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An immersive first-person shooter and RPG hybrid experience faithful to the original films while standing on its own two (robotic) feet.
Solve physical puzzles while puzzling over your existence.
Jusant is a mesmerizing and almost melodic experience on the Xbox Series X and is probably the must play game of the year.
A mix of building and resource/people management in a tribal setting... fun, for a while.
Trepang2 is a great mixture of horror and action. It may not be the most original idea of the year, but it certainly packs some of the best aspects of many famous shooter games into a cohesive and unique experience.
Despite my gripes, about five hours in, I had already accepted the presentation for what it was and I was having a great time slaying baddies with bonkers weapons and meeting new allies with uniquely bizarre personalities. Of course, for those with other options, Borderlands 3 on the Nintendo Switch is certainly not the best way to play the game. But it's all here. There are loads of fun weapons to loot, exciting bosses to fight, and enough humor to keep anyone entertained from beginning to end. If the Switch is your only option, this is still a truly fine way to experience a great game.
As you would expect from the genre, both of the Baten Kaitos games are quite lengthy. Even if you use the speed up features like I did, they could still easily take you anywhere from 40-60 hours to beat. In that sense, Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster is definitely a solid bang for your buck – but how many of those hours are genuinely fun? That heavily depends on if you can put/keep up with the battle system – and even then the other aspects of the duology aren't winning awards either, with the exception of Monolith Soft's signature worldbuilding. The "quality of life menu" defines the remaster, for better and for worse – if its implementation was more mindfully done it could've actually made the originals great, instead of merely showcasing how flawed they were and making their worst parts more tolerable. I'd be willing to overlook these flaws – especially in the case of Origins because of its story and characters – if only they just let me pick my cards in peace. From my perspective, its age is the primary thing that holds the series back – in fact, I have no doubt that if Monolith Soft were to make Baten Kaitos 3 today, it would be amazing. I don't know who to recommend Baten Kaitos I & II to though – I suppose big JRPG fans could do worse for the price, as long as you're aware of what you're getting into.
Truly a contender for Game of the Year, Spider-Man 2 is a game that justifies the purchase of a PS5 if you don't already own one.
Endless Dungeon manages to create the perfect mix of tower defense, roguelikes, and twin-stick shooter to create a deep, yet accessible adventure for the ages. One of the best co-op games of 2023.
In conclusion, Fate/Samurai Remnant adds another engaging title to this vibrant universe that is a very well crafted game from start to finish with strong gaming mechanics and a very engaging combat system. Further it is a living breathing world with quite a bit of attention to detail that makes exploration a treat. The game is also brought together by a very well written story with interesting characters, including real-world twists. The only downside is that it can be a little wordy at times with its visual novel implementation and at times, combat can be become a grind but fortunately the gameplay and universe more than makes up for this.
The return of Hot Wheels has brought with it mixed results. The racing action is undeniably exciting and pulse-quickening, which correlates wonderfully with the nostalgia of using the real-life playsets, and the are plenty of models to collect that you'll feel spoilt for choice. However, Turbocharged is weighed down by overfamiliarity, unambitious race modes, on-track frustrations, and a sense not enough has been done to evolve this sequel. On a base-level, Turbocharged is a pleasure to play, but Milestone should try to stop toying around with this franchise, it's got the va-va-voom to be something special, but unfortunately Turbocharged isn't quite it.
Could be one of PSVR2s best shooters, but is held back by some baffling design decisions.
Forgive Me Father is a frantic and fun horror FPS packed full of twisted enemies, inventive weapons and just enough mystery to keep you hooked.
It might not reinvent the wheel, but as a successor to an already near-perfect Advance Wars-like, did it ever really need to?
Assassin's Creed Mirage is the game that old school fans of the series have been waiting for. By taking the action back to its roots, Ubisoft has crafted one of the most exciting entries in the long running stealth series for the best part of a decade.
The Crackpet Show is a fun game with unique ideas. It is a great choice if you want to take a break from serious games, whether you play solo or with friends. It has a charming comedy to it, and the world of the game matches the gameplay mechanics perfectly. While the game lacks enough charm to get you to play it for countless hours and the aesthetic design of levels could be better, it is still a good experience
Lies of P is the best Soulsborne game that wasn't made by FromSoftware. The gameplay and design of the game are great and have a little signature of their own but the density of inspiration is a bit too much. The steampunk design of the game truly fits with its story and the music helps to convey the mood but I wish the story had more depth.
Featuring excellently paced turn based combat and a memorable story taking place in a beautiful, interactive world to explore – Sea of Stars is a dream come true for 90’s RPG fans, RPG fans, and fans of great video games.
It’s a great DLC, one worth playing the main game for, so long as you can forgive a few bugs.
Is it worth the price tag? That's a tough one. If you've enjoyed the previous game/s and you don't have any in your collection at the moment… it is a good way to have that classic game with the addition of some extra modes if you want to try those too. If you (like me) will likely end up just going back to the standard game and playing that… it seems like a steep price. I'm not really sure the extra features add enough to the basic game to warrant the price tag and if you already have a copy of the original or one of it's other iterations… I'm not sure the new additions will be worth shelling out for another copy. But my view might just be soured by the story mode animations… ooooh I did not like them!