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It's been nearly a decade since Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! released exclusively in Japan, but RGG Studio has finally brought it over to the West in the form of Like a Dragon: Ishin!, and it does not disappoint. Not only does Ishin! touch upon an important part of Japanese history, it does so by excellently balancing ridiculously fun over-the-top action with engrossing narrative pacing and mature character development. It doesn't quite meet the bar of a full on remake though, so that's something worth considering.
If you're into Metroidvanias, Elderand is a fantastic entry for the genre.
WILD HEARTS marks the emergence of a worthy new AAA franchise. While the game suffers a bit from some minor technical issues on PC, the core gameplay is astoundingly strong. The mixture of wildly creative Kemono monsters and player-built karakuri creates a strong, addictive cocktail of fun. The challenge level is high, but victory feels triumphant. Highly recommended.
Pharaoh is a throwback in the best possible way. Harkening back to a time when city management games were actually manageable, Pharaoh will still present players with a good amount of challenge. There is a ton of game here to enjoy, and it continuously pushes the player to find unique ways to solve interesting problems. It is worth mentioning that there may be a gators hiding in the Nile right out of the gate upon release, but one can expect those to be cleaned up in short order; there is nothing here that should stop prospective players from starting their own Egyptian empires. Fun and addictive.
It's without a doubt that Wanted: Dead is oozing with style and glamor thanks to its immaculate art direction and addictive hybrid combat system. The cherries on top are the included shmup, claw machine, and karaoke minigames that simply add more drip to the overall experience.We don't get enough games like these nowadays and I'm all for it. Unfortunately, there's just a ton of technical performance issues at launch that need to be addressed immediately.
The bottom line is that Hogwarts Legacy is fun. Exploring the school, Hogsmeade and the surrounding hamlets is rewarding. The spells feel like they've come alive from the pages of the books. Combat is exciting and very challenging on the higher settings. But it's not without some faults. Glitches are encountered frequently, and some parts of the game can be frustrating. On PS5, Hogwarts Legacy looks and runs great. If you're really into the world of Harry Potter, or open world games in general, you are going to love Hogwarts Legacy.
Motive has done a bloody brilliant job with their faithful reimagining of Dead Space, ultimately setting the new standard for future remakes. Everything you remember about the original is here, but better, with visceral combat encounters, intricate puzzles, and an extended narrative. This is not to mention the beautifully terrifying visuals, immaculate atmosphere building, and excellent technical performance that act as cherries on top. It's without a doubt that this is the definitive way to enjoy one of the best survival horror experiences of all time.
The World War Z Aftermath next-gen update brings new visuals, fixes old audio issues, and introduces an expanded Horde Mode XL that packs more zekes on-screen than ever. The game is entirely predicated on the uninhibited good time that mowing down waves of onrushing enemies presents itself. Unfortunately, that's both where the game starts and ends. It's a rush, over and again, but when you want to look for something different, you have to go elsewhere to find it. A great gameplay loop to be sure, but a one-trick pony never the less.
If you're worried about Persona 4 Golden showing its old age, don't, because it maintains its allure and sparkle even after being buried away on the PlayStation Vita for over a decade. Atlus has managed to make the re-release of a re-release of a game that came out in 2008 feel like a fresh new experience. Persona 4 Golden is an absolute must play for any Persona fan, with its immaculate soundtrack, colorful cast of characters, and addictive gameplay loop.
It ultimately feels like a missed opportunity that Atlus didn't combine the features of both FES and Portable to create an official definitive version of Persona 3. Nonetheless, bringing Persona 3 Portable onto pretty much all modern platforms is appreciated, as the game maintains its charm despite its age. However, it's a little hard recommending this specific title to newer fans of the series especially with 5 Royal and 4 Golden already out there, as Portable suffers from some outdated design choices and cut corners. The soundtrack still slaps though.
OddBallers is a charmingly fun dodgeball party game with a simple yet addictive gameplay loop that has snuck onto the scene without so much as a peep. Due to a non-existent online player base, the AI does an admirable job propping up this wonderful game that more people should be playing.
If you can find some time out of your busy everyday life to step into the world of SEASON: A letter to the future, then I highly beckon you to do so. Scavengers Studio has created a beautiful work of art that captures powerful motifs of humanity and themes of preservation. After all, it's the memories we choose to remember that really matter in the end.
The game's lack of depth and lack of goals to work towards leaves much to be desired. Tumbleweed Destiny is a simple game where players control a tumbleweed in a desert setting and collect TP to upgrade their tumbleweed. The game's slow start and limited activities, like knocking over cacti and taking down a repeating enemy, make it unengaging and uninteresting. The game also lacks proper communication options, making the online play feel like a solo experience. The end goal of reaching the moon, or going to the second location once you've earned enough TP was underwhelming to say the least. The grind was long and tedious; the juice is not worth the squeeze for Tumbleweed Destiny.
Mahokenshi will test every logical and strategic bone in your body. A mix of deck builders and board games, Mahokenshi pushes the player to try different strategies, and the game is not shy about smacking down your pitiful attempts until you get it right. Come prepared for a unique experience, and put on your toughest armor, and you may get hours of enjoyment from this one. Just don't take it personally when you find yourself face down in the mud.
Forspoken is absolutely fantastic. With all the spells you can unlock, the gear you can upgrade, the fights, the bosses, and a storyline that rivals the best video game stories, this isn't a return to form for SquareEnix, it's a testament that they still got it, and will have it for a very, very long time.
Monster Hunter Rise distills the fun of boss fights into an entire game, and it excels at doing so. While it is good in single-player, the best experience is found online playing with fellow hunters. Despite not adequately holding the player's hand in regard to its ancillary systems, Rise never gets in its own way, and offers a fun experience for both casual players looking for short bursts of fun, as well as the more hardcore looking for a time sink.
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a fantastic game. It reminds you of how those old SNES and Genesis games were, enhanced with plenty of quality of life elements. If all your side scrolling melee retro games got together, and created a game in the lab of a maniacal government, it would be this. If you love retro 16-bit action games, you won't regret this. Cyber ninja vanish.
Blacktail is a great game with some minor flaws here and there, but nothing that really takes away from the experience. The morality mechanics do a great job at shaping your abilities and what you're able to do and the storytelling is pretty well done. If you're not great at survival games you might struggle a bit with the game's resource management, especially since your bow and arrows are your only physical weapons. Overall though, as long as you remember that survival is priority one and firing arrows at everything in sight is priority zero, you should still have an enjoyable time with Blacktail.
The core of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains unchanged, thank god. It's the same game we all fell in love with before. Playing on a PlayStation 5 and being able to play around with the new controls, including the haptic and adaptive triggers made playing as Geralt all the better. The new quick casting system works wonders for me, and if it doesn't for you then you retain the old configuration. The framerate has been given a noticeable overhaul as well. I no longer chugged about when I ran while in a city full of objects. This is the perfect excuse to play The Witcher 3 again. The best part of the update is that it's completely free; you can't afford not to play again.
I'll never forget my first playthrough of Crisis Core back in 2007 and I'll also never forget my Reunion with it in 2022. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a triumphant example from both Square Enix and Tose of how an excellent remaster should look. If you can look past some outdated game design choices and see this as a faithful recreation instead, then you can truly appreciate what this game has to offer. This is a must-play for any fan of the Final Fantasy VII universe.