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DROP – System Breach is unlike other games of its ilk, as it doesn’t require scripting knowledge or too many button presses. This is a rather casual hacking sim that never releases its tension or lets go of your attention. The experience is over in just after several hours, but it’s one I want to replay to see what its procedural levels have in store for me. It’s a shock to the system at how good it is, as each new mechanic is doled out. DROP – System Breach is remarkably clever, and an irresistibly addictive puzzle meets hacking simulation.
For most, The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is just a $10 upgrade, which makes it an absolute no-brainer purchase for existing owners. If you’re coming to the game completely new, the full price is still very much worth it for an RPG that doesn’t overstay its welcome and offers a varied and unique gameplay experience with familiar yet distinct style. This whole game is textbook Obsidian, but is no less interesting or cool. If you liked what Obsidian did with Fallout: New Vegas , then you’ll be right at home here. The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is the definitive version of the game and it’s DLCs all but in name.
Maybe things will be fixed by the start of season 1 in May, maybe they won’t and we are either stuck with” “Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition” until “Blood Bowl 3: Legendary Edition” comes out or its publisher Nacon decides to cut its losses short and in another 10 years or so we maybe get a shot of another “Blood Bowl”. No matter the outcome, the damage is done and the community will always remember Blood Bowl 3 as an awful and mismanaged launch. I truly hope it bounces back from this, but I’m not holding my breath.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a lot of familiar elements from Team NINJA’s own Nioh series and also the FromSoftware series. However, there’s nothing quite like the Chinese martial arts and Three Kingdoms backdrop that you’ll find here. The dark twist that KOEI TECMO put in the later Han Dynasty a remarkable and fascinating portrayal I can’t say I’ve seen anywhere before. The underwhelming performance on PC is a major disappointment, but this can absolutely be patched and updated in time. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is not an easy game to beat, but it does come easily recommended.
One Piece Odyssey was a blast to play. It felt like I could watch a new adventure of One Piece unfold right before my eyes. The way everything was set up and played out was a great experience. The pricing here is set in the right spot since, as of writing this review, it’s still relatively new. The Steam cost of Odyssey was $60, but I could see the price dropping to $50 easily in the future. $60 isn’t a bad price for the game right now, as I’m having much fun with it. For anyone wishing to buy One Piece Odyssey, happy travels, and may your pirating adventure await you!
All in all, I found Forspoken to be a very well-designed game. A great many things are lacking with Forspoken, but they threw everything they could think of, including the kitchen sink, into this game, hoping something stuck. I wish Luminous Productions had taken a step back and eliminated some extra mechanics. They could have added them in a second installment once the first game was established. Honestly, I believe most of my love for Forspoken was brought on by the ability to have choices in my play style rather than the game deciding that for me. Forspoken is a game that showed me games could be fun and exciting even if there is not an engaging story to be told.
Mundfish threw everything but the kitchen sink at this one, and I wish most of it worked for it. Atomic Heart is good when you’re using the various guns which have been upgraded to your liking, and you get the time to explore these gorgeous and detailed environments with strong artistic direction. What’s not so good is that the protagonist is completely unlikable, the writing is cringey, and the combat encounters are either completely exhausting or totally worthless to engage in. A first-person shooter where it’s better to not fight seems to be missing the point. Atomic Heart is certainly an ambitious, gorgeous, but ultimately disappointing and flat first-person shooter that I cannot recommend.
The planet of Atropos is sprawling cornucopia of danger, colors, and excitement. At times, Returnal can be borderline on being space horror with its themes and setting, which makes it so good at what it does. Housemarque still retains those arcadey and shmup elements that they essentially have baked into their core. The PC version of Returnal gives those without a PlayStation 5 or a desire to own one a way to play one of the most unique roguelikes to ever exist. Returnal is this homogeneous blend of elements that fuse into something so beautiful and wonderful, that you just have to play and experience for yourself.
If you like the idea of grand armies and large battle maps, but found Total War: Warhammer III not to your liking, then the less intimidating Company of Heroes 3 might be up your alley instead. Relic has really branched out with this one, and while Company of Heroes 3 takes some creative liberties in the World War II stories it tells, they have an energy and heart in place of historical accuracy. Relic adding tactical pausing to Company of Heroes 3 isn’t blasphemous, it’s brilliant; Relic adding a dynamic campaign is not foolish, it is fantastic. There’s so much to love here, Company of Heroes 3 never stops giving for those who wanted more, and is a total victory for the real-time strategy genre.
Outside of the time period, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a cut-and-dry copy of any other Like a Dragon title before it. Luckily, that is an entertaining formula. If you found those other titles a chore, stay away from Ishin! Although the ancient Japanese setting might be enough for you.
Pharaoh: A New Era being a complete remake of the original game and its expansion from 24 years ago is incredible to see. This is a lovingly recreated game with many quality of life improvements and has accessibility in mind. Whether you’re new to the series or returning, there’s a lot to like here. This is a really involved game, but I wish Triskell Interactive did more with it. Pharaoh: A New Era is threadbare remake of a really good game.
This version and reworking of Dead Space fixes all issues with the original, adds new content of substance, and quality of life improvements all-around. I don’t often replay games, but I’m eager to start my run in New Game+ on a harder difficulty already. Knowing that this was remade from the ground-up still manages to trick the brain into thinking this is how it used to look back in 2008, but couldn’t be more wrong. This is one of the best survival horror games ever, and sits in the pantheon of great remakes like Resident Evil 2. I hope Motive continue to be the caretakers of the Dead Space estate, as they possess the blueprint for what a remake should be. Dead Space is a horror classic for a new generation, and it’s better than ever.
Even with the time constraints, I enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Garden In!, and the “Gotta Plant them All” goal of getting all the seeds. Unfortunately, I would be giving the real-time growing a pass if it were on mobile versus my PC, where it’s more of a detriment. I want to spend a few hours playing a game on my PC, not a few minutes. When I boot up a game through Steam, I want to sit down and be engrossed. Relaxing or not, I’ve dedicated time to play, so let’s play; Garden In! doesn’t do that for me. With all that said, I absolutely do recommend giving this one a go if you want something calm and relaxing to entertain your fingers and stimulate the mind for a few minutes.
LONE RUIN is good fun for however long you’re able to give it. It’s a shame that it’s rather shallow offerings across two modes can’t be more than a couple of hours. Coming off Hell is Other Demons, I was hoping for more with Cuddle Monster Games, and the reality is that we got less. LONE RUIN is visually stunning, has a variety of spells and character builds to make, but doesn’t have the longevity to keep you coming back for more.
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a short, replayable, and satisfying 16-bit side-scrolling platformer. JoyMasher and The Arcade Crew nail it yet again, this time with a Mega Man meets space Shinobi that really excels at feeling like a game that released 30 years ago and was lost to time. From the look, the sound, to the controls, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a slice of heaven.
If you distill this game down into two equal parts of combat and non-combat, then I love the combat. What I don’t love is the custodial relationship aspect, but I understand why it becomes so crucial over time, as it provides the backbone to combat effectiveness over time. And it’s nice to have a respite from the combat, level up, customize my room, pet a demon dog, and have superheroes open up to me. It’s still weird, but it’s something we don’t see or have the time to explore in most games, let alone a Marvel one. Firaxis is in top-form here, having slightly pivoted, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns sits in the upper echelon of Marvel games that you have to play.
If you played and enjoyed Monster Hunter Rise, Sunbreak is an easy recommendation that further expands upon and deepens the base game in meaningful ways. There’s loads of content on offer here that will keep you busy for at least 30 hours (and well beyond that if you’re the type of player who wants to pursue weapon and gear upgrades). Sunbreak delivers in every way and is an absolute delight to play, and it’s a must-own for fans of Monster Hunter Rise who are looking for the next chapter in their journey.
Overall, Need for Speed Unbound is a fantastic racing game that is hindered by a few flaws and terrible dialogue. Even with that, it’s still a bang-up good game, one with a lot of fun! With Unbound, some have been proclaiming that Need for Speed is back when in reality, Need for Speed has always been this good. As a lifelong fan, I should know! I recommend you try NFS Unbound if just for the art alone. But is this latest Need for Speed a must-play? Maybe not at the full $70 pricetag. I would wait for a sale or play it through EA Play. In fact, if the graffiti art flourishes aren’t doing it for you, go pick up NFS Heat; that’s basically the same game and is just as fun.
On the whole, I had a really great time with Return to Monkey Island. I think it hits a lot of the right notes fairly consistently, and while it does feel very familiar, there are enough surprises to keep things interesting and rewarding as you stick through the game and see it to completion. What it doesn’t do (and I don’t think it’s trying to), is recapture that feeling of playing the original games for the first time. It’s a great vehicle for getting yourself back into the headspace of those games and immersing yourself in the lore again, but for everything that’s familiar, there is a lot that’s different, for better or worse. And, it’s also still an adventure game, which these days is something you need to be in the mood to play. Having grown up playing them, I’m nearly always up for this, but it’s just a different pace and feel from so much of what else we play nowadays. You can feel Return to Monkey Island trying to find its place in the current landscape, and in many ways I think the game is a success. It’s true what they say, you can’t go home again. Return to Monkey Island knows that, and it’s there to help you embrace that fact.
The best way I could describe this game in a concise way that this is Chex Quest meets Halo with the writing of Rick and Morty. Now, if Justin Roiland’s voice and comedy doesn’t normally do anything for you, what you’ll find in High On Life isn’t going to change that. While the number of bugs and crashes weren’t that many or that big of a deal, it did impact my overall enjoyment. I was immersed in the world built here by Squanch Games, completing it in just a few sittings. High On Life is a great adventure with quality shooting and a filthy mouth to be one of the best and funniest games I’ve played all year.