Niche Gamer
HomepageNiche Gamer's Reviews
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is another feel-good hit that has a lot of variety in a very lean package. It looks and sounds excellent, and offers many amusing side modes to partake in with young gamers who are learning how to play. You may not get all the bang for your buck, but if you are still hungry for some more breezy action after The Forgotten Land, then this will give you what you need.
Hogwarts Legacy is a great way for those who have never watched a Harry Potter movie or read the books to experience the universe. Fans of the franchise will be able to express themselves and live out their own magical fantasy. We definitely recommend picking up this game if you like Harry Potter or love RPGs.
With a more energetic soundtrack, funnier dialogue, better GUI, and a more useful super move, Grim Guardians: Demon Purge could be one of the best. Even with these nitpicks, expect another excellent Inti Creates game that is on par with some of the classics it is inspired by.
EA, this ain’t how you move units. This series need to take a cue from the unique styling of the visuals and either needs to revamp the feeling of playing NFS in the next one, or someone needs to put this damn thing down behind the barn like Old Yeller and let Criterion get back to making Burnout games (which is really what we all want anyway.)
Shadow Warrior 3 works really well as an arcade shooter, especially for someone who just finished Doom Eternal and wants something similar, but for die-hard fans of the franchise it falls a bit flat. The Survival Mode does help add some much-needed extra game time, but overall it’s a “meh” Definitive Edition. At the very least, everyone who already owns Shadow Warrior 3 gets a free upgrade, so it isn’t a bad deal.
By far the biggest disappointment is the generic gameplay and sloppy sense of pacing. For a JRPG that is about 30-something hours long, it felt longer. Any RPG enjoyer will find One Piece Odyssey to be a forgettable licensed game and fans of One Piece won’t care since it isn’t canon. It pleases nobody and only insomniacs will appreciate it for putting them to sleep.
Dust & Neon is a solid action game with a steady difficulty curve and enough tinkering for character building to make an addictive experience. It does not reach the heights of Hades and that is due to the lack of gameplay variety and compelling characters. Despite its obvious shortcomings, Dust & Neon is a worthwhile twin-stick action game that builds upon itself the deeper you go in, but not enough to break up the monotony.
Wild Hearts is an extremely fun monster-hunting game that anyone can sink their teeth into. The building system is a treat, the hunts are challenging, and the game has been really polished. Finding any complaints about the game feels like nitpicking, as the game doesn’t have any glaring defects or flaws. It’s rare when a gem like Wild Hearts comes around but it really is just a fantastic game, and I hope we get some expansions.
If you are up for a challenge Wanted: Dead can be a fun experience, but for those who don’t like dying or having to learn perfect timing, it can be rather frustrating. The game’s shift in graphics between mini-games, gameplay, and cutscenes can be a bit much for those looking for a uniform experience. Soleil Ltd. tries to make Wanted: Dead the experience that Ninja Gaiden was, but misses the mark. Combat can be fun if you don’t get frustrated at a challenge, otherwise, if you are looking to just experience the story, Neko-chan mode is the way to go.
Using the morph ball, speeding up on halfpipes, doing bomb jumps, platforming, finding switches, and getting into scrapes with monsters and aliens is as exciting as it was in 2002. Metroid Prime Remastered is one of the most polished and refined first-person action-adventure games ever made and comparing it to Citizen Kane is still the stupidest statement ever uttered by man.
There are always going to be some smartasses that claim that “Resident Evil 4 is a good game, but a bad Resident Evil game”. The further along the franchise goes, the less sense this premise makes. Being inconsistent is the one thing that gamers can reliably expect from Resident Evil. This has become a large part of its charm because the franchise is always changing and reinventing itself.
Chained Echoes‘ worst quality is that it concludes with several unresolved loose ends hanging. Getting past this is easy since so much of the experience is a very finely crafted JRPG that one man poured his soul into. The story moves quickly and the cast never stays in one place too long. It is an incredible adventure about the indomitable human spirit.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a massive and long RPG with substantial production value. Every character is fully voiced, and there is actual camera work in the cutscenes. The fan service is off the charts for Marvel fans and the obvious, on-the-nose storytelling is exactly what they deserve. If you are interested in a deep and compelling turn-based RPG and don’t care for Marvel media, you are still liable to have a good time.
Helvetii has arcade-style gameplay that makes it enjoyable. It is fun in short bursts but is unbelievably aggravating in long sessions and a lot of that has to do with the rogue-like foundation. Rogue gameplay can be enjoyable and has its place. When it is used to artificially lengthen a game, it becomes too obvious and the strings that support the illusion become all too distracting, making the game unengaging.
Hi-Fi Rush is a thin-air miracle. It has many small individual elements working together like a finely made Swiss watch, where you can feel the passion behind every detail. From its art direction, fun characters, music, and electrifying gameplay; Hi-Fi Rush spurs a sense of wonder and inspiration in the hearts of jaded gamers and can make you feel like a kid again.
At the end of the day, you’ll probably have fun with Warlander if you’re a fan of Team Death Match style games. Whether that means Mordhau or a first-person shooter like Team Fortress 2, the action is chaotic and the deaths aren’t punishing so you can always just sign in and get to fighting, and you should.
The engineers who worked on Forspoken should be commended for refining the game engine, as well as the combat system programmers. The tech that makes the game possible is the showstopper- not the game itself. Aside from the game’s engine, Forspoken has dated open-world gameplay, a lame story, embarrassing dialogue, and the lighting sucks.
It must have taken a lot of guts from JoyMasher to release a linear 2D action platformer that relies on a “lives” system in 2023. The spectacle and lavish pixel art are some of the best around and it is apparent that the artists poured all their sweat, blood, and tears into every dot for Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider. They went for it and crafted what is possibly one of the greatest examples of its genre.
What I can say now is that I believe the foundation for a good game is here within Tower of Fantasy. It mainly comes down to the support by Hotta Studio to make it a strong title that can contend with the now established Genshin Impact. I don’t believe Tower of Fantasy could ever topple that, but it could turn into a good alternative for those getting bored of the former.
If you love FPS games but aren’t into PvP deathmatch style games like Halo, or you just miss the gameplay of Left 4 Dead (and Back 4 Blood wasn’t your thing), then Darktide should be right up your alley. After dozens of hours of gameplay you’ll only just be getting to the end game and the most hardcore of missions.