Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a flawless JRPG experience. It takes an old gem masterpiece from the golden age and refines it into an epic masterpiece with an AA budget than what Square Enix typically spits out of its mouth.
The older Ocarina of Time gets, it only becomes more relevant. Its themes resonate through a classic story of good versus evil and a weighty ending that carries tragic implications for anyone who has played the later entries in the franchise. It’s a tale as old as time itself and still engrosses despite its age.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is an epic RPG for Mario standards. It has everything one might hope for, all wrapped up in a beefy package. The erratic framerate won’t impress long-time gamers and even the load times might wear down a kid’s patience, but the trade-off is some of the most appealing art and animation seen on an RPG on Switch.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut may not resonate with everyone who plays it. This is not a typical action game. It’s pensive for long stretches with bizarre instances of humor and sudden bouts of action. Death Stranding: Director’s Cut blends several genres into an epic surrealist sci-fi epic. Kojima’s message may be aggressively in-your-face, but at least it is a message worth having.
Mindcop won’t set any trends or shock players with its premise. The story is well-executed enough to see through to the end and entertains until the truth is revealed and beyond. The art style does not stick to landing, but anyone looking for a Northern Pacific mystery with a magical twist will find a lot to enjoy.
Regretfully, the lack of an emotional connection to anything and the roguelike and mobile game-inspired gameplay undermines Metal Slug Tactics‘ strongest features.
While it is apparent that Bokeh Game Studio was working with a tight budget, they knew how to stretch their dollars. Slitterhead is truly a special horror game that is sure to be a cult classic.
Shadows of the Damned is still a fun romp dense with stimulating set-pieces and gimmicks. The battles are rowdy shootouts with aggressive naked monsters and dodge-rolling into them and smacking them around with Johnson is as tense as ever. Garcia’s controls are fluid and have exaggerated animations that reinforce the silliness inherent in the premise.
If you are already a Sonic fan, Sonic X Shadow Generations will be a no-brainer. It has a wealth of content and variety. Gamers who haven’t played a Sonic game in a long time will find that this is a great entry to get back into the series and become acquainted with Shadow, the franchise’s most entertaining character.
Considering how long this was in development and how little there is to show for it, I can’t help but feel this was a compromised release. If all that you want is Clock Tower in English on current platforms, then that is what you’ll get with Rewind. The base game is still a palm-sweating and butt-clenching horror game, but know that it has all of its warts intact and not enough options to tweak your experience and that it comes with some intensely lame extras.
You’ll be shocked, you’ll cry, and you’ll wonder why. The text-based gameplay will be a hurdle for some gamers to accept, but any gamer with an open mind and willingness to explore will be swept up in the story in Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut.
The pacing is drawn out and intended to be contemplative, nostalgic, and relaxing. Gathering stuff most of the time and bouts of intense break-neck racing do not always make the best experience and will turn off a lot of players. It is worth sticking with it and bearing with the grind because the story is genuinely interesting and the trolly races are fun.
The Smurfs: Dreams is surprisingly fun and beautiful-looking. This is the best outcome for an IP that is traditionally used as shovelware fodder. It is disappointing that the core gameplay is overly safe and derivative, but the young target audience won’t know that. The lack of effort for the narrative and characters makes it hard for anyone to care about The Smurfs as a concept, but the trade-off is imaginative and wild levels.
The novel premise is executed as well as it possibly could have been. The imagery is haunting, the flavor text is creepy and Home Safety Hotline will make you chuckle when you least expect it.
While the story itself is nothing special, the action is rousing, and the cycle of running through the cave is stimulating. Getting the sexy outfits is the real journey of the game and will take gamers well over 20 hours to earn, which is a huge value for ten dollars.
Ys X: Nordics simplifies and streamlines aspects of its gameplay compared to some of the recent entries, but it more than makes up for it with its fun and epic scale, and flashy spectacle. Adol may be along for the ride in Karja’s story, but her story is compelling and any RPG with fishing in it is always an RPG worth playing.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is an utterly enthralling breath of fresh air for the Zelda franchise. Straying away from swordplay and quadrupling down on puzzles, magic, and monster summons is exactly what these games needed after decades of Link’s games adhering to a strict template.
Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 manages to be a worthy alternative that honors the original while also adding enough content to make it justify its price. It’s an epic survival-horror game that’s jam-packed with content and scenarios that will keep players on the edge of their seats and impress with its masterful art direction.
If you have a hankering for some mystery-solving with a strange and fun cast of characters, cheeky puzzles, and light fan service, then Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus will deliver on all fronts. It looks better than ever and has less downtime while exploring Kanai Ward’s soaked and dank streets.
Shogun Showdown is a challenging game and a hard game to put down. The tactical scenarios during every run are enthralling since even with a less-than-desirable hand of cards, it is possible to overcome with cunning. It’s a deceptively simple game with crude pixel art at first glance that becomes a black hole that pulls you in with its alluring strategy.