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Borderlands 3 sticks to the formula established in previous games. Despite suffering from technical issues and some pretty obnoxious characters and dialogue, the improvements to core mechanics, a great variety of locations and enemies, and series-best procedurally generated loot make it a more than a worthy sequel that should enthrall fans for dozens of hours.
The Sojourn is an average, middle-of-the-road puzzler, that struggles to be memorable after the first few hours. There are interesting ideas here, both in terms of gameplay and aesthetic. However, they both suffer from the same problem, which is unfortunate repetition.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a joy to play. It's a visual thrill ride and the music will have you bopping in place while you zip through the levels. The scope might be small, but the action is big and ridiculous. And while the story isn't its strongest aspect, the themes of heartbreak, anger, and forgiveness give the game an emotional center.
NHL 20 finally offers some forward momentum for this sports franchise, and though it's not all smooth as ice, at least fans have a variety of good reasons to lace up the skates again this year.
Daemon X Machina is an underwhelming mech game that offers too few enjoyable qualities to recommend, even for the fans of the genre. Fleeting fun from the action is buried beneath a poorly told story, lackluster presentation, and barebones mechanics.
There are plenty of gripes to contend with in GreedFall, but the striking setting, flexible character building, and rock-solid action RPG core make it easy to recommend to fans of the genre.
Having a unique core mechanic is a great start, but finding a way to stretch it out over the entire course of a game is essential, and that's where Creature in the Well can't stick the landing. It offers a smart idea, but one in need of refinement.
What's in a name? For eFootball PES 2020, it's just words. Even with the new moniker, this year's footballing title offers more of the same - mostly solid gameplay, but lacking any sort of forward momentum in all other areas.
NBA 2K20 remains a solid basketball title and something that fans of the sport are bound to enjoy. But the game seems designed to pressure players into pumping extra money so they don't have to spend an ungodly amount of time grinding, and that dampens the arena atmosphere.
AER: Memories of Old teases its potential with some amusing bits - namely the rich atmosphere and the bliss that comes with soaring through the skies as a bird. Still, it feels a bit like Zelda-meets-Myst - with much less detail or interaction. Tough to recommend, unless you find great value in a characteristically passive, serene adventure game.
Overall 80 - Astral Chain successfully combines great action, exploration, and puzzles together with a strong narrative. Despite a few problems with pacing and repetition, it's a fun, engaging, and above all original experience.
Crytek have made something that feels truly distinct with Hunt: Showdown. The tense, high stakes PvP action blends well with southern swamp-horror PvE to create a fresh and compelling multiplayer experience, though the extreme lethality of the combat and a current lack of content might leave you hunting for a sale.
Blair Witch, much like the rest of the franchise, is a disappointment. It's not scary, it's rarely interesting and it's not particularly fun to play. It has a solid look, but is lacking in just about every other department. I say this begrudgingly, but you're better off watching the films.
Gears 5 offers a familiar action experience that should satisfy fans who gravitate towards its expanded multiplayer options. And yet, the uneven campaign and lack of significant gameplay innovations mean this latest chapter does little to draw in the uninitiated.
Telling Lies makes great innovative tweaks to its gameplay formula, and offers a high-quality live-action adventure, but it completely fumbles merging these two elements together. A word of advice would be to try your hand at the puzzle and discovery for a while, and then eventually just watch the clips outside the game to enjoy the narrative.
Wreckfest may feature some lackluster racing, but its dynamic vehicle deformation is so dazzling that it almost doesn't matter. Barreling across tracks that gradually fill with automotive debris, or jumping into a demo derby to wreak some havoc yourself, serve to fulfill a destruction-fueled niche that knows no equal on consoles.
The Dark Pictures - Man Of Medan takes a while to get going, but eventually the scares start kicking in, and it's a lot of fun screaming alongside your friends. This is a game that's meant to be shared and is a blast to play in groups. A promising start to the horror anthology that will hopefully only get better with subsequent entries.
Control offers some of the best combat from Remedy, balancing supernatural abilities with a handy service weapon. Its non-linear twisted levels, populated with varied Hiss enemies, make for an appealing supernatural world. With a better protagonist and some fine-tuning, it could have been truly extraordinary.
Guiding a clan of primates through generations as they evolve certainly makes for a unique experience, and there are times when Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey comes together. But a lack of guidance on basic gameplay mechanics, as well as some clumsy controls and unsuccessfully executed ideas, make for a highly uneven game.
Erica offers a very casual take on the adventure game genre with a rather convoluted story, but a great price and solid production values make it a novelty thriller that's worth a look.