Phantom Fury is a fun throwback to classic shooters from the 1990s. It’s action packed with a decent variety of weapons at the player’s disposal to create a bit of chaos. While the core gameplay is enjoyable, it’s the few things around it such as the piss-poor weapon wheel, lack of aiming and the true to the classic formula: where do I go type of gameplay. If you can get over these like quirks, you’ll find a fun, challenging and fast paced shooter.
I’m all for game preservation and am happy to see games like this being revived especially after they were on a failed console that 95% of gamers never touched, let alone saw in person. But PO’ed Definitive Edition is one of those that should have remained in the past. While the premise is unique compared to typical war-themed first person shooters, this is barely playable. I can vouch for a Limited Run Games physical version for all the collectors out there, but buying this digitally to play it is just like setting money on fire. Unless your morbid curiosity gets the better of you, don’t even bother.
Not only has playing this game filled my brain with vivid and fond visuals of being a kid in the 90s, but it has also brought me core memories with my 6-year-old son. Being able to play split screen with him and laugh and spend quality time with him whilst having the best fun, is what Hypercharge Unboxed is all about. Digital Cybercherries has managed to tear my child away from the domination of Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft and he now craves time on this with his Dad and “just one more game” before bed. I can’t thank the team enough for bringing this to consoles and making it accessible to those without a PC. So, I have to grant Hypercharge Unboxed with the perfect score and I have several reasons for this. It sits on the pedestal of indie greatness that very few achieve alongside stunners like Cuphead and Vampire Survivors. In the three quality weeks I have had to review this, I have racked up over 50 hours of gameplay and I’m nowhere near done. It is a game that will be cemented to my hard drive for years to come because it will now be the couch co-op go-to game of choice and the closest feel to the best shooters on old-generation machines, a salute to classics like Timesplitters and the early Halo titles. If you don’t purchase this game at a very reasonable price point, you’re missing out on one of the best games to come to Xbox in 2024.
Horizon Chase 2 is definitely a must-play. It’s the best arcade racer since… well… its predecessor. It’s easy to pick up and play and can be hard to put down. Lots of content to unlock whether it be new rides or visuals styles. Whenever you need a change from racing sims or looking to give the racing genre a shot, Horizon Chase 2 is your best bet. Don’t miss out.
Nightmare Reaper is a fun, albeit frustrating addition to the FPS (or horror) genre. The shooting is solid and the environments are well done and creepy to explore, but the damage output from some enemies will lead to a quick death, especially when trying to figure out where they are shooting you from. The weapon diversity is surprisingly deep and it makes you want to keep playing to see what you can find. Fans of roguelites will enjoy this entry of the genre. However, if you’re not a fan of the genre, Nightmare Reaper won’t change your stance.
To be honest, when I saw Ratalaika Games pop up on screen, I tempered my expectations, but when I starting playing the game, I discovered one of the most boring, tedious, games I’ve ever played. The fact that you can’t control when you shoot is a giant red flag leaving no control to the player. Trying to kill bigger enemies or figuring how to complete certain objectives (such as the Meat tower thing) is borderline as possible. This is the pure definition of shovelware. Pass.
Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is a fun and enjoyable, albeit very short experience. Its budget price appeal makes it very tempting; given the length of it, it feels right. Kids and Nickelodeon fans will enjoy the hell out of this and it’s even better with friends. However, while it’s fun, it is very limited in appeal and repetitive in combat. In a world where we already have the excellent Shredder’s Revenge, it’s hard recommending this one as for a few bucks more, you get a longer experience and more playable characters. Unless you’re a die hard TMNT fan who needs to play everything or have kids at home, you can’t go wrong with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants. But if you’re looking for something more substantial, this ain’t it chief
Avatar The Last Airbender: Quest for Balance is a decent game perfect for younger gamers who are fan of the TV series and want to experience the storylines themselves. For better or for worst, this is clearly a GameMill Entertainment game; decent, mildly enjoyable, slightly too easy but oh so close from being a must play experience. I can only image how much better this could’ve been in the hands of a AAA developer. It’s a fun experience as a whole; worth it’s $20 USD price tag.
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster is not for the impatient gamer. It’s a fun, mindless shooter set in the Star Wars universe that fans of the genre and the franchise will learn to appreciate. However, bland level color palettes makes it too easy to get lost and go around in circles; requiring to display the map in order to find doors otherwise blended in the decor. But at least cheat codes can alleviate the frustration a bit. Younger gamers used to Call of Duty’s hand-holding might find this FPS experience frustrating as they go around in circles, but older gamers will revel in re-expericing this classic N64 experience. If you’re played this in the past, this is a no-brainer. If you’re more used to the CoD series, you might find endless frustration instead of fun.
Queeny Army is set in the war-torn city of San Romero, and tells the story of a group of young women who have escaped an adoption house. After escaping, the group goes on a revenge rampage against the corrupt enforcers who murdered their classmates and school director. Playing as one of the twelve escapees, all of whom trained under the armed forces’ former commander and each have their own quirks and abilities, you’re tasked with overthrowing the syndicate leader who seized control of the government.
Forza Horizon 5 drops players into the beautiful setting of Mexico where the sun will shine, but where it can also be treacherous as players will also have to navigate through thunder and sandstorms. As they progress through various events, players will be called upon to drive around various areas of Mexico expanding the Forza Horizon festival across the country and opening new types of events; races, off-roading, sprints; just to name a few.
Super Soccer Blast: America vs Europe is an arcade-style soccer game featuring a bevy of teams representing various countries. This is a by-the-book kind of soccer game; you can shoot, pass, tackle/steal the ball from opposing players. All fizzle and no steak as they’d say. Additionally, you can easily spot your player as he’ll be the one with the blue arrow above his head, so that’s quite helpful given certain visual shortcomings explained below.
TOHU tells the story of a nameless girl; simply referred to as The Girl throughout the adventure, who can transform into a hulking robot at any time. Oh, and she also lives on the back of a fish that’s floating through the cosmos. One day, you find out that the MacGuffin (whatever that is) that’s keeping your home alive is dwindling down. You need to find resources to keep your home planet alive all the while being hunted down by a mysterious hooded figure looking to put a damper on your plans.
Sonic Colours Ultimate is another chapter in the long-running feud between Sonic and Dr. Eggman. This time around the antagonist has built a gigantic intergalactic amusement park with crazy rides and attractions. The one caveat being that Eggman is powering his theme park with captured aliens called Wisps. It’s now up to our favorite hedgehog to overcome the amusement park and save the Wisps.
Knockout Home Fitness is a game that acts like a personal trainer where players, using the joycons, will mimic the avatar’s movement in hope of creating a combo by hitting the targets displayed on-screen with the best timing possible. As with any game of the genre, there are precautions to take and you need to make sure that you don’t hurt yourself as there is no physical personal trainer to stop you from making mistakes.
Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions is a full-on arcade boxing game; the opposite of the boxing simulator Knockout Kings, which later became the critically acclaimed Fight Night series. You can select Arcade mode, where akin to fighting games, you select a character and fight your way to the boss while experiencing a paper-thin story. Or you can also jump in Versus mode against an A.I. or a buddy.
Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure tells the story of our titular character who embarks on a quest to find his best friend Bob who’s been missing. While this sounds pretty straightforward, our little Alfonzo decides to collect as many fishes as he can on his quest to find his missing friend. Why do you ask? Well, it’s simple fish is Bob’s favourite food. So why not gather a snack while searching for your best bud.
Side-scrolling beat’em ups are going through a renaissance at the present time. Spearheaded by the nostalgia driven Streets Of Rage 4 there’s been no end of titles released to try and capture the same feelings. The latest of these is Mayhem Brawler. Developed by Hero Concept, Mayhem Brawler takes everything that makes the genre great and adds a supernatural twist.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! is a restaurant simulation/arcade game where players are tasked to (you guessed it) cook and serve various meals to the plethora of NPCs that will come knocking. The series first saw the light of day back in 2012 with an initial release on PC via Steam, followed by mobile ports. Players had to wait five years for the first sequel, Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2, which released in 2017 once again for PC (via Steam) and also marked the series’ debut on MAC devices.
Once you’re done with the game’s main story, the fun doesn’t end there! You can revisit the story in order to unlock the plethora of portraits, clothing for the girls; you can also jump into a “fantasize” mode where you’ll need to get the girls into the right position in order to… “observe” them.