At the end of the day, though, I’m able to look past WWE 2K22’s shortcomings in ways I haven’t been able to with this series in over a decade. And why? Because 2K22 is a ton of fun. It strikes a tremendous balance between its quick, arcadey gameplay and smooth, simulation-like animation system. Plus, the Showcase and MyFaction modes are fantastic, with the latter offering hours upon hours of gameplay. This is one I’ll be wrestling with for a long time. 2K finally put some proper chefs in the kitchen.
Demagog Studio is on to something with Golf Club: Wasteland, and it’s absolutely something they should be proud of. This is a developer I’ll now be watching with a close eye, as I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Whatever this small Serbian team has in the pot, rest assured I’ll be first in line. Check out Golf Club: Wasteland and the original soundtrack “Radio Nostalgia from Mars.” And bring some tissues.
WRC 10 isn’t going to be for everybody, but I think the ones that love it will really love it. The driving is excellent, and the sound design is next to none. Plus, it features a deep career mode and several historical scenarios for you to sink your teeth into. One minute, it’s frustrating the hell out of you; the next, you’re pumping your fist in the air over the milliseconds you were able to shave off a run. And that’s what racing is all about.
The Blair Witch Project fans and horror game fans alike will find lots to enjoy here.
At times it feels unfocused, scattered, and above all else, inconsistent in its rules. But where the technical side of the game lacks, the flair and pizazz of everything make up for it. I love the characters and the music, the couch co-op gameplay is second to none, and I appreciate a game that has no problem being there if you only need it for a few minutes to pass the time.
In a world where everything is so damn serious, Maneater is a refreshing breath of air. It’s a short, fun, memorable romp through the life of a shark that’s better written than a lot of what comes out to today.
Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is a solid first effort by All In! Games. I hope this isn’t the end of the road for the franchise, because there’s tremendous groundwork that’s been laid here for something that could be truly special. If the developers were to flesh out the modes, further the variety in the missions, and hire actors more capable of conveying the power of the writing, we could have one of the all-time great dogfighting games ever made. Until then, Red Wings remains good, but not great.
Budget Cuts surprised me in more ways than I expected – and to clarify, that’s good and bad. What I thought was going to be a fun homage to the likes of Job Simulator turned out to be a game that, more than it had any right to, made me feel like I was in ‘The Matrix.’ It’s easy to feel like a badass when you glide through a room and eliminate all threats without breaking a sweat. But, it’s also easy to get caught up in aggravating tracking issues that you won’t find on top-of-the-line VR headsets. If you can play Budget Cuts on your PC, do so. But if your only option is the PSVR, you aren’t entirely left out in the cold.
For what it’s trying to do, Disjunction does a pretty damn good job. Hitman 3 just launched and might end up wrapping a garrote around Disjunction’s neck. Though, if you’ve had a hankering for some old-school Metal Gear action with solid mechanics, a well-written story that offers replayability, and a musical score that’s been given genuine love and care, Disjunction is for you. Sure, it can get somewhat repetitive. And I did run into a few hit detection issues that cost me a life.
I’ll be front row with my bucket of popcorn for 3 out of 10: Season Two. The art style is fun, the writing is on-point, and the game itself runs almost perfectly on the Switch. The first season of 3 Out of 10 isn’t something you’ll get hours upon hours out of. But you wouldn’t want to overstay your welcome in this world anyways. And that’s the magic of what the developers accomplished here. Terrible Posture Games knew precisely what they were doing in making a terrible game about developing a terrible game. Bravo.
Cyanide & Happiness: Freakpocalypse isn’t going to blow you away. It’s certainly not going to have you reaching for the medicine cabinet, though. I suppose much of what you get out of CH: F will depend on your ability to take a joke. The gameplay won’t be what keeps you coming back, but Coop’s story has much left to be told, and I’ll be there for the sequel. The rub is that if Explosm doesn’t bring their A-game for episode two, I’ll probably take a swing at Coop, myself.
There’s a lot to enjoy here, and if you’re a fan of Stardew Valley or Pokemon, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.
It’s time for Visual Concepts and 2K Games to go back to the drawing board with their microtransaction philosophy. At this point, it’s hard not to feel like they’re gouging the player. Especially given the exorbitant prices their premium edition versions cost. And it’s so damned frustrating to dislike as much of 2K22 as I did because behind every extra dollar asked of me was an excessively smooth compressed spin or step-back jumper to put a smile on my face.
As a big fan of the original, the announcement of Alan Wake Remastered was a pleasant surprise. And while I enjoyed my time with it, I can’t help but feel like this is merely a tiny taste of what’s to come. Veterans of the franchise won’t find any reason to go back, and if they do, they may even find that the memory of playing Alan Wake is better than the game itself. Newcomers will find a lot to love; however, granted, they can grind through its annoyances.
Evil Dead: The Game is mostly everything I hoped it would be. It’s a fun, logical next step in the asymmetrical multiplayer horror genre. Sure, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it did enough to reinvigorate my passion for this type of experience. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Evil Dead: The Game over the next few years. It’s a few maps and some solid single-content away from being truly great.
I enjoyed Mosaic. It isn’t reinventing the wheel, and we’ve seen this sort of story many times before, but there’s something about this game that just works.
As a fan of the world of One Punch Man, I really couldn’t ask for anything more.
I did enjoy my time with Farming Simulator 20, but I’m concerned about the level of content to keep me invested down the line. There’s not nearly as much equipment as you would find in the more fleshed out versions of Farming Simulator, but I think if you can get past the shortcomings of the hardware that Farming Simulator 20 was built to run on, you’ll enjoy your time with it too.
Deliver Us The Moon turned out to be a fun little distraction from the bigger, more intensive games I’ve been playing.
It’s perfectly edible. Delicious, even. But it could be so much better.