Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is definitely more of what you’d come to expect from a Lego game if you’ve had any experience playing them over the years. It’s undeniably a blast to be had even more by fans of the source material and younger players or people looking for a game to play that doesn’t demand a whole lot of your attention or particular dexterity in order to enjoy it, but if you’re looking for something brand spanking new, you might have better luck at another space port.
As it is now, though, for someone like me who’s casual enough not to be constantly after the next new shiny car but worried enough about not being taken advantage of when I just want to play the game as I should, Gran Turismo 7 is quite enjoyable – when it’s working, mind – if not somewhat bloated. Then again, it’s the sort of bloat I can overlook due to my passing interest in driving fast cars and racing. To someone who just wants to jump in and put their pedal to the metal, though, the eccentricity that comes in the form of its presentation and slow pace of its delivery will come as definite turn offs to Sony’s 7th iteration of the “Real Driving Simulator”.
I’m blown away by the overall quality of Tormented Souls. It does very well what it proposes, and for as much as it can feel dated, it’s by design. And frankly, it’s a welcome return to a time when the scope of horror games was more limited and in that they found the ground they needed to deliver amazing, self-contained experiences which is exactly what Tormented Souls does so bloody well.
Mini Motorways is in many, well, ways, a terrific, truly addictive pick-up-and-play game for the Switch. Its fast-paced level structure and simplicity are incredibly well conceived and feel great to come back to time and time again. I’ve always been a big fan of management games in this style like Air Control, so having a spin like this to the formula is definitely up my wheelhouse and you’d be remiss not to at least give it a look.
All in all, Cotton Fantasy keeps the series tradition of providing plenty of eye candy and a pushover level of challenge that should please newcomers to the genre even though veterans might find themselves somewhat bored by the straight ahead approach that the franchise is known for and it kept intact in this new entry. Regardless of where you stand, there’s no denying Cotton Fantasy is one heck of a charming little game any way you look at it.
With that in mind, I would recommend Souldiers with caveats to those looking for a familiar challenge that won’t mind the repetition that comes with games that borrow from the Soulslike formula with the added detractions that this particular one throws into the mix. Souldiers is an enjoyable take on combining popular genres and mostly succeeds at keeping it together, and should provide plenty of replay value in a way of experimenting around with its classes and character builds, and of course, forging a path ahead.
For as much of a scaredy cat in regards to horror as I generally am, I have to say I’ve enjoyed my time with The Quarry a whole lot. As the game progressed and the story started to unfold, I found myself wanting to see more of it and stopped worrying about how uncontrollable some aspects of playing it are, something I was dreading when just starting out. If you’re anything like me, I urge you to give this game a chance, you might be surprised with just how surprisingly engaging it can be.
Double-dip on some of the best Capcom arcade games ever and enjoy some good surprises along the way with Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium.
A hunter’s work is never done and there’s certainly plenty to be done in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a decent way to enjoy these classic platformers. For as close to the landing as the collection sticks when it comes to content, the fact that there are more accessible options is something to be lauded. While I was never a particularly huge fan of Klonoa, it would be silly to dismiss this for what it is: a new, fresher, and extremely colorful way for an entirely new group of players to enjoy the dreamy antics of Klonoa and co.
For preservation purposes, as well as discoverability ones, this re-release of Avenging Spirit is incredibly valuable. Given that the general gaming audience probably haven’t even heard of it in the first place, credits are due to Ratalaika Games for doing the work that they’ve been doing with these. Avenging Spirit is easily my favorite among these re-releases so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next out of their seemingly bottomless treasure chest of little known old hits.
The subject matter in Dropsy is shockingly deep, and in a similar way to Horace, a platformer I reviewed a while back, the more you play it, the more there is to uncover, and what might seem like a shallow premise at first eventually turns out to be anything but. Dropsy is just that. Layer upon layer of subtle storytelling in a way that’s rarely found in videogames today. I was moved by it and I’m sure you will be too if you give it a chance.
Resident Evil Village Gold Edition introduces a new chapter to the story in the form of Shadows of Rose, a twisting trip through a few of the main game’s most iconic locations in a new adventure starring a new character with special powers and a whole lot of questions.
I’m curious to see what more there is to McPixel 3. There’s a lot of it I’ve still got to try out and witness the chaotic results of. The slice that I saw so far has been positively silly, borderline crazy… pretty much what Devolver’s so great at fishing up.
If The Devil in Me is any indication of the quality of the other entries in The Dark Pictures Anthology, it seems I have my work cut out for me. Those are bound to be enough to keep busy until the new season begins sometime next year. There’s already been a teaser to the new entry in the franchise, Directive 8020, which is set to take a sci-fi approach to scaring the ever-living bejesus out of us. Count me in for that, sirs, yup.
Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song Remastered is a lost niche JRPG from the past that makes a most welcome return to modern platforms.
River City Girls 2 is an awesome way to close out 2022, which has been a very good year for beat ’em up games. Alongside June’s brilliant Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, this is proof that the genre still has plenty of punch left when dedicated and passionate developers such as DotEmu and WayForward have any say in regards to the matter. If you have even an inkling of enjoying brawlers, you’ll definitely won’t want to miss River City Girls 2.
I’m ecstatic for the chance of playing Returnal further after the five or so hours I spend with the PlayStation 5 version. It’s a great port, and it didn’t take me long at all to get back to exactly the same spot I was when I stopped playing it before, proving that the muscle memory and skill built in by the game’s difficulty is indeed there. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me further on and for the journey to get there.
Return to Castlevania fits in perfectly with the rest of Dead Cells, and it’s easily the best crossover you’ll get to experience this year. You can stake your bet at that!
Resident Evil 4, the remake, exists, and thanks to the improvements that have been made, most importantly presentational ones, for as needless as it feels it is in the end, it can, in fact, be thought of as the ultimate way to enjoy RE4. Then again, it doesn’t completely replace the original, which remains a very playable and enjoyable timeless classic. If you have yet to bask in and pop an army’s worth of Ganado heads, you won’t go wrong with the remake, but if the chance presents itself, try playing both.