Crysis Remastered is a missed opportunity for a cult-classic to rejuvenate on modern platforms. There are too many issues to consider this remaster worthy of its name.
SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories, a spin-off from the popular anime SPYxFamily, focuses on the charming antics of Anya, providing a lighthearted and visually appealing experience.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center offers a visually striking and intriguing mystery-solving experience with its nostalgic pixel art and modern twists. While the gameplay loop is engaging and the social media integration adds a fresh layer, the slow pacing, underdeveloped characters, and inconsistent case quality hold it back.
A solid but uneven return for a classic fighter, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. shines with its deep, technical gameplay and excellent rollback netcode but falters with stripped-down content and a lackluster tutorial. While its 3D combat remains engaging, the absence of single-player modes and controversial customization cuts leave fans wanting more. A promising yet flawed revival.
A nostalgic trip down the survival horror lane, Enigma of Fear blends retro aesthetics with modern 3D animation, creating a visually captivating experience. Despite its charming art style, the game's interface and presentation can leave players lost and puzzled. With a focus on challenging puzzles and an eerie atmosphere, it demands keen observation and memory. While some aspects, like the navigation and UI, fall short, the solid writing and engaging combat make it a worthwhile adventure for old-school horror fans.
Metro Awakening ventures into VR with mixed results. The game offers detailed environments and immersive sound design but struggles with performance tweaks and long load times. While it answers key lore questions and provides solid gunplay, its linear and repetitive gameplay diminishes the overall experience. Though it doesn’t match the heights of VR titans like Half-Life: Alyx, it remains an engaging spin-off for Metro fans.
Park Beyond offers a unique and engaging park simulation experience with a focus on creativity and extravagant rides, making it a standout in a market with limited competition. However, it falls short in its economic management aspect, with the challenge of balancing park profitability often leading to frustration, and the controls can feel unnecessarily complex, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR is an on-rails shooter with multiple paths but has subpar visuals. It offers immersion through haptic feedback, 3D audio, and eye tracking, but the puzzles can be frustrating, and it requires patches to fix technical issues before being recommended.
Overall, Jurassic World Aftermath Collection is a decent VR game that offers a fun experience for fans of the franchise. While it has some flaws, such as repetitive gameplay and limited environments, it provides a budget-friendly option for PSVR 2 users.
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse's English localization has cleaned-up visuals, effective Camera Obscura gameplay, and gyro aiming support on PS5, but the grainy look, confusing story, and dated controls are drawbacks.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a decent remaster of a classic game, but it lacks innovation and new content. Despite noticeable flaws, it remains an enjoyable experience for those new to the game or looking to relive the original. Its strengths lie in its improved visuals, engaging story, and memorable cast of characters. However, in comparison to recent remasters, it falls slightly short.
No More Heroes 3 promises and delivers a good time for fans of the series as well as people who have never played any prior games.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac won't set the platforming genre on fire, but it checks all the appropriate boxes for fans of the yellow ghost-eating hero.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, while far from a flawless remaster, delivers one of the most adored games to current platforms, but it is at best a monkey paw type of wish fulfillment. Even the game's poor performance cannot disguise this brilliance.
Fatal Frame was once a one-of-a-kind option in the realm of survival horror games, but that has long since gone. Maiden of Black Water is a modernized version that prioritizes graphics above quality and suffers as a result. It takes a lot more than a basic clean-up to make it work, but there's no denying it can be entertaining under the proper conditions.
Kirby Fighters 2 is a simple fighting game that is designed to be fun without being overwhelming or complex. The grinding nature of its unlockables somewhat holds it back but the game is solid fun in multiplayer with up to four players.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is an exceptional attempt for a licensed Samura Jack game. It does suffer from some repetitive gameplay but for the most part, this is a solid action game.
Super Monkey Ball series is back and while it is not a new game, and it is certainly not the best game to remaster in the series, this is still an upgrade over the original solely based on the choice of better analog controls.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure brings back Max Caulfield as an adult who faces both personal and supernatural challenges. Although her new powers hold promise, the gameplay tends to feel overly linear, and the pacing is inconsistent. Overall, Double Exposure is an engaging yet flawed continuation of Max’s journey, but it falls short of the series' best moments.
Star Wars Outlaws offers a fresh take on the franchise. While it has great visuals and solid gameplay, it relies on familiar open-world tropes, which may not appeal to everyone. The protagonist, Kay Vess, and her companion, Nix, offer enjoyable interactions, but some missions and stealth elements can feel repetitive.