The Alto Collection is definitely one of best games to come out this year on Xbox One. Sure, it’s not as deep as some other sports games, but it’s easy to pick up and play mechanic makes it ideal for gamers of all ages. The goals aren’t that difficult and both games’ procedurally generated levels ensure that no playthroughs are similar. Don’t miss out.
One of the best strongest points is the fact that if you’re playing solo or with a friend, you can switch between Rash, Zitz and Pimple by pressing the corresponding d-pad arrow (except the shmups and platforming levels). This gives players a chance to try out all three characters and also a lifeline if the current character they are using is near death, they can switch with a full health character.
Turok: Escape from Lost Valley is an overall fun little adventure game that can appeal to gamers looking for a challenge. While it has a cute, cartoonish look that may appeal to kids, this is not for kids as they will struggle against bosses. It’s far from perfect as it suffers from questionable gameplay design and detection issues, but if you into it with a Dark Souls mentality, it’s a nice bite-size adventure that can tide you over until the busy Fall season.
Unless you’re an NBA 2K fan that needs a bit of variety or you have a few friends to play with on a regular basis, simply avoid Dunk Lords. The gameplay is fun and I do appreciate the mix of basketball and combat inspired gameplay, but playing against the A.I. is a frustration filled experience. The fact that they rarely miss shots and mow you down on the court, even on the easier difficulty setting, doesn’t make it a fun, arcade basketball game.
Max And The Book of Chaos is an overall worthy addition to the run n’ gun genre. Levels are bite-sized, perfect for quick bursts of play, there’s decent enemy variety and bosses are fun, lengthy, and challenging. Unfortunately, mostly caused by the single screen level design, the game feels like it gets repetitive quickly. If you can overcome the fact that the game’s difficulty ramps up pretty quickly and the special weapon picks up are useless more often than not, you definitely don’t want to skip Max And The Book of Chaos.
While I’m a huge fan of these types of compilations, it’s hard to recommend Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection. The games haven’t aged well, newcomers to the series will feel beaten down by the games’ difficulty, even on the easier setting. And being older games, the gameplay content for each of them is the strict minimum. Unless you’re a long-time die-hard fan of Samurai Shodown, this is a pass.
Destroy All Humans! is a semi-open world game as players are thrown into different open areas to complete mission objectives in order to move on to the next. Each mission contains a vast open area where players can take a bit of time to explore before heading directly for the objective.
We should talk. is definitely an interesting entry in the visual novel genre. While the main concept remains untouched, the fact that each answer can be created based on a variety of words opens up the door for a more realistic feel of control over the path and end of the game. Even though some answers don’t fully match your selected answers, We should talk. is one of the most enjoyable and entertaining visual novels I’ve had the chance of playing. If you’re a fan of the genre, or hell even a newcomer to the genre, We should talk. is a must-play.
JRPG fans will revel in Monster Viator. It follows the typical formula to a tee by adding its own sense of uniqueness by adding jobs mixed with monster collecting (in a way). Being able to recruit specific monsters for your party can allow for a lot of variety in terms of party members and subsequent battles. Sure, it’s not perfect as it has balancing issues, but once you get a grasp of the pacing after about an hour, this becomes trivial; same thing with the abundance of loading screens.
If you enjoyed the original Superhot, you’ll obviously be happy of getting more of it. For everyone else looking for an enjoyable FPS, you might want to look elsewhere. This is a case of a concept sounding good on paper, but with a failed execution. Its unique mechanic making feel like a stuttering mess; as if the game was not finished. This is an easy pass.
Rigid Force Redux is a great addition to the shmup genre and a great way for newcomers to be introduced to the otherwise hardcore game style. Thanks to its save system, health system and fun power-ups, this game will appeal to all types of gamers. Despite a few difficulty inconsistencies, this is an overall great experience and a surprise gem that should not be missed.
Those Who Remain is an interesting horror definitely worth a playthrough. The uneasiness created by the constant onlookers is definitely a great mechanic and is a bit refreshing as opposed to the traditional being chased down by monstrosities. While nothing is perfect within Dormont such as annoying puzzles, an archaic checkpoint system can feel a bit detrimental, the trip is worth it.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens is definitely one of the year’s better games. It’s a cute, fun Metroidvania platformer with a depth of gameplay content. While it does have a few shortcomings that can cause unnecessary frustrations, the newest entry in the Shantae is definitely worth your time and hard-earned money.
Super Mega Baseball 3 is the perfect mix of a baseball sim and arcade baseball game. Those looking to fill the void of MLB The Show like games will find an interesting and deep experience (albeit not as deep) where they can craft their team, strategize and feel like they have control over their team. On the flip side, those looking for a simple, easy to pick up and play baseball game should jump on Super Mega Baseball 3. Definitely a must-play.
If you’re craving classic FPS games from late 90s and early 2000s, then Ion Fury is the game for you. It’s a carbon copy of what once was; confusing navigation, hunting for colored keycards, decent arsenal of weapons and crazy shooting sequences. For those who are more comfortable with current games from the FPS will find a confusing, frustrating and limited experience. If they had taken the best from past games mixed with newer mechanics from more recent FPS games, this could’ve been so much more.
Huntdown is definitely one of the best games I’ve played thus far in 2020. From its simplistic and addictive gameplay mechanics, to the arsenal of weaponry at your disposal, the fact that its perfectly balanced, and the unique and challenging bosses makes this game a must play.
While far from perfect, Daymare 1998 is still a worthwhile trip and a great template for the birth of a new series (hopefully). It’s a clear homage to early 90s survival horror titles, but clearly rough the edges. Clunky pistol reloading mechanics, audio issues, sub-par visuals by today’s standards and a myriad of technical issues won’t stop you from enjoying this throwback. Definitely worth better than Resident Evil 3 Remake content wise and a smarter investment.
Overall, the title is definitely a unique and interesting experience. While this genre can be of an acquired taste due to the lack of proper gaming, it’s definitely a unique experience to sit through and it’s gets us as close as we can to interactive movie. Sure, this one comes off a bit odd mostly because of the one sided conversations you experience by watching videos, but as any great mystery movie or books, this is riveting.
As much as I had high hopes for Shred! 2 Ft. Sam Pilgrim, I came away disappointed. The game feels more like an attempt to mountain bike-ify Ubisoft’s Trials Fusion series. The tricks are easy to pull off and look pretty awesome, but relying on the game’s momentum feels like it’s making this more difficult than should. Also pedaling’s lack of realism is also a bit baffling here as it can hinder a comeback mid-track.
So is Bear Can’t Drift?! worth your hard-earned dollars? No, because it overall feels like a glorified demo. The core idea is there (I mean kart games are fun, so bring on a new one!), but unfortunately, the package falls flat. This is far from being a Mario kart level of game as Bear Can’t Drift?! is clumsy with questionable controls and full of frustrating menu UI design. The game has very limited, albeit unique, power-ups and options. There are other, better kart alternatives on Xbox One, don’t fall for this.