NBA 2K23 is a fantastic package that is marred by a heavy reliance on microtransactions. Unless a player is going to spend hours and hours grinding out The City, the only way to find a modicum of success is to open your wallet and buy the virtual currency to boost your players and teams. The on-court gameplay is blast, and the tweaks to the AI have made playing against the computer more challenging and fun, the Jordan Challenge and the addition of the retro players and modes is a blast and I hope these features make the cut for next year. Speaking of next year, I can see it maybe being based on Kobe Bryant who we know wore the number 24 with the Lakers and tragically passed a few years ago. With it being the 2024 edition of the game, it would only make sense and be a nice honor for the ‘Black Mamba’, I just hope (I’m sure they won’t) that they stop the over reliance on this pay-to-win method that 2K has been doing the past few years, the game would be so much more enjoyable without them.
Disney’s Dreamlight Village is not going to be for everyone, in fact a lot of people who may not realize that the game is a F2P experience may be upset upon paying for the founder’s pack. Yes, the game will constantly give the players tasks, and almost any action just as simple as talking to a character will provide progress. But there is nothing in the way of an endgame, the experience is not going to change, the whole of this game is living your best life in the Valley, making friends and cooking with Mickey. Sure, there is a narrative, but it is very light and not necessary as the chill nature of the game is a pleasure in and of itself to play. The classic Disney music ranging from movie themes to the ole “M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E, MICKY MOUSE…” song that I know we all heard as a kid everything about the game just puts you in a good place. Being on Xbox gamepass is great but for anyone else unless you are a Disney/Animal Crossing superfan; I’d maybe hold off until the official Free to play release in 2023. As it stands, even with the cosmetic items; the Founders packs just all feel overpriced for what ultimately amounts to a gameplay experience of a constant list of fetch items with Disney polish.
SD Gundam: Battle Alliance is definitely a game that is created for the fans. From the roster of over 60 mobile suits (with more to be added via DLC) across the entirety of the series almost 50-year run its clear to see the passion and work that the team at Artddink poured into this game. The easier combat is complemented by the cutesy art style that the SD universe allows and even though I would prefer a more traditional Gundam experience; I must admit I had a really good time with this game. Even with the lack of an English dub and the easier combat SD Gundam: Battle Alliance may not win over any new fans to the series but for those fans who have been yearning for a new Gundam game this is one that is made for you.
I am extremely sad at this reboot of Saints Row, while I wasn’t a huge fan of the absolute bonkers nature of the 4th entry, even if I did love the 3rd. With this reboot I feel like Volition missed a huge opportunity evolve this series for a new generation, not just of consoles but for gamers. As it stands, this game comes off just feeling like its clinging to the tone and design choices from the 360; even the graphics in this reboot from 2022 feel dated and frankly Johnny Gat deserves better.
Not just for those that are curious though, even fans of Elden Ring and other Souls games will find a lot to love here in Steelrising. From a genuinely good alternative history story that takes some emotional turns, to the various mechanical enemies that litter the Parisian landscape there is a lot to like about Spider’s latest game. And while Steelrising has some of the trademark ‘jank’ that is in all Spider games, it is that very thing that makes this developer so special. All their games have something that just feels off (but in a good way), but all of their games I loved more than the next and true to form Steelrising is their best game to date.
While this year’s Madden will always feel somewhat bittersweet due to John’s passing, I think that it was beyond perfect that the best version of Madden football would be the one that was made to honor the legacy of its namesake. From the factoids that I learned about Coach, to the superb presentation and soundtrack throughout the entire game, to the fantastic on field play; this years Madden as far as I am concerned has finally broken free of the 2K series and has gone all the way!
Spellforce 3: Reforced ends up feeling, well forced more than anything. While I enjoyed the campaign due to the heroes’ personalities more than anything else, the struggle with the controls just really soured the experience for me. Having to fight to get a good angle in which to target enemies or pressing buttons for dear life while moving the camera trying to find the “sweet spot” where the enemy is targetable just sucked a lot of the fun out of the game for me. Graphically speaking, Spellforce is just middle of the road. Not an ugly game, but not at the level of graphics that we are seeing at this point in the next gen cycle; but this is a remaster of a game that came out in 2017 so there is that. All in all this sums up my Spellforce 3: Reforced experience; come for the excellent written and performed heroes (Doug Cockle of Witcher fame is one of the first you meet) as they journey across the land but stay for the sheer fun of Journey mode, where you can write your own story.
I wish them well, and truly hope that the fans of this long running franchise get the game they ultimately deserve because as it stands this just feels like it could have been so much better with a bit more time in the oven. MX vs ATV Legends is by no means a horrible game, as I said the thrills of the motocross racing and stunts is a high point, as is the racing of the dune buggy but the graphics and all of the issues with multiplayer really sully the experience, especially for someone who has been away from the series since the beginning.
While I think that Worldslayer is a step in the right direction, I just don’t know if its going to be enough to keep people playing in the long term.
Vampire the Masquerade – Swansong is a great introduction to the lore of this world, and despite the issues I had with the facial animations I enjoyed my time here.
Evil Dead: The Game is just fun. Even when the game is invoking ‘jump scares’ (of which there are a ton) heck, even when losing I still had a ball and was excited to try and take down evil again. And with a promised new map based on Castle Kandar from ‘Army of Darkness and a noticeably absent Ruby from the Ash vs Evil Dead show; I think its safe to say that the team has Saber is going to keep us battling the Evil Dead for quite some time.
While my friends and I loved playing RiffTrax: The Game; I don’t think its going to appeal to the masses like the movie clip, trivia game Scene it once did. (Please bring Scene It back) The lack of a real single player mode is going to hurt the appeal to some people out the gate, but then also this is a very niche game. Unless you are the type of person or surround yourself with the type of people who are quick witted when something ridiculous happens or just enjoys making fun of bad movies in a group; there won’t be much here that players will find interesting. But for those that fit the bill, and are fans of RiffTrax; you will have a ball, all for the low price of $9.99.
Loot River is not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination; it, like many new IP’s just needs some tweaking to iron out some of its technical issues and I have no doubt that with its truly unique blend of traditional roguelikes with a dash of a block puzzler, that Loot River will quickly carve out a place for it on the ever-growing roguelike mountain.
Blast Brigade vs The Evil Legion of Dr. Cread is the mash-up I never knew I wanted. With its rewarding exploration, thoughtful map design and some genuinely funny writing; Blast Brigade manages to shine bright in a field already crowded with stars.
Roguebook is essentially a roguelike- deckbuilder game, with the cards, gems and relics being the loot that players will have to blend into a perfect strategy to escape. While each of the characters will start with a default deck that will be upgraded as they level up; most upgrades players receive will be lost upon death. These games depend on having a tight replay, fun and consistent replay loop and with Roguebook, Abrakam has succeeded here.
It’s not that Serious Sam: Tormental is a bad game, its just one that doesn’t do anything new. In an already increasingly crowded market for indie, rougelite games this one is bound to be missed simply because it doesn’t do anything new to push the genre forward. Of course, the opposite side of that is that it doesn’t really do anything negative either, it is a solidly made top-down shooter.
With all the improvements, Godfall Ultimate Edition feels like just that; with all the previously released DLC and expansions this is truly the ultimate experience for anyone who desires to take down a would-be God.
Gearbox did a great job of crafting the classes and making them feel unique enough to fit in this fantasy world. While I would have liked to see more synergy between them ala real Dungeons and Dragons tabletop games there is just enough here to make players feel like they are contributing to the group dynamic. With some tweaks here and there, I’d love to be given the opportunity to play in Tiny Tina’s world again. She can BM for me anytime.
With its low barrier of entry for controls and special moves; Omina is easy to pick up and just moderately difficult to master and with its rollback netcode for online multiplayer when you need a break from some of the bigger anime fighters, I recommend checking out Phantom Breaker: Omina.
I was pleasantly surprised at In Nightmare, as I said horror is not usually my thing but the subject matter here and the way it’s handled is quite masterful. I mean the whole game is extremely relatable as Bill discovers the thing that some of us have already; and that thing is that more often than not we create our own monsters via our subconscious. The situations or people we monster-fy were never as bad as we thought they were. And hopefully I haven’t said too much, because this game is a wonderful experience, despite the wonky jump button and iffy sonar system I enjoyed my time in this nightmare very much. And while there isn’t much replay value outside of trying to 100% everything; at a value price In Nightmare is more than worth it just on the story alone.