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The Callisto Protocol looks stunning and can offer small doses of fun, but from misguided gameplay choices and hyper-linear design to ineffectual attempts at horror and a bland story, it stumbles and disappoints in too many ways to be labelled as anything but a disappointment.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is an impressive visual upgrade that, above all else, proves the quality of the original game yet again. Much of it can feel dated at times, but thanks primarily to its enjoyable combat system, it remains an easy game to recommend.
Need for Speed Unbound feels like a breath of fresh air. The arcade-style racing has seen quite a significant improvement from its predecessor, and the game's general styles and sensibilities definitely make it one of the most unique-looking racing games out there. All in all, and this is weird for a Need for Speed game, but there's little to complain about. The cars feel great to drive in, and just about everything looks gorgeous.
Gundam Evolution might have shamelessly lifted some of its presentation and mechanics from other games (and I think it did), but it's still a great game at the end of the day.
Front Mission 1st would have benefitted from a full remake to address a lot of quibbles that are holdovers from the era it is originally from; however, even as-is, warts and all, the premise and core loop remain fun enough that series and genre enthusiasts, at least, will get a fair bit out of it.
Pentiment's unidimensional gameplay might not appeal to everyone.
Some occasional technical issues and an unwillingness to truly burst out of the norms for the genre keep Darktide from reaching enormous heights, but within the confines it sets for itself, this is about as good as it gets.
Marvel's Midnight Suns, unfortunately, is one of those games that I can only recommend if you're willing to stick around its noticeable issues. As it currently stands, the game has the foundations for a phenomenal turn-based strategy game, and the gameplay variety offered by the different heroes you can play is a lot of fun. The writing and story, however, are not good reasons to play this game.
Gungrave G.O.R.E's fleeting moments of fun and carnage are buried beneath a mountain of issues, including a bland story, repetitive and overly simplistic gameplay, cumbersome and clunky movement and controls, and more. This isn't an old school game- it's just old.
If you don't mind the short campaign and the underwhelming story, Evil West's above average combat and cool graphics make the game a fun ride.
Ugly visuals and an all around lack of polish detract from what is an incredibly strong, compelling, and well designed core adventure, one that represents the series' strongest outing in a very long time otherwise.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0's battle royale is an iterative upgrade. If you enjoyed the original Warzone, you'll enjoy the new one. The DMZ mode, on the other hand, is new, and a lot of fun thanks to the fact that you're never sure if you're going to run into another player as you try and complete your own objectives.
Tactics Ogre is back, and time hasn't dulled its razor-sharp edge. Square Enix's turn-based strategy RPG is still a dense, meaty, and thoroughly engaging game.
The newest Dark Pictures game tries some new things and offers some good scares despite not out-doing previous entries by much.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, in acting as a short middle chapter between Marvel's Spider-Man and its upcoming sequel, doesn't really have the luxury to introduce radical new concepts that might turn the game on its head. Rather, it's a fun, short romp through New York once again, but this time as a new protagonist. Its tightly-paced plot tells a great coming of age story for a new Spider-Man, and its greatest strength is the fun ensemble cast.
Somerville is a flawed game and doesn't execute all of its ideas perfectly, but from its captivating story to some of its striking imagery, there's plenty still to like in this brief adventure.
It's not a home run, but Sonic Frontiers does so much of the things that really matter so well that it is easily the most fun 3D Sonic has been in years – maybe even decades – and a genuinely fun and engaging game on its own merits.
There's nothing in the Bloody Ties expansion that warrants returning to the game, especially if you've been playing it since release. Its story is rather boring, and its new combat encounters are dull.
Harvestella is rough around the edges, and it's not particularly accomplished at anything it sets out to do, but it's a fun, engaging farming sim at its core, and certainly worth a look for fans of the genre.
The Entropy Center is an excellent puzzle game that's as much its own thing as it is an homage to the classics, and is easily one of the most pleasant surprises of 2022.