Kiborg is an unapologetically fun and somewhat addictive beat-em-up title that I heavily enjoyed. The developers did a great job enhancing the combat, adding more upgrade paths, weapons, and enemies, and did a wonderful job adding more variety to the arenas. The main hindrances that Kiborg faces are the numerous bugs that I encountered and the lack of boss variety.
The second chapter of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage had a mix of high moments that made it worthwhile to play and low moments that made me wish Don’t Nod had returned to the drawing board. The first chapter, despite its major flaws, introduces the player to an interesting story and a unique mechanic that allows you to record your adventures and relive the 90s era. Unfortunately, the second chapter does little to improve upon what the narrative team set up in the first chapter and leads the player off a narrative cliff into an abyssal void.
Capcom went above and beyond to make most of the Monster Hunter Wilds experience as enjoyable as possible. I went into the game wanting it to be a slight increase from Monster Hunter World and was surprised by the revamped weapons, environmental depth, and enjoyable cast of characters. Gone are the days of wishing the handler would get eaten by a Ratholos. Monster Hunter Wilds may have a few issues with online play and menu navigation but they are more than outweighed by the addictive combat and customization.
I am afraid to say that Don’t Nod simply dropped the ball with half of the first chapter of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. Luckily, they caught themselves, sparing the other half from being a complete disaster. Much of the game was great and had me re-experiencing my youth in ways I had forgotten. The story of four girls wanting to reimagine the world they are in and escape together was compelling and the way it was presented through the eyes of an awkward teen with a love for movies and the best technology on the planet for capturing the paranormal made it all the better. While playing in the past was strong, the present story kept taking me out of the experience as it slowed everything to a halt and filled in the empty space with near-meaningless conversation of older women who just wouldn’t get to the point.
Worlds of Aria is a fun experience to be had either solo or with a group. The number of choices and whimsical fantasy world are both compelling reasons to stick through the campaign to reach your heroic end. While the gameplay can be rather repetitive, it is very easy to understand and accessible to anyone, making it decent in my book. The true downfall of Worlds of Aria isn’t letting the Duke get the Staff of Wisdom, which kickstarts the campaign, but rather the clunky and periodically bugged UI that ruins the gameplay on Switch.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a fairly decent horror experience that does stay true to the media it is based on. The sound aspects of the game, while annoyingly loud at times, did keep me on my toes and increase the pressure I felt during the campaign. Unfortunately, the repetitive level design and lack of strong characters made the game feel rather boring by the end of it.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is a repetitive asymmetrical PvP title that will quickly bore you if you are used to the title or have no absolute love for 80s nostalgia. No matter what side you are playing on, the game becomes incredibly predictable to the point where neither side has much fun. While that was okay for the original release of the title, more effort should have been made to add variety to the game outside of skins.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 does a great job of reminding you how to have fun and just enjoy a game without the need to throw in a lot of unnecessary theatrics. The gory mess brought me back to my childhood and reminded me what gaming is about and I think that says a lot about what modern gaming has become. Scenic beauty and unadulterated violence are all I needed to enjoy this game despite my lack of knowledge of the franchise as a whole.
Squirrel with a Gun is a blast and harkens back to the days of old sandbox games that can keep you busy for hours thanks to its stupidity and silly gags. With that being said, there aren’t enough nuts in the game to keep me entertained outside of a few hours. While the gunplay is fun and puzzles are interactive, there is a lot missing from the game that could give players a reason to come back.
A joyous and relaxing city builder that will make you think
There is no denying that Forspoken is a fun game that you can get lost in for hours. The mix between Frey’s ill-formed speech and the medieval-style dialect of the Athians is amusing, while the emotions displayed keep the story grounded. The tale of Forspoken may feel generic at the start, but it quickly sets itself apart from old-school fairy tales and blossoms into an enjoyable story with a lovable main character.
High on Life features unique gameplay and character designs that make this game feel like a psychedelic experience as much as it does a shooter. Along the way, gadgets will enhance not only your capabilities but add to the fun as well. The amusement of experiencing something new and unusual has a certain novelty to it, but High on Life ultimately ends up feeling stale after enough tedious blathering from stock Justin Roiland characters.
Goat Simulator 3 is a game packed with strange and unusual activities for you to participate in. For the most part, this game is extremely entertaining and worthwhile if you have a friend or group of friends to play it with. The crazy clothing abilities, satirical comedy, and over-the-top minigames will keep you amused for a while. Unfortunately, the game is very short and it won’t take you long to get through everything.
New Tales From the Borderlands brings a humorous, exciting, and dramatic story that furthers the Borderlands universe.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is a carefully crafted experience that brings joy from start to finish.