New Game Network
HomepageNew Game Network's Reviews
If you're just here for the combat and don't mind a bad story, or if you're looking to soak up the nostalgia of the golden age of the genre for hours on-end, there might be enough here to justify a purchase. It was perhaps too much to expect that Octopath Traveler would compete with the JRPG greats, as sadly it misses the mark in understanding the nuances of what made those titles so iconic.
Next Up Hero feels a bit more like an online app or a means of promoting Mixer rather than a fully realized game. If you happen to have the Xbox Game Pass, this might be worth giving a try, just don't expect much substance or variety.
With an unrelenting sense of character, Chasm successfully works the Metroid formula into a procedurally-generated fantasy platformer, producing an intricate, challenging and enduring treasure hunt that more than justifies its five-year development.
The Banner Saga 3 is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, offering a solid end to the narrative with inventive ways to keep the gameplay fresh. This last chapter is a great game on its own, but it also completes a series that has been exceptionally consistent in quality, which is worth appreciating.
The Free Ones puts the grapple gameplay mechanic above all else, which manages to produce enough thrills and momentum to carry the game to its conclusion, across chasms where story and presentation should be.
Mothergunship has some interesting ideas and unique gameplay mechanics, but it doesn't deliver as enjoyable of an experience as it may seem on paper. The gunplay is lackluster, weapon crafting isn't as extensive as you might hope, and the roguelike design elements mostly work against the game.
Mario Tennis Aces is ultimately a solid party game whose weak spots mainly lie in the peripheral areas like the campaign, swing mode, and fairly limited customization. The core gameplay is enjoyable and takes center stage in the addictive, fun multiplayer modes.
Shining Resonance Refrain is a decidedly adequate game. It has dozens of hours of content, but those hours include passable battles, an average story, tired MMO elements, and a mediocre dating sim to boot. It's not going to twist the arm of someone who's sworn off JRPGs like Persona 5 would, but it could do just enough to satisfy die-hard fans of the genre.
Garage: Bad Trip is an unrelenting barrage of camp horror and ridiculous action sequences whose grungy VHS aesthetic will likely appeal to cult-movie enthusiasts, while also managing to be well-structured, accessible top down shooter with its very own grotesque thrills.
If you'd like to experience the sense of flow of iOS rhythm games or runners without the touch controls, Lost in Harmony's isolated keys and horizontal scroller may prove attractive on the PC. But alas, it's better suited to the smartphone, and with its rich, painted aesthetic and surprisingly grounded story, it's probably amongst the strongest on that market.
The Crew 2 offers a wealth of varied content to undertake in a huge open world, but the entire experience is shackled by too many gameplay and design annoyances, with hastily borrowed mechanics that never really come together.
Slime-san: Superslime Edition doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it is one of the better variations of the classic platformer out there. The controls are excellent, and the plethora of content here will keep you busy for months. And if your eyes aren't broken like mine, you might even appreciate the visuals.
Though the idea of a Warhammer 40K themed ARPG certainly seems appealing, Martyr largely fails to capitalize on this potential due to unfocused design, clumsy gameplay and an abundance of technical and performance issues, despite boasting strong audio-visual presentation.
Inked tries in earnest to make a small folk tale into a wider allegory about creative expression, and though admirable in theory, the self-reflexive bent ultimately hinders the sense of unease it creates through its pleasantly hand-drawn realm.
Jurassic World Evolution is a very pretty looking game, but one that doesn't have a lot going on under the hood. It can be infuriating, engaging and baffling in equal measure, but is only really made for the most diehard of Jurassic Park fans.
Well written, quaintly designed and only occasionally fatiguing, Towards the Pantheon fully embraces RPG convention, using the genre's familiar narrative themes and battle systems to provide an unavoidably charming fantasy quest.
With a game both simple in its execution and deep in customization and unlockables, Disco Dodgeball Remix offers an interesting new way to enjoy online FPS gaming, at least in short bursts.
Moonlighter is an enjoyable RPG with a fairly typical loot-grind cycle. It might miss the mark with some of its bigger thematic elements and could use a couple of tweaks to be a more well-rounded action game, but Digital Sun gets the important stuff right.
Jumping Joe and Friends embraces simplicity, requiring enduring vigilance as it challenges the player to accumulate as many points as possible. The result? Not only a tense arcade platformer, but a reasonable party game that suits the Switch's pick-up-and-play charm.
Vampyr is a smart action game that poses regular moral dilemmas as you decide to either heal or kill characters in a wonderfully dark city. With decent melee combat and an interesting story, there are not many vampire games that taste as sweet.