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Crusader Kings III is a worthy heir to its predecessor and a grand strategy game that everyone absolutely has to try. You may bounce off initially, but if you give it some time, I believe most people will get swept away in its complex mechanics and interesting take on Middle Ages dynasties and politics.
eFootball PES 2021 Season Update offers a rather plain scenario. Returning fans will find nothing new here, except for rosters that still manage to be out of date, and thus present poor value for the purchase. But perhaps newcomers will use this opportunity to finally jump in at a reduced price and see what the franchise is all about.
WRC 9 finds itself in a healthy position with a fantastic driving model and a broad range of awesome rally stages. With pleasing visuals and a decent team management component, there are only a few issues that keep it from overtaking the competition.
PGA Tour 2K21 is a fun, enjoyable golf game that has made me into a begrudging fan. It still could use some work on the presentation front, but with underlying mechanics this good already, I'm excited for the future of the franchise.
Marvel's Avengers has some good ideas, a satisfying campaign and enjoyable combat across a variety of heroes. But it suffers from repetitive and shallow missions, borrowed mechanics that aren't executed particularly well, and not least of all, pronounced technical issues.
NBA 2K21 marks a new low, which is really disappointing. At times, NBA 2K has been my favorite sports franchise, reinventing itself in ways that reverberated across the industry. But this year's edition feels incomplete and lacking. I would recommend revisiting older games before picking this one up; maybe the next-gen version will be more complete.
INMOST is by no means the most original game, but players who appreciate simply being absorbed into a beautiful, frightening setting should enjoy it. The world is small but densely packed with details that truly conjure the feeling of exploring a shadowy realm by the light of the moon.
No Straight Roads has an interesting premise and a fun story to tell, but unremarkable combat and open world exploration result in an overall mediocre experience.
As the existing fans look on with shock, Project Cars 3 decides to make a franchise U-turn. It doesn't cause any huge accidents and merges into the new lane with decent grace, but it's already trailing the pack of other arcade racing games, leaving many to wonder if it was worth doing.
Tell Me Why tackles a difficult subject quite well thanks to interesting central characters who interact maturely and drive the story forward. But limited use of telepathy, immaterial player choice, and a generally boring delivery tarnish this morose tale.
Wasteland 3 is a competent RPG that struggles to distinguish itself from the many other entries of the genre. With such games, the mechanics are all relatively the same, and the writing, choices, and world-building are so much more important. And in these areas, Wasteland 3 is proficient, but not overly impressive.
Manifold Garden's unique aesthetic and creative puzzles result in a memorable journey that is well worth the price of admission.
Iron Harvest has a unique setting with some original ideas, and borrows heavily from another RTS series. But rather than improve on those elements, it oversimplifies them, and lacks the content to justify its full asking price.
Battletoads is a strange collection of levels with different gameplay mechanics, and almost none of them are worth playing. Like an episode of a kids TV show, it looks nice and you might get something out of it - but it's quickly forgotten.
Spiritfarer is a nice looking, but mostly dull, resource management game that tries to integrate a unique setting with base-building mechanics. Its characters don't get enough development time for you to care for them, while they demand material comforts. The glacial pacing and repetitive gameplay make this an experience that only a select few will enjoy.
The 2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator is an impressive technical achievement, above all else. The flexible gameplay mechanics allow players of all skills levels to explore this incredibly large, immersive and live world. As long as you don't look too closely and forgive some of the bugs, it might just take your breath away.
Fall Guys has a decent foundation for creating some whacky multiplayer mayhem, but with so much of your success resting on luck, the lack of maps, and occasional server problems, the entertainment value rapidly dissipates.
Relicta is a smart, well-designed puzzler. It provides a tough challenge that really forces you to carefully think about each move. It's not always perfect, but is a solid entry into one of my favorite genres.
Skater XL feels incomplete. There's not a lot of content, and the game is lacking a personality, a vibe to engage the player. In a year that has Skate coming to mobile, the Pro Skater games being re-released (again), and Session also working its way through Early Access, you should hold off on Skater XL.
Fast & Furious Crossroads just can't get anything right, becoming yet another licensed movie tie-in that fits the negative stereotype. The presentation is dated and actors reprising their roles is but a small consolation. A brief and very linear campaign with poor gameplay offers terrible value for a full priced release. The PC version suffers further, with empty multiplayer, instability, and barely any options.