Unless you desperately want to be able to draw a few penises and argue about stuff that’s way less sexier than it sounds, you’re better off ignoring The Jackbox Naughty Pack entirely and sticking with any of the previous ten Party Packs.
It’s hardly a Game of the Year contender, but I’ve certainly played games that are much, much worse. It’s decent enough that I can say that if you’re in the mood for an above-average 3D platformer, it’ll certainly do the trick.
Super Mario Party Jamboree is everything that makes the series so loved and so hated. There were times when I wanted to ragequit and throw my Switch at the wall, and there were times when I cheered at unexpected good fortune in minigames and star placements – and those times often came in quick succession. Super Mario Party Jamboree shows that Mario Party is still a blast to play nearly three decades into its lifespan, which is a pretty neat achievement however you want to look at it.
The upside of lightUP making essentially the same game over and over again is that they generally know what they’re doing, and their games generally work as they’re supposed to. If you just want another metroidvania, you’ll find that here. But you could also find it in most of their other games, which makes it hard to see why you’d pick this one specifically.
If you want a game that evokes the spirit of Jet Set Radio but on a different method of transportation, Parcel Corps delivers that. It’s hardly a unique spin on the genre, but if all you want is arcade-y gameplay and driving around a vividly coloured environment, you’ll get that here.
Even if I don’t enjoy God of War Ragnarök’s cutscenes, having this second chance to play the game now that it’s out on PC has at least made me realize that the newer version of Kratos isn’t as much of a reboot as I previously thought. I wouldn’t say I love the new games as much as I did the originals, and I definitely would’ve enjoyed this game more if it felt a little more focused on action and less on dialogue and characters, but God of War Ragnarök is, at the end of the day, a pretty good continuation of Kratos’ saga (and one that runs very well on PC).
A game that gives you freedom to play it as you want to is probably something more games should aspire to. That The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom gives you all that freedom without ever feeling unfocused or overwhelming is evidence that it lives up to its iconic lineage.
Nothing in Elsie makes it seem very original. It’s borrowing heavily from games that are decades-old without putting any real spin on any of it. If you just miss Mega Man and want a slightly more modern take on that game, you’ll get that here, but you won’t see anything new.
I don’t know exactly how faithful Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is to the original version, but I know that it shows that beneath the waggle controls, it turns out there was a pretty enjoyable 3D platformer waiting to be found.
It would be nice if there was more content (and you have to be okay with a little straying from the source material), but as it stands, the game is a chaotic – if all-too-brief – good time.
I can’t help but wish that Evotinction had been made by a studio with more experience and a bigger budget. It’s got interesting bits and pieces to go with some intriguing ideas, but overall it feels like a slightly missed opportunity.
Everything about Gori: Cuddly Carnage is simply amazing. It delivers absurd, over-the-top action in a package that’s tailor-made for anyone who holds a soft spot for ‘00s gaming, and as far as I’m concerned it’s one of the best games of the year so far.
Akimbot may evoke a golden era of 3D platformers, but that’s pretty much all it’s good for. Taken on its own merits, at best it’s thoroughly mediocre.
It was clearly influenced by Studio Ghibli and Kiki’s Delivery Service, and it’s solid enough that you can see that influence come shining through, but at the end of the day, all the game really has to say is, “Hey, remember Kiki’s Delivery Service? Yeah, that was pretty cool.”
It’s a strange game that’s probably not going to appeal to everyone’s sensibilities – but if it appeals to your sensibilities and sense of humour, there’s a good chance it might be your game of the year.
Arranger has enough flaws that I can’t say I love it, either. There are good ideas, and occasionally very good execution, but on the whole none of it feels like it ever clicks into a coherent, must-play whole.
Star Wars Outlaws is a perfect example of a good game that could’ve been a great one if only its developers had played to its strengths.
If you just want a game you don’t need to think about, Love, Ghostie will deliver. It’s every bit as shallow as the dating shows that inspired it, so if that’s the kind of game you’re after – and the continued popularity of the genre shows some people are – then this may be right up your alley.
Creatures of Ava is one of the rare wholesome games that adds enjoyable gameplay to its cozy atmosphere. It brings together ideas you’ve seen elsewhere, but does so in a way that makes them more or less its own.
Guayota is a good example of a game that tries to do way too much. It has ideas, but it doesn’t know how to moderate them or reign them in, and the end result is a lot messier than it needs to or should be.