GBAtemp's Reviews
Disgaea 7 marks a definitive return to form for the series after the slump of its predecessor. This is a great game for those with a taste for Disgaea, even if those new to the series likely find more value in older titles.
This is a good sequel for fans of Payday and makes improvements without changing the formula too much. Unfortunately, some of the shortcomings that can be also found in previous games can still be seen here.
Solar Ash offers a visual delight with satisfying sci-fi parkour exploration but its call for adventure is occasionally hampered by certain repetitive actions.
It's stealthy, it's gruesome, it's tactical and it's gung-ho all in one fell swoop! Trepang² has the aesthetics of Crysis, the mechanics of 00s shooters and the gory story of B-movie horror-style games with all the blood-soaked trimmings. It feels retro in its action and it has a definite "FPS-version-of-House-Of-The-Dead" vibe to it with its bosses and progressively damaged and bullet-riddled scenery.
Lies of P is one of the best games i’ve played this year. With an interesting and compelling story, a beautifully crafted world full of life, and an outstanding soundtrack to prop it all up. This is not a desolate world mostly devoid of life. You will find people, learn small things about them, notice things about others. See how the conflict has caused so many survivors to lose their minds, or what they’ve done to retain what sanity they have left. And of course, come to understand what caused the puppet uprising, and the true nature of the puppets themselves. All of the worldbuilding in Lies of P is excellent. Each boss fight feels epic, every weapon acquired was exciting, and any chance to extract a piece of the story from this world left me wanting more. For anyone who wants a true Soulslike experience, or you just want a fantastic and well crafted videogame, Lies of P is exactly what you’re looking for.
A definite bump to TSW3: TSW4 brings more trains, more routes, and more freedom to craft your own fun within the sandbox available. Dovetail is continually improving and refining the formula for avid train lovers.
Short but fun, Pizza Possum feels like the starter to a main course that is never served.
For anyone interested in fast-paced shooters and speedrunning, Warstride fills in all of the boxes. There is very little to complain about here and with a small price tag, it's hard not to love this game.
I have to say I'm deeply impressed with Ugly. From the lateral thinking to the graphical presentation, the clever mirror mechanics to the scale of the levels, the little bursts of humour and the intense storytelling: it's an absolute humdinger of a game for people who get a kick out of brain-melting platforming challenges!
Sea of Stars masterfully recreates a retro-like RPG experience with a modernised and memorable touch.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expertly crafts a gripping cyberpunk spy thriller experience that showcases the potential of a reinvigorated CD Projekt Red.
Baldur's Gate 3 manages to not only meet expectations set during the early access development cycle, but exceed them entirely. Offering plenty of customization in how you play, a huge world with tons to explore, and a fully complete story and experience from launch day, Larian Studios has set my new gold standard and expectation for RPGs going forward, whether the AAA studios like it or not.
The conversion from tabletop to video game seems somewhat successful, and I can see how the board game has been broken down and reconfigured as a successful interactive gaming package. While it was repetitive in places I could undoubtedly see teams of four cooperating and having a joyfully fun experience throughout the realms of Gloomhaven.
Enchanted Portals should have been so much better, and it really could have! Give us more polished controls, more interesting characters, more engaging cut-scenes and more impetus to play!
If you appreciate lateral thinking and obscurely specific puzzling: Chants of Sennaar is definitely a title to look into, especially for only £15.99 on PSN. Some may find it extremely frustrating in places, but I found the rewarding nature of the game very enjoyable with an unassuming level of challenge throughout.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk lives up to the promise of being a spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio for modern systems.
I couldn't say Somerville is my favourite game, nor would I say it's particularly action-packed or noteworthy in terms of puzzles, but technically it's a serviceable emotion-stirring two-and-a-half-hour jaunt that some may find value in.
RIDE 5 is as polished as they come with improvements in every way over its previous instalments, and the addition of a split screen mode is a brilliant feature! The learning curve may be steep but the gameplay is rich and rewarding for those with the stamina and patience to master the courses and each bike's respective handling.
A decade after the debut of its first act, Kentucky Route Zero TV Edition still offers a compelling, verbose experience in its original magical realist universe.
If you like simple shooters and want to mix it up with spellcasting magic, a bit of platforming, and minimal RPG elements; IoA is definitely a game you should pick up. I had a blast going through its various crusades and regardless of needing to know exactly what was going on half the time I managed to call several of the plot twists long before they happened.