Unfortunately, Redemption Reapers did not live up to the expectations of a cool genre twist from Binary Haze I was expecting. Instead, I feel like I received a fairly by the book SRPG with a couple of decent ideas, but ultimately feels rushed. The team dynamic is a cool strategy addition, but the balancing of everything else and lack of features like not being able to zoom out the battlefield, make this feel rushed. At $50 I would expect more, and while there is a lengthy campaign, it still feels lacking.
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.
PUSS! is a lot of flash, but little substance. The visuals are a treat for the eyes and it will leave you bewildered and talking about it. Unfortunately, once the the shock of the ridiculous visuals wears off, you’re left with a pretty basic game. A basic game that doesn’t even play all that well on the Nintendo Switch platform.
I was really hoping to be impressed with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, but it unfortunately actively tried to ruin itself. It’s not poorly made, or glitchy, or unplayable, it’s just unbelievably mediocre. In fact, the best thing about the game is the real life documentary in it that interviews real vets.
Overpass is a title that may appeal to a niche audience of off-road enthusiasts. The slower pace will definitely tire on those who prefer racing at breakneck speeds, but there is definitely something engrossing about it. The way it makes you focus more on the track itself and how each obstacle is its own puzzle to conquer is appealing. However, even the niche crowed of off-road enthusiasts won’t be able to overlook the physics issues.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice is a game I was hoping to get more from. The world from which it pulls its content from seems rich and full of crazy things. Being able to be a vampire and actually use slick moves, and suck the blood from enemies in VR sounded so cool. Marry that with the inspiration from Dishonored, and I truly thought this would be a hit. Unfortunately, it just turned out to be a middle-of-the-road stealth game that didn’t capitalize on the unique setting and ideas of being a vampire.
DreamWorks Trolls Remix Rescue is so close to being a game I would have recommended to any platforming fan, regardless if you’re a Trolls fan or not. While there is a competent 3D platformer here, featuring some fun moments moments from the movies that the kids will love, unfortunately there are some issues here to keep in mind.
Dust & Neon is a well-made roguelite with some satisfying combat that is only let down by its lack of level variety and movement capabilities. It hits all the boxes of a roguelite that is well-made, it just doesn’t quite do enough to stand out from the pack for me. We are at a point in the genre where we have so many hits that I just wasn’t wowed by a run of the mill twin-stick shooter. I do think this IP has more potential if it could expand some gameplay ideas, more mission structures, and different weapon types, like at least dynamite or a shock grenade.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There is an enjoyable aerial combat game here with a unique story and setting, but the grind and monotonous mission structures hamper it.
If you’re looking for your next SRPG and love Bloodborne‘s themes and setting, then Alder’s Blood is the game for you. Just maybe not in its current state.
Scars Above impressed me and it left me satisfied in the end. I’m glad it didn’t just try to be Returnal or a straight roguelite, and instead had its own unique ideas on how to take on bosses and puzzles. There are some flaws here, but I think that is due mostly to a smaller team and it being an AA game.
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.
Budget Cuts does a good job keeping you intrigued throughout its very short run time. There is definitely a fun gameplay hook of sneaking through offices and solving puzzles. Unfortunately, the adversaries are easily fooled and puzzles are a bit too simple.
PGA Tour 2K23 is unfortunately just another iteration and not the evolution I was hoping it would be. Most of the changes to MyCareer seem to be a step back or even sideways, to where I was hoping it would go. The addition of extra pros and courses is fantastic, but still seems lacking compared to 2K’s other sports games. There is still a ton of growth to be had for this golf series, but if you still have 2K21, there isn’t really a need to upgrade unless you really want to play as a professional player and not just your career player.
Madden NFL ’23 is one of those years that if you skipped it, you wouldn’t really be missing anything. The additions to the Face of the Franchise mode aren’t significant enough to drop last year’s iteration and start again here, and that goes for any of the modes. The one big feature, FieldSENSE, didn’t live up to the hype, and even if it isn’t a setback, it didn’t improve upon the main things that annoy me.
Way of the Hunter is one of the best hunting simulators, not labelled as a simulator, that I have ever played. Once you move past (or just simply ignore) the story missions that can drag down the experience, you get to a hunting game that offers the right kind of ease and complexity. While there are some annoyances with movement, pop-ins, and strange perks, you have a beautiful game that offers co-op and two full maps with their own types of animals to hunt for. If you’re a hunting game fan, I recommend this one.