Wccftech's Reviews
With its excellent detective story, extremely likable characters, and welcome improvements to combat and investigation mechanics, Lost Judgment won't disappoint any fan of the original, of the Yakuza series, or anyone looking for a very mature story. The game doesn't try to shake up the original formula, which may definitely put some players off, but this is hardly a problem when quality is as high as it is in the latest game from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
WarioWare: Get it Together! retains its easy to pick up and hard to master nature while adding a bit of a challenging element through its newly implemented characters. However, this can work against it as the layer of complexity may alienate fans who want to optimize their performance because of the way some characters are designed.
Aragami 2 is another enjoyable sneak 'em up and a solid improvement over its predecessor, but an overfamiliar world and mechanics make it hard to get too excited about the game. Aragami 2 gets the job done cleanly and efficiently, and is worth a shot if you're into old-school stealth, but its memory may quickly fade into the shadowy recesses of your mind.
RiMS Racing is a decent first attempt into the racing simulation genre by Raceward Studios, with good racing, a detailed career mode and attention to detail on the bikes higher than any other game in history. On the track, it's rare to find a game that gives you the feel of a bike as good as this. However, with this attention to detail comes an inherent need to feature accessibility, which the game lacks with a terrible tutorial, and a need to balance and reduce the indulgence. The biggest culprit of indulgence comes with bike customisation, which - while valuable for those who want to know about bike parts - acts as a barrier to fun and the playing of the game. This is one I recommend to fans of bikes and racing sims, just go into it warned that there are things that could get in the way of your fun.
With its engaging story, dark atmosphere, charming characters, and excellent combat, Tales of Arise provides an experience that feels both new and familiar at the same time, making for a game that both long-time fans and newcomers will enjoy.
Life is Strange: True Colors is another success for Deck Nine, highlighting how well they understand the source material and its connection with the audience. The new characters, location, and power are an instant classic of the series and we can only hope they continue to develop this world alongside DONTNOD.
The Artful Escape is a rockin' Space Opera but it doesn't have much going for it besides its pretty visuals and incredible music. The platforming is basic and the plot is serviceable, but it's nothing that audiences haven't seen before. I'd recommend this game only if you're a fan of rock music from the '70s and '80s.
F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch throws a lot of different things at the wall and tries to make them all stick. In the end, it's a bit of a messy mix of platforming, combat, robots, and animals that Dr. Robotnik would be proud of, but it's still great fun to play even if it doesn't make a lot of sense.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a faithful adaptation of the tabletop RPG, featuring an engaging story, well-written characters, and extremely deep gameplay mechanics. Although Owlcat Games' did their best to make the game feel welcoming to newcomers with plenty of in-game resources and tutorials, and difficulty customization options, the depth of the experience can be intimidating. Those who brave through the initial confusion, however, will find one of the best computer RPGs released in recent times.
The Myst remake does many things right. Unfortunately, it still has a few snags that would keep me from recommending it to veterans over realMyst: Masterpiece Edition. Likewise, most of the adjustments and revisions are made with veteran players in mind while the newer players may feel alienated by the lack of accessibility options.
No More Heroes III is a glorious, gory mess, bursting with excitement and creativity from beginning to end. The game's intensity does shift down a gear when exploring its dated open world, but its best moments shine bright enough to keep your heart and beam katana pumping through the slower bits. Suda51 has scored another bloody Touchdown.
Humankind is a very interesting 4X strategy game with a wide variety of elements, most of which are very detailed - though some, like religion, can feel a little undercooked. From city building, expansion and the urban sprawl over time, so much of the development of the world is well represented here. Science, influence, war, economy, growth - there's very little you'll find covered here.
Recompile is stylish and well-written, but its messy Metroidvania structure and clumsy platforming corrupt what fun it might have offered. Maybe this game would have been easier to recommend a decade ago, but in a world where Hollow Knight and Axiom Verge exist, and an actual Metroid game is coming out in around a month, Recompile just isn't up to code.
With excellent combat and traversal mechanics and a unique atmosphere, Naraka: Bladepoint stands out from the battle royale crowd. Cluttered interface, controls that require some tweaking, the bad implementation of microtransactions, and general lack of content, however, damage the experience a bit, preventing it from becoming a must-buy for fans of the genre. The foundation is still extremely solid, so with proper support, Naraka: Bladepoint definitely has the chance to rival all of the most popular battle royale games on the market.
Psychonauts 2 delivers on everything it madly promises. That includes old school platforming with new school precision, an impressive visual style that never falters, and a world begging to be explored.
An experience built for a fireteam of three, Aliens: Fireteam Elite turns the xenomorph horror on LV-895 into a shooting gallery that sadly misses the mark of what made its source material so iconic in the first place.
Foreclosed's visual style is nice, the cyberpunk aesthetic is one I fell in love with and wished could be explored more in-depth, and the plot is by the numbers but still engaging. Unfortunately, all of these good things are held back by a lackluster upgrade system, a laughably incompetent enemy AI, and sometimes downright insulting level design that feels more like it's built around trial and error rather than tactical usage of resources and abilities. The game should be approached with caution as it can provide a fun experience but also a mildly infuriating one.
With a story that fails to go beyond serviceable and some not particularly inspired characters, Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris fails to reach the heights of the Wrath of the Druid expansion, basically offering more of the same in a somewhat uninteresting setting. The Infiltration Missions, a nice callback to earlier entries in the series, are not enough to salvage an experience that only the most die-hard Assassin's Creed Valhalla fans will thoroughly enjoy.
The first three Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are a somewhat solid remastering effort that could have been so much better with a few tweaks. While the amazing rearranged soundtracks sound great and the balancing tweaks make the three games still feel great to play, the divisive overhauled visuals reminiscent of the 16-bit entries, technical issues like the lack of a V-Sync toggle and display settings not saving and lack of additional content found in prior remakes make these remasters a truly worthy purchase only for those who live and breathe Final Fantasy.
The first three Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are a somewhat solid remastering effort that could have been so much better with a few tweaks. While the amazing rearranged soundtracks sound great and the balancing tweaks make the three games still feel great to play, the divisive overhauled visuals reminiscent of the 16-bit entries, technical issues like the lack of a V-Sync toggle and display settings not saving and lack of additional content found in prior remakes make these remasters a truly worthy purchase only for those who live and breathe Final Fantasy.