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.
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.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game - Complete Edition is most definitely recommended for multiplayer, so if you do indeed have some folks to play it through with, don’t miss the chance to play one of the best looking retro-inspired games around. But if you’re in it only for the single player, you might be left disappointed by how unbalanced it can be.
Even though it does little to make it anything but an average game, Immortals Fenyx Rising is one of the most easy going Ubisoft games in quite a while.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an excellent addition to the modern Assassin’s Creed that doesn’t shy away from what made the franchise so popular in the first place.
Regardless of where you end up playing it, whether it’s on PlayStation 4 or 5, Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a must own.
Trails of Cold Steel IV is as much of an epic as its predecessors in just about every way.
It’s hard to recall the last time I honestly laughed and was so emotionally invested in a game in such a short period of time as I did with this Horace. The fact that it’s now being brought to more systems and storefronts will hopefully put it into more people’s hands and give it the attention it so rightfully deserves. If I ever were to classify a game as a complete gaming experience, very few would make the cut, and I’m ecstatic to say that Horace is most definitely one I would happily do so.
Crash Bandicoot 4 does what the series is best at by providing a hefty challenge, and some smart additions to gameplay make it ever more playable than previous entries.
Art of Rally might not be the most realistic simulation of the sport nor the most graphically intensive, but its heart is definitely in the right place. The developers behind it have done a remarkable job making it feel like a rally experience while taking a wildly different and much more relaxed approach that helps set it apart from much more intense games like DIRT Rally 2.0 and WRC 9. It’s easily my favorite rally racer in the last few years.
In the end, your mileage will vary if you decide to play these games. If you enjoy the dose of challenge that comes with a lot of trial and error and success through pure repetition, and don’t mind sometimes cruel gameplay and level design in your games, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded. Don’t be fooled by their cute anime exterior, these are tough as they come, so be ready to fail a whole lot, Dood.