Cocoon was an utter delight to play and a shining example of what the indie scene can provide in creativity. While it didn’t have the level driven purpose of LIMBO or Inside, it more than made up for it with its smart puzzle design. It doesn’t treat you like you’re stupid, and expects you to have to really think, but it also doesn’t throw obtuse puzzles at you. This is absolutely a must-play game for anyone looking for a unique puzzle experience.
It’s refreshing to have a game that focuses on telling a full fledged story experience on a platform that is mostly stretching its legs with gameplay tech demos. It just so happens that this full fledged story is also a Half-Life game that also lives up to its predecessors and ties in nicely with them.
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.
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.
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.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is a fantastic addition to the Cuphead package that offers more of everything you loved about the game. Unfortunately, the only downfall really is how short it feels, and the unbalance of the solo and co-op difficulty.
I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine really hammers home just how great this series is and that there is still so much they can do with the formula. It’s the third game in and not a single aspect feels repetitive, stale, or tedious. Schell Games continues to push themselves and the series forward with great new ideas, more demanding puzzles, and better visuals.
Overall, Asgard’s Wrath 2 is the epic ARPG that I’ve always wanted in VR. It doesn’t hold back in scope and depth of gameplay in order to fit into the traditional bite sized nature of a VR experience. This is a full fledged ARPG that will absorb you for hours. It was constantly putting a smile on my face as it throws new and fun things at me around every turn. From the frantic fights, to the fun and involved followers, to the godly puzzles and epic bosses, this game has it all.
Dreams may not be something that will blow you away as only a player right now, but if you open your mind enough and get creative, there is a wealth of possibilities for you. If creating really isn’t something you’re interested in, perhaps give these creatives a bit more time to craft you a true dream-like experience.
Nioh 2 is an extremely well done sequel that adds enough to an already complex combat system, but not too much to make systems redundant or cumbersome. The changes aren’t drastic, and this may lead to some feeling like it feels too similar, but the first game already had fantastic gameplay variety.
Desperados III is an extremely polished, smart, and engaging tactical game that deserves to be in the library of any fan of the genre.
Carrion is a fantastic game that flips horror tropes on their heads and allows you to be the one slaughtering the ignorant and incompetent humans. There is actually a lot more depth to the gameplay than I anticipated, which never led to a dull moment.
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.
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.
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.
Dredge is a fantastic game that offers some laid back exploration, but enough depth and tense moments to not become boring in its simplistic at times design. The slow build of horror is perfectly balanced as you start to uncover the truth about what is going on, and who this ominous collector is. There were times I was taken aback as a revelation happened, and I understood certain characters. If you’re looking for something easy to sink your teeth in and like horror, but not jumpscare or gory horror, I highly recommend Dredge.
Dave the Diver, needless to say, was an absolutely delightful surprise that I would recommend to just about anyone. It offers so much variety in gameplay ideas that there is something here for everyone. I’d love to express everything I absolute loved about the game, but what impressed me so much was not knowing all the things this game offered, and I wouldn’t want to strip you of that. This may have not been the mindless fishing exploration game I was expecting, but it became so much more than I even initially wanted.
The blend of metal music with the constant action of a shmup is a fantastic experience that I would recommend to any fan of the genre.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is exactly what I wanted; an updated sequel that still hold true to what made the first game so beloved. While it may not be perfect with its lack luster visuals and performance, it more than makes up for in deep gameplay and addicting exploration. The Pawn system still remains one of the coolest party systems in an RPG, and I love the dynamic feel of them. This is absolutely a game of the year contender and may be my personal game of the year already.
I now see why MLB: The Show is praised among baseball fans for being the best, because it is an extremely solid title. It offers a ton of content that ranges from more arcade modes to full on sims, and it has a decent way of bringing in newcomers.