Somewhere deep inside Redfall, there’s a great game with interesting concepts. However, a multitude of technical issues from dodgy AI to texture pop-in and FPS drops are keeping it from its potential. Despite these glaring issues, I did manage to find enjoyable moments in the New England town, and the game made use of the power fantasy that many looter games provide. However, the more I ventured into Redfall, the more fatigued I grew. The lack of stealth kill/knockout options also feels like a major misstep that diluted Arkane Austin’s signature immersive sim foundations. No doubt, Redfall will remain a blemish for the studio, and I hope they find their footing once again.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a frustrating experience. On one hand, the game has a beautiful art style and graphics, an intriguing plot coupled with serviceable combat, and fun puzzle mechanics. But its technical issues and unguided Metroidvania design choices let it down immensely. The only mystery left to solve is what could have been had the game had better-streamlined design choices
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Shadow Warrior 3. The game will never be the talk of the town, but not every title has to be. Gunplay is fast, frantic, and more importantly, fun. Those who enjoyed the DOOM franchise will feel right at home here. Maybe a little too much. Traversal sections are fun, though uninspiring. Graphically, the game looks great and complements its offbeat nature nicely. However, the bland level design, environments, flaccid Chi blasts, and inconsistent performance bring it down a couple of notches. But I can comfortably say that Shadow Warrior 3 will be one of the best-hidden gems of 2022.
The Way of the Blade is a difficult journey and tenacious. Despite Die by the Blade sporting an addictive and pulsating one-strike-kill combat, it is not enough to gloss over the other glaring shortcomings. From unpolished graphics, stingy reward payouts to the lack of game modes, the game has a lot going against it. However, the blade isn’t dull yet, and Die by the Blade can sharpen into a formidable contender with time.
There is some promise in Scars Above. The game presents solid foundations to build upon, and the fact that this is the maiden title from Mad Head Games is an achievement on its own. On the visual side, the game is a looker and performed admirably on PC. However it is hard to overlook its game design and technical shortcomings. While its use of repeated sci-fi tropes doesn’t do it any favors. Perhaps Scars Above will be the necessary learning experience that will likely enhance the studio’s future projects.
Banishers Ghosts of New Eden adheres to a scope that DON’T NOD is comfortable with and sticks to it well. The game has decent combat with cryptic haunting cases to solve. Despite a lot of attention placed on the post-mortem love story, don’t expect it to be the next Romeo and Juliet any time soon.
Despite some technical hiccups, We Never Yield is a simple, yet enjoyable, auto-runner. Its sleek presentation, art style, and phenomenal soundtrack are the true stars of the show. We Never Yield doubles the first game in every aspect and then some.
Filling the shoes of a grunt in Starship Troopers was a childhood dream of mine. However, I can’t help but feel that although Starship Troopers Extermination does a decent job after a brief Early Access period, it still has its work cut out for it. Despite having a ton of things to unlock for each class, more content is desperately needed on the gameplay side. Especially if STE wants to compete in the already crowded online co-op shooter market. It’s reassuring that Offworld Industries acknowledges this through its roadmap, and I fully expect the game to change for the better with time. Despite an early stalemate, the United Citizen Federation’s future is bright with you enlisted soldier.
No Place for Bravery tries to carve its own place in a flood of Souls-like titles hitting the market to some success. Its excellent, yet tragic, story continues to resonate strongly with me and some of its set pieces were truly captivating. The combat was serviceable with a decent amount of enemy variety and always demanded my attention. However, the game was let down by its bland pixel graphics and technical hiccups.
Supercross 4 is undoubtedly the Forza of the motocross world. It is an immaculate representation of this form of motorsport. However, its grueling riding mechanics and difficulty truly make you feel like a rookie when you begin. There are some great ways to upgrade your ride and express yourself with player and bike customizations. If you are patient and put in the effort the game is extremely rewarding knowing that you developed your skills to compete with the best. There are plenty of modes, challenges, and variety in the game to keep you busy. Yet, like any other grind, it gets repetitive and ends up feeling samey.
Despite some antiquated game design, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered is a decent remaster effort to revitalize these cult classic games. The collection retains the essence of the original and it also introduces notable quality-of-life improvements that make it more enjoyable. Raziel’s vengeful journey more than makes up for its outdated gameplay.
Sky Breaker is an iterative experience that expands, rather than builds upon, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. The story pack is quite dense with lots to do and includes a lot of neat and useful under-the-hood improvements. Just don’t expect it to stray too far off the path.
Despite a long hiatus, the Alone in the Dark remake is a solid offering in a long-dormant franchise. It does borrow heavily from modern survival horror titles but still manages to create its own distinctive experience. It’s clear that a lot of attention went into rendering both David Harbour and Jodie Comer into their characters. Fortunately, that gambit paid off well in a concise package with decent gameplay and story beats to match.
The original Turok 3 was released during an awkward time. Sandwiched between the tail end of the Nintendo 64 life cycle and right before the release of the PlayStation 2, it likely passed many players’ radar. However, like their previous offerings, Nightdive Studio did a tremendous job bringing back a forgotten gem to modern audiences. If you slept on Turok 3 in 2000, make sure to not pass up it again in 2023.
Although rough around the edges, The Last Oricru delivered on what it intended to do. The game provided a decent souls like experience, with fun combat, great co-op, and an engaging premise. Best of all, this was all baked on top of a satisfying branching narrative system that truly delivers on player agency. The Last Oricru will likely surprise players, but expectations should be kept in check.
The Ascent gives off an impeccable first impression. The game is one of the most atmospheric titles I have experienced this year. Graphically, the game has some of the best environmental art styles of 2021. It’s a testament to the small developer team to be able to pull off these kinds of feats. However, where The Ascent does fall is in its uninspired RPG mechanics that felt like an afterthought. That, coupled with disastrous UI, difficulty spikes, and quest-scaling issues, hampered that amazing first impression. Though a later patch remedied some of these technical issues. All in all, The Ascent is definitely worth your time. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and will leave you a lasting impression of the dystopic nature that is the Arcology.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is an exercise to not judge a book by its cover. Many, including me, assumed it would be Far Cry, except with Na’vi. But in reality, the game is a meticulously crafted game that stands on its own from its source material. It doesn’t bring many new features to the table, but it does provide a solid experience that brings Pandora to life in ways well beyond what movies are capable of.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a competent soulslike game. For its modest price point, there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had. However, some technical hiccups and game design choices put a few dents on its armor. Despite that, A44 Games achieved its objective of creating an approachable soulslike that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
No doubt Immortals of Aveum is an experience that you will not forget any time soon. Its graphical prowess and its combat and gear system are serviceable, albeit uninspiring. The star-studded cast will likely leave a lasting impression. But its overly linear loop and complete lack of meaningful side content hamper replayability while relying too heavily on typical AAA design choices. Immortal of Aveum checks off many lists, but it plays it safe for the most part.
Make no mistake, Rematch has an incredible and unique football gameplay loop that is unlike anything I have ever tried before. There are a lot of nuances in the animations and regular duels that make the game an irresistible package. However, it is let down by initial networking hiccups and a lack of modes and content. Luckily, it seems that Slopclap is in it for the long run, which should make Rematch a footballing star in no time.