Leonardo Faria's Reviews
It may have taken nearly three years for the port to be released, but it’s basically the same game as the PS5 version, if you’re a Series X owner. For Series S owners, there may be one or two setbacks, such as the framerate cap, but the game is still beautiful and very much enjoyable. The final verdict is simple: Kena has issues, but it’s still one of the most fascinating indies released over the past few years. I fully encourage you to give it a go, if you still haven’t at this point.
All in all, Victory Heat Rally suffers from a handful of issues, but what really matters is that it is a really fun and easygoing arcade racer. It’s not exactly meant to make you think very hard: just pick a course, pick a racer, and have at it with its intuitive drifting controls and adorable graphics. There isn’t too much of a reason to continue playing after the career mode is done, but it’s worth a shot regardless, especially if you can play it on the Switch or a device like the Steam Deck.
I’m not going to say that the re-release of Backyard Baseball ’97 is a game-changing moment for baseball titles, with MLB The Show still being equally accessible and enjoyable, but I’m glad this exists, and it’s so readily available on Steam. It’s a charming and nostalgic reminder to specific era of kid-centric PC gaming, when titles featured long and high-quality spritework and animations, and were filled to the brim with fun dialogue and simple controls. I guess you had to be there, but well… I was. So I’m glad I’m now able to revisit some of Humongous’ more “gamey” games in an easier manner.
If the game were a bit shorter, and more focused on what it really wanted to be, I feel it would have been a lot more enjoyable. As such, I can only truly suggest picking it up if you want to enjoy a gauntlet of puzzles, without ever wanting to care about why you’re doing that, and what are these puzzles leading you towards.
Byte The Bullet is a game with a neat premise but shoddy-at-best execution. For every interesting idea, such as the premise, retro levels, or level completion fanfare, there was something else either hindering it or just making me feel fed up with the game as a whole, such as the wonky platforming, unfunny references, or unfair level of difficulty. I won’t deny that the game gets a lot more manageable and interesting the more you play it, but in order to fully enjoy it, you need to deal with a ton of jank at first. Whether you’ll have the patience to muster through it is up to you.
This isn’t a game devoid of issues. The loading times are a bit rough, and, as previously mentioned, football and basketball feature some confusing controls. That doesn’t make Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports any less entertaining. I never thought I’d enjoy this game so much, but it simply nails where it needs to. It’s a pretty charming collection of really fun sports titles, with neat visuals, intuitive controls, and a lot of content. It’s an ACME-sponsored product you can actually trust.
Even if it doesn’t feel right as a timed PC exclusive, G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is certainly one of the most impressive licensed titles to be released in a while. A fast-paced and responsive beat ’em up oozing charm and replayability, it will not only please people who grew up watching the cartoon, but anyone willing to spend an hour or two playing a traditional, but highly competent multiplayer brawler. I just hope the developers and publisher announce a handful of console ports soon enough.
I don’t remember the last time a video game just made me smile from ear to ear, making me hope it could never end. In fact, this may be Astro Bot‘s biggest issue: it doesn’t last forever. I simply want more of it. Astro Bot is serotonin in digital form.
The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is just alright. There’s nothing terrible about it, and there’s nothing that makes it truly stand out. Even if its gameplay is floaty, it is so damn easy you won’t even care about it. It’s full of content related to the first three movies in the franchise, but it doesn’t properly follow the trilogy’s “from zero to hero” premise, making it feel less like a tie-in and more of a “what if” fanservicey fest than an accurate tie-in.
Compared to the bucketload of shovelware we tackle every year, Leo: The Firefighter Cat is actually far from being one of worst releases of 2024. For a kid’s game, it’s not amazing, but I do think younger crowds can have some fun with it, at least for as long as their attention span allows them to. It might be simple, it might be completely devoid of challenge, but it’s a somewhat well-built (albeit massively forgettable) title, never feeling completely boring or even condescending.
A pointless always online requirement, underwhelming car variety, and terrible progression system hinder what could have otherwise been a decent open-world racing game. I legitimately think that this can still be salvaged with a big fat update, removing some of these dated online requirements, rearranging the in-game economy, and reworking the visuals and GPU optimization to an acceptable degree. The gameplay itself is good, and the controls are actually decent. There is a foundation for something great in Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. It’s just buried under tons of glitches, pointless commercial decisions, and an undeniable amount of jank.
I was really looking forward to playing As Per My Last Email, only for it to become one of my biggest disappointments of the year, or possibly even the past few years. I was salivating for a game about a frustrated office worker being able to demolish his workspace, but for crying out loud, this is far from the kind of game I hoped for. It’s basic, it’s slow-paced, it’s glitchy as all hell. Finally, it’s just not fun at all. There’s no catharsis, no reason to play it for more than two or three minutes, or even a reason to check it out as some kind of novelty.
Squirrel with a Gun is a pretty simplistic but upfront game that offers exactly what its ridiculous name might suggest: it’s all about tackling puzzles and obstacles as a freaking squirrel wielding a big fat gun. Whilst it does ooze the the vibes of an overrated “meme game” like Goat Simulator, it does have more substance and care put into it. It might be janky, but its level design is solid, and some of its puzzles were quite ingenious. Its one-note joke wears off after a while, but it’s still somewhat fun while the novelty lasts.
The Crush House is interesting at first, with a really novel concept and controls that are really easy to pick up, but its innovative aspect and replayability don’t last for long. Between its repetitive nature and predictable plot twists, you’ll only get a true kick out of it if you’re really into celebrity culture, trash television reality shows, and don’t mind some unsubtle jabs at consumerism, “bread and circus” mentality, and so on. Even if it didn’t wow me that much, I can’t call it a bad game. Also, if anything, it’s a stupidly creative title. It just needed a bit more substance.
The overall consensus is that sure, you are going to buy Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection solely because of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and it sure has been remastered to perfection, but I’m glad that this package features every single Marvel-themed Capcom title developed and released prior to their 2000 magnum opus. It’s a phenomenal collection I never thought would ever be released, a magnificent piece of gaming preservation and mindless arcade fun. In short, grab it, have fun with it, and rejoice.
Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland was a mixed experience. I loved its presentation, with its amazing visuals and pretty decent soundtrack, but its level design felt a bit cheap, its platforming can be faulty at times, and, well, it’s just too damn short. By the time you’re starting to get used to its intricacies, the game is already over. I did appreciate the intention of making it a remaster of a fictional long-lost 8-bit title that had never been released before, but even games from back then featured a bit more meat and lasting appeal.
Shadow of the Ninja: Reborn can be infuriating at times, due to clunky platforming and a borderline irritating level of difficulty, but if you take it as one of those challenging arcade games which want you to memorize pattern recognition and enemy placements, you can have quite a bit of fun with it. If you have the patience, that is. As a fun arcade pasttime, meant to be played in shorter bursts, and also thanks to its pretty good presentation, Shadow of the Ninja: Reborn is a pretty decent recommendation.
I am still cautiously optimistic regarding the post-launch content and roadmap, but as it stands, I love Age of Mythology: Retold. It retains the gameplay loop and iconic soundtrack of the original 2002 release, improving upon it by featuring brand-new visuals, a vastly more intuitive UI, and a plethora of small quality-of-life perks. It’s the game I grew up loving to death, but better than ever before.
I don’t have many qualms regarding the gameplay loop at all, as it’s probably the best thing one could have hoped for from a Quidditch game. Even if the Seeker’s role got massively nerfed, I understand the decision, for balancing purposes. Mechanically-speaking, Unbroken Studios did a great job with Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. It’s just underwhelming to look at, and it’s lacking in terms of modes and lasting appeal. As of now, it doesn’t feature a lot of teams, modes, or even a reason to keep you entertained for long.
Even if I don’t consider Castlevania Dominus Collection to be the best retro compilation Konami has ever put out (The Cowabunga Collection still reigns supreme), it’s still a close second. The amount of bang for your buck is astonishing, as this collection features three meaty and highly acclaimed DS metroidvanias, as well as a remake of a formerly maligned title in the franchise’s history. Furthermore, I feel like M2 has finally figured out a way to make DS games function decently on a big screen, opening the floodgates for future compilations and/or remasters. Pick this one up right away, and start whipping some demons like it’s the mid 2000s all over again.