Leonardo Faria's Reviews
To sum things up, Id Software had a colossal challenge trying to improve upon what was already perfect, but Cacodemons be praised, they did it. Doom Eternal is one of the most technically advanced games from this entire generation, a masterful achievement in graphics, framerates, gameplay, and sound. It is a game that is hell-bent on giving you a gigantic smile at all times, making you feel like a brutal god of destruction, a force to be reckoned with, someone to be feared.
Forza Horizon 5 is the ultimate car enthusiast’s power fantasy. It’s a game that just wants you to go bananas and appreciate the beauty behind motoring, by offering every single tool, event, car model and online functionality available.
The final question: does Elden Ring hold up after nearly half a year? Yes. Is it still the best game of 2022, after the barrage of titles we’ve seen from March to July? Absolutely. That initial buzz may have died out a bit, but I’d have to be insane not to call it one of the most impressive games I’ve played in years, and most importantly, FromSoftware’s greatest title of all time. It’s as special now as it was back when it dropped onto the world like a nuke.
The Switch port of Bioshock might have been a disappointment, but I’m glad they didn’t botch the port of Bioshock Infinite. This game still looks as gorgeous as it used to when it first came out seven years ago, and it’s still one hell of an emotional and entertaining ride from beginning to end.
This is a title that challenges the overall conception of a game having to be joyful to be enjoyable. It knows when to make you feel miserable with its depressing yet fantastic story. However, unlike many pretentious art games that failed at doing the same, it knows it’s a video game and knows how to entertain you with its pristine combat and excellent exploration sections.
I still cannot believe this game was developed and published by EA. Star Wars Squadrons is downright amazing. It’s a phenomenal VR experience, an addictive multiplayer title, and most importantly, a freaking fantastic Star Wars game. It’s something that could easily rival Lucasarts’ best titles from back in the day.
The PlayStation 5 version of Control Ultimate Edition is one of the best, if not the best game available for the system so far. The game is finally available on a system with enough horsepower to handle its visuals, physics, and wacky gameplay. That, coupled with the near nonexistent loading times, multiple graphical presets, and small, but still welcome implementations of the DualSense’s features, makes this version the best and mandatory way to play Remedy’s masterpiece.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is a must-have. It will reignite your love for the franchise if you’re a veteran, or it will turn you into a brand new die-hard fan if you, like myself, are a newcomer.
I knew there was something special about GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon, but I didn’t expect for it to become this juggernaut of a roguelike that captivated me like no other game in the genre has ever done, and doubtfully will do in the foreseeable future. It’s not just about the jaw-dropping ukiyo-e visuals; it’s the addictive loot acquisition, the ultraviolent combat system, the enemy designs, and the sense of beating an entire level without ever getting touched by an immense boss, all culminating into what’s possibly my favorite roguelike of all time.
Sure, it might have a few technical issues here and there, but they are minute when you assess everything this hilarious and thought-provoking walking simulator has to offer. Not to mention the fact it runs superbly well on the Switch. In short, buy The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe. It’s brilliant. It’s a testament to game design. It was oh so worth the wait.
More than simply a love letter to the golden age of arcade beat ’em ups, as well as the franchise as a whole, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is both Dotemu’s and Tribute Games’ best title to date. It is a quasi-perfect arcade title that perfectly blends fanservice, fantastic controls, a downright pristine presentation, and some chaotic fun with up to six players at once. I am so glad this game ended up exceeding my sky-high expectations.
Finding issues in these games is the real challenge. I just can’t. I’m not even angry, I’m being so sincere right now: Portal: Companion Collection is the real deal. It’s easily one of the best “retro” compilations on the Switch. You get two of the best games of all time running flawlessly on both docked and portable modes, with a fantastic framerate, motion controls, developer commentary, additional maps, online multiplayer, and more. Do yourself a favor and grab this cheap as hell collection if you’re a Switch owner. Even if you’ve played Portal a bagillion times before, it’s still worth another playthrough. Or ten.
I would have already loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection if it were a mere collection of a handful of TMNT titles from back in the day, with little to no extras. But the addition of online co-op, gameplay modifiers, regional variants, and that adorable Nintendo Power-esque tips guide for each title just elevates this compilation to nonsensical heights. This is Rare Replay levels of good, one of the best retro compilations of the past years.
Prodeus would have been great if it was only a mere shooter heavily inspired by 2016’s DOOM, but its developers went above and beyond. What an amazing game. It’s both a love letter to old and modern shooters, embracing the best elements from both eras. Its levels are amazing, its gameplay is fast-paced and punchy, its soundtrack is insane… and it’s got a freaking phenomenal level editor that will basically ensure that players will have an endless supply of brand new levels to tackle for the foreseeable future.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is the gift that keeps on giving. Its predecessor was excellent, but left a lot of room for improvements. Ubisoft took that as a foundation and made Sparks of Hope bigger, prettier, funnier… in summary, it’s better in every single conceivable way.
Is there anything else that needs to be said? The The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was nearly perfect back in 2015, mostly hampered by bugs (which have already been fixed) and the hardware they were running on. The hardware issue is no more, with these next-gen versions letting you play these games the way they were intended to be experienced, with nearly no loading times, improved visuals, and a much sexier framerate. Is it worth revisiting it yet again? Absolutely! It might be a nearly 150 hour long RPG (counting the expansions and Gwent, of course), but it’s just way too good to be set aside.
My complaints are very minute. I simply loved Hi-Fi Rush. I just wasn’t expecting for such a banger to drop without any buildup, coming from such a talented team, right at the beginning of the year. It’s a magnificent mixture of tons of games from the mid-2000s, resulting in a unique combination of gameplay styles, sense of humor and visuals that easily stands out from the rest of Microsoft’s current exclusives.
This is how a remaster of a Nintendo game should look, run, and play. What was already near-perfect is even better, all thanks to Retro Studios just improving upon every single aspect of the original game, making this particular version of an all-time classic the ultimate way to play it. Not to mention the fact you can now take it on-the-go. I may have one or two small issues with it, but to call them deal-breakers would be damn near blasphemous. In short, grab Metroid Prime Remastered.
Whatever gripes I may have faced during my dozens, perhaps hundreds of hours with Tears of the Kingdom, don’t make it any less engrossing and amazing. It’s not perfect, it’s not my favorite Zelda game of all time, it’s not even the best game we’ve played and reviewed in 2023. But does that really matter? At the end of the day, it’s an improvement over Breath of the Wild, a really impossible task that Eiji Aonuma managed to achieve.
This is possibly the best remastering effort by Nightdive I have ever seen. This isn’t just “a means to play Quake II on modern platforms”. Just like how a remaster should be, it is the ultimate way to play Quake II, the one version to rule above any other, the port that makes every single previously released iteration feel like unplayable garbage as a comparison.