This game doesn't give a blanket pardon or condone the actions of any state, instead inviting players to ask by what means and to what end the rules of a state and society are created. The Forgotten City implicitly and explicitly goes to bat for the value of education, and it provides a good time while it does it. We all like to think we know something of the world that came before us; seldom is it that a videogame spun out of an adventure in another fantasy game provides an opportunity to truly learn something.
If you do play 2K every year, you'll be treated to gameplay improvements in fluidity of motion, shooting physics, and defense. It's a prettier, better-handling game than last year with the awesome addition of MyNBA Eras. It feels like a major step up after some years of critical backsliding. Here's hoping they can maintain the momentum.
I feel like I may have underrated Tiny Tina's Wonderlands at the time of review-I keep coming back to play in its vibrant and creative world. While this game doesn't take place on a board, each miniature map has edges like parchment that you walk through to get to the map screen where you select your next destination. I really hope Weird West succeeds because I'd like to play more games like it. Whether or not it gets any further fine-tuning, Weird West is a successful execution of a subtly ambitious project, and a very good first outing for WolfEye.
Alternatively, players might be drawn in by the challenge, the unwillingness to be bettered by a videogame. And, moreover, there are lots of difficulty/accessibility settings, though the game will still require your focus. Like golf itself, PGA Tour 2K23 is deeply challenging and requires a great deal of patience; like every good golf videogame, it's a technically competent recreation that captures the spirit of the real thing.
Just like every other kid that spent the early 2000s watching Ruroni Kenshin, Samurai Champloo, and Gundam, I think samurai are very cool. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized they, like knights, they were probably mostly bad on a person-to-person and institutional basis as executors of a feudal order. Nonetheless, their fictional depictions, especially in the films made between the 1930s and 1970s in conversation with the cowboy westerns and swashbuckler films being made at the same time, led to captivating art whose influences extend through today, and Trek to Yomi is an admirable attempt to bring that to gaming audiences. Hopefully it gets more of us to engage with the source material.
There's no split-screen competitive mode, there's no just sitting and customizing cars outside of career mode, and there's only the one career mode file. Accessibility options don't include button mapping, though that can be done from the Xbox itself. It's a step in the right direction, narratively and visually more interesting than Need for Speed has often been in the past, and a satisfactory if not mind-blowing driving experience.
It might be more fun to play than to listen to, but it's far from intolerable. In fact, a good time should be had by all party members. The combination of ranged and melee weapons with magic, special skills, and companions like a tiny dragon make for frenetic and exciting gameplay in a colorful, surprisingly engaging world.
Maybe a release every other year with DLC and roster updates in between? You can still charge for that stuff. My greatest sadness is that this product makes me anxious about what EA Sports College Football will be like. If it's anything like the new Madden, it'll be a decent time on the field and a slog in the dynasty mode, with everything geared toward getting players to pay for digital trading cards.