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Guardians of the Galaxy sets a new high bar for interactive storytelling and jaw-dropping visuals. With an unparalleled attention to detail, Guardians tells a rollicking sci-fi story rooted in true human emotion. But the gameplay sections of this narrative masterpiece sometimes bog down the proceedings with merely okay combat and exploration. Definitely play this game, but with the understanding that Peter Quill just isn't that exciting in a firefight.
Voxel-rich graphics. A high-spirited Stranger Things vibe. Clever turn-based quick-time-event combat. But also dopey dialogue, endless fetch-questing, and weirdly placed grind. Echo Generation looks great, tastes half-baked.
The art and story of Darksiders III is engaging and beautiful to look at, even in this remastered take on the game. Adding a new game option to make the game more like its predecessors was very welcome, but not enough to save the game. Controls that don't respond when you want them to make the game frustrating in times of peril. Expecting players to understand what direction to go, or how to solve a puzzle without teaching them mechanics before hand made my time with Darksiders III unpleasant.
While House of Ashes takes a minor departure from pure survival horror, it manages to maintain its roots and tells a somewhat compelling narrative with a solid cast of characters. It's ultimately held back by a few technical issues and story loopholes that don't quite make sense.
Crysis Remastered released last year to mostly disappointing reviews. While the game itself isn't that much better in this trilogy, what does come to life is the evolution of the game space across iterations. What was missing from Crysis Remastered is corrected in the Crysis Remastered Trilogy, and it's not gameplay or glitches, it's context. Context to understand that no matter how you re-texture an outdated game, it might look modern on a screenshot but it will still feel outdated with your hands at the controls. It does, however deserve its place in history, and this is an opportunity to both experience that history, and move beyond into a trilogy that improves with each iteration. The end result is an average overall package by today's standards, but three games plucked from a decade or more ago should be proud to land safely average in the middle of today's pack and standards.
Back 4 Blood is a worthy successor to the Left 4 Dead franchise. It maintains the fundamentals of what made the original so addictive and satisfying while adding its own little flair with the rogue-like deck building system. What holds Back 4 Blood from getting a better score is its high price tag and lack of solo play progression.
Go into Inscryption as unspoiled as possible, and trust in the game. You will find a deeply enjoyable card game, wrapped in a series of dark mysteries, wrapped in…well…other stuff. Part CCG game, part escape room puzzle game, and part bonkers gonzo whirlybird lunacy, Inscryption is one of the best games of the year. They should charge more for a game this good.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl offers surprisingly competent Smash-like brawler gameplay, but is severely lacking in the bells-and-whistles department. Brawling fans will likely have a great time with this one, but those looking to ease into the genre should look elsewhere.
Song in the Smoke excels with fantastic controls and VR mechanics, accomplishing some things that veteran VR developers still struggle with. A full-sized, immersive experience, Song in the Smoke is not easy, but it is engaging and fun.
Overall, FIFA 22 is the best new entry in recent years. But the nefarious gutting of play-to-win rewards in its most popular mode means that the shadow of pay-to-win microtransactions looms ever more over FIFA's latest entry.
With its deep progression system, vast array of locations and classes, World War Z Aftermath is an excellent play for anyone looking to shoot up some zombies with their friends.
While Super Arcade Football puts you into the action instantly, it would have been nice if it would have shown me the ropes before expecting me to win my first match. The retro look and simple controls make picking up and playing with friends who haven't played before easy and welcoming. For a short, fun party game without much on the line, you can't go wrong. But for the single-player experience, while not terrible by any means, it wears out its welcome long before you actually finish it.
Broken Blades frustrated me in the early goings but did get better as the game went on. However, the biggest barrier for people newer to dungeon crawlers is that the game can be overly difficult, especially since you lose most of your progress upon death, only maintaining major upgrades. Dungeon crawling veterans looking for a challenge might want to give Broken Blades a shot, but even for only two dollars the game can be very difficult and frustrating for newcomers.
Far Cry 6 excels in a lot of ways, with stellar visuals, performances, exploration, and story. But the character advancement mechanics have been reworked in a way that takes agency away from the player, forcing them to use the skills they can scrounge up instead of building the character they want. There is a mountain of fun to be had here; this pivot away from skill points doesn't ruin the game, but it also doesn't feel like the right direction for the series.
NEO: The World Ends with You is an absolute blast to play, allowing me to relive a part of my childhood, with its head-bopping soundtrack, flashy and vibrant combat, and an excellent narrative that ties in with remnants of the first game.
Sable plays like a young person's diary, full of hope and apologies, staying grounded while reaching for stars. It trades in its combat for climbing puzzles instead, and isn't afraid to let you bunny hop across a mustard-yellow desert or stand perfectly still-with the encouraging words of people recounting their own wonder years.
Diablo II Resurrected offers fans of the original game exactly what they want – the same game they left behind in 2002 with gloriously updated visuals. Everything works well on the controller (despite some inventory issues). New players might take a while to acclimate to the somewhat dated gameplay mechanics, but settling in, they will find a ton of enjoyable adventuring to be had with friends.
The newest Super Monkey Ball game isn't lacking for much. With a ton of remastered levels, modes, minigames, and unlockable prizes, this enormous package could keep a fan busy for the rest of their life - if they don't mind high blood pressure. The only thing more pervasive than the mountain of content is the franchise's usual blistering difficulty. Fun, frustrating, and rewarding, this is a great collection.
With a lighthearted, yet impactful narrative, a beautiful soundtrack, deep combat and kingdom building mechanics, and a delightful cast of characters, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom - Prince's Edition should be enjoyed for any JRPG fans.
Moonshades drops you into its world and expects you to know what's going on, which is fine. Dungeon crawling is fun, combat can be as well. But Moonshades is being held back due to its controls and use of screen space, an unfortunate product of its mobile phone origins. Controls are confusing, and half the screen is taken up by spells and menu buttons. If you can work through the issues there is a fun dungeon crawler to play. Moonshades doesn't shine bright-it's more like a low glow from a campfire left unattended.