Neon White gets its hooks in deep and fast. I knew within 10 minutes that I loved it, but I appreciated and enjoyed it more as I spent more time with it. My first playthrough was a blast as I discovered new weapons, explored levels, and experimented with shortcuts. But the “real game” felt like it started after I saw the credits. That’s when I started going back to each level, playing them over and over until I achieved the Ace rank, and then played them more just to shave hundredths of a second off so I could climb my friends leaderboard. It feels amazing to see “New Best!” on your time after dozens of attempts, and failing never gets frustrating considering how short the levels are and how quickly you can restart them. Whether you’re looking to best your own runs, compete with your friends, or attempt to make a splash on the global leaderboard, Neon White presents a welcoming on-ramp to the world of speedrunning, offers compelling challenges to overcome for those that want to pick up the pace, and delivers a satisfying gameplay loop regardless of the speed you want to tackle it at.
Sony Santa Monica makes us care about Kratos in this stunning revival of the series.
Electronic Arts makes missteps at every turn in this fundamentally flawed follow-up.
The soul of Super Mario 64 is alive and well in the plumber's surreal and stunning new adventure.
Parker, Stone, and Ubisoft deliver with a bigger, longer, and better follow-up to The Stick of Truth.
It may share a genre and universe with Saints Row, but Agents of Mayhem is a lifeless husk of Volition's prior work.
Nintendo's newest IP delivers on tone and fleeting fun, but struggles to sink its hooks in.
Link's most ambitious adventure is one of Nintendo's crowning achievements.
Capcom brings the series back to its roots while making it all feel new again.
A dreadful combat system brings down an otherwise beautiful and funny Mario adventure.
Naughty Dog does more than go back to the well with Nathan Drake's greatest adventure yet.
It's the Star Fox game you wanted...in 2002.
Insomniac reimagines a classic, making it more than a simple movie tie-in.
Far more than just a farming game, this one-man labor of love is filled with seemingly endless content and heart.
Firaxis delivers a fantastic sequel in many regards, but a large assortment of technical issues plague the overall experience.
AlphaDream hits the mark again in terms of combat and dialogue, even if some new additions fall flat.
Rico's third adventure stays the course, but at least this course involves slingshotting cows off of cliffs.
Slick production values, solid controls, and tons of fan service can't make up for mediocre progression and a lack of content.
This re-release seems unnecessary at first glance, but the conclusion of Kratos' journey serves up a level of spectacle that remains impressive in 2015.
Ten years later, this frustrating follow-up to Canvas Curse feels shallow and soulless by comparison.