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Psychonauts is an incredibly unique experience from beginning to end and is worth playing and replaying over and over. It's heartfelt, hilarious, memorable, and a joy to play.
Days Gone is the perfect PlayStation game to make its way to PC. It was already a beautiful game, but held back by the PS4 and PS4 Pro. On PC, Days Gone gets it's chance to flourish, running at uncapped frame rates, high resolutions, and touting an FOV slider. While it is missing some cool next-gen upgrades like ray tracing and DLSS, Days Gone runs nearly flawlessly on PC, and serves as a testament to Bend's tradecraft. Even if you've already played the game on PS4 or PS4 Pro, it's worth jumping back into the shoes of Deacon St John on PC to massacre a freaker horde at the highest level of performance possible.
The fact of the matter is, there are over 100 hours of game ahead of me across three games and more than 40 pieces of high-quality DLC like Lair of the Shadow Broker, Leviathan, and Overlord now folded directly into the story. So the saying goes, you can’t step into the same river twice, but Mass Effect Legendary Edition is certainly going to make one hell of an attempt at it. Now, if you will excuse me, I’ve got some Keepers to go scan.
Wrath of the Druids is simply more Assassin's Creed Valhalla, both for good and ill. For a paid expansion, it doesn't add much new or interesting and the main quest doesn't have much to deal with Druids. Still, more Valhalla is more Valhalla and it's enjoyable for what it is.
Technical issues and autosave woes aside, I've really enjoyed my time with Subnautica: Below Zero. While the story beats are pretty hit and miss, and there are quite a few bugs and technical issues to contend with, the core gameplay of building and exploring is addictive, and in many instances provides that child-like sense of wonder that many games aim for but struggle to achieve.
New Pokémon Snap is a delightful photography game that I'll be coming back to constantly for just one more course. Seeing Pokémon in their natural habitats captures a unique magic the series has been missing for a while, and seeing how they react to you is a ton of fun. While filling out the Photodex is rewarding, equally rewarding is taking more creative snaps, editing them, and sharing them online.
Having multiple Lords to hunt and take down, each with their own unique territory and play style, greatly helps Village stand out from previous entries. Bringing back a merchant, giving hunting and fishing options, an upgraded inventory system, allowing the story to go absolutely off the rails, and switching the gameplay to be more action focused, even though I understand that may upset some players, all combined to help Village stand out from previous entries while still feeling unique. Upon completion I immediately spent my CP and hopped back into the campaign, the greatest compliment I can give any game. Village may very well be my new favorite entry in the series.
NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139… is a pitch perfect update to one of the greatest stories ever told in the medium. Combat feels fast and fluid, much like players' tears once they finish the game. The new content feels natural, magic is more useful than ever, and the reprised music and voice over bring the world to life.
Creepy as hell but the jump scares too often failed to frighten and some performance issues dampened and otherwise well put together game.
Star Wars Pinball VR is a serviceable pinball game that has no business being in VR. The eight tables all feel very similar, the visuals are incredibly low quality, and the Fan Cave is pointless.
Heaven Dust isn't an awful game, but it has some awful parts. Uninspired gameplay and a lack of originality aren't enough to make the game worth a recommendation. However, there's just enough love put into that, perhaps, old-school Resident Evil fans could have a good time.
SELF: Where's my father is too obscure, busy, and uninspired to enjoy. It's perfectly functional, and while there is a bit of evidence that it could have been great, it falls flat due to some shallow gameplay and incredibly amateur writing.
Firsts don't come around very often, but this is one of PlayStation's first PS5 exclusives and Housemarque's first triple A releases, and the combination is a triumphant success. I'm not sure how they've managed everything in play, taking the bullet-hell stylings of old and meshing them with the trappings of a third-person roguelike, but it works to a fantastic degree. On top of that, the action-packed gameplay is some of the best around, additionally being one of the most immersive and next-gen experiences available thanks to an incredible understanding of the DualSense controller. Yes, the story may take a backseat, but that's the nature of the roguelike genre, and doesn't hinder Returnal in the slightest. I may not be much for roguelikes, but I can see myself "returning" to play this one again and again.
The Lost Gods gives us a completely new way to explore the world of Immortals, as well as a natural extension on the events of the first DLC, A New God. While the camera can be problematic, the charm, puzzles, humor, and brand new ways to play are worth pushing through it. It's a great cap to the game, and the team's willingness to try new things speaks volumes.
While the less powerful Vita version of ScourgeBringer does have a few performance issues, this is a great way to get into the addictive roguelike. With some brilliant swordplay, gorgeous pixel art, and a great progression system, you should prepare your handheld and get ready to judge the Judges.
As a $9.99 download, the Switch re-release of Shantae is a great look at the half-genie's debut for those who want to check her out. It might be dated compared to the rest of the series, but it's a nice look back at the classic series we know and love.
Judgement is a fantastic Yakuza game, but the spinoff's other elements can feel half baked. Brawling and investigating can both be fun, but it's clear there's depth missing from both aspects. The PS5 version is a blanket upgrade, with improved lighting, textures, and load times, but could have used a bit more care to preserve the artistic choices of the original.
Thunderflash is a highly competent, if uninspired release. While I enjoyed my hour long playthrough and a round or two of Survival mode, I couldn't help but feel that the release as a whole was a missed opportunity to not only bring back the Run 'n Gun genre, but to innovate and create something more complex. Still, as a co-op experience, it is well worth playing but unfortunately will be forgotten soon after completion.
Maskmaker feels like it's going to give you full control over the game, then it takes it away from you and does it for you. The parts it gives you full control over, however, tend to be exceptionally tedious. The crafting system is great when the game wants it to be, and I loved exploring every nook and cranny that the game had to off, but in short, while the game feels like a bedtime story, ultimately it's just that --- there's not much lucidity that you'd expect from a VR game, and it feels more like an on-rails experience.
Ghosts 'N Goblins Resurrection is a wonderful re-imagining of the brutally difficult iconic series. Featuring incredible hand-drawn animation and multiple difficulty levels to ensure that players of all skill levels can complete the game, this release will win over both old fans of the series as well as new players eager for a challenge.