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MachineGames has fully captured the essence of what makes the original Indiana Jones trilogy great, delivering a fantastic experience full of stunning detail that feels like you are living through one of those 80s Indy adventures. With great characters, amazing graphics, and a stellar story, this game sets a new bar for how to adapt a franchise and give fans a new experience that would otherwise be impossible. A few minor bugs here and there, but otherwise a stellar achievement. Keep 'em coming.
Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop blends simulator-esque puzzle solving with a roguelike framework. The result is an often tedious slog that requires the utmost patience, a laser-focused attention span, and a love for tinkering. Put simply, at the end of a long day at work, this is not the game you want to cozy up with.
Void Crew is a game that thrives on chaos and camaraderie, delivering an intense co-op experience that rewards communication, quick thinking, and teamwork. When played with a full, committed crew, it's one of the most thrilling multiplayer games I've played. But for those who lack a dedicated team-or the patience to wrangle strangers in online lobbies-the game's steep difficulty may prove more frustrating than fun.
Wall Town Wonders is a visual delight, an charming burst of creativity that will awaken the inner child in any player. But the amazing experience of having a community of tiny humans taking up residence in the walls of your home is marred by the fact that interacting with the titular town can be a struggle. Technical issues mute the magic somewhat, but cannot stifle the fact that this game is indeed a wonder.
Tetris Forever is a pretty slick package. You learn a lot that you didn't know, and it's cool to know that Tetris will definitely be around if all other games were to go by the wayside. With so many ways to play it, and so many systems, I would've loved to see more of a variation, or versions of Tetris. "Play Tetris, My Friends" is the quote in the opening by Mr. Pajitnov himself. I would, but there's so much Bombtriss blocking the way.
Somehow, the developers of Lego Horizon Adventures found the perfect recipe to simplify everything about Horizon while keeping the charm and the nuances that make the franchise so endearing to its fans. The development team knocked it out of the park in translating such a robust experience to a family friendly version that can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages. This is an enjoyable ride for everyone but especially for fans of the franchise.
Overall, the evolution is positive, but the single year development cycle is really hard to ignore with all the little issues and frustrations that the game shipped with. The menus are bad and there are far too many bugs in this year's iteration of EA Sports FC 25. The slower gameplay and move to deeper tactics are features I actually really enjoy, but I can totally understand how many fans might be disappointed at this move away arcade style play to a more methodical approach. There's no reason not to pick it up, but wait on the frequent sales and discounts the game will see.
Making my VR wishes come true, Square Enix has delivered a stellar port of Triangle Strategy to Meta Quest. With the interface fully reimagined to take advantage of VR's 3D capabilities, the battle sequences play out like a gorgeous living board game. Yes, there is a lot of story here, but it is rich and engaging, and the 3D mixed reality implementation soars. I would encourage every VR fan to support this game, as I will not be satisfied until we have many more like it.
Far more than just an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, Empire of the Ants is a brilliant RTS game. Smart, confident gameplay design keeps things simple while challenging your tactical abilities at a near-perfect pace. It's one of the best surprises of 2024.
Call of Duty is so back. A campaign that returns to form, the best multiplayer suite of the current console generation of COD's, and a chaotically fun Zombies mode. Black Ops 6 delivers in every way.
A worthy upgrade that brings it closer to the fidelity of its sequel, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the best version of a great sci-fi RPG. Guerrilla Games and Nixxes Software have turned this remaster skeptic into a true believer.
Retrorealms pays homage to two of the biggest horror franchises, and their respective fan bases here. I suppose if you're a hardcore fan, and you like video games, this is kind of cool. If you meet one of these criteria, maybe play a demo first. Great pixel art, great music, but definitely comparing it to the Halloween with Busta Rhymes.
As warm, deep, and emotionally engaging as it ever was, Life is Strange: Double Exposure delivers another great adventure for beloved hero Max Caulfield. With a great new cast of interesting characters, a banger of a mystery, and enough ethical dilemmas to fry your brain, Double Exposure continues putting players through the wringer in the best possible way. A few minor technical issues cannot distract from the great story and beautiful visuals.
Wildermyth is one of the best turn-based RPGs I've ever played. Immersive storytelling, brilliant pacing, and simple yet complex gameplay makes this one addictive game. It's so good that not even a save file bug could turn me away from it. Don't miss this one.
It has been some time since I've come into contact with a game that seems loved by the masses that I don't understand, but that's Phasmophobia. I don't understand why it's ok that you have to have a team of four people in order to find mild success. I don't understand why I need to spend time looking up a cheat sheet to help understand why a haunt is fun. I hate that I need to do so much outside the game, or to play round after round, just to have a better understanding of what is going on. I'm not opposed to playing Phasmophobia again, but it would take some convincing from at least three friends who are in need of a fourth played to have a full party. I also think each session is very dependent on having a good group of people around you in order to enjoy Phasmophobia, or at least a funny group of people to laugh at the misery of playing.
Fear the Spotlight is a short but fantastic classic Survival Horror experience. Filled with an intriguing story, great characters, fun puzzles, this game delivers lots of tension and a lot of love, care, and passion for the games that we grew up with as kids. I cannot recommend this enough if you are a fan of the genre.
At times, Arkham Shadow is the coolest VR game ever made. But a bevy of game-stopping bugs and some of the sharpest difficulty spikes I've ever encountered keep this bat from immediately soaring. An incredible - and incredibly gorgeous - VR translation of core Arkham mechanics, but still too rough around the edges for such a prestige franchise. Give it a couple of weeks and it will be a nigh-perfect experience, but it's a shame it's releasing in this condition.
Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is a bit of a rough outing for those who didn't play it back on the Super NES and Genesis, but the port makes it a lot more accessible. The extra features menu looks a bit plain and could have been done better (especially the instruction manual), and if you plan to play without utilizing save states or the rewind feature you'll be in for a rough time. If you're looking for a good challenge and don't want to shell out a bunch of money for a physical copy of the originals, six dollars makes it more than worth it to pick this one up.
Not a remake, not an action RPG, but definitely a very refined MMO experienced tailored to be inclusive to solo and console players, New World has received a major shot of accessibility with the release of Aeternum. With a welcoming community, a refined story, and some very fun crafting mechanics, there is a lot of material here to dig into and enjoy. If you are looking for a new title to sink 1000 hours into, you could do far worse than this one.
Starship Troopers: Extermination on console puts the rough in Roughnecks. Technical issues, poor crossplay implementation, and frustratingly chaotic gameplay design leave much to be desired.