Fans of Vertex Pop's previous efforts will be serviced best with Super Crush KO, and while the execution could have excelled a bit further in regards to level design and pushing players more, that's not to say that the end product falls completely short.
Whether you're jumping directly from XCOM, or jumping in completely oblivious to what the genre entails, there's a lot to like in Phoenix Point's pleasant assortment of boots-on-the-ground tactics and overhead, commandeering strategy.
Like a lot of middling and so-so titles in years past, the "so-close" conclusion that something greater, more impactful — or at least enjoyable — has gone horribly amiss is always far more regrettable than an otherwise rotten-to-its-core excuse for a game.
Even with these unfortunate and evident shortcomings on the technical side, The Outer Worlds is a rewarding and ultimately intriguing adventure to partake in.
The only real fault you can attribute to Trails of Cold Steel III is how it doesn't quite match the lofty heights the previous two titles deservedly reached.
Delightful a package this ends up being — with a surprising glee to be had when it comes to fiddling about with the many game-altering tonics on show — it's by no means an argument for Playtonic to ditch altogether the idea of revisiting traditional 3D for a hypothetical "Twooka-Laylee" follow-up.
In many ways, The Surge 2 does come off as a significant step-up from the 2017 original — Deck13 offering proof that they're listening to feedback and critique prior not only exists but has been implemented more importantly.
It would be misleading to ignore the many borrowed ideas and means to appease long-time fans of past WRPGs and current action RPGs alike.
While it's a slight shame that the series this year doesn't quite come out unscathed, WRC 8 is nonetheless a fun and well-crafted entrant in the World Rally Championship series.
Like Seraph before it, part of the enjoyment with Children of Morta lies not just in cleverly rampaging through wave after wave of foe, but also in the relief of surviving the ordeal through a measured balance of skill and strategy.
For those who are fans of this kind of colorful, semi-abstract, exaggerated style of visuals, Knights and Bikes lives up to the promise of reflecting both the silly as much the sincere side of two friends off on an adventure.
In one sense, Gunfire Games have seemingly achieved the impossible in providing us with a shooter-focused RPG whose gameplay loop is validated by its plentiful, challenging encounters.
For those looking for an extra bit of challenge — not to mention one heck of a sequel-bait left to linger right at the very end — The Messenger: Picnic Panic fits the bill of tasking players to prove their worth with every and all skills they've accumulated from the base game.
There's an argument to be made that Judgment does at points let the familiar get the best of itself — confusing the mere sake of additional features and mechanics for those that genuinely feel like fresh changes.
Despite the confinement in bog-standard AAA conventions and set-piece tropes on occasion, the same can not be said for the execution of its story and of its characters, which — barring the next six months — may go down as one of the best and most surprisingly unique examples you're likely to find this year.
HAL Laboratory's quadrilateral little protagonist (and co) may be dishing out the same escapades as he's done for what is the fourth entry in the studio's still-young puzzle-platformer series, but BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! proves the series is just as charming and as enjoyable as it's always been.
It's fortunate that the series' brutal kill-cam's and strategic emphasis in gameplay persist here, as it's clear that V2 Remastered is far from complete a package the "remastered" brand might suggest.
It's hard to say how thorough and genuinely in-depth Konami went when it came to representing the best of the best here, but it's clear that the Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection is not the flying start fans would've hoped for.
The fact that a game of this stature manages to carve out a narrative and tone that is as intriguing and as inviting as it is says a lot about Askiisoft's skill in world-building here.
When taken as an overall package, there's no getting away from expressing how brilliant and addictive the card-based approach to RPG combat is here.