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The gore may be too extreme and nauseating at times, but the decent animations, nice-looking restaurants, and compelling narrative kept me pushing through to the last cuts. Ravenous Devils is unlike anything out there, and it won’t be for everyone, but there’s no denying that it’s a nicely made and oddly enjoyable experience.
Despite my nitpicks, every new discovery unveiled, skills obtained, and boss defeated wipes away any grief and replaces it with deep satisfaction. There’s a lot to clean up with the core progression systems to make the ramp from beginning to end escalate more evenly, but I’ve enjoyed most of my hours struggling through countless generations of my goofy little bloodline. I am overjoyed the entertaining heritage of this series remains firmly intact.
Trek to Yomi looks and feels noticeably outdated for such an aesthetically pleasing game. And its archaic gameplay can’t be completely covered up by its artistic black-and-white filter. Trek to Yomi tried to reach the heights of lauded Japanese filmmaking, but unfortunately, it falls almost as flat as its 2D combat plane.
Switch Sports’ singleplayer is bafflingly hollow. All six events are available, but the reward system is absent. Gratification might come from defeating the CPU on the inconsistent “Strong” or “Powerhouse” difficulties, but don’t expect to receive anything flashy in exchange. As of right now, there are no incentives in place to keep casual players invested in returning to their favorite sports, which is a disservice to a sizeable percentage of the fanbase.
It took me a little over six hours to get my first victory screen, but that wasn’t the end of the game. Unlocking everything, uncovering secrets, and piecing together the lore are all a part of the almost inexhaustible experience. It can be acutely irritating to fall victim to a first-level foe after nearly making it to the last boss in the previous run, but the game is hard to put down. Loot River reimagines some of its inspirations' best elements, offering players a chance to sail cleverly through each environment, grow powerful enough to slice up once-impossible threats, and unravel a story that smartly weaves into its gameplay.
MLB The Show 22 doesn't put up an all-star performance this year, but continues to be consistent in all avenues of play and finds new ways to make you want to spend time at the ballpark. Playing with friends in cooperative play is the standout feature if you can use it, but the on-the-field play and March to October also impress.
I’ve never played a game like Norco, which elegantly celebrates and admonishes its cultural roots while simultaneously chronicling a strange doomsday scenario. Kay and Catherine’s shattered America is not so dissimilar from our own – burgeoning industrial complexes threaten to displace low-income families, automated systems supersede human workers, and the filthy rich work around the clock to deter upward mobility. The game isn’t always gloomy. One cool night, I sat atop City Hall and gazed at the constellations with a stranger. Hours earlier, I flipped through treasured memories on a faulty flatscreen TV. Norco is an unforgettable reminder that there’s an inherent beauty behind the madness.
Despite being periodically uneventful, the Skywalker Saga is a thorough and fun examination of all three Star Wars movie trilogies. It delivers the same sensation of being overwhelmed as opening a Blu-Ray collection of films and not knowing which one you should start with.
Rune Factory 5 is rough around the edges, but I still loved my time with it. Something about how all the parts work together keeps pulling me to it. Even after completing the main story, I’m still playing, as I have recipes I haven’t unlocked, a romantic journey I’m embarking on, and many upgrades I can still do to the town. It has its flaws, but Rune Factory 5’s enchanting loop of constant progression and discovery helps mitigate a lot of these annoyances, so they don’t sting so much.
Regardless, developer Wolfeye Studios has crafted one hell of a debut release. Weird West subverts expectations, twisting well-trodden cowboy tropes into dark fantasy vignettes brought to life by immersive sandbox elements.
Kirby thankfully remains as charming as ever and this new adventure can effortlessly provide hours of glee.
Wonderlands is upbeat and fun from start to finish, offering a rewarding adventure filled with goofy characters, imaginative bosses, and a great sense of ownership over your character through it all.
The things I like about GhostWire, I really like. I'd go so far as to say that some elements – its world, enemy design, etc. – are among my favorites in a game in years. That said, there are plenty of elements, such as story and gameplay, where GhostWire is hardly up to snuff.
Tunic brilliantly captures the feeling of that special childhood title that made you fall in love with video games.
Stranger of Paradise is the strangest Final Fantasy game yet, bounding wildly between awful and fantastic. If you can tolerate Jack (and that’s a big ask), the excellently crafted combat is worth a look. You may be coming to this game for the story and Final Fantasy experience, but it’s all about combat and little else.
There’s still work to be done, but like a retired veteran returning to put on a surprisingly solid match, WWE 2K22 manages to shake off the ring rust and perform better than the naysayers expected.
Despite its multiplayer shortcomings, Gran Turismo 7 is a terrific racing experience. I love the emphasis on car collection and the respect paid to the history of automobiles and racing culture. Gran Turismo 7 provides some of the best driving mechanics available and gives you several guided ways in which to engage with it. While it sometimes spends too much time off the track, every long cutscene is clearly done with love, and that sentiment shines through even more on the track.
Playing Triangle Strategy’s battles is probably the easiest and most carefree part of the experience. There’s a lot of fun in strategizing and watching your characters’ abilities shine, and I loved outsmarting the competition. The hardest part of the journey is the choices alongside the bleak realities it makes you confront about injustices of the world. The game has multiple endings, letting you pick your vision for the future. Even with my ending, which was one for a much more idealized, compassionate world, I was left a little disheartened. But, maybe, that’s the point. And for that, Triangle Strategy isn’t like most games you’ll play, which is what makes it special, even if it’s not always perfect in the delivery of its harsh truths.
The Witch Queen is an especially robust expansion, with a particular focus on customizing the play experience and rewarding longtime players’ investment in story and systems. If it’s not the most welcoming moment for players to jump in, that may be a price the developers at Bungie are willing to pay at this point. The long-running story arc that opened in 2014 is gradually steering toward a climax, and it’s possible the developers are increasingly interested in building a ride for those who have been in the vehicle for a while now.
Shadow Warrior 3 rushes along with zaniness and gore dispensed in loads, and that combo is oddly satisfying. It feels different, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is wildly aggressive in how much it wants to make you laugh. I appreciate this approach and had a good time with this game, despite how often it hits the same gameplay and humor notes. When most major releases these days are 100-hour juggernauts, Shadow Warrior 3’s five-hour playthrough is a nice alternative and is worth a look. Just be prepared to groan frequently and be oddly amused by those groans.