Timothy Nunes's Reviews
Overall, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered brings plenty of welcome changes to the original formula while still maintaining the quirkiness of the original game. This is a prime example of a loving remaster: improve the original concept without veering away from it completely. It's not completely perfect, since it still features some of the glitchy nature of the original game, like asset pop-in. Nonetheless, "perfect" isn't what fans want out of Elder Scrolls. They want exploration and fun, and that's exactly what you get from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.
I do not say this spontaneously or hyperbolically: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a generational RPG. The quality of writing is pitch-perfect at every step, vividly depicting the somber world and its tragic circumstances with glorious technique. Combat always feels rewarding when successful, but it can feel like a slog if you don't get the hang of the parry and trait systems. The linear nature of the game helps to balance out the lack of mini-map, so try and not let those factors keep you away from at least trying this brilliant game.
After years of small-time games, the franchise finally reached more people than its dedicated niche following. Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land capitalizes on successes from the Ryza trilogy and blazes its own trail with changes of its own.
Split Fiction is a damn good time. It has problems inherent to the gameplay, like checkpoint issues and overly taxing boss fights that don't visually work well in split screen. There are ways around it if you have the hardware, and the game does help keep things moving forward.
For many like me, seeing Ninja Gaiden emboss a game basically guarantees a purchase. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is no exception. On top of its stapled blisteringly challenging combat, the entire game receives a visual level of polish that makes it feel new again. That said, the problems still exist, like enemy projectiles flying through objects and still hitting you. Above all else, though, the camera issues remain the most frustrating element of the game. Still, there's enough fun, gore, and challenge that will outweigh the outdated traits, even for newcomers.
Not much of the original game changed in the Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered. Instead, this re-release opted to sharpen existing graphics, add motion controller support to aiming, and include a New Game+. Either way, Shadows of the Damned has aged surprisingly well, all things considered. This makes for a great deal at $25, no matter how you slice it.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead throws several unique variables at you, making you balance progression through built-in limitations and staying alive. The gameplay loop can get repetitive, and enemy routes prove quite predictable. At the same time, the concept of staying alive resonates through both gameplay and narrative, making this very human story a worthwhile purchase through and through.
Some decent changes help elevate NBA 2K25 from last year's release, such as a more consolidated experience in The City as well as even more gameplay animations to enhance the gameplay experience. Learn 2K even helps you get back into the swing of things. However, menu input lag, incessant microtransactions, and clunky standard movement show how much room this franchise has to grow, even after all this time.
The Mortuary Assistant finally reaches home consoles, offering up a unique and tense work-horror scenario. Unfortunately, the controls implemented in this port hold back the console version a great deal. Inputs don't respond the way they should, and navigating menus proves cumbersome on practically all fronts. It's a game horror fans should check out, but maybe not on console.
Ease of access is the focal point of Frontier Hunter: Ezra's Wheel of Fortune, making the experience as easy as possible to consume at the start. Once the game starts asking more of you, the issues with hit boxes and juggle damage blindside you after hours of not influencing the experience too much. That on top of a bland narrative and character design that looks like unedited AI-generated content makes the overall product easily avoidable.
EA Sports College Football 2025 is the return of college football that sports gaming fans have been waiting for. There's enough here to keep the avid and dedicated fans around for a good while, with Dynasty Mode and Road to Glory taking center stage. Control over dynasty players, playing defense, and not fully showing what controls are bring down the experience quite a bit, especially in the beginning hours. EA Sports College Football 25 is not for everyone, but fans will get enough out of it to keep the franchise coming back around each year, hopefully with improvements.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn mixes up the action-RPG formula a little bit, allowing you to control and risk your currency to earn more. Combine that with a flashy, engaging combat system with a thoughtful difficulty adjustment system, and you have a recipe for a good time. Exploration tends to drag down the experience, with many side paths running far too long for what you find in them. Parrying also lacks the kind of refinement necessary to truly make combat shine. Aside from these balancing issues, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is still a solid Soulsborne affair worth checking out.
Scholar's Mate puts you in a cramped scenario filled with pursuit and hard escape room puzzles to solve. While this sounds good, this game may not be for everyone, Pacing can feel uneven, and the constant pursuit can be aggravating when trying to solve multiple puzzles. Still, there's something fun here for horror fans and puzzle lovers, especially since the game only asks for $12.99.
V Rising may not be your cup of tea, but it offers an intriguing combination of building mechanics and gameplay systems that truly reach their high potential when playing with other players. Without others, though, be prepared for a long, solitary grind to reach a portion of that potential.
Fans of the shooter genre will find a good time with Phantom Fury. While not perfect, slipping a bit with map design and pacing among some other smaller things, Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison's latest outing still hits more than it misses.
Morbid: Lords of Ire brings a couple unique things to the Soulsborne genre, like how to upgrade weapons and a simplified but enjoyable combat experience. While progression on all fronts lacks the polish needed to strengthen its case, Soulsborne fans should give it a try, especially at $30.
Fans of 2064: Read Only Memories already have this game purchased. For everyone else, Read Only Memories: Neurodiver is a fantastic slice of pixelated cyberpunk world building, characters, and storyline. Some control choices don't translate as well to controller as they could, but that doesn't stand in the way of the good time that Neurodiver offers.
2K comes out swinging with TopSpin 2K25, with this being the return to the popular tennis franchise. Presentation and gameplay meet the 2K Sports' standards that fans of the games come to expect, and TopSpin fans can feel comforted in the fact that the game still feels like it should. Controls ask you for more precision and discipline than the previous entries did, but this makes for a more satisfying experience once you nail down the control scheme. Some visual oddities, a rare gameplay simulation, and the lack of depth in setting customization ask you to forgive a few things along the way. Nonetheless, the experience far outshines any competition and leaves the door wide open for future success with a formidable foundation the franchise can firmly stand on.
Outcast: A New Beginning may not have a gameplay loop that interests everyone, considering its repetitious nature and somewhat dated shooting mechanics. With that said, the world and how you interact with it is enough for the right audience to dig into.
Reveil tells a great story through its dialogue and settings, but it misses the mark when it comes to horror. It may not scare you, but it still proves quite compelling.