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Laika: Aged Through Blood can feel like a lot at times. There’s no one mechanic that on its own is an issue, but there’s so much to manage that this is a game with a very high learning curve. Still, this is a singular game that feels so unique that it’s hard to imagine players who it clicks for won’t fall in love with it.
If you are someone, like me, who adored Sniper Elite 5 and are simply after more of the engrossing, visceral, and malleable stealth and sniping action provided by it, then you can’t go wrong with Sniper Elite: Resistance. It delivers a robust, ultra-replayable campaign that still has me hooked and a bevy of multiplayer modes if you want to dabble further after you’ve shattered all the skulls the campaign has to offer. Arguably, Rebellion has played it a little too safe in some areas, with the core gameplay loops and modes being virtually identical to Sniper Elite 5, but given that it has been two and half years since I spent time with the series Sniper Elite: Resistance is an excellent way to dive back in while Rebellion hopefully cooks up something special for the next installment.
Synduality: Echo of Ada had the potential to carve out its own niche by being an accessible extraction shooter available on console. It’s not completely without merit, with its snappy gunplay making for an exciting PvPvE experience and the novel Magus system initially showing a lot of promise. However, a laborious early game grind, and monetization so egregious that I don’t see anyone but the most hardcore of audiences sticking around severely sour the experience. Whether Game Studio can course correct remains to be seen, but early signs point towards yet another live service title that runs the risk of having its lifespan cut short due to excessive grind and greed.
That doesn’t change the fact that Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero eventually does become an excellent strategy RPG, at least on a mechanical level. Its narrative never really grabbed me, but once you get past the hours of tutorials, combat becomes incredibly engaging. With so many excellent games in the genre available, though, it can be hard to recommend slogging through a slow starter to get to the good stuff behind it. Fans of the original Phantom Brave who have waited so long for a follow-up will want to check The Lost Hero out, but other players will find games that make better use of their time.
Despite a few rare missteps, I still very much enjoyed Symphonia. I’ve played several games published by Headup Games, but this is one of the best. It’s colorful, whimsical and features precise and fluid controls. If it had just been a little bit longer and offered more reasons to keep playing (other than the infuriating Shadow Chase mode), I think it would have gotten a perfect score. As it stands, fans of platforming that are in the mood for a quick burn should absolutely check this musical adventure out.
Tales of Graces f Remastered modernizes a beloved game while preserving the elements that make it a classic. What you’re getting is an all-in-one package that includes fantastic quality-of-life additions, additional story content, and most (sadly not all) previously released DLC content.
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana isn’t a necessary release for anyone who already has an easy way to play this adventure. For those who don’t, though, it’s a relatively simple but fun entry into the Ys series. I don’t know that it quite stands up for me as one of the series’ best titles. The story and characters are charming but also conventional, and while the gameplay is fun and moves well, it doesn’t really stand out in a crowded RPG market. Still, this isn’t a long game, and those who want to see what the Ys series is all about will find a lot of it packed into this entry. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana may not have been an essential re-release, but it’s nice to see a beloved game available to new fans, and it is absolutely the best version of the game available.
MiSide’s gonna be remembered for a while as a horror great, with the lunacy of Crazy Mita bringing a potent take on the classic yandere formula. The art of microdosing emotional attachment before prepping for the kill is so subtle, nervewracking, and harrowingly effective. Effortlessly dodging mood whiplash despite the wide gap between its horror core and fluffy, cozy dating sim front helps set MiSide apart as a strong title in the indie horror scene. Simple gameplay loops and puzzles compliment the harmless fun of hanging out with the various flavors of Mita and screwing around in the numerous delighful minigames packed in the five hour campaign. With pacing that’s fluid and balanced, MiSide’s simplistic little mechanics and gimmicks that wander in and out never overstay their welcome, and no one line or scene feels like wasteful filler. What really sells the package is how well it balances its thrill and mystery, going at a perfectly planned pace while giving the option to really chew on the extra worldbuilding details for the mobidly curious player wanting to sink their teeth in deeper. It can be easily forgiven for relying on some pretty familiar horror gaming tropes and mechanics when the execution results in such a smooth blend of the familiar while never forgetting to add that MiSide spice. For such a low price of admission to what’s one of the best damn indie horror games I’ve played in years, I think it goes without saying whose side I’m on.
I really wanted to enjoy The Legend of Cyber Cowboy, but after spending some time with it, I just feel it’s a super generic take on amazing games like The Binding of Isaac. It failed pretty spectacularly, not only in the balance arena but in being fun or engaging. Unless you’re a truly diehard fan of the twin-stick shooter genre, you won’t find anything to enjoy here.
While FANTASIAN Neo Dimension may not end as well as it begins, this is still an excellent RPG featuring wonderful characters, an interesting story, and perhaps my favorite battle system of any RPG I played in 2024. This is the ultimate way to play it as well, with an easier difficulty and new soundtrack options inspired by this version of the game being published by Square Enix. Fans of the genre won’t want to miss this one.
As a fan of Power Rangers, I especially enjoyed Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind. It’s a faithful and nostalgia-filled adventure full of colorful visual design, amazing voice acting, and challenging arcade action. While I do feel it’s not as well-tuned for single-player experiences, this is a wonderful game to play with friends. If you’re a longtime fan of the iconic characters, you’ll find something to adore in this love letter from Digital Eclipse.
While Indiana Jones and the Great Circle might not deliver the most satisfying combat experience, it more than makes up for it with its sense of adventure, storytelling, and exploration. MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks have succeeded in crafting a journey that evokes the timeless thrill of Indy’s cinematic quests, filled with puzzles, peril, and breathtaking locales. For fans of the franchise, this is the kind of adventure that makes you feel like you’re stepping into the shoes of Dr. Jones himself, solving mysteries and outrunning danger at every turn.
While its lack of optimization and frequent glitches occasionally crashed the party like an enemy hand grenade, Metal Slug Tactics‘ fast-paced, feature-rich combat and wealth of unlockable content kept me coming back for more. If you’re a fan of the franchise with a love for classic PS1 SRPGs like Vandal Hearts and Final Fantasy Tactics, then this is a fight worth enlisting in – even if it’s a patch or two away from reaching its full potential.
"I feel extremely conflicted when I think deeply about Slitterhead. On the one hand, it's a return to the side of Toyama's mind that gave us Silent Hill, with Slitterhead presenting players with an otherworldly tale that thrives on surrealism and its gripping central mystery. On the other, it's a sub-par action game that weighs down its novel ideas with combat that feels weightless and unimpactful. Whether the combat is a deal breaker for the average player is going to depend on how much they value everything that Toyama and his team at Bokeh Studios have got right. For this writer, the answer to that conundrum is that on the whole, Slitterhead's positives do outweigh its negatives. It feels like Toyama is untethered again, and while not every design choice has worked out for the best, the fact that we have the horror legend operating independently and willing to create something unlike anything else is something to be celebrated."
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 fires on all fronts, with a sublime campaign, an addicting Zombies mode, and refined multiplayer gameplay thanks to the new omnimovement system. This is a triumphant return for Treyarch’s beloved subseries and a shining beacon for what’s to come.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure certainly pleased me, though. Returning to the series’ original star and following up on a choice that fans have spent a decade debating was always going to be a challenge. Still, by focusing on the genuine emotions such a choice would leave behind, the team at Deck Nine has created a story that hit me like a ton of bricks. This may be the best Life is Strange yet and sits comfortably among the best games of 2024.
I’ve ended a lot of reviews of Switch ports over the years saying some variation of this may not be the best version of the game, but it’s worth your time if the Switch is your preferred platform. That’s not the case for Yakuza Kiwami. This version simply isn’t worth your time and it doesn’t matter whether you have another way to play the game or not. It isn’t just inferior; it feels terrible to play. Hopefully, the team behind this port will keep working on improving performance because there’s still a solid title underneath this version’s issues. Still, there are too many great experiences on the platform to spend your time on a game that feels like this.
I’d have loved to see Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven lean into its generational aspects a bit harder. While combat is excellent and exploring this world is rewarding, after the initial chapters, it would have been great to feel more connected to my party. Still, I had a great time going through this Kingdom, taking down the seven one by one, and bringing peace back to the land. RPG fans are almost certainly feeling a time crunch with so many excellent games released in the genre recently, but Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is yet another title worth finding the time for.
Video games are a form of art and Metaphor: ReFantazio is the embodiment of that. The game’s ability to weave together thought-provoking themes, engagingly unique gameplay, and memorable characters in a beautifully stylized package is beyond remarkable. This is Atlus at the height of their creativity.
As far as Ys chronology goes, Adol’s latest adventure is nothing if not a big step backward. If you ask me, however, this game is a major step forward. Offering an incredibly compelling story, intuitive new mechanics, and a refreshing and unique take on the Ys formula without compromising its identity, Ys X: Nordics is a literal boatload of fun that series fans and newcomers alike. I’d say that good things are on the horizon for Adol from here on out, but, well, we already know that’s true.