It's amazing how this 2022 follow-up ended up being a huge downgrade that didn't learn & improve jack from a pair of its prequels made 20 years ago; that really takes talent. Yasuhiro Nightow's cool-as-heck series deserves better than Gungrave G.O.R.E.
D&D: Dark Alliance is a case for people to hop on board to play the analog role-playing game it’s based on. This video game is so goddamn boring, infuriating, and repetitive, it’ll make you appreciate the intricacies of a live RPG session.
Xuan-Yuan Sword VII has promise, but it fails in delivering a consistent and manageable experience. In meshing hack and slash games like Dark Souls, Bayonetta, and any mid-2000 mid-card action game out there, this action RPG feels like a hybrid that doesn’t know what to excel & focus on.
Even when its exploration and shooting works, you'll only get some small sense of satisfaction. The only reason you're continuing is because of that "one more assault" Skinner box mentality that's in these loot-and-shoot ideas combined with open-world checklist obligations.
Frogun’s aesthetics belies an annoying kind of 3D platformer that demands precision. For that, I’m not sure if I should recommend the game to everyone but the most hardcore of platformer enthusiasts.
Kao's 2022 venture is serviceable and by-the-numbers at best. Its developers have their hearts in the right place in using this 2000s mascot in their new 3D platformer reboot, but this sure isn't even a bronze medal effort if we're being honest.
No amount of charm and cute art is enough to hide The Company Man’s skeletons in its closet. It’s not the most superficial and worst title I’ve played, but there are way better and more rewarding indie 2D platforming options out there.
[...] you could do a whole lot worse than with Aluna’s competently average action RPG offerings.
There are shades and traces of a simple yet heartfelt action game buried underneath Marvel's Avengers' corporate-driven money-grubbing muck that clearly needed a few more months of QA and technical fixing. Until its updates and content elevates the base experience and assuming the Day One/Week One patch fixes a LOT of these game's grievances, you'll have to settle for Earth's Mediocre Heroes.
As far as game license cash grabs go, RWBY: Arrowfell could have been worse. At the very least, there's a serviceable action platformer game here with loads of potential, but it's squandered by boring-level design and all-around simplicity.
Despite how pretty it animates and how unique it looks, [Moonscars] punishing gameplay isn't for everyone.
Soulstice has a lot of, well, spirit to make it more than above-average hack and slash 2000-era fare. "A" for effort, at the very least.
You could do worse than with Square Enix's brave new venture into Soulslike territory that's roughly 20 hours or less depending on your skill level. I personally would love to see Team Ninja continue on with this take on Final Fantasy, but with better level design and a less banal plot thread that's a bit more accessible to non-fans.
Echo Generation has potential to be an indie darling. Perhaps if it eased up its combat prompts and set some clear goals in its storyline, then it wouldn’t be a pretty but aimless experience that it is now.
For a series that has been around for 30+ years, [Tales of Arise] should have at least taken cues from older JRPGs and just do with a major overhaul and shaking up. As it stands, JRPG fans will just have to settle with an alright-if-not-that-perfect experience.
Outside of [technical issues & weird platforming physics], Sonic Colors Ultimate is a nice mix of 3D Sonic gameplay that stems from the Dreamcast era and 2D classic platforming that put him on the map in the first place.
If it weren’t for [its controls] -the most important thing to nail in the genre- Greak would have been a top tier 2D platformer. As for now, it has to settle for the bronze medal for its art and ingenious idea of making platforming and puzzle segments using a trio of heroes.
Grime is a very unique-looking game set in a weird-as-hell creationist-themed world that’s sure to be divisive among gamers. It has some fun rock-solid moments, but the game is clearly trying to be Dark Souls with 2D and platforming when it should have just emulated how other 2D hardcore titles like the Ori series handle difficulty and fairness.
With a bit more polish and tweaking, [Nanotale: Typing Chronicles] can stand out as this year's remarkable RPG offering. For now, it has to settle being the first-ever type-savvy RPG that entertains for a bit before petering off.
[T]he latest Outer Worlds DLC is worth the 6 hours just for its premise, its colourful location, and the payoff for both sides of the story.