Niche Gamer
HomepageNiche Gamer's Reviews
If you were a fan of Jackbox Party Pack 4, 5, and 8, then you will have a great time playing these games with your friends or even complete strangers. Some of the game modes are not optimized to be played in a loud environment, but if there is a will, there is a way.
These days, The Evil Within 2 is dirt cheap, and if you play it on a Series X, it gets a nice frame rate boost to a consistent 60. It looks on par with the likes of Alan Wake II, but you won’t have to contend with obnoxious characters and agonizing pacing. This was a solid sequel that should have gotten more love.
Blood West offers flexible, skill-driven mechanics. Whether players approach it with stealthy backstabs or gunslinging headshots, the open-ended levels encourage creative approaches in an imaginative setting with plenty to see and do. It isn’t the most polished or evenly balanced, and the tone can feel more comedic than horror. It feels more like Evil Dead than Bone Tomahawk.
Ultimately, I admire the ambition of Bye Sweet Carole but I can’t help but feel the execution falls flat. The Disney art style really carries a lot of the game’s good will but I feel like it doesn’t live up to its own hype.
If you enjoy fast paced mech suit flying action with cannons, laser swords, and jets to improve your movement, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is the model you want baby.
Final Fantasy Tactics is a legendary game, and possibly, if not the greatest strategy RPG to ever exist. It’s sad to say, but it deserved way better than this. There’s rumors of a potential sequel that may happen but if Creative Studio III is behind it, I worry about its direction.
If there’s any complaints to make about Ball x Pit it’s that there’s not more game here. Only having eight levels means you’ll revisit a lot of the same sights and you might eventually get bored of the repetition.
Hell is Us is a diamond in the rough. There are some great ideas buried underneath mediocre combat. When not slapping faceless monsters with a fury-infused greatsword, the game is at its most compelling. The puzzles, visuals, world, and characters are what kept me enthralled. I couldn’t be more bored when having to fight the same few foes over and over.
The story continues not too far after the first entry’s conclusion, so sometimes replaying the first before going in is suggested. Overall, it was a satisfying adventure, but with Final Fantasy Tactics taking the spotlight with its less-than-stellar modern release, Rise Eternia 2 certainly won’t be getting the spotlight it may secretly deserve.
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.
Quote not yet available
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.