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While Crymachina’s flashy and striking character designs certainly shine, they can’t save a game that’s unfortunately hampered by uninspired, repetitive combat and painfully linear dungeons.
Though the Switch may not be as powerful as some of its counterparts, Gearbox Software still managed to do a phenomenal job taking so much content and condensing it into one neatly tied package without taking a major loss in performance. Still, this Switch port’s lack of some multiplayer options, along with a slight visual downgrade and lengthier loading times between stages when compared to other platforms, are a bit of a bummer. However, none of these minor flaws take away from the excitement that Borderlands 3: Ultimate Edition provides, whether at home or on the move.
If you were already a fan of the original release, you won’t be disappointed with the boatload of content Treachery In Beatdown City: Ultra Remix offers. From the updated arsenal of moves it puts at your fingertips, added areas to explore, and even more tongue-in-cheek storytelling that plays on current events and 90s video game nostalgia in equal measure, there’s a lot to like here. But fresh content and some witty writing can only carry a game so far. And while I love many of the ideas behind Treachery In Beatdown City, this update doesn’t do quite enough to keep its pixelated brand of pugilism from growing stale far too soon.
Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a title brimming with promise and love for its source material, reflected in its atmospheric visuals and intriguing narrative elements. It effectively encapsulates the grim allure of the Hellboy universe, offering a visually enthralling journey through its stylized, comic-esque realms. Yet, the game decides to tread the roguelike path that ultimately casts a shadow on its narrative strengths, often turning what could have been an engrossing narrative-driven experience into a slog through repetitively structured levels. The combat, while visceral and initially satisfying, suffers from control inconsistencies and a camera system that often hinders rather than aids the player’s experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game provides a glimpse into a darkly enchanting world that Hellboy aficionados and comic book enthusiasts might find worth exploring, even if it means navigating through its tangled roguelike web.
It’s clear The 7th Guest VR is a labor of love made by true fans of the original game. Its puzzles are brilliant, its production values are top-notch, and it perfectly strikes that balance between creepiness and campiness that made the 1993 original such a hit. It’s just a shame that while exploring these familiar locales in VR is a nostalgic treat, the finicky controls and some questionable design choices occasionally rear their heads like fiendish phantoms to hurt the experience. However, if you can overlook these shortcomings or are a die-hard fan of the series, you’ll find The 7th Guest VR to be one hauntingly good time.
Just as Disgaea 6 was an example of how a good series can begin to deteriorate over time, Disgaea 7 is a good—nay, great—example of how it’s never too late for a series to get back on track. Not only does Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless fix the myriad mistakes of its predecessor to the point of over-correction (and I mean that in a good way), but it even finds ways of utilizing mechanics that debuted in Disgaea 6 in ways that are both balanced and, if you’ll pardon the pun, intelligent. Regardless of whether you lauded or loathed the adventures of Zed & co., there’s no excuse to skip out on what is both the latest and greatest entry in the Disgaea series. Hinomoto is beckoning you—answer its call!
Chances are, if you’re checking out a review for a sequel to the best Hot Wheels game to be released in the past ten years, you know why you’re here. You see tracks in the most normal locations and think about how fun an orange and blue retreading would look, and Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is right here, ready and willing to fulfill that fantasy, with a massive collection of cars to do it with. Simple mechanics compliment such a smooth racing experience, making for an easy to recommend, pick-up-and-play arcade racer just as tried-and-true as it gets. Seeing your favorite rides come to life in such a carefree and exciting way will probably release all the endorphins you think it will, even with the tunes and engine sounding a bit out of shape. If your diecast childhood dreams ever catch up with you, you can’t do any wrong picking up Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged, along with a few Hot Wheels cars while you’re at it (you know you want to).
That’s a real shame because I love so much of the game Galvanic Games have created, but I don’t particularly enjoy the feel of actually playing it. There are enough cool moments and interesting paths that I still had a fairly good time overall, but the actual feel of the game is a crucial element that simply never clicked. However, players who this core gameplay resonates with will absolutely love Wizard With a Gun.
Engaging combat, brilliant boss fights, and top-notch level design that is amplified further by the creative dual-world mechanics introduced by Umbral, all coalesce into a version of Lords of the Fallen that not only leaves its predecessor in the dust but moves the genre forward in meaningful ways. That being said, it’s difficult to ignore the lackluster performance that significantly impacts upon the experience of the opening few hours, resulting in Lords of the Fallen not being the absolute recommendation that it should be, so here’s hoping Hexworks are hard at work on further optimization updates that brings performance to a level worthy of the rest of the package.
While Wargroove 2 doesn’t reinvent so much as it refines, my experience with it was far more positive than with the original. Perhaps it was just removing the weight of expectations. The game’s refined stages, absurd variety, and improved story all help. In the end, though, whatever the reasons, I had a blast returning to the world of Wargroove, and I think anyone who enjoys strategy games will find plenty of reasons to spend an awful lot of hours exploring it.
PAYDAY 3 isn’t the seismic improvement over PAYDAY 2 many might have been hoping for, but it is a refinement of the formula with a few fun new additions. Though the number of heists is currently at a modest number, they have a decent amount of replayability whether you use meticulous stealth or go in guns blazing. Despite a very troubled opening week, there are firm foundations for lots more heisting content to come here. Chains, Dallas, Wolf and Hoxton have come out of their latest heist with some scars to show for it, but with a few bags full of cash nonetheless.
Wild Card Football is the most fun I’ve had with a football game in the last decade. That says more about the poor state of sports games than it does about the game itself, but fans of the sport will find a fun pick-up-and-play arcade experience here, which is great for casual play, even if the available modes are lacking and the wild card system isn’t as successful as I’d like. Wild Card Football won’t provide a ton of depth or reward careful planning, but if you need something fun to play with casual friends at halftime, you should absolutely give it a look.
The closest to a negative thing I can say about COCOON is that I wish there were more of it. I wish I could forget everything I know about it so that I could experience it again for the first time. That those moments of jaw-dropping awe could hit as hard as they did my first time through. While I can’t have those moments back, though, you can still experience them. If you haven’t played COCOON yet, they’re still waiting for you to find them.
Long Gone Days may not be the most engaging RPG in terms of its gameplay, but you’ll struggle to find another RPG this year with as much heart and passion for its subject matter. By focusing less on the huge conflict that serves as the backdrop, and instead focusing on the smaller, more touching tales of people going above and beyond to help one another through awful situations, Long Gone Days truly feels like nothing else I’ve played. Had the combat been a little more engaging, Long Gone Days would absolutely have been a better time, but even as it stands, it’s a title that excels enough in everything else it does and is well worth experiencing.
Ten years ago, I’d have been eager to play a game like Hauma – A Detective Noir Story. With few new options to explore a genre I loved, I was eager for anything that even had a scrap of quality, and while its story and characters aren’t particularly strong and its gameplay has issues, a great art style, and solid voice acting keep things relatively enjoyable. There’s nothing truly wrong with any major aspect of Hauma. The issue is that most aspects of the game don’t do much that’s all that right either. Genre fans will find a game that is perfectly playable but which most will forget as soon as they’re done with it. Hauma – A Detective Noir Story is a prime example of why not every mystery needs to be solved.
While not without issues—the worst offender still being the inadequate tutorials—The Fabulous Fear Machine is an incredibly refreshing spin on the real-time strategy genre. With unexpectedly detailed, if at times slightly questionable, narratives underpinning each of its three campaigns and an art style that looks and feels like nothing else in the genre, The Fabulous Fear Machine does the impossible and makes being evil a whole lot of fun through its fresh gameplay loops and devilishly delightful assortment of legends. If you’ve got a mean streak and have always wanted a safe environment in which to find out what it feels like to have people unquestionably devote themselves to you and your cause, well, firstly, you should be on a watch list somewhere, and secondly, you should absolutely check out The Fabulous Fear Machine.
If Ubisoft’s mission with Assassins Creed Mirage was clearly to create something that paid tribute to the series’ roots while acting as an entry point for new fans, and perhaps a re-entry point for lapsed ones, then that mission has been well and truly accomplished. The razor-sharp focus on throwback stealth gameplay, stripping back of RPG systems, and de-emphasizing of melee combat all come together to create the most focused entry in years. Melee combat may feel awful, and the wilderness regions woefully underutilized, but when the streets of Baghdad itself are as joyous to explore as they are, and the stealth combat represents not just a return to form, but a series high, it’s hard to see those flaws as anything other than minor blemishes. I have no doubt that the future of Assassins Creed largely lies in more sprawling RPGs, but Assassins Creed Mirage shows that the classic formula still holds value, so here’s hoping Ubisoft sees a world in which the new can exist with the old.
DLC can vary wildly in length, and just because the added content is short doesn’t always mean it’s not worth checking out. Cassette Beasts: The Pier of the Unknown is, unfortunately, far closer to the lean side. But beyond its brief runtime and some same-y boss fights, it still managed to tick off most of the boxes of things I was looking for. There are a few interesting new monsters to transform into, Archangels to battle, and some challenging platforming to make this eerie expansion a worthwhile experience for the spookiest month of the year. That said, here’s hoping this is just the first hint of potentially larger DLC to come in the future, because the short length certainly has me wanting more.
I’m not sure I’ve ever played a racing game that feels better than Forza Motorsport. Whether you’re controlling the fastest car in the game or the slowest, it’s compelling to push each vehicle to its limits and keep finding ways to improve your ride. I wish the experience around this core gameplay found more ways to create a compelling journey, but fans of the genre are mainly coming for the racing itself, and they’ll find everything they need in Forza Motorsport.
While it’s over all too soon, if you grew up in the 16-bit era and love retro games, you owe it to yourself to give Pixel Ripped 1995 a try. And with the PSVR2 version’s improved visual fidelity and superb controls, there’s never been a better time to do so. Pixel Ripped 1995 is escapism at its finest, a nostalgic love letter to classic gaming that will transport you back to a simpler time. If that sounds up your alley, then don’t hesitate to add the game to your PSVR2 library.