All in all, the title jams a surprising amount of content into a reasonably priced package, while offering a satisfyingly silly experience worthy of your time.
So is this an improvement over the original version of the remake? Absolutely. Tower Five seems to have done its best to re-work the experience without completely starting over, but it could only take it so far. This is one remake we really don't need.
Isonzo is a decent game. Solid in many areas, but never one to show off, the title delivers a good gameplay core, and offers it up at a reasonable price. Performance problems aside, good gunplay and interesting maps are enough to make the experience worth it, at least in the short term. A campaign or a large pool of maps could certainly enhance the value of the title, but even without it, you have a lean, satisfying experience that will be especially appealing to anyone with an interest in the First World War.
Ultimately, you have a game with one masterfully designed core element — the rhythm gunplay — surrounded by a number of elements that, while not terrible, are mediocre at best.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is delightful. The title is a brilliant life sim sandbox that already has a staggering amount of content, and has already begun outlining what comes next. If Gameloft plays its cards right, this game could be a mainstay on many people's consoles for years. Thousands of Disney-themed items and a robust construction mode pair with all the traditional life sim trappings executed at a high level to create a surprisingly excellent experience. Whether you want to completely redesign your town or just go fishing with Mickey, the game has everything in place to ensure you get the most out of your experience. A slew of camera bugs and the odd crash stand out as early access hiccups, and the framework for an extensive microtransaction economy is a red flag, but this isn't enough to stand in the way of having a lovely time.
The game nails just about everything it sets out to do. The pixelated graphics are vibrant and varied, the writing is witty and macabre, and the music is fantastic – albeit repetitive. All aspects of the title come together harmoniously, creating an unexpectedly fun and funny roguelike with a refreshingly unique premise.
We Are OFK is an incredibly well-written game that stretches the boundaries of the medium. There's not a lot of traditional gameplay, but the characters are so well-realised and the writing so strong that even though there's not much for you to do during each of the episodes, the act of being there and listening remains highly engaging. Between the strong art and soundtrack, there's a lot to like, even if there's not a lot to play.
The end result is a small-scale game with lofty aspirations that miss the mark. Stealing specials is great, but everything surrounding that is unimpressive.
All in all, What Remains of Edith Finch is an incredible game, made just that much better thanks to the improvements afforded by the PS5. It is every bit the classic now that it was in 2017, and remains an absolute must-play.
While you shouldn’t expect it to linger in the mind to the same degree as comparable titles like Home, Seduction: A Monk’s Fate offers a one-sitting experience at a reasonable price, while getting just enough right to make it worth the low price of entry.
If there’s one bright spot, it’s the new “trails” game mode, a checkpoint-type race that has more varied terrain. It’s quite fun, and very chaotic, serving as the high point amid innumerable lows. And that about sums MX vs. ATV Legends up: at its core, this is a buggy, flawed mess that falls far short of other racers on the market.
Quote not yet availablThe game nails absolutely everything it sets out to accomplish, with the exception of maybe the controls. While the cursor system functions adequately on a controller, the title is definitely better suited to a mouse and keyboard. Additionally, placing items behind other objects or trying to tuck them into corners will very often be uncooperative. But these are minor obstacles on the way to enjoying such a uniquely wonderful game.e
Ultimately, the biggest obstacle for the game might be its price. $19.99 for this experience feels like a lot, even if everything being offered is perfectly pleasant. The story mode is nice, but not necessarily worth a replay. Creative mode is fun to tinker around with once or twice, but there’s just no hook to draw you back in to play it again and again.
While Polyarc doesn’t get too wild and crazy with its second title, it didn't need to considering how solid the foundation was with Moss. Book II takes the time to tighten up a few lingering issues from the first title, while providing more of the incredible world of Moss, albeit on a grander scale. Moss: Book II is further proof that Polyarc is among the best developers working in the VR space.
What the game ultimately delivers is a charming, unique debut title from a studio we’re certainly interested to see more of.
FAR: Changing Tides is largely more of the same. With how good the first title is, that's not a bad thing, but it leaves a little something to be desired. Great sound design and music, as well as incredible environmental art, don't quite balance out the pacing issues, hard as they try. Your new vessel has more components to juggle than last time, and it's mechanically satisfying, but you spend too much time doing it. While traveling underwater does add a new gameplay component to account for, the puzzles don't offer enough of a challenge. All that said, Changing Tides is still worth your time.
The script is sharp and remarkably funny. Even with the frustrations of the game’s technical shortcomings, we couldn’t help but laugh at many of the quips, getting a good hearty chuckle at least a dozen times across the three hour adventure. The characters and the insane world they exist in stand the test of time, and it’s a lone bright spot in an otherwise frustrating endeavour.
The adventure does ultimately end up being a worthwhile one, with interesting characters, an incredible art style, and great music. But if there were more to the gameplay, the game – and its world – could have offered so much more.
Rainbow Six: Extraction's core gameplay is decent, and its level variety is great, but the game definitely has some blind spots. While a zombie title focused on stealth and tactics makes for an interesting experience, anytime the game strays from that, it's less successful. It draws extra attention to weak spots, like unimpressive AI and an obnoxious RNG progression system. Go in with a couple of friends, though, and you will get some fun out of this. All the levels are visually distinct and interesting to look at, and three squad members stealthing their way through a field of enemies can be immensely rewarding. It's just unlikely to hold your attention in the long term.
Ultimately, the extra bits draped around the core experience are the real star, offering up a helping of charm and wit that help sell the title as a cosy little experience worth your time, even if you might not have much cause to return to it once you’re done.