While Hello Kitty and Friends Happiness Parade might not be expansive and, at times, a little tricky, its most impressive quality is that it radiates fun, like a Hello Kitty game should. This rhythm game is downright jubilant, even in its limited scope, which will make it easily playable and entraining for an extended audience. Particularly as its music is the driving force, the game has a simple, entrancing quality that can forgive a lot of its milder, frustrating parts.
Super Kiwi 64 is cohesive, down to a tee. Every blip of this game is molded to nod towards old platforming games, visually and practically. It may be tiny, but the experience is short and sweet, rarely hitting any snag at all. Even without any previous nostalgia, this small tribute manages to showcase solid game design, for an overall enjoyable time while it lasts. Anyone with pocket change and an hour to kill should consider completing Super Kiwi 64.
As an archival effort, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is, indeed, a joyous effort. In fact, it's arguable that this is the best that Atari has put out in recent years. The historical timeline alone is a pristine and impressive feature, as only developer Digital Eclipse can make it. And while the game selection has plenty of pitfalls, pun intended, there is enough to go around, both for classics as well as rare items.
Bayonetta 3 is a story of love, years in the making. Both good and bad, this project has gotten stuck in time. That time dilation might be annoying for some clunky design choices, but it might also be the last time you'll be able to play something like this; and that in a package that has never been wrapped up any better. Maybe Bayonetta 3 is also a redemption story.
There was a lot more to The Church in the Darkness, but it needed a little more time in the oven. If it’s possible to polish up some of the gameplay down the line, there could be a memorable experience to be had here.
In true Ubisoft fashion, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 has all the pleasing elements for an endless adventure, but it’s far from cashing in on it at launch. Maybe after reworking a ton of inexplicable design choices, it will get there in a year or so.
Explosive Dinosaurs tries to be quirky, despite its flaws, but it does so in the same vein as the internet spouts recognizable memes. It’s not so much about the contents; it’s just about going through the motions.
There’s an exciting, cohesive game in Ultra Space Battle Brawl, but at the same time, it will always come with some cheese and not a ton of depth, plus a few choices that just aren’t viable and whittle down the breadth of content even more.
The Gardens Between is a well-needed bite of escapism, both for the two protagonists as for the player. With cute and, more importantly, uniquely clever diorama set pieces, this tiny adventure that spans just a few hours feels as innovative as it is refreshing and heartfelt.
It’s a shame that Rad Rodgers couldn’t think of anything better to differentiate itself than to reach at any other memorable platform game, because that wears its own credit razor thin.
It’s astonishing that Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds has become what it is today, despite its endless flaws that make it barely playable. Perhaps PUBG is a testament that a game doesn’t need to be stable to be successful.
Baja: Edge of Control HD is one of a kind in the racing world, using momentum and control as its main focus. Events are a relentless fight from start to finish and that certainly keeps the driving title refreshing through its tons of tracks.
Routine or not, Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop is a delight to go to and make a few dishes, opening up the appetite. The game may even serve the most adventurous among us to go forth and make some elaborate treats for themselves.
It’s as if building just one tight game wasn’t enough, Slime-san goes above and beyond in its cute platform game and gives its audience a completely new world on top of that.
Those who haven’t played Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters: Daybreak Special Gigs can now pick up a cleverly built mix of RPG and visual novel on PC. From its animate characters to the toys and fights the game offers, there’s a lot of effort put in to make its audience a participant, instead of a passive element.
Desync could’ve been the best shooter since Bulletstorm, especially since that road hasn’t been trotted to death, but it simply doesn’t get past its own vain design issues.
What a bittersweet duality this game has, because when everything clicks, it’s so easy to get completely immersed in adventuring towards the bottom of the dungeons.
Way of the Samurai 4 certainly is a unique take on the open world mechanism of ultimate freedom. There’s a lot to see and a lot to experience, but in a small yet versatile package that contains tons of little things.
Vector Thrust has a good view on what the arcade flight simulator genre is, even if it’s just pretty much Ace Combat in another package. The game’s strong core, however, does surround itself with multiple obstacles that make its smooth gameplay tougher to swallow.
Despite some callous priorities in ensuring paychecks, Mortal Kombat X is a sturdy fighter with sound technical design and enough auxiliary choices to stay exhilarating for dozens of hours.