Thunderful's Curious Expedition is a very fun game. It has a lot of complicated strategic parts you have to think about in order to be successful, but all of them create a learning experience, much like Oregon Trail did for gamers back in the day, that motivates you to keep going.
Deliver Us the Moon is quite good in its narrative design and its atmosphere. The only real crux with this game is that it just needed some finer tuning when it came to difficulty and glitches. In the end, it's still a good game to take a chance on, if not just for what it makes you feel along the journey it proposes.
Contra Anniversary Collection is another successful release under Konami's Anniversary Collection moniker. It brings the old series back to life and reminds us that Konami really loved gaming back in the day. Hopefully, they can get that old feeling back again and reignite some of the other series that lie underneath their control.
Outright Games' Ice Age Scrat's Nutty Adventure shows some passionate love for the film series and constructs a game that young gamers will eat up. Does it have a fair share of issues? Yes, the levels feel too big and there's not enough to do at times, but young gamers won't really need that intricate design and complication to enjoy it.
Right now, the modes are decent, especially for younger gamers out there, so they add some value to the titles, but they need a bit more to them, though, to really sell everyone on them.
Overall, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is every bit of Bubble Bobble and more. I’m just not sure the price tag justifies the gameplay.
World of Final Fantasy Maxima adds enough content, including mirages, and enough adorable personality to make it a possible purchase. Newcomers to the series might benefit off the Maxima upgrade in one package due to the overall body of work being new to them more than those that are merely upgrading.
Sakura Wars is a solid game that delivers in a lot of areas, story and dialogue choices to give your players control of their fate, and falls a little short in others, especially action/mech. There is far more positive than negative and I think the re-tooling and reboot of the series might gain more fans than lose them.
Vicarious Visions nailed the remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1-2. They have given us a reminder about how much fun this title was back in the day, how much fun it is today, and assured gamers that anyone can pick it up and play it without much fuss. Is it perfect? Nope, but it's near-perfect fun.
The simplicity of Super Rocket Shootout cannot be understated. It's a good ‘ol jump in and have fun sort of situation with the gameplay. It tosses in some goodies here and there for variety, but ultimately it just wants you to have quick bouts of fun. That's a concept I grew up with in the arcade days of gaming and this is a concept that works for me with Super Rocket Shootout. That doesn't mean that I don't believe it can't be more, and it should, but as it stands it's fun. That's why you play games, folks, for the ‘fun'.
Crash Bandicoot N'Sane Trilogy is a must-have for the Xbox One X. It's a beautifully re-created/remastered trilogy that maintains the wonderful essence, as well as difficulty, that came with the original releases way back in the day. Vicarious Visions did a superb job with this one.
As it stands right now, the Wolfhunter DLC, which is going to be a review in progress to see how it all works out, is action-packed and entertaining. The dungeon I was able to get through with the devs at ZeniMax Online Studios was fun, and it felt like a well thought out idea that was executed beautifully.
Overall, there's not a lot to dislike about Yoku's Island Express. It's deep, it's fun, and while the main character may not be memorable as a Rayman or a Mario, the gameplay is so well-planned that you aren't in need of a strong lead character to make it all work. Villa Gorilla did one helluva job with this release and it's a game that shouldn't be overlooked.
Overall, Dragon Marked for Death isn't a perfect title, but damn it's fun. It has all the right elements of a simple action platformer, but RPG attributes to make the experience deeper and more engaging.
Galak-Z: Variant S is a simple shooter that is fun in short stints. The controls are fun, the level design is outstanding, but the motivating factors of the game, which include upgrades, needs to be improved a little before it becomes great. As it stands right now, it's a good space shooter with some potential for improvement in the future.
Freedom Finger is an edgy side-scroller that has heart. It is led by raw rock music and visual design while toting a typical side-scrolling shooter underneath. It's a good game that will definitely keep you challenged and amused.
Paradise Killer's gameplay design and execution are simple, though sometimes taxing. There is a lot to ingest before getting to the game's conclusion, but the style makes the experience unique and worthwhile, which is a huge plus.
MLB The Show 18 is another notch in the successful belt of the MLB series from San Diego Studio. It has better mechanics, more meaningful modes, a gorgeous presentation style and it just feels like what you would imagine a baseball game should feel like.
Indygo, while certainly nothing groundbreaking with mechanics, is a frightfully accurate portrayal of what happens in the mind of someone suffering from depression. The narrative is clearly more important than the game's mechanics, and that shows at times, but the combination of mechanics, dialogue choice and acting help to push the message about how devastating depression can be for an individual suffering from it.
If you need a challenge that is less forgiving than the Dark Souls' series, then you want Demon's Souls. Bluepoint Games brings the very essence of the original 2009 title with this remastered version, upgrades the experience with PS5 hardware, and makes the game more terrifying.