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RiffTrax: The Game almost entirely relies on the quick wit of the people playing it; play with a bunch of duds and you will have a dire evening. But if you have funny friends, you can have a pretty decent time playing the "Write a Riff" mode for a few rounds. Just stay far away from the "Pick a Riff" mode, and understand that the appeal here is very limited to those that enjoy this form of entertainment already.
Loot River has a lot of good features. Controls, artwork, music are all very nice. The combat, while not bad, does nothing to move the genre forward. The unique Tetris-like platform moving is enjoyable, but nowhere near the complexity or difficulty of Tetris. I can see the potential for a great experience, but it just isn't quite there. Occasional difficulty spikes that knock me for a loop and put me out of the mood to make another run leaves Loot River as a good, not great, game.
I'm not sure what I thought I was going to get with Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition. I thought I would be swept away in the story and taken on an adventure I wouldn't forget. What I got was a game that feels like it is trapped in 1995. Some of that is good, solid combat, old-school CG cutscenes, excellent music. If you are new to Chrono Cross this edition is the one you want. It is beyond welcoming to new players. But there was too much holding the game back for me to make it a great game. A cast list so massive I felt bothered by it, and a story that is a bit bonkers was too much for me. Chrono Cross had to crawl so modern JRPGs could run, but it doesn't fit in with JRPGs of today.
The Last Friend is going to keep you busy. You'll say "aww" a LOT, because the dogs are so cute. If you have an itch for a fantastic tower defense game, and a beat 'em up, rolled into one cool adventure, this is the game for you. At 14.99, you don't have much to lose. It gets a little "ruff" at times, but not enough to turn it off. Well worth it.
White Shadows tackles heavy themes with some wonderful storytelling. The gameplay itself is competent, and there is enough variety level to level to make the experience fresh throughout. Through stark visuals and a well placed soundtrack it presents its tale artfully, but unfortunately runs its course in only a few hours. It's hard to squeeze a great deal of game from the experience, but what is there is splendid.
Counterplay Games did a commendable job enhancing, tweaking, and extending Godfall into one complete package. The core issues are still there though, with poorly implemented combat, boring narrative, and endless grind. But for the amount of content you are getting at a finally reasonable price-point, it's worth a try for those that are into the looter genre. At least it's pretty!
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed can take you back to 2008, with all the good and mediocrity that comes with it. Do you need to play this if you like Star Wars? I think so. It's a story that feels right at home with the original trilogy, some plot is good, some goofy, it's certainly Star Wars. Some shortcomings like basic level design, targeting, and boss mini games. But using your force lightning to attack clone troops is satisfying. Not a perfect game, but darn near close to a perfect Star Wars game.
Postal 4: No Regerts is ugly to look and ugly to play – less because it is offensive or inappropriate, more because it is so poorly done. By completely whiffing on anything resembling humor and utterly failing to deliver any meaningful gameplay, Postal 4 delivers nothing of value to players unless they really enjoy watching a game crash once an hour. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Atari shows you how to mix a colorful, laid back vibe with an intense challenge. This gem takes everything you know about puzzles, and platformers, and throws it in the compactor, or should we say, the Kombiner. Win if you must, fail because you will. To quote an old video game show host, "Good Luck! You'll need it".
No Place Like Home offers a unique take of the farm simulation genre by placing you on a near desolate Earth. Unfortunately it is also void of memorable NPCs and contains little story to sink into. While the addition of a sci-fi element is welcome, the overall gameplay feels like it came from a farm sim made fifteen years ago. There is plenty to enjoy, especially if you want to stick to farming and cleaning up. But since No Place Like Home feels like it is missing modern mechanics that have become mainstays in the genre I'm not sure it's for everyone.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is impressive in every sense. From the tight, scripted story gameplay to the sprawling open world, every piece of this game feels lovingly crafted. While the Switch version feels a bit dated, that's not the fault of the developer, which squeezed an impressive performance from Nintendo's handheld. This is a game with enough fresh content to keep players coming back for years to come.
Bush League Hockey got just about everything right except for the actual Hockey part, which is a shame because this is a charming arcade-style game but it's not something that I can see a lot of people wanting to play over long periods of time.
Weird West is a fun not-quite-RPG that feels like the beginning of a great new franchise. Perfectly enjoyable to play, this first iteration lays a lot of groundwork towards what will likely become an ongoing series. Darkly funny and surprising, each character's story arc is unique and rewarding. While a system of branching choices impacting the game's story feels like a natural evolution from what is here, what is presented is very enjoyable. Weird West creates a universe I don't want to leave. When it was over, I just wanted more - which is the biggest hurdle a new franchise can overcome.
I am at a loss for words when it comes to Rune Factory 5. I had a lot of fun, but it comes at a price. In order to truly enjoy the game I have to get over the horrible optimization. It's not game breaking, but frustrating doesn't begin to cover it. The RPG mechanics are fun, so is the farming. While not the update to the series I was hoping for, there is still fun to be had for the die hard fans who simply have to play it. Everyone else might want to enter with care.
Wunderling DX is an interesting take on the "villain becomes a hero" concept in that you're basically a minion setting out to stop the hero. While I can see some players may be turned off by the simplicity of the game and the easiness of the early-going, there's enough content and collectables to keep things fresh throughout your journey as an underling setting out to stop a hero. As backwards as that concept may seem, I thoroughly enjoyed my time through Wunderling DX.
Destiny 2 has tried to be many things over its four and a half years, and while it seemed there has always been a step back for every two steps forward the game would make, The Witch Queen is one giant leap ahead. With this expansion, Destiny 2 is quite simply at the best game state it has ever been, and offers so much to do and reason to do it that every player that ever loved this game should give it a shot to rekindle exactly what it was that sparked that passion in the first place.
I didn't know what to expect with Ghostwire: Tokyo at first. It uniquely meshes aspects of horror and action with the deep mythos of Japanese folklore. The game absolutely crushes it in terms of visual and technical performance, utilizing every feature of next-gen on the PlayStation 5. However, its disappointing narrative and repetitive open world features hold it back from being truly amazing.
WWE2K22 has a TON of content that you wanted in a wrestling game. With revamped graphics, mechanics, and customization modes, this one will be hard to stop playing. MyGM and MyRise shine here, and while this title is going to be hard to top, but if this is the blueprint for WWE games going forward, sign me up.
Shadow Warrior 3 is absolute fun. It's easy to pick up, and something you definitely want to invest some hours into. This is the most fun I've had playing a game in a long time, and you will not be disappointed. There are a few hiccups and glitches I'm sure will be patched out but I digress. The visuals, the combat, and the characters make this game an absolute blast to look at and play. I have nothing bad to say about it, only because Lo Wang is crazy, and would probably make his way to me! Now, go slay that freakin' dragon!
Young Souls delivers something that I never thought was possible - a beat-em-up game with characters and a story that I actually cared about. With strong RPG elements, great writing, stellar art, and fun combat, Young Souls is worth playing even if, like me, you never gave this sort of game a second look.