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rose-engine has created a heartfelt love letter to retro classic survival horror titles with their debut project Signalis. Despite some frustrations, it conjures up a tense experience from start to finish with its compelling narrative, immaculate atmosphere, and beautiful pixel art.
Is Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Ultimate Edition the best action RPG that isn't about the devil guy everyone knows about? No. Is this a groundbreaking ARPG? Also no. Is it great for those who are super into the Warhammer lifestyle? Probably. A few gameplay elements felt like frustrations instead of straight-up turn-offs. Text that is hard to read, combat feels less action-packed, and the cover mechanics confused me. But there are plenty of bright spots for people who like ARPGs to enjoy. The way the missions work, you could play this indefinitely if you don't get bored of the repetitive action that most ARPGs tend to provide. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Ultimate Edition isn't a ground-breaking formula shift to ARPGs. Instead, it's a well-made ARPG that makes you feel like you're playing in the world of Warhammer 40,000.
The Winters' Expansion ties up some loose ends, and allows you to revisit the game 16 years later. It's a short but fun romp back into the village. The Mercenaries addition is also really fun. The third person view is a little much, but if you want to find out what happened at the end of Resident Evil Village, this will surely fulfill your desires. Is Rose the future of Resident Evil? I'm here for it.
Atlus has undoubtedly created a definitive experience that takes the crown jewel JRPG of the generation. Persona 5 Royal improves on everything the vanilla version was lacking, with new content, gameplay adjustments, and quality of life improvements, whilst telling a compelling narrative with colorful characters. This PlayStation 5 native port may be off-putting to previous owners on PlayStation 4 with no upgrade paths, but the faster load times, silky smooth 60 frames per second, 4K native resolution, and all included DLC make this title a must-play for any JRPG fan.
Sony Santa Monica Studio has created another masterful work of art, going above and beyond with world-class storytelling, in-depth combat mechanics, exquisite visuals, unparalleled performance, and a slew of modern accessibility features. God of War Ragnarök continues the endearing journey of father and son in a grand spectacular finale of the Norse Saga. This is the game of the generation.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a delight for players of all ages, regardless of the platform you play on. With amazing visuals and a stellar soundtrack, Sackboy delivers one of the most creative platformers in years. PC gamers can of course maximize their experience to their system's best ability, but regardless of the power of your rig, Sackboy is worth a look.
Wonky translations asid,e both Chaos;Head NoAH and Chaos;Child are filled with great characters, fantastic murder mystery whodunit stories and some twists that blew my mind. These games certainly won't be for everyone though. If you can stomach the disturbing subject matter of the games I highly recommend giving them a shot, especially if you are a fan of Steins;Gate or Robotics;Notes. It's finally great that the entire Science Adventure series is now available to play in preparation of the next game Anonymous;Code releasing next year.
PGA Tour 2K23 is a perfectly fine golf sim that manages to neither impress nor disappoint. It's unlikely that you'll hate it, but it's likely that you'll be left wanting more out of it. If you've played a golf sim in the last decade this one will feel very familiar to you, for better or worse.
With Cultic, the nostalgia hits hard. So hard that it was easy to overlook some of the lighter features of the game. Enemies are mindless cult fanatics, sometimes with a gun, other times with an ax, and on occasion dressed in more than just robes. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that Cultic made me feel like I was sitting on a kitchen chair in my friend's house, taking turns trying to clear levels like I was ten years old. When I find something that gives me that goosebump feeling of nostalgia, I eat it up. Cultic made it feel like Thanksgiving; I can't wait to see what the solo developer, Jason Smith, cooks up for chapter two.
So is it worth it this year? That's a firm "yes". The Hypermotion 2 engine lives up to it's hype and delivers what it probably the best simulation of football I've seen. You have a variety of game modes to find your favorites with some like Volta that deliberately speed up the pace that the engine tends to slow down in Career. You also have the widest variety of stars to choose from featuring men's and women's teams as well as all the licenses and real player likenesses you can hope for. However, Career mode needs some love. And by love I don't mean more meaningless transfer cutscenes. I mean depth beyond just the UK pyramid: add some real lower division teams across leagues and stop neglecting everything outside of Europe.
If you want a fighting game that you'll have fun watching, and playing, Them's Fightin' Herds is the game for you. A lot of charm. A lot of depth. 4-legged fun 4 all!
I would have laughed in disbelief if you told me NieR: Automata was being ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2017, considering how disastrous this game's launch was on the PlayStation 4. The team at Virtuos did an outstanding job with NieR: Automata - The End of YoRHa Edition, a native port of the original game on the Switch that is undeniably the definitive way to enjoy Yoko Taro's masterpiece. Sure, the graphics and frame rates take a dip, but that's the price of portability.
Dakar Desert Rally is one of the most accessible rally racing titles on the market. Combine that with gorgeous locations and thrilling driving, and you have a game with something to offer all racing enthusiasts, regardless of their niche.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection gathers two of the best action/adventure titles of all time, and presents them in the best possible light. Limited only by your gaming PC's capabilities, both the performance and content of these titles are nothing less than stellar. Laughs, thrills, and gorgeous presentation; beyond recommended, this collection is a must.
It's not everyday you see a refreshing approach on the Souls-like genre, especially one that doesn't take itself too seriously. The Last Hero of Nostalgaia does just that, putting you into the pixelated boots of a bundle of sticks on a mission to restore the entire world of video games. Developer Over The Moon does a fantastic job wrapping what we all know and love about Dark Souls with a layer of satirical flare and video game history. If you can get past some frustrating design choices and janky keyboard controls, then you're in for a nostalgic treat.
A worthy successor to the previous game.
Sequels are difficult to get right, but Asobo Studio has created a wonderful follow up to Amicia and Hugo's journey. A Plague Tale: Requiem effortlessly expands on the premise of the original by fleshing out a more in-depth gameplay experience to cater to various playstyle while maintaining an engaging narrative filled with colorful yet unpredictable characters. The game is unfortunately only held back by performance issues and icky bugs.
It's a shame I can't see myself playing more Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. It feels like developer IllFonic pulled out all the stops to make this a great asymmetrical title, including notable attention to detail with all the Ghostbusters callbacks. In single player, the enemy AI was fine, but the teammate AI was horrible, driving home the fact that I was playing alone. If I could convince four other humans to play with me, I could invest hours of time without blinking; it's a shame this game requires five people to enjoy it properly.
Full of body horror and psychotically twisted imagery, players will have a variety of reactions to Scorn, but they are unlikely to be bored. While the game's world building and puzzle design are top-notch, the combat and a punitive checkpoint system may turn some players off. Regardless, the big swing by developer Ebb Software definitely pays off. There are no other games on the market quite like Scorn.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway is a perfectly competent kart racer, which is elevated by an insane number of levels, characters, and configuration options. Far better than I expected, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3 blasts players in the face with a slime-hose of options and game modes, offering hours of entertainment to kids and parents alike. Bottom line is, my kids like it, I like it, and we aren't going to stop playing it any time soon. I can't think of a better recommendation for a title of this nature.