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If I hadn't played Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II when I was in high school, would I have enjoyed it now? I don't think so. The simplistic look did not age well. The city of Baldur's Gate feels empty and lifeless. The couch co-op is good; being able to play online would have been great, but only the PC version has that. The only real update was the rapid loading times and smooth frame rate. But I did play this back in high school. The memories carried over from 18 years ago. I'm lucky that the nostalgia was strong enough for me to look past the obvious flaws of Dark Alliance II. Because I was able to distance myself from the flaws, I was able to have a blast playing. Exploring, fighting, and the characters all had a familiar feel that made my time enjoyable. It might not be as sharp and crisp as a modern hack and slash game, but it didn't matter.
XEL looks great on the surface, but unfortunately it has too many bugs and technical issues to warrant recommending it to anyone. The framerate drops and slow-loading zone transitions alone can cause some frustrations, but add in an uncontrollable camera that is overly distant from the action, difficult to detect enemies, and terrain that is easy to get stuck to - forcing you to reload from your last save point, and you have a game that is near unplayable in its current state. Patches may resolve these issues, but as of right now XEL is too frustrating to fully enjoy.
It's easy for Coromon to be labeled a clone. It almost begs you to think of it as one. On the surface, it looks like a new set of monsters were dropped into a nearly identical world. But dig a little deeper. A story that doesn't have gyms or badges, customization in both difficulty and player options that you don't see in the competitor. Coromon feels more like a spiritual successor to monster trainer games of decades past. Sharper pixel graphics and features that people ask for are present throughout. The look of Coromon is more refined than what you'd expect from a "clone". If you enjoy collecting monsters, then Coromon has it. If you want a new twist, something that helps define the genre moving forward, you're might be let down.
More a puzzler than a sim game, Train Valley: Console Edition delivers hours of fun from a simple concept - lay down tracks and keep the trains moving without bashing them into each other. Though the controls are somewhat awkward on a gamepad, the rewards for playing far outweigh the slight inconvenience. Well worth a shot for those that enjoy management puzzles and fiery wrecks.
What's my final piece of advice for Long Live the Queen? Shake it off and try again. Is it worth the challenge? Yes. Being successful is gratifying. But having said that, this is a menu game; navigating menus is the core mechanic. There's also plenty of reading that is required, skipping over it makes playing this game almost pointless. The soundtrack is beyond repetitive, nearing an annoyance, but it isn't required to play. Touch controls are fantastic, elevating this to being a great game to sit on the couch and play.
As Dusk Falls offers a great new take on the adventure genre, focusing on a story that feels grounded in the real world, made all the more impactful through its stellar artwork. The multiplayer works fine and is fun, but I found myself wanting to play without others. Satisfying narratively regardless of your choices, As Dusk Falls is weighty and serious, surprising with great writing, realistic characters, and plenty of twists. Highly recommended.
Stray is more than just a cat simulator; it's a love letter to cats and cat owners alike. It is an absolute spectacle from beginning to end, with a heart wrenching narrative and enough cat-centric puzzles to have you meowing for more. BlueTwelve Studio did an immaculate job bringing this project to life, immersing you in a dystopian world filled to the brim with mystery, all the while making you truly feel like an adorable feline. We need more games like this in the industry, ones that stand tall on their own and don't bank on the success of their inspirations.
Kayak VR: Mirage delivers one of the most realistic VR experiences I've seen, setting a new benchmark for visual fidelity and water physics. The four environments in the game feel like real places, and the control over your vessel is perhaps the best simulation I've experienced. While racing is available (and will appeal to many), simply exploring the environments is amazingly rewarding. Some technical issues mar the experience somewhat, but this is still a game that every person with the tech to run it should buy immediately.
Rune Factory 5 is a very fun "get to town and do all the things" game, which has been cleaned up significantly from it's initial release on Switch. The PC version of the game is clean and crisp, allowing players to address settings before even booting the game up. With a ton of fun activities and places to explore, Rune Factory 5 has a little something for everyone, and is appropriate (and fun) for all audiences. Farm, explore, romance, capture monsters; every activity is gently charming. Well worth a look for adults, but good luck keeping the kids away from it.
Outriders is a game that launched with an array of bugs, glitches, and crashes during its initial launch. It's probably the best time to jump in and play Outriders right now, especially after the free New Horizons update along with this massive Worldslayer DLC. The new expansion comes at a steep price point, but shines with its polished endgame content and loot pool. Sure, it can get repetitive, grindy, and tedious, but that shouldn't be a problem if you're into this type of game. Just make sure you have two buddies who are down to play with you because playing solo just isn't that fun.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak adds more of everything that fans want – more quests, more environments, more endgame content – all couched in the same great gameplay that made Rise one of last year's best titles. Enter aware of the blistering difficulty, but also acknowledge Sunbreak providing the tools to overcome it. Embrace the multiplayer, be prepared to faint, and have a blast.
Bloodious Games has been developing MADiSON since 2016, and it's incredible to see a project of this magnitude come to fruition from a team of only two people. MADiSON creates a harrowing experience for fans to feast on, with its outstanding atmospheric tension, eccentric camera mechanic, and psychedelic puzzles. Apart from being a horror game, it also showcases some truly artistic stages and mythos. There are some beautiful landscapes to explore and investigate as you plunge into a spiral of insanity. After all, you are the Mad Son.
There are definitely some quality of life improvements to these games. The never-before-released games are super cool. This collection is a little pricey, but with the music, museum, rollback netcode, and internet features, I totally understand why. If you've been playing these games forever like I have, then you may pass this up. But if you want to see where it all started, plus see what other fighting games Capcom dipped their toes into, the collection is for you. Good luck climbing the ranks though- the old school gamers and the FGC are waiting for you at the top.
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue DX is kindling; easily combustible and not much else. A platformer that makes platforming impossible at times. It also wants to borrow from roguelikes and Metroidvanias, but ends up taking all the wrong elements from them. Firegirl feels repetitive well before it should, including a camera that frustrates and leads to cheap deaths. The art of Firegirl is excellent. The 2D-HD made me feel like I was sitting in the living room of my parents house and I was nine years old again. But that's nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
If you enjoy modern Resident Evil titles such as Resident Evil 7 and Village, then you will feel right at home with Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel. It's an obvious love letter to the franchise that contains plenty of lore, mystery, horror, and puzzles. Unfortunately, the janky controls take away from what otherwise is an indie game with lots of heart and promise.
As a fan of Supermassive's other games I was really excited for this one, hoping it would be as good as Until Dawn, but after I finished it I just felt disappointed, especially with the abrupt ending and bad writing that made me not even want to try another playthrough to see how else the story could have played out.
Redout 2 is a game that looks amazingly sleek and fun through pictures, descriptions, and videos. The facade is dropped when you actually play the game for yourself, and find a slew of poor design choices, unnecessary difficulty curves, incomplete features, and repetitive gameplay. This doesn't even include the atrociously implemented HDR that burned my eyes and gave me a headache. Even if you're a fan of the genre, I recommend sticking with the first Redout until this sequel is heavily patched or discounted.
This is not only the best Turtles beat 'em up, it is the greatest beat 'em up of all time. This is a party starter; a feel-good moment in gaming. This game is the default blueprint for future beat 'em ups. Do not wait. Get this game. Play this game. Love this game. Oh...and Cowabunga.
While Samurai Riot has decent gameplay and an interesting choose-your-own-path mechanic, I cannot recommend anyone buy Samurai Riot for the Switch right now due to the save erasing bug.
While I can't fault Cloud Gardens for its cool visuals or interesting themes, those things are ultimately lost to fiddley controls and a somewhat obtuse gameplay loop. Many players will likely enjoy the creative side of this game, but others will be left wondering why they are trashing up perfectly nice scenes.