Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is a fantastic follow-up and brings back the gorgeous art style and brutal combat the original was known for. The addition of magic is hit and miss, though I did enjoy how imbued weapons factor into combat. The story, though similar in structure to the original, packs a punch and I found myself entirely invested by the time the end battle commenced. Tails of Iron 2 has a few downfalls, but overall is well worth picking up.
Behemoth is certainly ambitious and uses VR in unique ways to create a sense of scale rarely seen, but it fumbles what should be its best aspect - the behemoths. Still, Behemoth is unquestionably epic, combining precise sword fighting, great climbing and grapple mechanics, gorgeous graphics, and epic boss fights to create a world that feels great to explore. While the behemoth fights are certainly a spectacle, I found the lead up to the fights far more entertaining than the fights themselves. Still, Behemoth is well worth picking up.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD remains a classic and often challenging platformer brought to new life with a gorgeous HD makeover. Unfortunately, aside from a new gameplay mode which makes the game slightly easier and its updated visuals, this remaster is relatively lacking in new features. Still, fans of Donkey Kong or well-designed platformers will find a lot to love here.
Arizona Sunshine Remake feels like a modern VR title, despite first releasing in 2017. Though relatively short, Sunshine provides an exciting, fast-paced, zombie shooter filled to the brim with intense situations, great gunplay, and humorous dialogue. The addition of horde mode and two DLCs certainly add value, though one DLC fares better than the other. Still, as an overall package, Arizona Sunshine Remake is well worth the cost of admission.
Trombone Champ: Unflattened is one of the funniest VR experiences I've ever had, and I don't think my wife has ever enjoyed watching me play a game as much as she enjoyed me performing with a screeching cat as a trombone. This is the perfect game to hop into with a group of friends and take turns trying to earn the most toots, or just laugh at each other as you put on ridiculous performances. If you're a fan of rhythm games, definitely do yourself a favor and pick up Unflattened.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind is a fun, albeit relatively bare bones, experience which gets by more on its nostalgic charm and great presentation, than it does on being anything more than a competent beat 'em up. The addition of on-rails levels and first-person fights are welcomed, and the variety of levels and the added time disrupter elements keep the game fresh for its short run time, but lack of combat moves and frustrating Megazord boss fights keep Rita's Rewind from ever reaching the lofty heights it aims for.
TMNT: Mutants Unleashed has the makings of a good game for those able to sift through the grime of the early hours, but ultimately attempts to do too much, while never mastering any of its ideas. It is not the beat 'em up we've come to expect from the turtles, but is a serviceable light RPG with an in-depth, though not complex, story, a robust ability tree to unlock, tons of collectibles, and a unique ally system which rewards players who are willing to invest in helping the Turtles' friends succeed. Despite my initial hesitation and the abysmal camera, I found myself giving in to the game's eternally optimistic story and characters, and that was enough to compel me to complete the nearly 15-hour adventure.
It's hard to decide whether I enjoyed my time with RetroRealms: Halloween or RetroRealms: Ash vs. Evil Dead more, which is a testament to how great both games are. Not only do both titles stand on their own, but they serve as great counterparts to each other with Halloween being slightly slower with more difficult bosses, and Ash vs. Evil Dead being much faster paced but with easier boss battles. Each minute of these games ooze with great level design, fun enemies to defeat, intricate and often hilarious or spooky backgrounds, lots of collectibles and upgrades to unlock, a ton of small details sure to please fans of each series, and blood - lots and lots of blood. As it stands, both Ash vs. Evil Dead and Halloween are great homages to their respective IPS as well as faithful love letters to the 16-bit games of yesteryear and are well worth your hard-earned money.
Funko Fusion feels like it actively goes out of its way to ensure you don't have fun. Despite Funko choosing a few fun properties and characters to translate to a video game, a plethora of bugs, clunky gameplay, and frustrating moments continuously hamper your ability to ever enjoy the moment. I believe there may be a good game hidden deep within Funko Fusion, but it is buried under so many issues that I doubt many players will have the patience to find it. The lack of co-op upon launch is truly baffling, as that may have been the one thing to save this experience. At minimum, I'd wait until co-op is released and a few updates have been made before checking Funko Fusion out.
As it stands, I can't in good faith recommend Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland. I do believe there is a good game hidden underneath the game's incredibly rough exterior, but I believe most people are better off waiting until that good game is dug out via patches. The single player experience is admittedly better than co-op, but the plethora of bugs in the co-op mode is still unacceptable. Some people may luck out and make it through the game encountering minimal issues, but if anybody's experience is similar to mine then they will instantly regret the money they spent purchasing this game.
SCHiM is a wildly inventive platformer with a unique minimalist aesthetic, which is bolstered by creative gameplay and a steadfast focus on the human experience. I was surprised by the amount of emotional depth hidden within SCHiM's shadow hopping platformer shell and appreciated becoming a small part of this world and its inhabitants. Though the premise is simple, SCHiM keeps things unique by constantly adding new challenges which utilizes light and darkness in creative ways, and I found myself consistently intrigued by where the story would go next.
Despite the bite-sized mission structure and constant interruptions, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is still a great game, full of funny moments, quirky segments like Luigi humming along to the background music, and a gorgeous HD makeover which leaves no hint that this is a port of an 11-year-old handheld game. I admit that I was a fan of Dark Moon when it was first released on the 3DS, so my judgment may be a bit biased, but I still believe that Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is well worth picking up and that this HD remaster has done a fantastic job bringing a handheld classic to modern consoles.
Cyber Citizen Shockman 3 is fun at times, mainly thanks to its goofy sense of humor and fun cutscenes and characters, though the basic hack and slash combat paired with inconsistent and often brutal difficulty grows stale quickly. Still, the levels are varied, ranging from city skylines and industrial buildings to demonic underground lairs, and the ever-changing enemies help keep the player's attention throughout its seven short levels. Cheats and bonuses help provide a bit more bang for the buck, but for only $6, there's enough here to justify picking this game up and killing an hour or two.
Rise of the Ronin is nothing if not ambitious, and though that ambition leads to the game not being as polished as you may expect from a PS5 release, it still manages to tell an enthralling story in which your actions truly matter, while also utilizing a unique bond mechanic, an in-depth -albeit slightly repetitive - combat system, and so much to do you'll find yourself losing sleep in an effort to complete just one more task. Those approaching Rise of the Ronin like the next Nioh will likely leave disappointed, but those who approach Team Ninja's latest effort with an open mind and patience will find a gem that just happens to have a few rough edges.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a great looking remake of an already fun game, which is made better by the inclusion of two new worlds to complete. Unfortunately, the game is quite easy, and the entire experience ends too quickly, which may hamper replayability. Still, it is well worth grabbing a friend or family member and dedicating a weekend to completing the game.
Not for Broadcast VR is an often hilarious and surprisingly well-acted game, made better by its excellent use of VR and the sheer creativity on screen during every news segment. I found myself drawn into the story and gameplay from the very first moment, and it held my attention throughout its ten-hour duration. I highly recommend those looking for a unique VR experience to check out Not for Broadcast VR.
The iconic Lara Croft returns in a series of lovingly crafted remasters of her first three adventures. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered features not only the base version of all three games, but also the full expansions which were previously unavailable on the PS1, providing an incredible amount of content for a bargain price. Upgraded character models and lighting, a photo mode, and optional quality-of-life improvements help round out a collection which would have been worthwhile without the graphical upgrade. Unfortunately, a few control, lighting, and camera issues do occasionally arise, dampening what is otherwise a great collection.
Bulletstorm VR unfortunately fumbles where it matters most – the gameplay. For a game originally based around fast-paced and easy to execute stylish kills, Bulletstorm's jump to VR does the title no favors, making it much harder to pull off anything aside from straightforward shooting. There's still a fun game hidden within Bulletstorm VR, but there's little reason to pick up the VR version instead of the much better Full Clip console release.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection – Volume 1 serves as both a fantastic collection of video games and as an impressively detailed look at the evolution of the iconic video games series, but is unfortunately hampered by a sense of déjà vu due to providing few upgrades to the core games from the previous HD collection release. Despite this, the Master Collection remains the only way to be able to experience these games on modern consoles and each title is well worth revisiting. The real stars of this collection are the screenplay and master books which provide meticulously crafted breakdowns of each game and serve as a treasure trove of information for die-hard fans to pore over.
Pixel Ripped 1995 is a fantastic game which expertly combines well-crafted game homages and VR features to provide an enthralling, albeit short but well-paced, adventure. DOT's never-ending battle against the evil Cyblin Lord provides the perfect backdrop for this adventure, and the surprisingly heartfelt story about family adds an extra layer to an already impressive game. Those looking for a hit of nostalgia or just a well-rounded VR game need look no further.