Ali Hashmi's Reviews
Another solid entry in the series, Life is Strange: Double Exposure brings back a fan-favorite for a time-bending adventure that mostly delivers on the human side of things, too. It’s a welcome addition and a great excuse to play as Max again.
The Plucky Squire is an endlessly charming adventure that tells a wholesome story thanks to its likable cast and lighthearted tone. Jumping from 2D to 3D spaces is technically impressive, no matter how often you've seen the effect play out.
Star Wars Outlaws manages to free itself from the shackles of conventional open-world design trappings, but it doesn't have enough polish in its moment-to-moment gameplay to really stand out. Kay Vess and Nix are a fun duo to follow, but the overall story takes a long while to get going and provide any meaningful character growth. The combat isn't engaging, and the stealth mechanics are far too basic. Its outstanding visuals, fun exploration, and authentic world design do a lot of heavy lifting, and there is plenty of room for improvement in a potential sequel.
Anger Foot is a fantastic action game that's hilarious, frantic, and perfectly paced.
#BLUD is a gorgeous hand-drawn dungeon-crawler with some excellent animation work, fun characters, and sharp humor. The Vampire-infested streets of Carpentersville are a joy to explore and cleanse, even if the combat isn’t always consistent.
Nine Sols is a brutal action title that’s full of heart and a clear vision. Its refined combat system centered around parrying forces players to sharpen their reflexes and deflect their way to victory.
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is the perfect way to revisit the series on modern platforms. The addictive gunplay, diverse units, and level variety hold up to this day, and you can easily spend hundreds of hours in each entry thanks to multiple game modes, and multiplayer. The UI is a bit dated now, and the lack of crossplay support is holding the collection back, but if you're looking for some of the best Star Wars action video games have to offer, you can't go wrong with this.
Berserk Boy is a love letter to Mega Man X, and there's a lot to like here. Its fast-paced combat and movement system thanks to the Berserk Orbs keeps things fresh, and great animation work sells each dash and bash. Some uneven elements of the presentation aside, Berserk Boy is worth your time if you're a fan of 2D action platformers.
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is an excellent addition to the MudRunner series that retains the core experience of trekking through hazardous terrain while adding new tools that push you to become creative with how you maneuver around all sorts of obstacles. Its scientific research backdrop lends to greater mission variety, and deeper customization allows you to make each truck your own. It's a great place for newcomers to the series, and a fantastic new adventure for veterans alike.
Slave Zero X is a fantastic character action game that's rewarding, challenging, and has clear focus. Its deep combat mechanics, paired with an excellent biopunk presentation, elevate it above many similar releases while offering a fairly replayable campaign. It's brought down by a lack of movelist section in-game or in practice, and some gameplay quirks keep it from reaching the heights of the titans in the genre.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a heartfelt love story, and both Red and Antea are incredibly memorable leads. The detailed haunting cases, difficult choices, and dense atmosphere add up to one of DON'T NOD's best narrative titles in years. Banishers gracefully improves upon the foundation laid by Vampyr in more ways than one, but it's often bogged down by repetitive combat that takes too long to get going. Despite that, it's an adventure worth embarking on, that's refined and respectful of your time.
Persona 3 Reload is a fantastic remake that cleverly integrates mechanics from subsequent entries to provide an experience that's polished, expertly paced, and full of heart. Its fast-paced combat, quality-of-life additions, and host of activities always keep you engaged no matter where you are in the story. The darker tone lends to an overall narrative that feels more consequential, and Tatsumi Port Island is a joy to explore. It's an excellent place for newcomers to the series and a must-buy for RPG fans.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a return to form for the franchise, and an excellent game that takes the series back to its 2D roots wrapped in a polished Metroidvania experience that's clever, engaging, and full of meaningful content to explore. The fast-paced combat rewards skillful play and the gorgeous art direction brings Mount Qaf to life. I just hope we don't have to wait another 13 years for another Prince of Persia title.
Ultimately, The Cub is a fun, if not a bit safe, 2D platformer. The desolate world created by Demagog Studio is a joy to traverse again, and while the gameplay doesn't evolve meaningfully in its short run time, The Cub manages to pull you in with its excellent visuals, and catchy soundtrack.
Outer Wilds is a masterpiece, and it's still a masterpiece on the Nintendo Switch. The unmatched sense of exploration and discovery is preserved on the platform. The superb soundtrack and excellent art direction persist despite some aliasing concerns. There are some minor performance issues in complex scenes, but none of those detract from the overall experience.
House Flipper 2 is another great addition to the simulation genre that turns mundane busywork into relaxing and engaging gameplay. There's enough variety in tasks to keep things fresh, and the sandbox mode takes things even further with limitless freedom. The PC version has some performance issues, and you'll run into a few bugs here and there, but it's still an enjoyable experience that's both addictive and cathartic.
Jusant is a celebration of climbing that makes full use of its premise. It offers a relaxed experience that allows you to go at your own pace while offering enough challenge that rewards mastery of its mechanics. Its excellent art direction, paired with a soothing soundtrack elevates the climbing adventure even if the worldbuilding suffers from excessive use of text to tell stories. Jusant is a hike worth taking, that's rewarding, memorable, and full of heart.
Ghostrunner 2 is a must-play action game that expertly blends fast-paced action with smooth parkour gameplay. Its stunning art direction, memorable antagonists, and engaging upgrade system add up to an experience that meaningfully builds on the original. The undercooked semi-open world sections and stuttering issues on PC get in the way of perfection, but this is a worthy sequel that never loses steam throughout its thoroughly entertaining campaign.
Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a faithful recreation of Mike Mignola's world, and Lance Reddick does an incredible job voicing everyone's favorite cambion. Despite its excellent presentation and world-building, Web of Wyrd has numerous issues with its combat design which feels basic and dull, never evolving throughout its campaign. The roguelite elements aren't fully realized and feel unrewarding with bonuses that feel largely passive. It's clear that there is a lot of love for comics here, and it's certainly worth checking out if you want another Hellboy adventure, but the combat annoyances and camera issues make it a bit hard to recommend.
Gunbrella is a beautifully animated, focused, and satisfying 2D-action title that delivers on its premise in spades. Gliding around with your Gunbrella as you blast away enemies never gets old, and while the game does suffer from a lack of challenge and minor readability issues, it's one of the most memorable and often funny titles of the year.