Leonardo Faria's Reviews
I used to consider its predecessor a good game, but one of the weakest titles in the Yakuza universe. This one is the complete opposite. It stands right next to Yakuza 0 and Like a Dragon in the pantheon of greatest titles in the series.
I love this collection. I absolutely love that it exists and that I can finally re-play these portable classics in a cheaper and more convenient way in 2021. Regardless of if they have aged poorly in some aspects due to the GBA’s underwhelming hardware, Castlevania Advance Collection is an absolute must for fans of the metroidvania genre. You’re getting three of the best games in the franchise, as well as Dracula X.
Am I missing something? I have always been told that BloodRayne Betrayal was a really bad game, one of the worst titles made by WayForward. But I’ll be honest with you, despite being a bit janky and a bit unfair at times, I really enjoyed it. Either this is a case of a underrated gem or the remaster fixed a ton of the original game’s issues.
In a nutshell, Ultra Age reeks of low budget jank, but its (awful) presentation is deceiving. This is actually a surprisingly competent hack ‘n’ slash that respects its sources of inspiration, all while adding some interesting elements of its own.
At this point, I don’t even know what else to say. NBA 2K22 is gorgeous and plays better than its predecessors. Visual Concepts does improve upon its predecessors with each new installment, but the cringeworthy story mode, obscene usage of product placement, and the abusive microtransactions are just too much to handle.
I don’t remember the last time I have played a game published by a major corporation that felt so soulless like WarioWare: Get It Together. Yes, even by some of the usual suspects. What was once Nintendo’s go-to franchise for zaniness, creativity, and actually taking advantage of every single feature included in a console’s hardware has been reduced to what mostly resembles a lazy and rushed job just to ensure the publisher had something to sell during a particular month.
I would absolutely score it a “Bill & Ted air guitar riff out of ten” if I could.
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch came from out of nowhere and captivated me with its fantastic controls and map design. Even if its story and voice acting can be a bit dull at times, its presentation and gameplay more than make up for any budgetary setbacks found along the way. If this is what we should expect from metroidvanias in this upcoming generation of games, then F.I.S.T. has already set the bar very high and for that I’m thankful.
I really want to believe that the same studio that helped deliver Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and Bioshock: The Collection needed a bit more time to fix the tons of bugs present in this underwhelming “remaster”. As it stands, Sonic Colors: Ultimate might possibly be one of the most embarrassing releases in Sonic‘s already uneven history, and one depressing way to celebrate the mascot’s 30th anniversary.
Even if playing as a bipedal snail with a laser gun is different from anything else I’ve played, I can’t say I was having the time of my life with it.
Lake feels almost intentionally designed to be boring and mundane, and it did get on my nerves at times. But unlike other similarly-themed art games out there, its premise is so humble and sweet, being so devoid of pretentiousness and arrogance, that it actually manages to deliver its message of making a fresh start and having a better life far away from the chaos of civilization.
It is a well-designed retro throwback, with an interesting ability management system and some well-hidden collectibles, as well as a decent enough presentation. Considering the minuscule price tag the publisher is asking for it, you should totally grab it. It’s not amazing, but it’s well worth it nonetheless.
I can’t help but love witnessing the noticeable improvements in each yearly iteration of WRC, going from a mediocre rally title to what’s possibly the best franchise of the genre in the market nowadays. WRC 10 is its crown achievement, especially on next-gen consoles.
Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions is not exactly a very good fighting game, but it does have a bit of charm. It can be quite appealing to a very specific niche: those who are really into the Rocky and Creed movies, and those within this demographic who don’t own a PSVR, since Creed: Rise to Glory is superior in every single way. If anything, I can safely say this is the best non-VR Rocky game ever made. Only because the franchise’s history in gaming is as bad as Rocky’s face after getting beaten up by Apollo in the first movie…
Recompile is a great idea in concept. It surely is unique when it comes to its setting, visuals, and its “blink and you’ll miss it” story (in more ways than one when it comes to the latter), but as a game itself, it suffers from a myriad of issues that ended up hampering my enjoyment with it.
Some aspects related to Spelunky‘s gameplay loop and the quality of its RNG features have aged poorly when compared to more modern and feature-rich roguelikes. Yet considering this was basically the progenitor of half of the indie games in the market, I have to commend it for still being visually appealing and tons of fun after all these years.
The Magnificent Trufflepigs is the weird case of the walking simulator which would have been a lot more enjoyable had the developers decided to include LESS gameplay. Even if its story isn’t anything to write home about, I was way more invested in it than looking for nappy pins and bottles with the slowest metal detector in human history.
The fact I had a lot of fun with Murder Mystery Machine despite its myriad of issues is a testament to how strong its gameplay loop and core concept are.
Considering its very small price tag, I was beyond delighted with Skydrift Infinity. It is a robust racing game with great visuals, controls, and which offers a ton of replayability, considering its average-at-best amount of content. I may not have heard about it when it first came out ten years ago (let’s be honest, did anyone?), but I’m glad I got to finally play it years later on a portable that feels much more suited for its arcade gameplay loop than any other system in the market.
I can’t believe this is the first time Quake has ever been officially released on a portable. Playing this on the Switch feels downright perfect. Its fast-paced gameplay, ludicrous speed, bite-sized levels, and utterly ridiculous amount of content are a fantastic fit for the system.