Chris Penwell's Reviews
Despite a disappointing setlist, Just Dance 2025 Edition still delivers on the fun of the pastime. Some of the choreography can be too complicated for its own good, but there are some tracks that stand out with easier to follow moves like "Paint the Town Red" and "Vogue" by Madonna. The visuals are also striking, while the inclusion of multiple difficulties within some songs is a step in the right direction.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash. A gorgeous breath of fresh air that you can complete in one sitting. However, the enemies and the gameplay can get repetitive from time to time.
The magic of Epic Mickey has been remastered to an illustrious degree in its Rebrushed version.
Akimbot is a fun platformer that can be expanded upon with a sequel. The weapons are too simple for a sci-fi game like this, but they all feel fantastic to control nonetheless.
Unfortunately, Flock is hard to recommend. The game design is repetitive and confusing, not leading players enough to where they're supposed to go or what they should be doing. There's a lot of beauty to be had with Flock, which will attract many, but don't expect a fun game behind its beautiful exterior. This is a game I wish I could have liked more but found myself scratching my head, even raising my voice for a few moments.
Overall, Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition is a fantastic remaster with beautiful visuals and remade music. Hopefully Ubisoft follows this with stunning remasters of other classic series like Rayman. Beyond Good & Evil still has engaging characters, fun puzzles and stealth sections that make you think. The world is also glorious to explore and shows Beyond Good & Evil was ahead of its time with how it built Hillys with multiple creatures, cultures and species of people. Unfortunately, the lack of manual saves and camera issues do let down this 20th Anniversary Edition.
MultiVersus shows there's enough promise to expand the platform fighter genre with a new focus on 2v2 gameplay and intriguing movesets for each character. We didn't call Mortal Kombat a Street Fighter clone, despite them sharing a 2D plane. Nintendo didn't even begin the platform fighter genre: it only popularized it. The term "Smash Clone" is a demeaning one, which is a huge turnoff for many. MultiVersus should get love for its concept, and as it continues to build, hopefully it will get its time in the sun.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is worth trying out. The new movesets make this game more exciting than the original, and the online netcode is surprisingly stellar. If you want to check out All-Star Brawl 2 alone, the campaign mode is compelling enough to play it for hours. While the music is disappointing to listen to, the new voice acting does add so much to the game.
The Jackbox Party Pack 10 is a mixed bag. Two of the games are confusing, one is a welcomed return, and Time Jinx is the absolute star in this pack for being a creative trivia title.
Disney Speedstorm is certainly “on a roll” with its electrifying stages and game design, but it’s certainly not “undefeated.” The confusing microtransactions pull it down and become an annoying distraction to what’s great in this kart racer. While a love for the Disney product is certainly present in Disney Speedstorm, there are a few annoying aspects of the game to be mindful of.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central is an entertaining music-rhythm game in theory, but it slips on banana peels that Sega threw on the ground constantly. The controls are certainly an improvement from the Wii game, but the game still suffers from a lack of input when you move sideways. The roulette system is a nuisance — especially in the single-player mode where you can’t turn it off — and the song list is a little disappointing with some overused pop tracks that have been featured in other games.
Despite this game’s flaws with repetitive combat and an awkward beginning to the story, I hope there’s a sequel on the way. The combat’s thrillingly fast-paced, and the storyline actually grabbed me during its final hours. If a sequel adds way more enemy variety and improves the MCU-like script, Immortals of Aveum 2 could be a hit.
The Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart PC port is spectacular, but it has a few issues that need to be sorted out, like our favorite Lombax fixing an issue with his wrench.
Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Hi-Fi Rush deserves gold record status. The combat is satisfying to pull off, the narrative keeps you intrigued, and the art style is absolutely gorgeous. While the majority of the game is set in a somewhat sterile factory setting, the amount of flair Hi-Fi Rush oozes more than makes up for it.
Sonic Frontiers is a welcome surprise in 2022. It brings an engaging pseudo-open world, thrilling combat, and a deeper story than you may expect. Some of the platforming can feel janky for a few moments, and a somewhat lack of fast travel does aggravate, but this is one of the best adventures this hedgehog has been on in years.
God of War Ragnarok's immaculate attention to detail, provoking narrative, and visceral combat mark it as one of the best PlayStation exclusives.
The Last Hero of Nostalgaia is an effective Soulslike that has a few plaguing issues like an underwhelming script and a lack of response from bosses.
Overwatch 2 doesn't feel like a sequel but still offers an extremely entertaining experience to those who come back to the series once more. The new characters, maps, and modes are all highlights in this game. However, the microtransaction model is expensive, and the lack of sequel-level changes to Overwatch 2 may cause an exodus of bored fans.