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Looks good, plays good, a nice use of souls-like mechanics to penalize players for dying but still lets you run freely and enjoy the game at your own pace; there is a lot to like about Foregone. It lands itself squarely near the top of the 2D action platformer pyramid. A little more depth in the skill tree and a little more oomph in the special abilities could take it to that next level, but it stands on solid footing and offers a class leading experience.
Dispensing with frivolous window dressing like story and dialogue, Heroes of Hammerwatch give players direct access to its addictive dungeon crawling. Fun played solo – but riotous played with a group – Heroes of Hammerwatch does old-school gaming right, even though a bit more explanation of its systems might be welcomed by some players. With a ton of content to explore, Heroes of Hammerwatch is well worth the asking price. Highly recommended.
Torn between two games the could have been, Assassins Creed Valhalla is by no means a bad game. It's actually quite good, but it comes off ultimately as less than the sum of its parts. The core of the Assassin's Creed gameplay is there, but the environments don't lend themselves to exploit it. The core of an Ubisoft open world Viking game is also there, but story progression keeps pulling you from that space to force the narrative forward. The coolest bits of the combat are locked behind treasure chests scattered across that vast world, and other awkward inconsistencies. Interspersed are low notes dragging you forward to...well, not so much a present-day, but a near-future-day storyline that is even more stale than it was four or five major sequels ago when it well and truly jumped the shark. There are two competing experiences here: that as as Assassin, and that as a Viking, that either on its own feels like it might have been a triumph and better than this good but not great Assass-king hybrid we have.
A visually stunning game, Godfall suffers from repetitive combat and a lackluster story that is forgettable after the first hour. In an industry with so many Dark Souls-style games, this is not one to spend time on.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is cheerful fun, offering a fresh take on Greek mythology that is cartoonish but with just enough humanity to keep it grounded. While the game plays like a open world epic, every mechanic in Immortals is tied to well-designed puzzles. Though the actions you take become repetitive, the story and writing keep things lively enough to see Immortals Fenyx Rising through to the end.
Harmonix shows once again why they are very good at what they do - making fun rhythm games. Fuser is a fantastic music creation tool that is a ton of fun to play. Online battle modes are fun, when you can find people to play with. Fuser is something I will be playing for quite some time, if only to try and get five stars for all the campaign missions.
Outcasters is fun, fast, and easy to pick up. A shot-curving mechanic pushes the gameplay in interesting directions, allowing for unexpected levels of strategy. Though the number of modes is currently limited, the modes that are included are quite fun - and there is always room for expansion. The character collection aspect of the game is surprisingly deep and addictive.
PHOGS! is a great two-player co-op puzzle game with just enough floppiness to make executing the solutions challenging. Never frustrating but always satisfying, PHOGS! is a solid choice for kids or adults. Gorgeous storybook art and fantastic music keep PHOGS! warm and fun, and a simple control design makes the game accessible to a wide range of audiences. Clever, charming, and fun.
Submerged: Hidden Depths exists on its own chill plane – an exploration game that is truly about exploration and little else. Though some may feel that Submerged is lacking in mechanics, those that get onboard with its subdued vibe will find a lot of beauty in the experience. This is a gorgeous game, and exploring its mysteries is a reward in itself.
Borderlands 3 on next-gen systems, and the PS5 in particular-thanks to the immersive use of DualSense features such as adaptive triggers-is the definitive way to play the third mainline Borderlands game either in a full crisp 4K or in a game-changing 120 frames per second.
The few positives do not outweigh the negatives. EA Sports continues to phone it in with the FIFA series while single-player gamers cry out for better options.
Just Dance 2021 continues the franchise in precisely the way fans expect; beyond the 40 new tracks, this is virtually the exact same game as last year, and that is totally fine. Happy songs, bright colors, and fun animation make for a welcome good time, and the exercise certainly doesn't hurt. If you have never tried Just Dance, take the leap. It's much more fun than you think it is.
The single-player and campaign modes are actually really great stuff. But like nearly all Call of Duty games, that is the content you'll breeze through within your first week playing if even for just a few hours a day. The bulk of the ride ends up being multiplayer and zombies and that is where the problems really lie. This is a game that I'm sure will eventually get the extra content, balancing, and bugs worked out along a series of patches and end up being much better than it is today. But unfortunately the buggy, laggy, unbalanced, and content-sparse game we get at launch is the only one I was given to review. And the balance of the excellent single-player with below average multiplayer ends up for an average overall experience.
Demon's Souls is the must-have PlayStation 5 exclusive as the showstopper of the launch lineup. It's so close to being a perfect 10. But some archaic mechanics left untouched, as well as questionable deluxe edition items giving an unfair head start, just prevent it from reaching that pinnacle. Nevertheless, if you want justification of why the PlayStation 5 is worth upgrading to at launch, look no further than Demon's Souls.
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm looks and feels like a Legend of Zelda game, which is good. But comparing it to the Zelda series might lead to disappointment whereas, on its own, it's mostly enjoyable. If you're looking for a Zelda-like experience, Oceanhorn 2 should help fulfill that void for a while, as long as you give it some time to do so.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is an audio-visual feast, a living work of art that continuously delights and amazes players with its bottomless well of creativity. Some pacing issues can't do much to detract from the amazing level design, tight platforming, and astounding soundtrack. Sackboy is a pure delight.
Five Dates is a solid entry in the FMV game genre, offering an interesting take on dating during the pandemic. While there is nothing revolutionary here, the way the game plays with expectations and subverts players impressions is interesting enough to give it a shot. Fans of the genre will likely enjoy this one.
PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle is a remarkably entertaining modern twist on what is perhaps the most beloved game of all time. This game manages to retain the fun of old school PAC-MAN, while adding in an extra layer of tension and strategy to the mix by letting players invade each other's games. Brilliant idea, and fun game.
Everybody has their Assassin's Creed. Mine might still be Black Flag. But Valhalla is basically Vikings vs. knights, filling out the other two sides of my personal trifecta. The assassinations might've gone soft, but the northern European world building hits hard.
The Pathless is a remarkably well-designed game, guiding the player forward with intuitive design while providing plenty of opportunity to experiment and play. With a great locomotion system and an amazing soundtrack, The Pathless will easily see players losing hours while under its hypnotic spell. Fun and rewarding puzzles, a nice story line, and plenty to see and do make The Pathless a great game, regardless of which system you play it on.