VGChartz's Reviews
Volgarr the Viking II is a throwback title, for better or worse. On the positive side, it deploys its simple control scheme to maximum effect, leverages several interesting platforming ideas, and provides hours of challenging gameplay that will test your reflexes and resolve. On the negative side, its punishing nature, overlong levels, and general opacity can prove more frustrating than rewarding.
Even after tempering expectations for a modest indie title, Lifeless Moon runs dangerously low on oxygen while playing and no useful reserves are found while watching.
Even with a few underdeveloped components, Arranger is very much like its heroine Jemma: charming and hard to ignore.
While I can't shake off the feeling that Zenless Zone Zero suffers from a certain lack of investment, I can't see myself dropping the game either, if this initial version is representative of what awaits in future updates.
While the social component of the game is strong, the micro challenges that underpin it are ultimately too insignificant to stand the test of time.
While this current-gen version's polishes don't remove design annoyances endemic to most TellTale-esque adventures, Under the Skin is nevertheless an enthralling noir yarn worth unspooling.
Earth Defense Force 6 is more of the same, in the best way possible. It can get tedious at times, and it looks more like a PS3 game than a PS5 game, but it delivers all the chills, thrills, and spills you'd expect from the franchise.
The team's reputation in visual design and soundtrack are supplemented by a tautened horror thriller that's oftentimes engaging to watch; however, it's degraded by shallow mechanics that are typically unrewarding to play. Like oil and water, there's an incongruous mixture of creativity within its setting (both spoken and unspoken) and utter predictability within its foundation. Genre fans can treat it like oil spill remediation, mentally separating the two enough to at least appreciate its better qualities.
Parasol Stars is a hidden gem in both the Bubble Bobble franchise and the PC Engine library. It boasts lovely graphics, high replay value, and a surprisingly deep scoring system. Its only drawbacks: a short running time, two-player multiplayer that can feel clumsy at times, and a nasty bug unique to this modern port. Once the patch is live, definitely consider picking this one up.
The good news: Ingame Studios is giving out Cagnali's Order for free (for a limited time). The bad news: neither this expansion nor the main game are worth your time.
If willing to accept this expansion's tradeoff of creativity over longevity then pay the toll and cross into... Night Springs.
Despite a handful of unsightly assets, an underwhelming story, and a few difficulty spikes, the remaster of Monster Hunter Stories makes for an easy recommendation, for Monster Hunter fans or simply for anyone interested in approachable turn-based role-playing games who missed the original on 3DS.
Hypercharge's fun conceit and impressive suite of content earns appreciation given Digital Cybercherries' modest means, but its mediocre mechanics make other toys more tempting to play.
Despite the lack of 2010's Rocket Knight, the Re-Sparked collection is a video game anthology worthy of the hero Sparkster. It pulls together three noteworthy fourth-gen action-platformers — one of them, Rocket Knight Adventures, among the best of its kind — makes them more accessible than ever before thanks to save states and rewind, and surrounds them with bonus features.
There's a lot to love here, and if you're a fan of strategy titles, roguelite elements, or ideally both, you'd really be doing yourself a disservice by not trying it.
Its Campaign Mode is a letdown, and the lack of online multiplayer hurts its longevity, but NeoSprint is an overall okay arcade racer suitable for both solo play and game night with friends.
Although Cosmonaut Studios' temporal narrative adventure doesn't capture the true gameplay potential of its trippy concept, the storytelling still makes it worth your time.
Wuthering Waves is a fairly good alternative to Genshin Impact, but gameplay improvements are needed.
Banana Rumble doesn't unseat the original Super Monkey Ball or its sequel, but it gets closer than you'd think.
Leave it to Ubisoft to craft a hero shooter in as boring a fashion as its weaker open worlds.