If Sloclap wanted to make Sifu hard, they could have done it without making players have to re-do most of the game from the beginning. Earning and keeping shortcuts should feel rewarding, but in Sifu it only seems like it is a solution to a problem the developers created.
Fighting waves of boogers could have been fun if the mechanics were refined. The ugly and garish visuals with unappealing characters also might have been tolerable if the gameplay loop wasn’t so repetitive. With some rebalancing and checkpoints before bosses, Popslinger could have been a decent guilty pleasure.
PowerSlave: Exhumed is a well preserved classic boomer shooter that still is a joy to play after all these years. Thanks to Nightdive Studios’ panache, it is easier to enjoy more than ever due to their careful QOL additions and improved stability and polish. It may not be as fondly remembered as other shooters, but it is absolutely worth a look for fans of the genre.
EGGLIA Rebirth is a game designed for the grind. There is always something to work towards and resources will always need harvesting. Fans of farming sims and Animal Crossing will surely find a lot to enjoy with this one.
Aeterna Noctis does deliver a satisfying metroidvania experience, but that is all it does. It won’t stay with you or leave a lasting impression other than fatigue. It might have been a better game if it were 25 hours instead of 60; that way it could condense its best aspects into a reasonable package.
While Dying Light 2 Stay Human does more than live up to its promises, it also still falls into the same traps that are found in every open-world game. It can be an exhausting grind to do everything that the game offers, but anyone who can let go of this compulsive urge and focus on the task at hand will see Dying Light 2 shine at its best.
Garage: Bad Dream Adventure is a very special and creative adventure game that was made for adults. It depicts some very uncomfortable imagery and explores some very abstract concepts that make more sense to anyone who may be spiritual.
It is too bad Binary Domain flew under the radar when it came out and bombed. It has found its audience like all good games eventually do, but the story is likely never to continue. There may never be a proper remaster that fixes the issue with new game plus and enhances the lighting or shaders, but the enhanced backwards compatibility is a worthy consolation.
Shadow Man Remastered today is a bit of an acquired taste. Some may not be able to make their way through such an intensely convoluted world with terrible threats. Others may relish this cryptic descent into the underworld. Regardless, Shadow Man Remastered is undeniably a very impressive remastering, no matter how one feels about the game.
Death’s Door is a very polished and lovingly crafted action adventure game. It is seemingly a very personal game from the developers and it is steeped with creative ideas in regards to characters and designs. The gameplay is somewhat vanilla, but the ambiance and style elevate the material.
When doing our In My Shadow review, we found it’s the kind of indie game that is so poor it becomes interesting. The layers of incompetence compound on themselves to make something worth talking about and is dense with examples of what not to do when making a game. At times, it’s comical that something like In My Shadow can exist and cost more than some original Xbox games in the Xbox Store.
The gameplay’s novelty may not hold up upon scrutiny on subsequent playthroughs, but that first time playing The Eternal Cylinder is not something that anyone will forget easily. Anyone who enjoys survival gameplay but also wants a directed narrative experience will certainly find a lot to enjoy, but gamers who want to take their time and play at their own pace may become frustrated.
When adapting to its aging mechanics, BloodRayne: ReVamped is very playable and is much more enjoyable experience than its sequel. It is because it is a simpler game, it has less to fumble and is a more focused action game.
Fans of the these games likely already have played them or own them. They are not worth getting on the Switch due to the horrendously unstable frame rate and Ultimate Sumer Camp exists to exploit the fanbase. The scenes of interactions are interchangeable and many of them repeat which makes the overall product feel cheap.
The lack of care put into this maligned entry suggests that maybe higher ups at Koei Tecmo do not care about Fatal Frame. Maybe it should be laid to rest. If it can’t be allowed to be great, then perhaps it would be better off as nothing.
Operation Raccoon City has very standard third person gameplay. The subpar scenario and lack of personality end up making it less interesting than Umbrella Corps., which was so incredibly shoddy and absurd it became entertaining. The wolfpack take themselves too seriously, and the game really tries to make them seem like bad-asses. Instead they just become forgettable.
BloodRayne 2: ReVamped is a sloppy action game, but it’s a sloppy action game to be admired. The sleazy violence and high-school edginess are the kind of qualities that developers are too afraid to embrace now. Terminal Reality were unafraid to make a hero who was as sexy as she was brutal, and their artists made it very convincing.
The long wait for Shin Megami Tensei V has been worth it. This could have been another disaster like prior games with lengthy development cycles, but this is the one that actually delivers on all of its promises and then some.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition deserved better. Never mind the lack of parity across all the versions- each platform gets its own flaws to deal with. Sadly, Nintendo Switch is the console that gets the absolute worst way to play any of the games in this trilogy.
RPG fans who missed this on PlayStation 4 and already traded their console for a Nintendo Switch will likely get a lot of enjoyment from Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Prince’s Edition. Young gamers especially will be enchanted by the whimsical setting and premise. The action style combat is also easy to pick up for eager kids who want to cut up some monsters.