Ender Lilies is a fantastic game, with some really cool ideas and twists to the metroidvania genre. It never felt like it was leaning on and borrowing from another title heavily, and I appreciated that a lot.
Mowing can be relaxing at times, however, with the annoying engine throttling and no speed control I found it more frustrating than therapeutic.
With the various scenarios and modifiers, arena combat, and a full roguelite mode, there is plenty to do here. If you’re looking to pick up something you can shut your brain off and have a little over the top gory fun, pick this one up.
I Expect You To Die has officially become one of my favorite VR franchises, and yet again I’m sitting here super excited and wanting more. Somehow Schell has outdone themselves creatively in every way and I can’t wait to see what kind of crazy stuff they get me into next.
Madden NFL 22, I feel, is the first Madden in a long time that has added something significant, with a few smaller additions as well, without taking steps backwards. The full revamp of the Franchise Mode is really great and finally something done for the fans that isn’t around MUT or selling packs. While there is still plenty of greed here and even an added way for them to sell even more MT’s, the focus on some single player aspects is appreciated.
Unfortunately, the overall combat falls a bit flat and the platforming lands more as an annoyance than something to break up the fighting. The bugs found throughout will hopefully be fixed soon, but for now I can’t recommend it.
Rustler is a game that I was really hoping for would be some stupid fun, and for the most part it nails that first part. There are some moments that made me chuckle, especially with the Monty Python stuff, but majority of it fell short. I just wish the overall gameplay had some more depth and the mission structure had more fun. There are some decent ideas here, I just feel like I was watching a comedian flop on stage and I was getting bored.
Fracked isn’t a bad game; it actually brought forth one of my favorite cover shooting mechanics I’ve used in a VR game. The mechanics are fine, the initial weapons work, and the enemies can be tough; but beyond the first hour, I was ready for it to introduce something new. We have supernatural interdimensional themes, but no crazy weapons to use or over-the-top enemies to take on. We have this gorgeous art style, but it doesn’t do anything bold with it. There are great ideas here, it just never advances itself and ends up becoming stale.
While I personally would have liked more difficulty in the portals and bosses, I also think this is a solid game to offer someone being introduced to roguelites that aren’t amazing on FPS games. Plus, it has its own unique ideas here that will make you feel like a bad ass powerful mage, and that always makes me feel happy.
Rover Mechanic Simulator does have a theme that interests me and I really like the idea of fixing things like Mars rovers. Unfortunately, there are just too many aspects that turn that simplistic Zen gameplay into a chore.
For the most part I can overlook a bad story. Hell, I enjoy Call of Duty campaigns from time to time. However, with how thin it already is and with a very anticlimactic ending, I didn’t feel like much was accomplished. Luckily, the gameplay made up for a lot of what was missing story wise. All-in-all I was left with the feeling of wanting more. I want the game to be longer because I want to keep fighting.
Despite my lack of experience with base building strategy games, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Riftbreaker. The way it smartly balances out its story progression and combat made it more accessible to a player like me, while still offering plenty of challenge later on. While I do wish the act of balancing so many home bases and resources was easier, overall the blend of genre’s gave me shots of hectic fun with my growing pains of learning the best tricks. This will be a game I will continue to go back to.
DEEEER Simulator is by no means a well put together game. It lacks polish, optimization, and animations. Its content is random, short, and its levels aren’t huge. However, there is something charming and fun about it. Its over-the-top and outrageous ideas, designs, and activities give you plenty of “WTF” moments. These moments of stupid fun are here, even if they don’t last all that long.
If you can stick through the frustrations of being a new player, or if you don’t mind having a second screen for tutorials, Farming Simulator 22 is an enjoyable game. There is plenty here to challenge you and keep you occupied for a long time. The freedom it gives you to live the farming life you want is fantastic and you can go at your own pace. If you want it to be a relaxing experience, that’s fine. If you want to be a farming tycoon and buy up everything, while running multiple business aspects, go for it.
Nobody Saves the World is a unique take on the ARPG genre with DrinkBox Studios’ signature style and the end result is something that I completely recommend. While there are some things that I wish were fleshed out a bit more with the dungeons specifically, this was an adventure that I didn’t want to put down. The way the game made me want to keep changing and upgrading characters is really well done by making their world involvement matter in unique ways.
Kingdom of the Dead has a lot going for it from its great art direction and level design and its understanding and appreciation of that old school FPS gameplay. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t quite hit on all notes with its lackluster general enemy encounters and sound design.
I absolutely enjoyed every minute of Shadow Warrior 3 and for myself I really liked they decided to go back to that linear story focused design from the first game. However, I would have liked to see more of a blend of one and two shine through here because when it comes to weapons and abilities it does feel like a step back from two. Luckily, the new additions to the combat with the gore weapons and interactive arenas always kept me engaged and entertained. It was nice to have Wang back in my hands.
Tunic may have been a long time coming, but the wait was absolutely worth it. This little indie game has so much heart, and challenged me in more ways than I was expecting. The complete mystery of the world and how it lets the player discover things naturally without the hand-holding nature of most games is a breathe of fresh air. Its difficulty and lack of pushing the player through may turn some off, but trust me when I say that accomplishing the puzzles in this game are rewarding. For me, Tunic is an absolute must-have.
Weird West is a fantastic ARPG Immersive Sim that really gets you invested within its world. The veteran skill behind this game surely shines throughout this title offering something fun and fresh. I easily spent over fifty hours in Weird West and that’s even having to rush the last couple chapters. I enjoyed losing myself in this world and its characters experimenting with the gameplay tools and options provided.
Sniper Elite 5 is definitely the best of a series that continues to grow with each installment. I’m happy to say that this one has some of the most meaningful updates to its formula to date. The heavy focus on more involved maps, and gameplay freedom within them is a breath of fresh air and exactly what this series needs.