Outriders Worldslayer is more Outriders, and that's not a bad thing. While the story doesn't do much, the game as a whole is still one of the most fun third person shooters out there right now, with a feel to the gameplay that is a blast to play. The addition of the Trials of Tarya Gratar end game content is worth every penny, and the new gear, skills, and Apocalypse tiers ensure you'll want to stick around and grind for a good while.
Gas Station Simulator feels like a weird game to want to play, but you want to play it. Like most simulators, the tasks at hand are menial and repetitive, but it's generally a fun game to keep progressing through. The upgrades and tools are well placed to keep you from feeling like you're dealing with too much busy work, and the humor the game injects keeps things lighthearted. Although, if we could just get rid of Dennis, I wouldn't complain.
There's really no redeeming quality for the teams behind CrossfireX to look at and say, "We can build off of that". It's a bland shooter that doesn't do anything special, and now that I'm done reviewing it I have no plans to ever touch it again. Maybe if they drop another campaign piece I'll try it, but if I'm Remedy I'd get as far away from this one as possible.
It's not just that Horizon Forbidden West is bigger, it's better. Guerrilla had already crafted an incredible title in Zero Dawn, but they've graduated into building an immaculate one in Forbidden West. Its strengths are taken to new heights, tuned to being the best they can be, and what were once weaknesses transform into pillars the series can build on. Besides a few minor technical issues, Horizon Forbidden West is the perfect example of what you want a sequel to an already great game to be, and it's certainly a challenger for best game in 2022.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human may begin like the shuffling corpses you run into during the day, but evolves into the ferocious horde you encounter in the shadows of night. With an engaging gameplay loop of parkour and combat, the exploration of Villedor is something you’ll enjoy for hours on end, and with up to three friends at that. Yeah, it may take a little bit to get hooked, but once you’re infected, it’ll be all you can do to stay human.
Terminator: Resistance shows a bunch of potential, even if it doesn't always meet it. I was happily surprised with deeper than expected progression, and great dialogue and relationship building. But playing the game I feel stuck in the past, with visuals from yesteryear meeting good but standard gunplay. The worst part is watching the newest piece, the Annihilation Line DLC, take a step back. The Wolfenstein series does better in this sub-genre, but Terminator: Resistance is still a lot of fun to play, which says something about where it could go if Teyon gets another shot.
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One is an exemplary experience for anyone wanting to enjoy time with our eccentric investigator. The story behind Violet Holmes' demise will pull at your heartstrings, and the cases you'll decipher on the way there just make you appreciate Chapter One all the more. Yeah, there are some technical issues, and you're most likely going to get stuck at least once, but unraveling the best laid plans of the most conniving criminals is a delight to accomplish.
This culmination of all things Call Of Duty has resulted in something the entire series can look to, a blueprint on how to build a meaty and superb first person shooter experience.
Unplugged is actually a pretty cool way to bring the Guitar Hero format to VR. I was really impressed with the hands tracking, and the setlist is largely good, with a few nice big name tracks along with some lively lesser known ones. I could deal with plenty less Satchel, and would prefer in his stead more direction on what I'm doing, but all and all Unplugged is a rockin' fun time.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is the biggest surprise of the year, and joins Marvel's Spider-Man as one of the best Marvel video games in the last decade. The Guardians themselves steal the show, depicted perfectly, with a movie/comic-worthy story that will leave you laughing and crying. The combat is a lot of fun with plenty of strategies to use, even if it can get a little repetitive, and the setting and locations blow you away in scale and how incredibly detailed and beautiful they are. This Guardians team absolutely stands on its own, and just like the movie I'm hooked on a feeling.
Alan Wake is a gold standard when it comes to telling an incredible story, and nothing has changed with that in Alan Wake Remastered. The gameplay still feels pretty awesome, even if it sometimes shows its age, but nothing about that detracts from one of the best games of the last decade which feels at home, for the most part, in 2021. Visually, this game is taken to new heights, and even if it doesn't look or play as good as Control, Alan Wake Remastered, like the Bioshock Collection before, will leave players remembering that wonderful day in May of 2010 when they dove into Cauldron Lake for the first time. Or is it an ocean?
I'm not sure how Ember Lab did it, but I walked away from Kena: Bridge of Spirits with my expectations surpassed to a much further extent than I could have imagined. The visuals are breathtaking, the gameplay evolves in meaningful ways, and the heart the story contains has no bounds. You'll find it hard to come across a more wholesome and beautiful game in 2021 than Kena: Bridge of Spirits, it's everything I wanted it to be and more.
Deathloop walks a bit of a fine line, but overall has enough fun ideas to keep things mostly fresh and fun for Colt and Julianna players alike.
The Big Con is a blast from the past in its setting and story. While the tools to get you where you need to go need a bit of work, Ali is an exceptional main character, and playing through her story is a lot of fun. It's short, yes, but it's definitely worth the price of admission for an entertaining jaunt through the '90s.
Twelve Minutes is an immaculate construction of narrative that manages to take an extremely compact apartment space and spin an incredibly substantial story in it.
Fracked hits the slopes hard, slowing down at times to a frustrating degree, but doing so much right you keep on going. The gunplay is a lot of fun, the immersion is enjoyable, and the freedom of movement is surprisingly good, but I do wish the enemies spawned a bit slower and there was a bit more in terms of guidance. If you're looking to shoot up some grunts in a Borderlandsy setting while skiing, I can't recommend this one more.
ForeVR Bowl is the perfect way to bowl with your friends in the middle of a pandemic, and maybe even once the lanes are open again. There's plenty to do, lots to unlock, and throwing a ball feels deeper than Wii Sports did back when. Immersion is always going to be key to VR experiences, and just in gauging that, ForeVR Bowl knocks down all ten pins for the strike.
While it only has largely one trick, that trick is a lot of fun. In Da Hoop isn't going to wow you with insane graphics or revolutionize the VR scene, but Realcast has built something that is very enjoyable. The tracking that's been designed works very well with controllers, and is quite competent with hands tracking, even if it isn't the best way to experience the game. With a few upcoming updates this is bound to continue to be a great experience for anyone wanting to shoot a few hoops.
Buy it. Play it. Enjoy it. It's as simple as the game feels, even if it challenges you more than you'd ever think it would. The more I've played it, the more I see every one of it's accomplishments, with fantastic gameplay and a great choice of art style and soundtrack jewels in its crown. Death's Door does nearly everything right for what it is, and even the shortcomings of the narrative is barely a blemish on a spectacular résumé.
The return to Teer Fradee largely disappoints in the De Vespe Conspiracy, although the PlayStation 5 upgrade works well. I wanted so much more in something called an expansion, even if the cost said I should temper my expectations. The De Vespe Conspiracy still tells an enjoyable tale, but the surrounding new enemies, empty location, and anticlimactic ending make for something akin to getting a dinner mint as a dessert rather than the chocolate melting cake.