Chris Penwell
A fantastic platforming adventure with high production values, we just wish it had a larger variety of enemies.
SNK used to be a dim segment of the fighting game community during the PS3/Xbox 360 era, but The King of Fighters XV shines bright on modern systems with stellar graphics and fighting that can appeal to anyone, not just the hardcore. This game firmly cements SNK’s place in the genre once again after two successful titles before it.
Chocobo GP will likely be an entertaining diversion from a game like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe rather than a full-on rival.
Moss: Book 2 evolves the gaming format even further with stellar puzzles, a wonderful fantasy-themed world, and emotional storytelling from its writing and its incredible animations.
We finally have a sequel to Mario Strikers Charged, but the Switch outing lacks content and interesting items to keep this soccer game engaging.
Hazel Sky is a decent puzzle game with a charming art style, but there are some glaring presentation issues that are hard to ignore.
MultiVersus succeeds at making this crossover an epic clash, but the online needs to be improved across the board to keep players invested.
Cult of the Lamb is a fun town-builder with an equally amazing dungeon crawler that never stops until the final boss is handled. Paired with a fantastic-sounding soundtrack and sound effects, it's hard not to recommend this game to anyone.
Overall, The Last of Us Part 1 is a stellar remake for those who want to play the game for the first time or haven't revisited it for a while. The graphics are gorgeous, the story is still thoroughly entertaining, and the Accessibility Options on offer are superb. Unfortunately, the repetitive combat and lack of multiplayer options do make the package less optimal for those who don't want to spend full price on The Last of Us Part 1.
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.
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.
God of War Ragnarok's immaculate attention to detail, provoking narrative, and visceral combat mark it as one of the best PlayStation exclusives.
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.
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.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
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.
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.
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.
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.