The Lord of the Rings: Gollum had nearly endless potential to be great but it instead became the prime example of why beta testing a game before release is important. With issues like stuttering or momentary lag spikes all pointing to a severe lack of optimization, this game was doomed to be a flop from the start. The only hope for this game now is not just a quick patch but a massive overhaul to fix its biggest issues.
Smurfs Kart had a lot of potential to be great if there was a story or even just a bit more of the usual Kart Racer madness added in. It has a few fun and redeeming qualities, like the unique powerups and unique track designs, but Smurfs Kart comes off as a more generic Kart Racer that would’ve been great during the movie releases. It’ll need a lot more substance to gain good traction on the wild roads of gaming.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft is a somewhat solid remaster with some interesting improvements, but the issues mentioned earlier can still cause what should be a fun experience to come grinding to a halt. While there are some interesting improvements and new features, it feels like this remaster could’ve been handled a lot better or instead turned into a remake to really reignite an old fandom that has long since moved on.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Quest For Balance is, unfortunately, lacking in some aspects and overdone in others. The story is mostly based on the original, and adding in extra events is a nice touch, but simply narrating it instead of showing it didn’t help the low-quality storytelling at all. The combat system needs a lot more polish, and the lack of camera controls that effectively force it to be more like a side-scroller instead makes it difficult to enjoy the game for what it is.
One Last Breath looks great from a distance but that notion changes very quickly when you start playing it. There’s endless potential and it needs a ton more polish before it can really take off but even then, there needs to be more intrigue to hold anybody’s attention. The minimalist story is what might make this game forgettable and it’s a sad fate for any release, however, not all hope is lost yet and we might still see more get added to what could be a great game to possibly rival a similar release known as After Us.
Gray Dawn has great potential, but it fell flat in many aspects, ranging from overused horror tropes to undercutting loading times but loading textures as you play. Calling it rough around the edges is an understatement because it doesn’t seem like it got the work needed to shine, and it can come across as a little underbaked. If you can look past all the flaws, it has a somewhat interesting story, and the lore used gives the story a bit more depth, even if it is a little far-fetched.
Stolen Realm has so much potential to be great, but it needs a lot of polish and fine-tuning before it can really make a mark. The lack of story is somewhat balanced out by the combat mechanics, but that also needs a bit more work to keep things interesting. While the music leans more toward the monotonous side of things, the voice acting is the saving grace in that regard. However, what really shines above everything else is just how well implemented the low poly world is and how it interacts with the hex block design for combat strategy.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is trying its hardest, but it comes off as a messy science project dressed up to look pretty, and we all know it doesn’t really do what it needs to. Sadly, a lot more polish is needed if there’s going to be hope of this release lasting longer than a year as a live-service title because, as we all know, they’re usually driven by the fans and a constant stream of income from microtransactions… Though there’s already a scarcity of pre-teens with a ton of money to burn, only time will tell.
The Inquisitor has nearly endless potential to be great, but it’s so damn hard to get into the story, even if is based on a set of stories from a Polish author. It’s got a solid base, interesting mechanics, and brilliant voice acting, but the execution seems to need some work, and this detracts from the game in all the worst ways. However, if you have the patience or several shovels of salt, there is some good intrigue to the story that might keep you interested. Sadly, without a major visual and story overhaul, there might not be much hope for this release.
INFINITE GUITARS has so much potential to be an excellent Rhythm game with a fun but casual story. It features a good mix of different genres, and they all work quite well with each other to give you a great experience with the story. Sadly, it still has a few issues that need to be addressed before it can shine, namely the visual issues and the minor technical bugs that can drag a good game down.
GUN JAM had so much potential to be great, but it’s just missing so much extra detail. The game is interesting and a joy to play at first but it loses that luster very quickly once you realize there isn’t much else to the game. With the lack of enemy variety, character background, or more stages to explore and destroy enemies in, GUN JAM needs a lot more work that we might see in the future.
Knight Vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur has quite a few flaws and needs some serious polish to be classified as a good Roguelike. The biggest flaw at hand is the seemingly endless grind for almost no reward in the early stages and the game’s desperate need for some quality-of-life fixes, all this aside, you’ll be treated to a strange and intriguing story that will have you coming back for more. Sadly, the game needs more polish to make it worthwhile to keep coming back to the story just for the sake of seeing what happens to Camelot in the end.
Counter-Strike 2 might have gotten the Overwatch treatment with a rebrand, but there are a few differences to be spotted. With a bigger selection of maps and the extra game modes, things might actually start looking up for this release. However, the lack of moderation and optimization might also be what puts the final nails in this game’s coffin.
Stray Blade has so much potential to be amazing, but sadly, it falls quite far behind and might follow in the same footsteps as Shock Tactics. The story in Stray Blade might be its saving grace, but without optimization and possibly some work on the combat system, it might not be enough to help the game rise to the top. However, if you can look past the issues or possibly fix/reduce them, this game is an absolute joy to play, and the story of Acrea, along with the stories between Farren and Boji, will keep you coming back for more on their wild adventure.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is so close to being the feel-good JRPG for 2024 but it still needs a bit of work before it can shine. If you can look past the issues, there’s a whole world to explore and a literal ton of heroes to recruit and experiment with. Let’s not forget the incredible story that you’ll get to experience too as things unfold while you’re exploring.
Gigantic: Rampage Edition is an obscenely rare sight on the MOBA scene and it looks like it might take a spot among the great MOBAs currently out there. The hero pool might be limited but with how much versatility is on offer with skills, it’s fair that the pool is rather limited but customs builds will also expand just how much is on offer. Aside from the server issues, the only big issue is the possibility of microtransactions possibly ruining another great release.
Open Roads is a brilliant change of pace for those who want just a story and a little mystery after some intense gaming. However, this might not appeal to everybody due to how slowly the story progresses, giving you only the smallest pieces to run with. If you can look past that and the minor issues with the voice acting, you’re definitely in for a treat with how this story unfolds and getting to see how Tess and Opal build a new bond.
Remnant 2 - The Awakened King might be a one-shot adventure, but it’s completely worth playing if you’re after a bit more mystery and some new lore as to the worlds in Remnant 2. The only drawback is the lack of enemy variety and special sound, but these can still be overlooked, and you’ll just need to be careful with where you walk, or you might find yourself on the unforgiving end of a few nasty ranged attacks.
SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 is a great reboot of a classic game we all know and love. With the same level of great storytelling and chaos, you’ll be thrown head-first into nostalgia while getting to play an old classic on modern terms. When you’re tired of Story Mode, there’s always some good and friendly fun with friends or through matchmaking if you want an interesting challenge as well.
While Ravenbound has a great story and a few good features on the mechanics front, it still needs some improvement. What would help this game shine would be a world overhaul with a randomly generated terrain to keep things interesting and possibly a few minor quality-of-life improvements. While these flaws can take away from the overall experience, Ravenbound does have a lot of potentials to go far. But for now, there’s still a great story and literal mountains of lore to discover, maybe even a Betrayer to defeat.