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As it stands now, STALKER 2 is fun and has a lot of potential, but it would be unfair to call it good. You can easily sink 100 hours into it without noticing, especially if you have a deep love for previous iterations. However, the performance issues, overall inconsistency in many areas, and clumsy presentation will hold this game back until a major overhaul comes.
Mindcop is an entertaining noir detective game that is a welcome addition to a coveted genre of other great titles. Its three-dimensional characters have enough dilemmas and conflicts to make you stray off the case and dig into their own backstories. The writing has a profound balance between melancholy and humor that it will occasionally sprinkle in some wholesome beats. Despite the time management mechanic being somewhat harsh on your actions, Mindsurf and Sea of Thoughts are two gameplay components that make the experience understandable and easy to manage for casual players. Regardless of its few flaws, those are far outweighed by the creative gameplay, unique art style, and strong writing, which tie everything together wonderfully.
As a deeply crafted and detailed sandbox, Planet Coaster 2 still shines in similar ways to the original, such as the coaster editor that allows you to create any coaster you could ever want. At its core, Planet Coaster will make some ask if enough changes were made to improve the sandbox or if it's just the same Planet Coaster with some new bells and whistles.
Closing Thoughts: While Magical Delicacy can deliver cozy vibes, it drops the magic ball on almost everything else. The platforming isn't fun, cooking doesn't feel satisfying, and the main gameplay loop boils down to doing fetch quests for NPCs just to get a few extra bits of story and a generic upgrade. Both the cooking and platforming sides work against each other, and everything lacks polish, especially the animations. It's a fundamentally flawed experience with a clashing visual identity, with a great soundtrack and pleasant story being the main saving graces.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D is unapologetically a remake made for long-time series fans. Anyone looking for a faithful representation of the classic game with updated graphics will get precisely that. The addition of Ortega's backstory is mildly interesting, but it doesn't elevate the story, which remains extremely basic. Gameplay and exploration remain the highlights of Dragon Quest III HD-2D and will provide hours of enjoyment for turn-based RPG enthusiasts. While it might serve as an entry point for newcomers to the franchise, its mechanics stand in contrast to what many expect from a contemporary RPG, potentially deterring them within a few hours.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a colorful and exuberant new entry in the RPG series. It offers dynamic and fun combat, some decent humor, and a surprising amount of replay value in branching choices and side quests. Despite that, there are some poorly implemented features, such as the Battle Plugs and Power Tap, as well as the sometimes glacial pacing of the adventure. Still, fans of turn-based RPGs will absolutely find something worthwhile in this Switch exclusive.
It won't blow your socks off, but Mind Over Magnet will at least loosen your legwear with its incredible understanding of game design fundementals, a magnet gimmick that feels fresh, solid visuals that serve the gameplay perfectly, and music that I could listen to for hours. It won't last you too long, and it doesn't try to do anything super out of the ordinary, but it's a short and sweet game that hits a home run for every ball it's batting at.
Metro Awakening is a VR outing that does the Metro series proud. With a story and setting that adds further depth to Dmitry Glukhovsky's magnum opus, incredible visual and sound design, and a wealth of mechanics that represent the Metro staples, this title is a tense, gripping and action-packed blast for VR fanatics.
Black Ops 6 is to Call of Duty what Battlefield 3 was to its series, something new that finally offered an alternative to a repetitive formula. Now, it is up for Activision and Treyarch to build on it. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is not the best Call of Duty release. Depending on who you ask, it may not even be the best Black Ops game. That said, in a world where the series has become synonymous with overpriced, cheap multiplayer combat and vapid campaigns, Black Ops 6 is a breath of fresh air. This game will go down in history one way or another. It is either the last good Call of Duty made, or the first of a new era with good titles again. Treyarch has a long way to go if a sequel is to be called great, but for the first time in a decade, Call of Duty may have a future again.
Rivals of Aether II gives fans of the genre a lot to love, with the promise of even more on the way, and the game is constantly getting patches and improving. If it offered a proper story mode and slightly more intuitive mechanics on top of cleaning up the skins for clarity's sake, it would be up there with the best fighting games ever. It feels incredible to play, the music is awesome, and the visuals are some of the most unique in the industry without feeling like they're compromising for frame rate. If you're a fan of Smash Bros. gameplay, you owe it to yourself to give Rivals of Aether II a shot, but you should know that it's still a work in progress, even after release.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a compelling new entry in the series, taking the franchise in a new direction with more RPG-lite ideals. This decision will alienate Die Hard fans but will undoubtedly win favor with new fans willing to embrace the series.
Despite its shortcomings, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a promising gift for fans. Its dark mystery narrative requires you to keep track of two separate timelines at most intervals. But there's enough breathing room to enjoy the usual heartfelt moments of the series. Although the final chapter parallels the first game's events in a way, it sets up an unexpected follow-up sequel, leaving much to be desired from its characters. On the plus side, the series' staple elements, from the soundtrack to the puzzle-solving sections, are executed perfectly. Deck Nine could've handled the Max and Chloe dynamic more appropriately, but there's still enough fan service that most Life is Strange fans will adore this game.
Super Mario Party Jamboree is an excellent party game, and compares well with previous titles in the franchise. While remaining true to the nostalgic formula, minor tweaks, improvements, and new game modes help it rise above the series' modern releases to shine as a Super Star. Even if you have either of the previous Mario Party games for Switch, Jamboree is worth considering.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake very much feels like a 2000s game, which has been respectfully updated with improved presentation. Unfortunately, its gameplay has not withstood the test of time. Built upon an engaging turn-based gameplay loop, this game quickly becomes repetitive—even tedious—because it plays the same scenes over and over. Compared to the variety of events in modern grand strategy games, it's difficult to recommend this one. However, if you're a history enthusiast or a Dynasty Warriors fan curious about the strategy genre, this game may be for you.
While Aeternum doesn't do anything to avoid the pitfalls inherent to the MMORPG genre, it lessens their impact with flexibility and smart multiplayer mechanics. The Grind falls to the wayside while dynamic, fast-paced gameplay takes center stage. Married with a setting that diverges from MMO predecessors, New World: Aeternum offers an experience that will keep players invested, and enjoying the whole ride.
Alongside a lovingly remastered Sonic Generations showcase, Shadow Generations is a dark and broody triumph that not only pays homage to the cult classic outing of yester-year for the troubled hedgehog, but also irons out all the aspects that fans didn't quite take to, effectively giving Shadow the do-over they deserve. It's a fast-paced and fluid Sonic title with great new mechanics, a tonne of replayability, and just the right amount of challenge. The fact that this is a short experience will irk a few, as will the lack of crossover between the two games, but all in all, Sonic x Shadow Generations is yet another strong Sonic outing that proves the dark days for the franchise may well be behind us.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a great horror game in a vacuum, but it is held back by trying to double as a quasi-adaptation. The brilliant mechanics and environment can distract you from its shortcomings most of the time, but it periodically reminds you that this could have been so much more. The foundations are well laid out though, and if Stormind can improve the storytelling and optimization, any sequel to this would earn an easy 9/10 rating.
Neva is a game that builds on the platforming prowess of its predecessor GRIS, offering powerful pastel visuals, incredible use of color and flora, and sublime set-pieces to tell a powerful story where your bond is everything. The game offers a newfound dynamism, trading in the label of a puzzle platformer for a more traditional adventure platforming approach. Sadly, the game fails to hit the narrative heights of its predecessor, and also fails to truly get the most out of each mechanic presented. But despite this, Neva is a captivating, visually jaw-dropping indie that is simply too good to ignore.
The Silent Hill 2 Remake is a masterclass in psychological horror with an unforgettable atmosphere. The improved graphics, acting, and soundtrack create an authentically horrifying experience that brings pride to the original. Despite some performance issues, new and veteran fans will genuinely love the Silent Hill 2 Remake — it's absolutely stellar.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a masterfully crafted JRPG that seamlessly takes all that was excellent about the Persona series and weaves a fantasy tale like no other. It's a tale with layers and levels that is wonderfully paced, offering a wealth of familiar mechanics and systems.