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Despite my smaller nitpicks, Civilization VII is a thoroughly fun and refined game. It’s clear the team has looked at literally everything that makes this series what it is, and has tried everything to make it bigger and better. Civilization VII has evolved the series further and still has me begging for one more turn.
Now that we survived the wasteland of Borderlands 4, we can say that our original impression from PAX West 2025 held true. The gameplay is refined and feels like a modern looter shooter due to the quality of life improvements that Borderlands 3 neglected. Overall, Borderlands 4 is a true return to form that Borderlands 2 established and is the actual spiritual successor that Borderlands 3 wishes it could have been.
If you enjoy games with a surprising amount of depth that are easy to pick up and play, you’ll feel right at home picking up Shape of Dreams.
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Metal Eden is a respectable “one and done” experience that might be fun to replay years later, but the initial experience will leave players wanting more. It’s too bad that the game is too stingy with itself.
QuoteIf you are a fan of rhythm games or are looking for a new roguelite, then it is worth giving Fresh Tracks a chance. Even if you’re not into music or roguelite games, after our time playing the Fresh Tracks, it definitely would be a great game to pick up regardless.not yet available
Where Alan Wake II disappoints is the dated story elements included to appease brow-beating tourists. Regretfully, one protagonist is disappointing but it’s still a very good horror game that outclasses most of the competition. It has a very dull beginning, and Saga is a grating character, but when you’re in the thick of it, Alan Wake II impresses with its relentless atmosphere and brain-melting plot.
Gloomy Eyes is a low-cost, entry-level adventure game that’s perfect for kids who have just gotten into video games. It looks amazing, and it probably would have been better off as a film, but there is no denying that using two characters to solve puzzles is always fun, no matter how average they are.
I pray more games take the initiative to follow Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter’s example in not only preserving difficulty and challenge, but everything else it promises. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is an unforgettable experience with great characters, an engaging story, and enjoyable gameplay.
Koei Tecmo and Gust added yet another page of fantastic alchemy goodness to their long list of ateliers, not just for ongoing fans, but maybe a few new ones looking for another good JRPG to enjoy.
The parkour is some of the smoothest and most reactive ever executed in any first-person game, and Castor Woods is one of the more fun settings in the Dying Light games yet.
It has side quests that you can easily screw up and permanently fail, highlighting Nathan’s futility and hopelessness. It’s a game that is hilarious as it is soul-crushing, making it a hard sell for normie gamers. This is one for players who crave something unique and interesting. The ambient music that sounds like wildlife hip-hop and naturalistic voice acting gives it a bespoke texture that isn’t like anything else out there.
The game has a higher skill ceiling than it would appear at first, so it can be easily recommended to both veterans of the original trilogy as well as newcomers to the series.
This is the true fifth Silent Hill that fans deserve after The Room. It’s a fascinating and haunting exploration into new territory; a dark take on the “coming of age” drama that’s distinctly Silent Hill, with visceral and challenging combat and diabolical puzzles. Silent Hill is back… we just had to go to Japan to get there.
Forgotten Land was already a gorgeous-looking game, and this Switch 2 Upgrade makes it look and play even better. The Star-Crossed World campaign was a bit of wasted potential, resulting in something merely adequate, but the superb original core game remains one of the most enjoyable Kirby games of all time, which is fun to play at any age.
The best aspects of The Awakening are the fact that it is, in fact, a genuine Cobra product. It looks like Cobra, smells like Cobra, tastes like Cobra, sounds like Cobra, but plays like a platformer that needed more time.
If you are looking for a side-scrolling shooter, then you could give Ra Ra Boom a chance if you and three other friends want to chip in five dollars for a game to play with one another on Stream or on a rainy day. Otherwise, the game is skippable and is something to pick up during a Steam sale or something that you get as part of a bundle.
Varlet isn’t a game I would recommend to anyone. Even for Japanese high school game enjoyers, there’s just not enough content or reward behind said content to really motivate interest in its pursuit. Every feature in the game feels half-cooked, with the combat system being the only interesting thing, but ultimately falls hard on its face since there’s really no feeling of reward or satisfaction.
Do not listen to day one reviews, and do not be attached to nostalgia. It will fail you as a consumer and a gamer. This is easily the weakest Legend of Zelda game in the last 20 years, and some simple design choices combined with the time to QA correctly could have produced the best game in the series.
Silksong isn’t perfect, but you won’t find a better modern metroidvania out there. This was a labor of passion made by people who refused to settle, and you can feel it every step of the way. Everyone working on it was on their A-game, and they held nothing back.