Dreams is a marvel from Media Molecule. It’s another cog in their creative machine that takes game creation to another level. Does it have room to grow? Lord, yes, especially in controls, but it offers up an outlet for non-coders to make their gaming dreams a reality.
While Madden NFL 24 is better than last year’s release, there are still some glaring shortcomings that hurt it, specifically with UI clunkiness, game mode access at times, and repetitiveness.
Overall, Catan on the Nintendo Switch is a treat. The inclusion of a large campaign helps to sell this game easily. The addition of strong AI makes the experience valuable and challenging. If the menu system could improve, then you’re looking at one of the best versions of the board game to ever grace a console.
Other than visual issues, I think the Blood Rage is brilliant in digital form. It's tough, challenging, and it is a well-planned and sophisticated game to play in digital form. I think the developers translated the game perfectly from its table-top brethren, but there is room for improvement.
What the Dub? is a good party game. Playing with friends and family to dub over B-Movie film clips is short stints of amusement that you can come back to when you tire of the Jack Box experience. It's cheap enough to justify and funny enough to enjoy.
Star Ocean First Departure R is a great RPG that needed a bit more love on the presentation side of things. It certainly deserved it.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is incredible - solo or with others. It has an amazing amount of content for a game that most will write-off haphazardly. It's an example of fun creativity that comes with people who are passionate about bringing a good experience to gamers of all ages.
Doomsday Vault from Flightless is a pleasant puzzle game that will keep your attention in short stints. Its simplicity will keep your interest, while its flexibility to come and go will keep the experience casual.
If you enjoy mathematical problems with comedic setups straight from early 90s computing, then this game is for you.
Lunar Remastered Collection from developers ASHIBI Co., Ltd and GAME ARTS is a sight for sore eyes in a sea of modernized turn-based and action RPGs. It’s a firm reminder that old-school gaming is still fun after all these years, and it’s a definitive reminder that the Lunar series is some of the best turn-based RPG games ever.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a perfect experience. It may not last long, but it will certainly draw you in with its story, keep you there with its variety of gameplay, and then bring the entire experience together with its amazing visuals and music.
Konami Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection brings some classics home, while also reminding us how absolutely insane and brutal the arcade age was in its heyday.
Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles is a solid first attempt at bringing this anime to a game format for current generation consoles. What SEGA and CyberConnect2 need to figure out is how to balance bringing the story into the next one while opening the world and trusting the player a bit more. I want to play and explore the anime, I don't want to just watch it through my PlayStation 5. I have VUDU and HBO Max for the latter.
Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower from developer Leonard Menchiari is a wonderful and beautifully brutal VR experience. It delivers accuracy, a good brawling environment, and makes use of Meta Quest’s tech well. The only hiccups are repetitive enemies and sometimes visuals. Both can be forgiven with its brawling gameplay that comes straight from the best 90s fighting games.
PGA Tour 2K21 is a good game that delivers a spot-on golfing experience. It brings a variety of courses, great mechanics, and plenty of reasons to keep playing. If the presentation could have been improved it would have been the perfect golfing package. As it stands, if you're looking for a good golfing experience than you got it.
Regardless of takeoff, the sequel is entertaining and something you should check out, especially if you enjoyed the first game.
While the game does deliver fun, frustration, and challenge, it also brings a lot of characters, music, and personality with it. Familiar faces loom in the character selection screen, as you can play a variety of different pilots and ships in the game. Each brings their way of fighting, while also bringing their collectibles to gobble up while you take down baddies.
MLB The Show 21 might not excel in vastly improving its overall package, but the smaller upgrades you do get make this game just as entertaining as it was last year. Next year will have higher expectations to meet.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a wonderful launch title for the PlayStation 5. It has everything you want from a Spider-Man game and a unique story that could be considered Hollywood-caliber.
The remastered versions of NIOH and NIOH 2 are outstanding. Visually they are nearly equal to each other and both still maintain the core enjoyment of the series, which is dying over and over again while slowly but surely progressing. Of course, those deaths are in 4K with a high frame rate via PlayStation 5, which makes the experience far more entertaining.