GamingBolt
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MLB The Show 23 is a continuation of one of the best sports game franchises on the market, and the inclusion of the Negro Leagues Storylines mode makes it an even better way to experience the game and learn about its history even further.
Ravenbound has the potential to be something good, if not great. However, it needs some serious overhauls and improvements to even start down that path.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key doesn't completely rewrite the series' rules, so much as expand and improve on them. It's still a relaxing traipse with Ryza and friends, but evokes a sense of nostalgia and hope for the future.
Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure might not feel as different in its offerings from the base experience as last year's Hot Wheels expansion did, but it proves to be yet another chance for Playground Games to showcase how fundamentally fun the Forza Horizon formula is.
If you're looking for an engaging multiplayer spy game, Deceive Inc. is hiding in plain sight. It has some issues that mar an otherwise solid experience, but it's difficult to fault it for those since it will only run you $20.
With its masterful mixing of cozy fishing gameplay and horror elements, Dredge is pretty much a slam dunk of a debut for Black Salt Games. The style in its presentation and gameplay shows competence and confidence, and I hope they follow Dredge up with something great very soon.
Gamers looking for a hardcore crafting/survival game on consoles likely won't be able to find much better than Valheim, and its inclusion in Game Pass further makes it an easy choice despite a handful of issues.
Tchia has some interesting things going for it with its beautiful rendition of New Caledonia and fun traversal mechanics, but poor mission design and cookie-cutter side activities mar down those strengths by a significant margin.
Resident Evil 4 perfectly captures the tone and strengths of the original game, while also managing to improve upon it in truly meaningful ways. In doing so, it once again becomes a standard-bearer for the survival horror genre, while also setting a new bar for Capcom as a developer, for video game remakes, and for the Resident Evil franchise as a whole.
Even at its relatively lower price, I don't think LEAP is worth your time. There are games with more personality and more fun that can be downloaded and played for free these days, which makes LEAP basically dead on arrival. Look elsewhere for your competitive FPS needs.
WWE 2K23 successfully builds upon the foundations laid down by its predecessor. While it's still far from the best pro-wrestling game out there, it's the only one we really get with a modern roster anymore. With that caveat in mind, however, WWE 2K23 remains a blast to play. It's got a great roster, a host of new features and match types, and its new take on the MyRise career mode is incredibly fun.
While it can feel more like a proof of concept for some new mechanics than a vital piece of the experience, Lightfall is another reason to come back to Destiny 2, which proves it's still a top-tier shooter more than half a decade into its life.
The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition wishes to be the definitive edition of this planet-trotting RPG, but a buffet of problems ranging from minuscule visual upgrades to performance issues make it anything but.
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is worth looking into for fans of the series and the genre, especially since this is its first official release in the West, but be warned that it's a game that's held back by several significant issues.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is a fantastic way to cap off the Crossbell storyline, and if you've played Trails from Zero, you're going to have a wonderful time. If you haven't, however, you'd be better off with spending your time there than jumping into its sequel.
If you're new to Soulslikes, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty might be the most fun and accessible one yet thanks to a number of features it implements.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is very much worth trying, especially for younger or less experienced players, who will find a high quality title with a lot to offer waiting for them.
Sons of the Forest is exciting, immersive, and beautiful. It is also extremely scary and absolutely packed with content. These are things you probably expect from a big game, but not a budget Early Access title. Sons of the Forest somehow manages to be all of these things simultaneously, and there is still more to come.
Scars Above is a fascinating mix of point-and-click narrative and Soulslike action games. I can't recall playing a game quite like it in the recent past, and for that alone, it deserves praise.
Gamedec has plenty of rough edges, but thanks to its emphasis on choice and consequence mechanics and its unique premise, it's still very much worth a look.