Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed is a fun romp now as it was back in the day. The charm of the game is easily felt, and going through its varied arsenal to explore its many different areas is certainly a highlight. THQ Nordic has preserved the content of the game while giving Crypto a facelift to modernize the series. The humor may not work for everybody, but given the chance, it is a fun game that you can clear over the weekend by yourself or with a friend. Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed is a breath of fresh air, and while it doesn't attempt to do anything needlessly clever, it is an honest game doing what it does best: to entertain.
Inscryption is definitely a game I’d recommend trying for its unique experience, and I’m happy to get a chance to play it on a console a year after sticking to the PC. It’s a perfect synergy of roguelike deck builder and horror mystery that’s engaging from the moment you start playing until after you’ve completed the story to further explore its many mysteries. While it does have its issues and it may require a little bit of effort to gain momentum, it’s definitely worth the reward as you uncover Inscryption‘s many secrets and become fully involved in its world. It’s exhilarating, anxiety-inducing, and you may even get a laugh from its quirky dark humor; taken as a whole rather than the sum of its parts, this is where Inscryption truly shines.
Steelrising is a game changer for more casual players that want to experience the genre. The Assist mode is truly a gift, offering a good compromise for both sides of the difficulty conversation while alienating none of them, allowing both newbies and veterans to easily jump right in. What awaits players is a game with a frenetic pace and fun combat, topped off with a serviceable story to keep you interested and motivated to keep going.
Serial Cleaners improves a lot of components from the original, especially when it pivots towards a more story-driven interface. The voice acting and the overall creative choices make it an indie game worth trying out for the story and also for its unique way of telling a crime story from a different perspective. The best part of the game is interacting with the unique cleaners that give Serial Cleaners so much character by utilizing creative ways to tell the story through different eyes. Above all, there’s the enjoyable stealth action that takes you from start to finish, allowing you to tackle each level at your own pace.
The developers have created a myth of epic proportions through a divine marriage of storytelling and gameplay, renewing the franchise with a tale of hope that ties itself up well enough to offer a satisfying and exhilarating conclusion. God of War Ragnarok is Santa Monica Studios’ way of raising the bar, creating a new challenge for themselves on how they will manage to top this one in their next outing. It is easily one of the best games of 2022 and quite possibly one of the best franchise sequels of all time, taking its rightful place in the gallery of legends.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion is a nostalgia-fueled balancing act of mechanics that worked and flawed creative choices. Despite some annoyances, the odds tipped in favor of a fun return to this prequel to a beloved franchise. Nostalgia wins, in the end, to provide a bittersweet homecoming with familiar characters and an improved combat and crafting system to match modern sensibilities.
Hi-Fi RUSH is a rockin’ good time that invites every player to the party whether or not you’re into rhythm games or action games. It is a crowd-pleaser that finds a way to pull your heartstrings either with its soundtrack, story, or seamless gameplay. It is definitely a must-play for 2023 and can easily be one of the best games of the year, no two ways about it. Rhythm hybrid games will still be a hard sell for me, but if it is approached the same way, then Hi-Fi RUSH just set a standard for this novelty. It goes to show that a single gimmick alone doesn’t make a good game, but a combination of excellent mechanics and an entertaining story would rise above the cheap ploy.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Harry Potter books or the Wizarding World in general, Hogwarts Legacy is a fantastic open-world adventure that certainly delivers. While it retreads familiar open-world ground, it does so with a polish and impressive attention to detail that’s rare in this day and age of bug-filled releases. Hogwarts Legacy delivers a masterful experience not just for fans but also for newcomers to the Wizarding World.
Octopath Traveler II is an improvement over its predecessor that keeps all of its familiar charms while elevating the experience at the same time. It adds just enough for old players to find joy with the new travelers introduced, but it also doesn’t alienate any newcomers who want to jump ahead with this new game. The music and gameplay conspire to create a timeless adventure for every JRPG fan to experience. While it still has some minor convention gripes, for the most part, it doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the game. JRPG conventions abound, so know what you’re getting into.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a celebration of the storied history of Final Fantasy’s music in more ways than one. It could easily just be a basic rhythm game, but it innovated the genre by allowing for the RPG elements to best suit the game with its source material. Once you think the novelty has waned, Theatrhythm continues to surprise you by adding new addictive activities to keep you interested in its quests, extras, and even with other like-minded fans. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a gift from Square Enix and indieszero, allowing us to relive our original Final Fantasy through its music and also allowing us to experience new ones to broaden our scope. Many crossover Final Fantasy titles seem to waver at this opportunity when the novelty ends, but if there’s one thing that’s completely timeless, it’s how the music of Final Fantasy has evolved through the years.
Dredge is a fishing RPG, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security thinking that it is a cozy game. It is a slowly creeping horror title that lets its mystery engage you until it has caught you in its slimy tendrils and doesn’t let go. While it might be a little slow starting out, once the momentum kicks in, it takes you for a ride. It is a triumph in atmospheric and immersive storytelling. The addictive fishing elements lure you into an addictive game loop, and you stick around for its mystery. You can also just keep fishing and ignore all the strangeness if the fishing loop is what you’re in for, but heed the call of the deep, as its creeping chaos is definitely worth exploring.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a monumental balancing act that improves upon its predecessor while standing on its own as a satisfying and emotional story. From its dynamic gameplay to an improvement in its movement and verticality to the delicate balance of its story, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor gets a lot of things right, showing us the way how to make a true Star Wars video game. Just like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order before it, I highly recommend this game not only to fans of Star Wars but to everyone else simply because of the experience. The game offers players a story of epic proportions, characters that they can emotionally relate to, and an experience that doesn't overstay its welcome or overwhelm you with too much content. It finds the right balance that ends up feeling fulfilling on all fronts.
Planet of Lana is a game of resounding balance between light and dark, gameplay and story, beauty and simplicity. It is an organically unified piece that uses the sum of its parts to fully synergize an experience to elicit a myriad of emotions from the player as they traverse the planet with a variety of landscapes, encounters, and ultimately, a simple story of reunion and friendship.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a solid follow-up to the original, albeit having lost some of its original charm along the way. It further explores the mysterious world set up by the original, while getting you to empathize with the protagonist and its supporting characters. It is enjoyable for the most part, especially for fans of narrative adventures. At the heart of the game is a personal story of the characters finding their identity and recovering from past trauma, however, I felt that the original Oxenfree had more heft in their interpersonal interactions and replay playthroughs. Though I enjoyed seeing the rules of the world expanded as well as the addition of fresh set pieces that push the subgenre to its limit.
Blasphemous 2 is a satisfying and meaty action platformer well worth its Metroidvania pedigree. Though I wished the difficulty of Blasphemous 2 would've been sustained throughout the experience, it progressively got easier the more you got powerful. I wouldn't say it's a bad thing because it allows for a wider audience, especially those not partial to crushingly difficult games like its predecessor. It follows up a fantastic premise fantastically and delivers from start to finish with its solid adherence to its themes and visual playbook. Blasphemous 2's story and visual panache hooks you and doesn't let go. It also doesn't hurt that the non-linear world is so vast and there's so much to explore. So many varied enemies to fight and, though easy, bosses to vanquish.
Immortals of Aveum is a fun time despite its inconsistent story and dialogue. Personal feelings about the story may vary, but it doesn’t change the fact that Ascendant Studios delivered a well-crafted shooter that sidesteps the norm and provides us with something new and exciting thanks to its magic systems and well-implemented shooting. If you’re able to forgive the story bits, Immortals of Aveum can provide a frenetic next-gen experience that showcases fantastic visuals and engaging combat systems that end with a satisfying conclusion.
Insomniac Games requested that we let them cook, and they did so in tremendous fashion, improving previous entries in almost every way imaginable and resulting in a stellar outing that reinforces the notion that quality is always better than quantity. This is a bona fide system-seller and will go on to be one of the best games in an already impressively stacked year. Two Spider-Men are indeed better than one, and Spider-Man 2 proves that an ensemble cast can shine at equal levels thanks to a fine balancing act that weaves seamless and intuitive gameplay with a tight and cohesive narrative that's emotionally gripping and relatable. Spider-Man 2 succeeds where many superhero adaptations miss the mark, which is to deliver a spectacular piece of immersive entertainment that gives us, the players, an exhilarating experience without compromising the DNA of its established pedigree.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is a fantastic expansion pack and update that vindicates the series and proves that it is the open-world sci-fi title that it is advertised to be, albeit after a lot of patches and work done years after post-launch. The world of Night City has come to life both conceptually and with its re-balanced gameplay.
Dave the Diver is a really fun experience with two disparate but complementary mechanics. With its quirky characters and a ridiculous main story that investigates the mystery behind the Blue Hole, it is a great indie game that will keep you engaged through its many mechanics and almost never-ending content until you're finished with the story or when you're ready to move on from catching fish and serving sushi. Dave the Diver is a breath of fresh air for the indie scene, especially for the highly saturated genre of roguelites. By adding the restaurant management mechanic to an enjoyable and addictive story loop, Mintrocket Games has a winner in their hands.
Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a gift for fans of the series in more ways than one. It's a refreshing return for long-time hero Kazuma Kiryu as well as the well-loved Dragon Engine. It's great to get back into the shoes of Kiryu, whether it is through combat, exploration, or playing the many mini-games. It may be the last time we're graced with his presence in this type of format, so enjoy it! That being said, it may be a stretch for newcomers and casual fans to go deep into the Like A Dragon lore with this title. I mentioned earlier that there were some quirks that I'm willing to forgive, but many newcomers will probably be confused. I recommend starting out with an earlier title and coming back to this title when ready, but it definitely is supplementary reading to get a better grasp of the overall lore.