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The list of things I don't like about Rage 2 is much longer than the things I like about it, but the one thing it does better than I even expected is combat. Once you've filled up your toolbox of weapons and powers, you have seemingly endless ways to take on the game's foes. Unfortunately, its bland story, drab tone, and scattered open world drag it down, but the fierce firefights kept me engaged the whole way.
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is truly a love letter from Namco Tales Studios to fans of the franchise. While the main story is a touch trite and the combat a little dull, it's worth it to accompany this cast of interesting and nuanced characters on their journey to save the day.
With a magnificent storyline replete with devious puzzles and gorgeous vistas, A Plague Tale: Innocence is as beautiful as it is disturbing. A survival stealth title at its heart, Asobo Studio's approach to the story of the bubonic plague is completely unique, and one I can't recommend highly enough.
Hellmut: The Badass From Hell is an interesting rogue-like shooter where you can transform into various deadly creatures. The gameplay is engaging but doesn't get too difficult and doesn't take long to complete a run. Having multiple forms is fascinating and very helpful in the long run.
Devious Dungeon is a simplistic action platformer that is entertaining to play. The combat is easy to learn but you still need to be careful of enemy attacks. The step-by-step equipment purchases is a bit of a bummer though.
In concept, Bird Game + seems like a pleasant spin on the traditional on-rails genre. In execution, Bird Game +misses the mark in nearly every way from its surprising lack of mechanical polish to its shallow design. While its aesthetic and genuinely enjoyable boss fights are undeniable highlights, they're nowhere near potent enough to outweigh the game's fundamental issues.
Death end re;Quest is not a terrible game, but it certainly doesn't do much to stand out from a crowded and trope friendly glut of JRPG titles. The battle mode plays like a game of pool and has a lot of interesting features, but the writing is tired, the characters are overly sexualized and mentally deficient as always, and the game is set in a bland world with little detail or points of interest. Death end re;Quest is another game for fans of long dialogues leading nowhere.
Elder Scrolls Online: Wrathstone is an introductory set of dungeons designed to tell the story of how we get to Elsweyr and see the release of dragons upon the online version of Tamriel. The dungeons both have some incredible moments and boss battles, and definitely are above and beyond the usual simple releases we get when they are dungeon-only. Alongside the free update, Wrathstone is one of the better releases for Elder Scrolls Online in awhile and sets up nicely what needs to be a home run with the Elsweyr expansion.
Falcon Age has some extremely interesting ideas at its core, but never gives them the chance to shine. It tells the story of an indigenous woman fighting back against colonial oppression by training a falcon in line with her cultural traditions, but hides the best parts of its premise behind repetitive combat and boring presentation. There are moments when Falcon Age let me feel the bond between my character and her bird or see the culture she was fighting for, but never enough to be satisfying.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen has already been released a handful of times on different consoles, and this port doesn't add anything new. The ability to play in handheld mode is great, but this version also comes with some pop-in and framerate drops not present in other releases. Still, it's worth it just to experience one of the most overlooked games of the decade again, or for the first time. If Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen's stellar combat, unique class system, and treacherous world hook you, its technical flaws are extremely easy to overlook.
Close to the Sun is a few steps shy of a great narrative-driven horror, but its trite gameplay expels the magic its environments worked to create.
The World Next Door is an ambitious action-puzzle game with some interesting narrative and RPG elements, but unfortunately wears itself thin trying too much with too little.
At the end of the day, Duck Game is flocking fun and a real gem for anyone wanting some pure, unadulterated entertainment. Its simple controls mixed with addictively fun gameplay and a hilarious premise make this an instant multiplayer classic.
Mortal Kombat 11 offers the same gory, over-the-top violence that we've come to love from the series. The story is interesting, meshing past and present together in a fun way. Several modes offer replayability, but the grinding resources for the Krypt may get tedious.
Metagal tries to be a Mega Man homage, but instead comes off as a semi-decent clone with very few original elements. The ability to play as different characters later on is a neat twist, but it doesn't make up for the lack of sound design polish, inconsistent difficulty spikes, and the lackluster choice in specials weapons. For the asking price of $5, however, Metagal may be looking into for scratching a micro-sized Mega-itch.
Tragically short and simplistic, Homo Machina will satiate those looking for a fun little interactive experience about the human body. At $3 however, its runtime of less than an hour puts a huge damper on the whole thing.
Ritual of the Moon is a reflection of life, tranquility, and choice that is more of an experience than a game. The paper aesthetic and color palette fit the tone perfectly. There's not much in terms of content, but the short bursts are nice each day.
While it might not have enough staying power to keep you going for long periods of time, Iron Snout is still a functional title that has a tongue-in-cheek satirical style. It's great for extremely short bursts, but nothing more.
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is easily one of the best tactical games I've played in recent memory. The fact that it was made by just two people is mind blowing. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, or games like Banner Saga, Fell Seal will scratch that itch. Just know going in that it might be a little bit before we get our next content fix.
Driftland: The Magic Revival is a mix of RTS and god game that focuses on the realm of magic. The indirect control of individual units and their free will can lead to insubordination, which ruins the fun. Planning out your moves is the key to success.