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Rune Factory 5 delivers everything you would expect from a Rune Factory game, though it does so without adding anything new. It moves from a rather rough start into an enjoyable experience which combines quirky characters, a story wrapped in a bit of mystery, farming, fighting and taming monsters, crafting, and consuming unhealthy amounts of Recipe Bread. Fans of the series will enjoy their time in Rigbarth, though the series and its formula are starting to show their age.
If you already love the Jurassic World Evolution 2 game, you can't go wrong picking up the DLC packs. They let me play with some of my personal favorites, and with loving the Camp Cretaceous TV show as much as I do, it was very exciting to see them walking in my very own park. The lagoon creatures are always impressive to watch, and I still have to add in an aviary to check out the new Dsungaripterus species. I've loved both installments of the Jurassic World Evolution franchise, and the Camp Cretaceous and Early Cretaceous DLC are just icing on the cake. This game can be dangerous for me to play because I get so involved that I lose track of time.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a unique blend of FPS, RPG, and horror with a creative twist on how we approach fighting in an FPS. Despite a few grievances about the length and ambition of the project, it is still a good game, but unfortunately it merely toes the line between good and great, never quite finding its footing. Still, Ghostwire: Tokyo is well worth picking up.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream presents an immediately engaging gameplay hook. The story is interesting and can get new players caught up fairly quickly, though the character designs can leave a lot to be desired. Battles and alchemy are a ton of fun, but the game does have trouble explaining all of its systems effectively.
Paradise Killer is now the perfect murder mystery. With some visual and performance issues taken care of and the addition of new secrets to uncover as well as some gorgeous Ray Tracing, there's never been a better time to breathe life back into paradise.
Tunic sits among the pinnacle of indie titles and is just as fun as it is cute and colorful. There are an astounding amount of secrets to discover in the game and, once you've found everything, you can easily play it again and again to do things in a different order using your knowledge. It's a delightful experience that I just can't get enough of.
Triangle Strategy boasts a deep story with an involved battle system that remains fun throughout and approachable to those who might not have a strategic head. The cutscenes can be overly long and choices don't have as big of an impact as they should, but it's still a great strategy game that you can really sink your teeth into.
While it stumbles greatly in execution, Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Dawn of Ragnarök reignites the magic of the main game with a vast realm to explore and myriad secrets to discover using the new Hugr powers. It's still a ton of fun, just don't expect the story to be all that coherent.
While it can be complete chaos most of the time, Chocobo GP is still a fun and charming kart racer at its heart. There's enough charm here to combat the frustration and bland tracks, and the multiple modes will keep you interested.
Gran Turismo 7 is an excellent racing simulator for those looking for a more realistic experience or to learn more about cars. There's a ton of things to do, cars to collect, and tracks to master with the game's great driving model. While you can feel the sheer passion the developers have for the subject, it does come with some flaws like very slow and tedious progression gates and persistent microtransaction prompts.
As is often the case for live service games, what we reviewed today is the launch product and is likely to evolve over time. As such, realize that this title's features (and soundtrack) is likely to have expanded greatly if you read this review a year from now. Still – what's on offer at launch is very much worth an ongoing subscription, and best of all you don't have to take my word for it – pop over to the Oculus store and sweat it out for yourself.
To sum it all up, Elex II is a blast, both literally and figuratively. What Piranha Bytes was able to achieve in Elex I they were able to build upon, expanding on a world that lives and breathes independently and because of your character. Aside from those little technical issues, the game is sound. I feel like you could also easily get into playing Elex II without having played the first game. However, if you want to understand all of the references, maybe at least watch a recap video first. Either way, this game holds a lot of promise, especially when you consider all the different routes you can take on your playthrough. Who knows where you'll end up?
Final Fantasy VI is still a classic and one of the best in the franchise, now with orchestrated music and redone pixel art. It still retains the issues of the rest of the Pixel Remasters, but does have a bit of extra visual spice on top to make them hurt less.
The sequel to FAR: Lone Sails scours off the rust and polishes the rest to an acceptable shine. It's a well-oiled machine that runs for twice as long, with a lot more adventure hiding under its hood to compensate for the series' shortcomings.
There's really no redeeming quality for the teams behind CrossfireX to look at and say, "We can build off of that". It's a bland shooter that doesn't do anything special, and now that I'm done reviewing it I have no plans to ever touch it again. Maybe if they drop another campaign piece I'll try it, but if I'm Remedy I'd get as far away from this one as possible.
Elden Ring is the culmination of all the Souls entries up to this point, creating a near perfect gameplay experience filled to the brim with incredible boss fights, gorgeous graphics, and an insanely large world to explore. A variety of new ideas, including crafting and the addition of the spirit horse Torrent, help bring a new level of immersion to the proceedings while simultaneously helping Elden Ring feel like a unique entry in the Souls genre. With gameplay tailored for players who want to experience the world solo as well as those who wish to play nearly the entire game in co-op, Elden Ring is a masterclass in design. Minor gripes about a couple of boss fights and the sheer density of the world to explore leaving many areas potentially undiscovered aside, Elden Ring is a nearly flawless experience which old and new fans of the Souls series will enjoy.
Rainbow Six: Extraction is challenging and engaging. However its narrative is borderline useless and the core gameplay is highly demanding to players not used to the genre.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen sets the bar for all Destiny expansions going forward, shifting the paradigm so massively that I could never have expected it. Improving upon problem points in past releases, offering a Legendary mode with difficulty scaling for solos, duos, and trios, and introducing a new crafting system, this expansion has a lot to offer, and that’s without even mentioning that it also includes one of the best PvE raids ever. Witch Queen is a must-play for fans of the looter-shooter genre, and I encourage even those who got burned by Destiny before to give it a try. This is no longer a sign of what is to come. It is here, and it is so, so good.
A great reintroduction to what are arguably the most iconic games in the Assassin's Creed franchise. The Switch Edition allows for anyone to play the game the way they want; TV, handheld, or with the kickstand. Each game looks great however you want to play.
Pathologic 2: The Marble Nest isn't as engaging gameplay wise as the base game, but it's still a very interesting microcosm of the game's themes and a fascinating glimpse into what the Bachelor's full campaign might look like.