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With camera in hand and a twinkle in your eye, The Star Named EOS guides you down memory lane in a simply sweet, but almost too-short narrative puzzle game. This is a decent voyage for casual puzzle enjoyers and those who don't mind a shorter experience overall.
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse remastered adds a much needed, fresh coat of paint to a fantastic adventure game. This is quite possibly the best the Freelance Police have to offer, and it's better than ever. The Switch version suffers from some framerate drops and loading issues, but even there it's a great time with your little buddy.
Thank Goodness You're Here is a wonderful little indie game that punches higher than it should. The comedic dialogue will have you rolling, and the art style is to die for. A lackluster story and shallow gameplay could drag it down, but somehow work perfectly for the game Panic has created. Know your medium, and good things will come of it.
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder looks and plays the part of a competent action game. However, its heart lies more in its narrative. While I admire the ambition, Gestalt left me asking, both as a game and as a story, one simple question: "so what?".
Creatures of Ava is what you get when you simply dump a bunch of ideas into a bucket. The mechanics feel disconnected, the story is rote and uninteresting, and the world, while very pretty, looks generic for sci-fi. It's all been done before and better elsewhere, and sadly the game doesn't take the chance to connect anything together or really explore anything in depth.
XDefiant is a solid first-person shooter featuring familiar gameplay elements as other games in the genre but with a twist, including the different factions and their unique abilities. The factions help to keep the gameplay fresh from match to match, and they're all fairly balanced in their ability, though not necessarily their application. Unfortunately, the game still suffers with weapon balancing and hit registration, as well as missing a some accessibility and quality of life options.
If you're in the market for a superb mystery visual novel, then look no further. Staffer Case: A Supernatural Adventure, offers players a fantastical version of 1960s London. Investigate various murder cases in a world where some people have superpowers and everyone has a motive.
World of Goo 2 takes everything you loved about the original and turns it up to 11. The levels are more complex and inventive, there's more types of goo, and the humor is even more out there. Unfortunately, there are some features that feel like they're missing and a section of the game that completely goes against the rest of the story's themes. While it's somewhat of a mixed bag, there's far more good than bad here.
Taking up the torch of hope against the forces of evil was never going to be an easy task, and Darkest Dungeon II makes sure you feel it. While the roster of heroes creates plenty of opportunities for build crafting, actually interacting with all of the systems in the game can feel like a slog at times. Even so, there's enjoyment to be found in this roguelite spin on the brutally difficult combat and festering world that Darkest Dungeon is known for.
Tomba! Special Edition perfectly preserves the 1997 classic. The game is just as good as it was back then, and perhaps even better now with tons of quality of life features and extras. This is an incredibly special game, and I hope it finally gets the recognition it deserves.
One Piece Odyssey Deluxe Edition is a solid port of a good game. It looks great and runs fairly well in both docked and portable modes, though sitting through loading times for every single battle can get very tedious.
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a short yet refreshing adventure game whose whimsical world and cast of characters make for a cozy evening gaming session. While the gameplay is simplistic and doesn't leave much room for deep thought, its strength lies in its ability to allow the player to stop and smell the virtual flowers, taking in the beauty of nature.
Earth Defense Force 6 is a pretty basic game, but what it lacks in complexity, it makes up for in silly fun. Blowing up hordes and buildings with your buddy, using these wildly unbalanced weapons, all while losing our minds anytime the game tries to do cool things in the story, it all makes for an excellent experience in co-op. So really we feel we can only recommend this if you have someone to play with. You're going to be buying a game that is extremely unpolished but will give you literal hours of laughing together with a friend and that's worth every penny to be honest. Try EDF6 with a friend if you think this would be appealing to you. Just maybe try playing on PlayStation 4 or 5 instead for the smoother experience.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - The Sky Breaker is simply more of the main game. While the story is still forgettable the stealth, combat, and platforming are where the game truly shines and this DLC makes sure to give them the room they need.
Splintered Fate transparently aims to munch your time. All of its combat and replayability ideas give the appearance of a sturdy shell, yet the cracks in its execution undermine what is otherwise a lovingly crafted representation of the TMNT.
After a long build of anticipation for College Football 25, EA Sports kicks it right through the uprights. They give us the opportunity to live out our biggest college football dreams in a beautiful and atmospheric journey through multiple modes. Between Dynasty Mode, Road to Glory, Road to the CFP, and Head 2 Head; there's something here for every type of player. If you loved NCAA 14, this game is everything you would want and more.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is by no means a bad game, but in a sea of other Souls copycats, this one does very little to stand out. Put into the perspective of its multiple delays and overall unpolish, it's clear that this is an easy skip to play better options out there. Or at least wait until it's heavily discounted…
Modern Horizons III is one of the best Magic: The Gathering sets in recent memory. The designers at Wizards of the Coast have created an amazing set while balancing somewhat opposing goals. As a set adding cards into the Modern format the draft was always going to be secondary to ensuring a healthy constructed format. As a draft set MH3 is Magic at its finest providing deep and engaging gameplay. The overall draft environment is just fun. The games are complex, but that is to be expected with any set dealing with Modern format cards. Wizards once again reminds people that they are masters of game design and I hope to see as much care in future products as MH3. Even at its higher price tag I absolutely recommend you draft some Modern Horizons III.
SCHiM is a wildly inventive platformer with a unique minimalist aesthetic, which is bolstered by creative gameplay and a steadfast focus on the human experience. I was surprised by the amount of emotional depth hidden within SCHiM's shadow hopping platformer shell and appreciated becoming a small part of this world and its inhabitants. Though the premise is simple, SCHiM keeps things unique by constantly adding new challenges which utilizes light and darkness in creative ways, and I found myself consistently intrigued by where the story would go next.
Kunitsu-Gami is a striking game both conceptually and visually, exactly the kind of experimental game that I wish we got more often. I just also wish it pushed itself a little further than it does. Offense runs the show in Kunitsu-Gami, which unfortunately undermines some of its potential strengths. Still, the game keeps itself engaging with its hybrid of action and strategy, as well as the courage to change up its structure.