A grim reaper crow, many souls to collect and one hell of an adventure await you in Death’s Door.
Scarlet Nexus might lean heavily on the anime for your taste as it did mine, but don’t be surprised if you find it incredibly satisfying anyway, in spite of it. And that’s quite an achievement that developer Tose has managed to accomplish.
Hardcore Monster Hunter fans might turn their nose at Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin’s sheer straight to the point approach to gameplay, but what it goes for is done surprisingly well, and folks who find themselves intimidated by the still high barrier of entry to the main entries might find it a good entry point into the series. It’s got basically every trait from what characterizes a Monster Hunter in one easy to digest JRPG formula.
Wave Break is an eclectic mix of different styles that is almost a guaranteed recommendation on the Switch. It’s a colorful game that’s sure to please anyone looking for a quick pick up n’ play download. But given that the eShop is already packed with similar bite-sized titles, I imagine it’ll be hard for it to set itself apart in the long run, for as nutty as its premise can be.
It’s truly exciting to think that there are devs out there like Jankenteam who are so evidently in love with a game that they’re able to remake it as well as they did with Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX. Fans of the original are sure to get a kick out of this beautiful re-release, and those like me who might’ve missed it the first time around or are too young to have been around when it was new are sure to get a kick — or better put, a punch — out of it as well, thanks to its lovingly put together presentation and great, albeit simple gameplay.
The Battle for Steeltown goes for the same mix of seriousness and borderline ridiculousness as the main content, this time dealing with the toils of capitalism in the apocalypse and how it’s just as bad as it was when the world wasn’t a pile of rubble, maybe even worse, actually. So if you’ve enjoyed what Wasteland 3 was going for originally, you’ll certainly dig what this DLC serves up.
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is probably the most approachable Capcom's hardcore platformer franchise will ever get at this point. Yeah, it’s still rough around the edges by sheer design, but if you can stomach its trial and error nature there’s a gem to be had and conquered, or better put, slayed with this one.
The Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection does what it came for in spades. That’s even more so whether you go for it on older gen consoles like the PlayStation 4 as I did for this review, or like my pal Leo did on Nintendo Switch (link to be included when this goes live), where they run as smoothly as expected for older titles such as these.
Without a doubt, if you’ve never touched Mass Effect before, the Legendary Edition is by far the best way to enjoy the series. Yeah, the original Mass Effect might not be to everyone’s taste even with the added improvements, but on the other hand, it’s probably as playable now as it’s ever going to be.
Resident Evil Village is a bombastic action horror ride that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat and patience.
SOMA is still a stronger narrative experience through and through, and if I had to rank their games, it would sit solidly somewhere between SOMA and the original Amnesia. In terms of crafting moody psychological horror first-person games, Frictional is one of the best there is, and I hope there’s more to come from them soon.
Hitchhiker can take you on a journey, but even it doesn’t seem too sure where it’s actually going.
With a bigger emphasis on speeding up the action and progression, Monster Hunter Rise is an excellent gateway into the franchise for newer players.
All in all, Evil Genius 2: World Domination is an entertaining sim with an incredibly fun premise that while slow at times is still rewarding to stick with and see through to the end. It’s also great to see developer Rebellion go out of their comfort zone and try something besides a shooter every now and then. They’ve managed to build quite a catalog during their run, and if Evil Genius 2 is any indication, they are more than welcome to experiment with their other hits of old.
If you’re a newcomer to Blizzard or have only gotten to know them over the last couple decades, the Blizzard Arcade Collection is an excellent way to discover more of their history, going to show that there’s more to them than only their catalog of established franchises. Even the (arguably) biggest companies in the business had to start small, and as the collection proves, creativity and passion can go a long way, even if the Blizzard of today might seem like a far cry from what it was back then.
Hopefully there will be more to be seen in the universe built for the game, but under much better circumstances. What Bloober Team has achieved left me with mixed feelings by the time I reached its conclusion, almost 8 hours in. I adored the setting and fiction that’s been created for The Medium but I struggle to think of a single section of it that I truly enjoyed playing. It’s surely a weird place to be when it comes to a game I’m writing a review for, and one I’m not used to having to deal with. While I’m glad I got to see what it’s all about, I’m in no hurry to replaying it anytime soon; but then again, I want to see what could be in store in the story if there’s ever a (mercifully much better conceived) sequel.
Sometimes it’s good to get into a game that doesn’t overstay its welcome and can be beaten as quickly as Olija. It’s got very little fat and values the time you spend with it by dropping you into a very tightly designed journey, and honestly I can’t fault Skeleton Crew Studios for how short this game can be if it’s as beautiful and enjoyable as it is. I could think of worse ways to spend the short hours it took to get through Olija, and I’m glad that I did.
Death by absolute frustration.
Monstrum Nox might play close to the vest in just about every aspect, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a quality JRPG. Sometimes a comfort game like this is just what’s needed, and Ys IX certainly fits the bill checking all the boxes that you can expect out of a game of its kind. It’s a very fun and straight to the point adventure that’s well worth your time even if it doesn’t break the norm in any sort of way whatsoever.
All in all, while I would have been happier with a more complete set of open levels like in the last game, I can’t say I did not enjoy what was there in that regard in Hitman III. There’s plenty of more enjoyment to be hopefully had with all the post-game activities, as well as discovering the mastery objectives in the main story mode. It’s definitely not the best entry in the new trilogy in any stretch, but it’s a good spot for the series to take a breather and let us kids have our fun in its ever-growing sandbox. If we have a say in it, 47 will never be out of a job.