Wccftech's Reviews
Cris Tales is a gorgeous, heartfelt, and often creative adventure that provides an interesting peek at a culture not well-represented in the world of gaming. Sadly, it falls a bit short of its grand potential due to some mechanical and balance issues and a final act that badly overstays its welcome. Cris Tales feels like a game that would have benefitted from some more time in development, but if you're willing to forgive a few faults, your own time with the game won't be wasted.
F1 2021 has undeniably struggled with COVID and the limitations it has put on both the sport and the game. However, either despite or because of these limitations, this manages a step forward that the series failed to take two years ago, it brings a genuine story to the game. Braking Point is an undeniable success and, one would hope, marks a starting point in which Codemasters can advance as the series moves forward. Beyond this new mode, almost every aspect has been polished to a diamond-like shine, with the only aspects needing improvement are the MyTeam mode, which already looks lacking as a story of progression when compared to Braking Point, and the poor AI in team management. Despite this minor issue, there's no doubt in my mind that this is the best of the franchise so far and a great launching point to the next generation.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a conservative update to one of Link's less-heralded adventures that's unlikely to change many minds one way or the other. The padding, control limitations, and other issues fans have long bemoaned are still in full effect. That said, there's really no such thing as a bad Zelda game, and this one still shines at times thanks to a strong story, excellent dungeons, and some intense boss battles. If you're impatient for Breath of the Wild 2 and have never played Skyward Sword, by all means, give the game a shot, just keep your expectations slightly grounded.
Bloodline expands on Watch Dogs Legion's London, with new missions, returning characters, and a slightly different setting to explore. While it doesn't add much in the way of new features, it's the perfect reason to come back to the Old Smoke and give it the middle finger once again.
Edge of Eternity aims for the stars and manages to reach a few of them, delivering a compelling plot and an expansive, varied, and often-beautiful world. Sadly, clunky dialogue, issues with exploration and combat, and a pervasive level of jankiness hold the game back. You have to admire Midgar Studio for pushing themselves, but as is, the Edge of Eternity may be too jagged for some.
Geared towards a younger or perhaps less experienced player base, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin carves off a big piece of hunting joy while trimming away the fat.
The Africa Pack includes no more and no less than fans of the series have come to expect. The quality is superb, the new additions only adding more variety to the games complexity and adds several hours worth of challenge on top of the additions to the sandbox.
Red Solstice 2: Survivors is, at best, a slightly above-average game. For every fun aspect, such as the genuinely fun action-packed nature of the run-and-gun gameplay, there are downsides such as incredibly repetitive missions outside of the core campaign. However, you then find an excellent range of creatures and a good amount of character customisation, really boosting the game, for it to then be let down by the base and region-building feeling tacked on, and then the game is impacted by a fair few bugs. If you liked the first Red Solstice, and other similar shooters, you'll enjoy this, though arguably in shorter sessions or with other people online.
With some friends, you can have a lot of fun exploring Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance without needing to roll any dice, but inconsistent combat and frustrating bosses make the experience more of an ordeal than it should be, not to mention unenjoyable by yourself.
Mario Golf: Super Rush is the plumber's best sports outing in a good long time, featuring smartly-revamped core mechanics, beautiful, varied courses, clever new modes, and a single-player Adventure full of fun twists. The game may be a bit light on content (something Nintendo is promising to address with free updates), but aside from that, Mario's form is close to flawless this time around.
With masterfully crafted action combat, charming characters, and a very interesting setting, Scarlet Nexus is a game that action RPG fans should definitely not miss. While the game lacks any real innovation, as it features themes and mechanics lifted from other Japanese RPG series, and it is a little too linear, the high quality of the experience makes it easy to look past these few issues, making Scarlet Nexus a memorable, and extremely enjoyable game.
A timeless classic marred by conflicting visual identities and a disjointed formula, Legend of Mana is an experimental PS1-era title that planted the seed for many of Square's greatest RPGs to come in future years.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is one of the best games in the world for doing sniping right, that's something I firmly believe. However, CI Games almost seem afraid of letting the game shine, all too often moving you away from sniping, an action the game is named after. In addition, the game is showing a few issues, such as downright stupid AI and a few bugs here and there. It's a shame because there are good open areas to move around in, the contracts allow you to use your brain and plan the perfect hit and it all looks great while you're on your path to becoming the world's best blood-spatter creator.
While it is the same game at heart, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade brings the first part of the remake to new heights with a 60 FPS gameplay option, some quality of life enhancements, much improved visuals, and a very fun new story episode starring Yuffie. The new tweaks and additions do not alter how the game feels and play, but there is no denying that they do make Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade the best way to enjoy one of the best role-playing games put out by Square Enix in the past few years.
Chivalry 2 is a fantastic medieval multiplayer brawler created with care by the studio that first heralded the genre. Although there are a few missteps and issues here and there, you'll have an absolute blast playing whether you're a battle-hardened knight or a noob nave.
Accessibility and style are both Guilty Gear -Strive-'s strongest suits but some baffling omissions and online problems keep Arc System Works' latest from entering the pantheon of elite fighters.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an ambitious, absorbing, and creative Zelda-style adventure with some meaningful, heartfelt things to say about the creative process, self-doubt, and other big issues. Like its characters, Chicory isn't perfect – its controls can be a bit clunky and maybe its painting tools aren't as versatile as they could be – but it's an easy game to love. Does it fall slightly short of masterpiece status? Perhaps, but it's still very much worth adding to your art collection.
Through outstanding storytelling, exquisite visuals, and gripping gameplay, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart proves to be an engaging, fun, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable return to the series. It also offers the introduction to two brand new characters that could arguably be the protagonists of their own spin-off, or at least return to future entries in the series. For fans and new players alike, this is a game I would recommend for everybody and a true showing of the sort of titles we should expect for the new generation.
Knockout City plays with some interesting ideas to turn Dodgeball into a simple competitive shooter, but it's clear Velan Studios has spent more time building a robust microtransaction system than appealing content.
Necromunda: Hired Gun has a certain grungy charm and offers up some clever ideas, but unrefined core mechanics, messy level design, and a shameful lack of polish ultimately add up to Necro-no-fun-da. Hardcore Games Workshop fanatics might still find something to enjoy here, but I recommend you don't hire this gun at anything but a steep discount.