New Game Network
HomepageArise: A Simple Story is pretty to look at, but the moment you have to start playing, it falls apart. A mish-mash of imagery, tone, gameplay, and narrative that seem okay on their own, but fail to come together.
It's tough to knock this too hard given its meager $2 price, but still, a poor game is a poor game, and Cerberus just falls flat in most areas. While it's at least functional - the ambiguities, empty settings, and overpowered, erratic enemies produce an experience that's tough to enjoy for more than a handful of minutes on end.
While packed with content, WRC 8 is a rally sim that struggles on the Switch due to poor presentation and the console's inherently unresponsive controls.
Pokemon Sword and Shield is more an iteration on a well-worn formula than a leap forward. Hardcore fans are going to enjoy the trappings of a series that has catered to them for years, but as a mainline home console Pokémon game, the expectations are going to be higher, and in some areas it's a bit lacking.
Strange Telephone is an entirely unique adventure that ultimately squanders it's off-putting mood and setting. The gameplay and narrative lack depth, and the puzzle design is inconsistent at best.
With an excellent droid companion and entertaining lightsaber combat, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order could have been a truly forceful addition to the franchise. However, navigation problems and unnatural level design takes it back down a darker path.
A fantastic sense of speed and exciting night-time racing help make Need for Speed Heat the best entry into the series in a while, even though the online component is mostly dead-on-arrival and progression can feel like a grind at times due to a stingy economy.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition brings the 1999 classic into 2019 with admirable grace. The developers manage to introduce very positive changes without radically altering that gameplay which has enthralled legions of fans for decades. Despite some issues, this is an exemplary remastering of a past title.
Death Stranding is less like a masterwork from a newly liberated veteran, and feels more like a debut effort of an imaginative and yet still unrefined game creator. Its convoluted story is propped up by a solid cast, and the very dull gameplay is just helped along by the well implemented multiplayer. It will only really appeal to fans of a very specific game subgenre, or those who enjoy unbridled narratives.
Planet Zoo is undoubtedly the most authentic zoo simulator you can play, perhaps to an extent that will deter some people. While micro-management and organization can be frustrating at times, the beauty of your creations, welfare of your animals, and happiness of your guests makes all that effort worthwhile.