GameSpot's Reviews
Forza Horizon 6 is a gorgeous open-world game that is as much about racing as it is about taking a virtual vacation.
The Dark Pictures, as a broad project, feels like it's at a crossroads with Directive 8020.
Music can make us feel incredibly powerful or cathartically vulnerable. And when the right song hits at the right moment, it may just send a happy shiver down your spine, which is how I spent much of my time with Mixtape, and why I'll never forget it.
While I don't think Tides of Tomorrow rises to the same narrative highs as Road 96, its primary incentive is a great draw.
Saros is a phenomenal game that flips Housemarque's roguelite formula on its head and improves upon its spiritual predecessor in every conceivable way.
It's in that realization that Vampire Crawlers begins to reveal its true end goal: making you smile as you dispense pure carnage.
There's rarely a frame that isn't bursting with style and creativity, and it's none too shabby as a retro-style shooter either. Mouse: P.I. might not reinvent the wheel, but its arsenal of weapons is punchy and delightfully varied, while the fluidity of movement makes for some thrilling, high-speed shootouts. In this instance, you should have no qualms about handing over money to the mouse.
Pragmata offers a robust post-game with plenty to do, but I hope that's not the last I see of Hugh and Diana.
Right now, Pokemon Champions provides two different experiences for seasoned players and newcomers respectively--and unfortunately for newcomers, it's an uneven one that will require a lot of their own dedication and time to improve.
All said, even if we're not seeing the members of Cadence band blend their sounds together much in the story, we at least can see it happen during combat.
Those options make the whole adventure move briskly as you rotate between different types of puzzle and platforming challenges without ever lingering on one for too long. It's a strong debut for Darwin and for ZDT, and I hope we see more from both of them.
Altogether, Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup at Bellabel Park gets my qualified recommendation. If you're primarily interested in single-player Mario platforming, and especially if you've already played through the Mario Wonder campaign, this upgrade gets you a fun but short series of creative Koopaling boss fight stages, a bunch of challenge stages, an additional power-up, and new build options thanks to the Dual Badges.
Despite its nostalgic underpinnings, Midnight never feels stuck in the past. Just like with the 20-year-later revamp of Eversong and Silvermoon City, Blizzard isn't simply updating WoW--it's continuing to move it forward, one change at a time.
It might not always be the most cohesive game, mixing high fantasy with steampunk and sci-fi elements, but there's nothing else quite like it, and I can't help but be impressed by how little restraint Pearl Abyss has shown in its commitment to delightful absurdity. In some respects, Crimson Desert might not be too good to be true, but it's a world worth getting lost in.
I’ve always thought of the Stories subseries as a commendable yet modest spinoff series, but Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is anything but modest. It takes Monster Hunter's core loop and successfully translates it into turn-based combat, evolves the monster-taming genre thanks to Habitat Restoration, and does all this while telling a thrilling story with a great presentation. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection easily stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best Monster Hunter games.
It works well, has a seemingly unlimited number of gameplay options, and with the various upgrades introduced, this is the most enjoyable a WWE game has been at release in years, even if it still feels largely familiar.
Scott Pilgrim EX is Millennial comfort food. It's reminiscent of both actual classic games from the 1980s and the 2010 homage, it's bursting with small nods to our favorite games and movies and shows, and it just feels great to play. It's not especially daring, but it goes down smooth, and sometimes that's enough.
A good-but-not-great first half holds it back though, as the best platforming puzzles and story revelations are saved for the dramatic finale. If the ending of the game is any indication, we should expect another game in this series. And if the latter half of Planet of Lana II is evidence of the direction of where the gameplay of this series is going, I cannot wait to see that third game.
Even those frustrating losing streaks often just have me jumping back into another match, eager to replace the gear I've lost, and most battles are fun, tense, and tactical, pushing you to play smartly and work together with your teammates. How the developers support Marathon over the long term will determine whether it can sustain interest the way other successful live-service games have, but Bungie's fundamentals are incredibly strong, and Marathon is much richer and deeper than its 20-minute matches would suggest. Tau Ceti IV calls, and there are runs to complete.
But it's difficult to recommend, because so much of the metroidvania design--the core of the genre that Kratos has found himself in--is like that frozen wasteland: slowly plodding through, just trying to reach the next warm spot where it's fun again.