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Battlefield 6 is the return to form the series has been needing, and it truly is at its best here.
There’s no doubt that Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are excellent games, just as they were when released. This Switch release is a bit off with its pricing and some of the controls in Super Mario Galaxy 2, but the games at the center of it all are brilliant as a whole.
LEGO Party is a solid take on the board game genre that rarely works outside of Mario Party itself. There’s a ton to unlock, plenty of LEGO charm, and interesting board themes. It’s definitely got a lot of luck to it, but if you can look past that, you’ll find a great game to play with friends and family here.
Some issues with cutscenes being voiced, but otherwise, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is the ultimate way to experience The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. With an entirely new perspective on the world of liberal, balanced, and expanded story bits, the modern quality of life makes it a must-play for fans of Trails or JRPGs alike.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger represents the peak of creature-collecting RPGs. It takes everything that worked in the Cyber Sleuth franchise and takes it to the next level in interesting and streamlined ways, all while including great new additions as well. Once again, the first English theme song has been proven true – Digimon are the Champions.
Your mileage with Super Robot Wars Y will depend on your expectations. If you are coming into this expecting a robust Tactical RPG with an epic story that will be on your mind for weeks after rolling credits, you might not find what you are looking for here. But if you are like me, and see some of your favorite giant robots show up with their theme song blaring, shooting off their iconic moves, you can get a bit more mileage out of this title. I found myself in a tug of war between being subjective and objective with this game, and landed somewhere around the middle. This isn’t a TRPG for everyone, but some of you might get hit just right to have a new obsession.
Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac is an enjoyable remake that anyone who digs platformers can have fun with. It doesn’t break the mould, and the voice acting can come off as a bit strange, but even without any nostalgia for the original game, I had a fun time with this new remake.
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is a lackluster roguelite, taking the variety the genre is known for and creating systems that minimize how different each run feels. It’s overstuffed with systems and currencies that don’t feel meaningfully different from one another. The art looks quite nice, and the story is fine, but placing the story in the middle of a run wrecks the pacing. The biggest issue is the two-character system, which creates an unnecessary punishment in single-player and a Nintendo-style co-op mode that doesn’t offer a complete experience to the second player.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is everything a kart racer should be and then some. It’s absolutely chock-full of characters and tracks, features some of the most satisfying racing mechanics I’ve experienced, and has a plethora of modes to play around with. If you dig Mario Kart, you do not want to miss out on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
I think anyone with a passing interest in RPGs or tactical gameplay should play Final Fantasy Tactics at some point in their lives. The Ivalice Chronicles remains a strong addition to the Tactics lineup, despite a few missteps and strange development choices.
While Type-Noise: Shonen Shojo could have executed some of its concepts a little better, it tells a solid story about trauma and moving on. These characters' stories aren't revolutionary, but they're emotional and heartfelt, and I found myself rooting for each one as I learned more about them. As an adventure game, it also provides a wide variety of puzzles that are both challenging and satisfying.
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1 Re-Raptored features a fun story and match-3 gameplay, but that’s all there is to it.
If you’re into weird art projects and vibing to some cool fake cable programming and recapturing that vibe of trying to find something to watch on a weekday afternoon, there’s nothing like Blippo+. But if you’re weirded out by, like, the entire preceding description, you’re probably not going to have a good time. I suggest: drugs.
Silent Hill f delivers a compelling and creepy horror experience, with unique enemies and environments that feel smartly focused on telling Hinako's story. The focus on societal expectations of women and the competition forced upon them, even between friends and sisters, gives the horror elements a more pointed focus. It delivers on themes throughout, and while the combat is only just fine, some of the more compelling ideas, like the economy of Silent Hill f create a compelling and spooky experience. Obtuse puzzles and a lack of variety in combat hold Silent Hill f back from reaching the peak of the survival horror genre.
Overall, Tiny Bookshop was absolute perfection, and everything I could have hoped for as someone who loves books as much as I do. It had such a gentle atmosphere and was very stress-free to play. I’d love to see some DLC released for this title or a follow-up.
Donkey Kong Bananza’s DK Island and Emerald Rush DLC have the potential to be a lot of fun, but the bundle ends up being a little bit underwhelming. I wish DK Island were more robust and rewarding to explore, and the price point is a bit steep for a fairly straightforward and repetitive mode like Emerald Rush. If you’re desperately looking for more Donkey Kong Bananza to play, this is alright, but I wish it were either cheaper or more extensive in its new content.
Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is an odd case. As a collection and as a piece of digital preservation, it’s brilliant. There are lots of interesting bits of bonus content, tight emulation, and pleasant visuals. It’s just that the Bubsy games themselves aren’t very good to begin with.
Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game is cute, and its puzzles really put your comprehension skills to the test. Beyond that, however, it doesn't have too much else to offer. It's an interesting experience, but one that ultimately ends up feeling rather bland.
Lost Soul Aside has ultimately left me feeling empty. Its most frustrating aspects are ones that don’t necessarily impact the actual gameplay, but the gameplay itself, while good in its best moments, isn’t enough to save this game. The end result is a forgettable and frustrating action game that I can’t recommend to even the most ravenous stylish-action fans.
Echoes of the End really struggles to provide a satisfying experience. Between the combat and the puzzle-solving, Echoes of the End is not a very satisfying game. I believe the developer realizes this, and I hope they’re able to realize their vision to great success, but, for now, I can’t recommend Echoes of the End.