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SWARM is a really difficult, yet immensely rewarding VR game. It's designed to stress you out both physically and mentally, but once you break that barrier and keep your rhythm going, nothing can stop you. The art style is pleasant, it lacks visual issues that plague many other Oculus Quest titles, and it's just overall incredibly fun to play for hours on end.
Mechanically, it falls short of its true potential, but you can't help but get swept up in the journeys of these characters. The game's got heart, and none of its flaws can really take that away.
There's a good game in here somewhere and I really want it to break the surface, but performance issues and questionable difficulty are holding down a great game.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 for the PS5 is a great PlayStation game, but not necessarily a great PS5 game. It's still a ton of fun to play, with no noticeable bugs or glitches. However, the only utilized PS5 feature is improved loading times. Adaptic triggers and haptic feedback felt largely unused, so much so it felt more like I was playing with a PS4 controller. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop this remake from being amazing --- it's still a ton of fun to play, and for new players there's plenty of content to chew through that you won't necessarily be missing those missed DualSense features.
While it's still too difficult to get into, Monster Hunter Rise is the best entry to date. Hunts feel faster and more dynamic than ever and additions like Weapon Swap Skills, Wyvern Riding, Palamutes, the Rampage, and especially Wirebugs keep the gameplay fresh and exciting.
The Kingdom Hearts PC ports are surprisingly excellent. With a substantial amount of options in 3 especially, this will no doubt please players who want to experience some of the saga at upwards of 900 frames per second. While there are a few blemishes, like blurry movies and no mouse support, each of these games is well worth owning for fans of the series. Just wait for a big sale.
It Takes Two is one of the most unique games I've played in a long time. The heartfelt story can be really dark at times, but does it's job to reinforce the narrative. There aren't many co-op games on the market, and none of them do what It Takes Two does, with each bit of the platforming gameplay being tons of fun and adding enjoyable new techniques as you make your way through each level. It may be tough to lock someone down for fifteen hours to play it, and even then I feel like I'm reaching for this as a con, but if you find someone that wants to play It Takes Two with, you probably won't want to put down the controller.
Tales from the Borderlands is just as good as you remember it. The characters feel real and human, while the plot is compelling and worth seeing through to the end. This port could have used a few upgrades or even just kept the choice summaries, but at the end of the day it's a game I'll replay for years to come.
The Fabled Woods collects all the necessary ingredients for a solid, meditative casual adventure, but its awkward execution leaves its narrative beats without any real weight.
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a heartfelt and human exploration of grief. While it will certainly make you feel things, it stumbles a bit in the execution with ham fisted moments, glitches, and overall simplicity of puzzles.
Everhood is a fantastic freshman effort that brings unexpected and refreshing spins to both the RPG and rhythm genre. The creative combat system and repeat-friendly soundtrack are definitely strong points but the thought-provoking story elevates the unusual adventure to excellent heights.
In some ways falling short, but in many ways vastly exceeding the original, Evil Genius 2: World Domination is everything we wanted in a sequel to one of the best evildoer simulators ever made. It recaptures the spirit of the original, brings it up to modern standards, and lets us play in an evil sandbox of our own making.
Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realm gives us a fresh protagonist, a completely new setting, familiar mechanics and a few new tricks. With fantastic logic puzzles and the same tight combat as the base game, Myths of the Eastern Realm represents a great new way to experience everything we loved from the original. Let's hope Ubisoft continues to take risks like this as they seem to pay off in a big way.
Kaze and the Wild Masks is a near-perfect platformer with a lot of charm and entertaining gameplay. It’s just a rush of amazing platforming action chock-full of collectibles and challenge that will have you grinning ear-to-ear like you did in the 90s.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is an enjoyable little farming romp; it's charming and calming, but doesn't quite capture the magic of some earlier installments. While slow load times, customization restrictions, and a few quality of life issues can make parts of your play a bit of a slog, the mines have returned, you can romance any eligible bachelor or bachelorette
Adios is a narrative achievement. It uses the medium of video games to tell a deeply human story that will stick with you long after you put the game down. With some of the best voice acting in the business Adios is a must play and one of my favorite games this year.
While Murder on Eridanos has fun moments focusing on investigating and dialogue choices, it is actively undermined by shoving combat in your face and a twist that makes events leading up to that point feel pointless.
While the games themselves haven't aged terribly well and there are too many fighting games here, NeoGeo Pocket Color Selections Vol. 1 demonstrates the best way to preserve old games. On top of simply playing the games themselves, you can take a look at everything that came with the cartridges way back when on top of taking advantage of convenience features like rewind. Unfortunately, this is undermined by the incredibly small screen size which you cannot change.
There are not many games that are marred with so many issues as Flow Weaver. The gameplay is boring, the texture quality is akin to a PS1 game, the story is barely interesting, and there are far too many bugs and glitches to count. Trudging through the mess that this game is, the only redeemable quality is the dimension-hopping --- a great idea that definitely needs to be implemented properly. As for now, Flow Weaver is not one I'd recommend getting your hands on.
Bravely Default II is a good RPG that undermines everything amazing the previous two games. The new battle style discourages risk taking and thus less freedom with the job system. The first 30 or so hours are great, despite a slow start in terms of gameplay, but the last 20 are too frustrating to be worthwhile and the story ends on an unsatisfying note.