experience the game. Swansong should be treated like an ironman experience, as it is tough on player consequences. Swansong tells an excellent story about betrayal and bloodshed, which can play out in a number of different ways, and the player has a staggering number of options for how they want to proceed. Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong has some design and technical hiccups, but it offers a dark and compelling story that is told in a unique manner, where situations must be resolved through deduction and intelligence, and each choice puts the player further down the path to victory or defeat.
Salt & Sacrifice has the potential to be a great game, but it badly needs balancing fixes to allow it to live up to its potential, especially in regard to its battle system. A few tweaks to the stamina meter, the dodge roll & blocking mechanics, and the enemy attack patterns would do wonders for the game, as would a way to skip the chasing sequences and jump straight to the Mage bosses. As it stands, Salt & Sacrifice is a game full of frustrating moments that bog down the rest of the experience.
There was some reticence from the Vampire: The Masquerade fanbase when Bloodhunt was announced, due to how incompatible the setting of the tabletop RPG is with a battle royale. Is Bloodhunt accurate to the world of Vampire: The Masquerade? Absolutely not, but that doesn't stop it from being a blast to play. Bloodhunt is a super-powered gothic vampire battle royale that offers a more adult tone and faster-paced action than its contemporaries.
Heartless Lullaby has the potential to be expanded into a full experience that can give Vampire: The Masquerade fans their own equivalent to a Baldur's Gate title. As it stands, the current version of the game is worth checking out as a free title that only takes a short period of time to finish, especially as a taster for the Vampire: The Masquerade games that are coming soon. It's easy to see why Heartless Lullaby won the Vampire Jam, as the team did an amazing job putting together a game in a month, and it will hopefully lead to more World of Darkness content from the studio in the future.
The original version of The Force Unleashed had a lot going for it when it was first released, as there were few Star Wars games that offered the player the chance to play a Sith in a canon storyline that happens alongside the movies. The Force Unleashed is now showing its age, especially in an era when Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has done many of the same things, but better. The Force Unleashed offers a short ride through a galaxy far, far away, and it does have some moments of making the player feel like an awesome Sith warrior, but it doesn't manage to sustain this feeling, with its lightsaber swinging soon becoming like a chore.
B.I.O.T.A. is a short, enjoyable title. It doesn't quite match the retro chops of something like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and it doesn't have a massive twisting map of something like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but it's great for someone looking for a fast-paced action platformer with a retro-style, has stages that are easy to explore (and get a 100% completion at the end), and a story that has the depth of an 80's action movie.
The same studio that made The House of the Dead: Remake is also working on a remake of its sequel. It would have been better if the team had held off and included the two games in one package, as this would have alleviated the content issues. The issues with the control scheme are harder to solve, as the lack of a lightgun on the Nintendo Switch dampens the experience as a whole. The House of the Dead is an arcade series and any remake or console port needs a decent lightgun to truly emulate the feeling that made the original so special. The House of the Dead: Remake can be fun, but that lack of a decent controller is a problem that holds the whole experience back.
Forgive Me Father's single-player campaign lasts around eight hours and there's never a dull moment to be had. The game is challenging and the player will need to use every resource at their disposal to survive each stage, but it offers that Soulslike feeling of satisfaction when overcoming overwhelming odds. There has been a revival for retro shooters on modern platforms in recent years, with games like Doom 64 and Quake coming to modern platforms, and Forgive Me Father proves that there's room for new games in the genre that retain everything that makes them fun while adding some new elements to spice things up.
P4A Ultimax is the fighter for Persona fans.
True to its name, Stranger of Paradise is a bizarre game. The combat is so much fun that it carries the rest of the disjointed process to the finish line. Those looking for an easier Soulslike experience with a lot of Final Fantasy fanservice will find a lot to love in Stranger of Paradise, as will those who found Elden Ring unnecessarily punishing. Stranger of Paradise is a lot of fun, so long as the player takes on Jack's mindset, and only focuses on killing Chaos and doesn't think too hard about anything else.
It's possible that Chocobo GP could become a respectable kart racer in the future, and the free-to-play version means everyone can try it out without needing to spend any cash. As it stands, the game needs work, as the current product just isn't fun. The spells and abilities need to be toned down and the tracks need redoing or replacing. There is no shortage of kart racers on the market, especially on Nintendo Switch, and there are much better alternatives available right now than Chocobo GP in its current state.
Shadow Warrior 3 is a first-person shooter that is packed with action and it will be enjoyable to those who love carving up hordes of monsters.
Know by Heart features a meticulously crafted story, and its feeling of nostalgia comes from a genuine place, but it doesn't sell its narrative in an entertaining way. Know by Heart involves a character being given a reprieve from their boring job to relive happier times with their friends, but they have only passed their boredom onto the player.
There's not much to say about Breakout: Recharged other than it's a decent-looking revamp of Breakout. The gameplay is still a lot of fun, which is why official and unofficial Breakout games have been released on so many platforms over the years. The Breakout: Recharged package doesn't add much outside of its endless arcade mode. Breakout: Recharged may be a budget game, but the original Breakout is something that can be played for free within Google, so it's harder to justify paying for a new version of the game when it's already available in so many places.
The issues in Blackwind aren't insurmountable and it's possible to have some fun with the combat, but it's clear that it still needs some work. An update with camera options, a proper map system, and improved jumping would be worth checking out, but the current game is still too rough to recommend.