Forbes's Reviews
MLB The Show 22 plays too strong of a game on the field and offers too much with Diamond Dynasty, March to October, franchise mode and a general cohesiveness to be a bad sports game. However, some of the missteps are impossible to ignore because of what other sports games offer, and because of what the Show series has offered in the past.
There’s absolutely no doubt that Glitchhikers will resonate with only certain players. Between its often-complex and challenging source material–combining deep philosophy and abstract concepts–its odd characters and scenes, and often baffling and unnerving art style, there are plenty of reasons why gamers may not understand it, never mind enjoy it.
However, while A Memoir Blue has all the characteristics of a low-key hit–and certainly offers enough for a lot of players who like interaction-light experiences–the sum of its parts doesn’t quite match its intriguing concept, and you may leave it feeling a little empty, with few memories of the memoir.
Given that all my progress from the review build is about to be wiped, I’m not sure I’ll go through it all again to start re-grinding the endgame, but perhaps on a new class. Melee this time? That fact is what I really want to see is some substantial leaps forward for this series, as it’s starting to feel pretty dated in a lot of ways, but I also have to understand what Wonderlands is, a game Gearbox made from home during the pandemic that’s meant to be a stopgap before Borderlands 4. And I do think it succeeds at that job well enough to please most fans.
Given it’s dropping straight onto Game Pass, and by offering a multiplayer experience straight out of the box, there’s every reason Shredders could be one of the most enduring indie games of 2022, especially as FoamPunch continues to refine what genuinely is a compelling, brilliant experience with a nod to all the snowboard gaming greats that came before it.
This is a re-establishment year for the WWE 2K series. Let’s face it, WWE 2K20 was rough and while it took more than 2 years to develop, 2K has re-emerged with a strong and not only playable wrestling game, but a fun one. The engine is better and the basics are tighter, but we’re looking forward to more layers in the future.
Sure, right now might not be the best time to root for an eccentric Russian with a loose grip on reality, but that’s the least of its issues. In its quest to make a casual and fun encounter, Little Orpheus over-relies its strongest assets–great voice acting, an intriguing script, beautiful art, and engaging gameplay–and doesn’t hit these highs with its core gameplay.
I cannot call this a “return to form” for Bungie because Destiny has already been so good lately. But if you’ve been missing Halo-style campaigns with variable difficulty, gorgeous level design and impressive fights, Witch Queen checks every box. This is the best thing Destiny has produced in seven years.
Most of all, though, Circuit Superstars feels and plays like a game made with love. Even the occasional one-dev indie title can feel a little lacking in this department, but with every turn you take, and every detail you notice, and every precious win, this here gives you something you can’t help but smile at.
Despite its faults, and like Painkiller before it, Kingdom of the Dead is a very playable, wave-based gothic experience complete with ammo-pool weapons, a weird lore, and a surprisingly smooth performance–and to get your money’s worth, you have to ramp up that difficulty.
Nonetheless, and even if it’s a reskinned copy of the two Far Cry 6 DLCs that came before it, there’s a lot of challenge in Joseph: Collapse. It might also be the most beautiful of the three, too, especially with its revelations and cabin experiences. It’s just a shame for Joseph Seed that he once again had to follow Vaas and Pagan Min–two characters whose internal monologues could never get old.
I am incredibly impressed with the size and scope of Lost Ark. Even some of the later storylines started to resonate with me a bit, albeit there’s a ton of throwaway sidequest content that exists just to fill space. I am less impressed with the game’s loot system so far, but I know I have not fully mastered all its finer details at this point. But in a game like this I wanted to get excited about new drops, but other than things looking cool, that never really happened in the first 40 hours here. Another complaint is that because this is such a well established game that already got a number of updates over the years, dumping everything here all at once can feel overwhelming. It’s just a whole lot of stuff and systems and things to sort through, and it’s easy to feel lost.
Still, mileage will vary and fans of roguelikes will certainly find much to enjoy in Sifu. Hopefully further balancing and updates will help as well. The combat really is slick and fun and gives you lots of options to kick ass and take names, and the graphics and art-style are terrific. I just wish it wasn’t a roguelike.
It’s not perfect, but for the five hours of core single-player gaming you’ll get out of its challenge mode–and many more that casuals and die-hards alike will glean from its simple arcade mode and online leaderboards–it’s a sound casual investment.
And yet, leveling technical criticism at an experience that is so accessible, loving, and warm feels like kicking one, many, or all of the dogs that star in it. For all its faults, it’s hard to play Pupperazzi without a smile on your face, and this completionist-friendly outing will definitely resonate with players of all ages, even if it fails to live up to its true potential.
However, if that means Drinkbox ought to make a sequel to fully explore the world’s potential, I’m all for it. For action-RPG fans, Nobody Saves the World is a must-play; for Game Pass subscribers, it’s another classic surprise just waiting for you to stumble upon it.
Overall, Super Robot Wars 30 is an excellent tribute to the 30th anniversary of the series. The new mission setup is a bit daunting at first but works well on multiple playthroughs and with the new DLC. Considering the challenges the development team must have faced during the pandemic to get this game done, it’s remarkable how well it all turned out.
Halo Infinite might be the best campaign 343 has done, but considering I didn’t love the last two, I’m not sure how much weight that carries. Halo Reach remains the gold standard for me in that department, and while I had a lot of fun here zipping around the open world, and I can see the potential of the concept, something about Infinite feels small and unfinished to me compared to both other Halo campaigns, and other open world titles. I don’t need (or want) a sprawling Assassin’s Creed map that takes 200 hours to clear, but I think I need more diversity than what’s here, and a better story with better characters told within it.
Even if you don’t decide to go back, and you only decide to clear its initial level in three or four hours before tapping out, one thing’s for sure: it’s a much more memorable experience than Far Cry 6 was.
All told, Call Of Duty: Vanguard has exceeded my expectations, especially after a less-than-promising pre-launch Alpha and press event. Then again, the Beta was drastically improved overall so I was already feeling more optimistic by launch.