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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mowing can be relaxing at times, however, with the annoying engine throttling and no speed control I found it more frustrating than therapeutic.
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.
Eldest Souls will not be a game for everyone. It will smash you and make you question if you’re any good at gaming. However, I never felt it was unfair in anyway and the sense of accomplishment after finally taking down a boss is immense. The combat has a surprising depth to it, and the gameplay flow is nonstop and pushes you to adapt.
Despite some lackluster boss fights, the overall design and gameplay are solid, and I did really enjoy my entire time with it. Unfortunately, in its current state it is hard to recommend due to a lot of the glitches and issues I ran into, but with some fixes this is the “Zelda with guns” game you’ve always wanted.
Death’s Door was a title I was looking forward to from the previews. I liked the concept, the gameplay looked good, and the characters looked silly and fun. However, I did not expect it to be one of the best games I’ve played this year. Beating the main boss and rolling the credits isn’t even the end. There is still more mystery to unfold and I haven’t been able to put it down. You absolutely owe it to yourself to play this title.
Returnal for me is as close to a masterpiece as I think I’ve gotten. Despite a few small visual glitches, nothing that I encountered was game breaking. There were no crashes or any bugs that would force me to start a new run. Once I started playing, I didn’t want to put the game down. I was fully hooked into this world, into Selene’s story, and I wanted to fight my way out of there.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is a game designed for my taste. It offers me a buffet of different gameplay options, tech, stealth opportunities, and sniping that I love. It mixes the action stealth gameplay and long distance sniping simulation very well, and while it may not be super exciting, it gives methodical players like myself something to obsess over.
Chivalry 2 is a great time and the controls are intuitive enough to be able to jump in and chop down some enemies. While content is a bit light at launch and there isn’t any evolution to the mechanics for veterans, I can’t deny the frantic fun.
I was really excited for Open Country and was hoping it would bridge that gap between arcade hunting and hunting sim. In spirit, this is what it set out to do and you can see that from the game. It’s just a shame that the execution just isn’t there. There is still something special here that I think hunting and survival game fans could love. However, it needs a lot of work from bugs, crashes, and overall balancing of its gameplay systems.
I don’t feel Biomutant is a failure since it still offered what I was expecting. A crazy RPG set in a weird setting filled with mutated creatures and fun combat. I definitely I got that. I also unfortunately got way more than expected, which ended up diluting the entire package.
Rising Hell is a surprisingly good game that took a simple level design idea and made it work with the roguelite genre. If you’re into demon slaying to heavy metal and enjoy the roguelite loop then this will be a title to pick up.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat is an extremely good value offering a ton of content under a decent price. The visual and FPS improvements are welcome and it’s great having the entire series under one game. However, if you’ve been a long time fan investing in the series, there may not be enough new content to warrant another purchase.