As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I loved every single moment of my time with Resurgence; and that includes when I had issues. But for those that aren’t huge fans of the source material, I can say that the sluggishness of the controls when you are able to actually *play* this video game may be too much to endure, even if you are down for a good story. But I am guessing that this is going to be a game that only the fans will really pick up, and hopefully this release along with the Star Trek Picard streaming series being in the top ten for multiple weeks will help us see more games in the Star Trek Universe. I just need some developer to give me a game that’s not based on the Federation, come on guys the Romulan Star Empire is right there and they have TONS of stories to tell.
The Mageseekers certainly has an audience, especially with LoL having over 152 million monthly players. And while I wasn’t aware of Sylas before this game, I did find his story interesting but for as much as I liked him, I loved all the cameos. Being able to see Shyvana in her full-size dragon form was a treat and I could really appreciate the size and majesty of her in that form. Something that just isn’t possible with the top-down perspective of matches in Summoners Rift. Which is why I am all for these games starring the champs from LoL; it allows those personalities to really shine and garner some new fans of the series and its deep lore. While I didn’t love The Mageseekers mainly due to my issues with the overly fast combat and my difficulty keeping track of Sylas when things really got going. However, as a fan of the lore, I enjoyed his heartbreaking story of revenge and redemption.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a big departure from the mainline Bayonetta games usual formula. Instead of leaning on fast paced combat, scantily clad lead, a loud soundtrack and a story with a lot of killing and revenge. Instead, this is a family-friendly story, one that is told like a grand storybook and even has themes of love and friendship throughout. Quite the change of pace for our Umbra witch but quite the welcome one if you have your eyes open as to the type of game this really is; Cereza and the Lost Demon is a delightful adventure that thoroughly surprised me.
I don’t hate Disney Speedstorm, worse I just feel kinda cheated. I didn’t mind that it was a F2P game, but the fact that the founders pack doesn’t unlock everything available at launch is disappointing. Especially when you look at how much grinding has to be done to get a toon up to a receptible level for multiplayer races. I loved the tracks and the music that blasted over them but being hit over the head constantly with so many of these free to play mechanics just makes this game frustrating to play and its really a shame.
The new monsters were the highlight of my experience in Sunbreak, the new crab monsters were by far my favorite. Due to them scuttling about it made their movements unpredictable and made for a much more dynamic and thrilling fight that forced me to get better at utilizing my movement skills. The only real issue with the expansion is that it takes so long to get to the new monsters. Having to complete the main game and then slog through the same monsters just juiced to Master rank makes for a bit of a slog but once you clear it the fun of discovering new monsters and techniques makes up for it. Sunbreak isn’t going to create new fans but it will give longtime ones a lot more of what they love.
Aside from the giggles I get every time I have to say Dogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my time with it. Not usually a fan of the shmups but the charming graphics and many sausage puns won me over on this one. It’s not a perfect game but if you enjoy Sausages and the technology they can create, then I’d recommend Dogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story.
It just makes no sense that Microsoft promotes this game as this grand co-op experience but then put in place every system known to man to hinder that process or make it harder than necessary; no quick match in a multiplayer game in 2023 is ridiculous. Sadly, Redfall is a prime example of what current day Xbox has become, the potential for greatness is there but they can’t get out of their own way to reach it.
Cannon Dancer-Osman surprised me with how much fun I had, and I know it’s because I loved Strider so much. This game basically feels like Strider 2; but due to the creator leaving Capcom it obviously couldn’t be called that. It’s not the longest game and while its nice they included the cheats and things $29.99 is way too much for a game that last less than an hour. I loved this game but at that price I would honestly wait for a sale for this one if you are interested.
Listen, I really liked Ghostwire Tokyo quite a bit; the story of Akito trying to save his sister and KK’s need for revenge made a good pairing. As I said above both men grew over the course of the adventure and ended it differently than they began and that is what I love to see from any story…. growth. The spooky bits here aren’t as intense as Tango is usually known for and that may be due to the FPS nature of the action in the game but nonetheless Ghostwire Tokyo is a game that should be played and since its finally come home to Xbox the barrier of entry is even lower and if you like ghosts and things this one won’t disappoint.
Lunark was a blast from the past for sure, I enjoyed my time with the sci-fi adventure game. As I said Flashback was one of my favorites and playing Lunark I was smiling the whole time thinking back on the fond memories I had as a youth. The more I played the more I really liked Leo and enjoyed seeing his story unfold, while there are issues with checkpoints and controls to get used to at the end of the day Lunark tells a great sci-fi story that fans of the genre will surely enjoy.
While King of Arcade can be funny, the few laughs it evokes aren’t enough to help this game rise above just being mediocre. There will be some who will see this game as away to relive those memories of playing arcade games in dimly light rooms for hours with friends around cheering. It can be that, to some extent, but the lack of care that’s on display with the actual arcade games themselves hurts King of Arcade, especially when Arcade Paradise exist and did this better.
Despite that, Minecraft Legends is a wonderful collection of genres that makes the usual RTS skill ceiling lower and approachable. Being a Minecraft game, Legends is set up for additional levels and scenarios via the Myths and Legends option at the main menu, which means the developers have plans to have fans continue mopping up Piglins for the foreseeable future. There are some fun and uniquely ‘Minecraft’ strategies to pull off in multiplayer, I just wish the campaign held the same appeal to me; while its not awful it’s just the tutorial for the multiplayer game to me.
Dead Island 2 delivers on the promise and provides and fun, sunny jaunt in a zombie filled ‘HELL-A’ that is an absolute blast with friends but also fun in solo.
Sifu remains a difficult game taken at its standard difficulties but with the addition of an easy mode it is vastly more approachable than it was at launch. I loved this game at launch in 2022 and the fact that it’s more accessible now in 2023 just makes me love it even more. If you were on the fence before due to the difficulty, I would encourage you to give it a try especially for those of us waiting on the Xbox release; if you are a fan of things like the Matrix or Kung Fu movies in general then don’t sleep on Sifu.
Not for Broadcast was a good time, while the later levels will test the reflexes of most due to the sheer number of things that are needed to juggle I never hated my time playing the game. The wit and humor here always managed to get a chuckle from me and the ability after each broadcast to replay your creation to see it uncut as the public did is a nice touch. Not for Broadcast feels quite timely as I said before with the amount of news that we see on any given day now, the developers managed to walk a line that won’t offend anyone but will instead get some laughs from them.
Road 96: Mile 0 wasn’t a very long game at all but I mostly enjoyed what I played. As I said it’s a prequel so I know there are things that I would have appreciated more had I played the original; that being said those fans looking forward to this will find a decently developed game. No real bugs are issues other than the juggling of the tone of the game, the rollercoaster ride of emotions wasn’t necessary in my opinion.
There are lots of games about the environment here lately and it’s understandable as to why given that is a very hot button issue in society today. Terra Nil’s approach to take that very real fear of the worst environmental disaster but instead of continually stoking the flames of that fear they present you with the tools of opportunity of recovering from the brink, in a word showing that there is hope for a better tomorrow. Much like the avatar that players will play as in game, Terra Nil is a fantastic little game that comes in, does its job and vanishes into the night once it’s done.
Despite having some of the best combat I have seen in a 2D game and loving the dark and dreary art style I just couldn’t vibe with Have a Nice Death the same way I have with other games in the genre like Hades. While there are a few weapons to try and some combos to create with curses, It just never reached the same heights as the latter did for me. I will say that the writing here is top notch, and the commentary on display whether on purpose or not was genuinely funny. While I may not have loved this game personally, I do think there is a lot here for others to love not the least of which is the jingle that plays when Death spawns back in his office after having to RIP (Rest In Paperwork).
Deceive Inc has a new and unique premise and an engaging gameplay loop but its lackluster combat which is going to be inevitable in each match just pulls this otherwise killer spy simulator and sends it out to Die Another Day. While it has the benefit of being unlike any of the other hum-drum deathmatch games out there at the moment, I just hope that it can find a large enough player base to stand the test of time.
I can see what this team was going for with this game, but sadly Romancelvania is a jack of all trades but master of none. If this was a straight up visual novel, I think the experience would have been richer, but with the lackluster combat, wonkiness of controlling Drac themselves and the last few contestants just feeling like they were thrown in the mix; I come away wishing for better for this game. It’s not a horrible game, but its not really a good one either, if you want to experience it for the laughs just know that it will come with the tears of having to deal with the combat.