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Megaquarium is a fintastic game to relax and unwind with at the end of a long day. I like to couple that with some of my favorite sushi rolls, but to each their own. Here I am, nine levels later and still having a lot of fun trying to make the best aquarium ever. Sure, nothing I design will ever rival the Georgia Aquarium, the world's largest aquarium and one I have been to a few times, but that doesn't mean I'll stop trying. There's only one more level for me to tackle, and my fingers are crossed that I can finally get some dolphins to do elaborate hoop routines while whistling the US national anthem for me.
Trine 4 feels like a return to what made the series great to begin with. A beautiful world filled with challenging (but not too difficult) puzzles to solve, combined with drop-in/drop-out co-op, makes for a great game to play with friends. Some puzzles were perhaps not fully tested, but a simple reset usually rights things again. If you were a fan of the gameplay in the 2.5D Trine games, you'll find a lot to love here.
If you have played Death Mark, then NG is a worthy successor that surpasses the original in character development, progression of narrative, haunting visuals, and an equally atmospheric soundtrack. Even if you are someone that has just discovered the Spirit Hunter series of visual novels, NG's plot stands alone and will consume you like a vengeful Onryō!
To say Frostpunk is fun would be like saying watching The Road is fun. It's engaging, challenging, inventive and unique. It cleverly re-purposes old genre tropes, and embraces the rigors of micromanaging dire people in a dark time with such earnest that it's hard not to get charmed into hours of sadistic yet satisfying struggle.
Any fan of the franchise will enjoy it for its authenticity, references, behind-the-scenes insights, and the opportunity to finally see what happens next as they accompany the original crew on another mad caper overflowing with 'buster banter straight from the creators themselves. Those unfamiliar should still have a good time, owing to the generally strong gameplay mechanics (despite some botched implementation), atmospheric moments, and set-piece encounters that together comprise a campaign refreshing in its straightforward linearity.
Concrete Genie has plenty of depth and heart, feeling freeform enough to relinquish creative control to the player, but also guided enough for those that might feel they lack the creativity or patience to make compelling art. It’s pacing is brilliant, keeping great momentum as it works its way through the narrative, even it it stumbles slightly when it comes to giving certain mechanics room to breathe.
The argument could be made that if GRID had been an early-generation PS4 title, it would've been a bit more praised than it will be this late in the console's life cycle. As that may be true, the title's genuinely compelling AI mechanics and multi-faceted livery of vehicles help it stand on its own as the proper reboot that this franchise deserves. It may not feature all of the bells and whistles that we've grown accustomed to in 2019, but it's certainly a solid foundation to rebuild a brand around.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint has the recipe for being a fun, tactical game to play with friends and strangers alike. While playing solo will remain a decent enough way to experience the game, playing with a group of dedicated friends is what it was made for.
It's also totally great on a mobile PS4 remote play rig, which I messed around with as well. Regardless of how you play it, The Alliance Alive is a fulfilling JRPG that isn't afraid to do things a little differently, while still showing its love for that classic 90s style. The Alliance Alive HD puts the game on modern platforms, and it's absolutely a title deserving of a second chance.
The game can be quite the challenge until you really get the hang of all the various systems, being able to manage what your people do and who they fight is incredibly addictive. It's also really thrilling whenever you manage to pull your clan back from the brink of disaster. If you're a fan of strategy games then it's definitely worth giving Northgard a try.
Despite some of its difficulties, Tropico 6 is a perfectly adequate port of an impressively layered and comically disarming PC experience. It isn't going to be lighting the world on fire, as far as innovation is concerned, but I wouldn't be surprised to see El Presidente try it on the forts of his opposition. If you've been hankering for the next chance to embrace your inner fascist, this should be a fantastic way to satiate the bloodlust.
Code Vein feels like it wants to take the idea of community and important AIs and marry it with the gameplay and ideas prevalent in Soulslikes. It is a story-heavy affair that wants you to care about its characters, while also helping you find your way in a demanding world with thoughtful combat. There are some technical hitches along the way, such as frame rate drops, but they're the sort of problems that could very well be eventually fixed with patches. For now, it's a largely successful experiment into some new ideas.
While I understand it's trying to emulate the movie, this ultimately makes Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son not any fun to play. Having to repeat the same tedious, overly lengthy, and often difficult, minigames over and over is just not fun. While I can say I was impressed with the storytelling and voice acting, and it really did feel a lot of effort went into making the game feel just like the movie. I just wish it was actually fun to play.
Despite my initial hesitation, I found myself really digging Contra: Rogue Corps. My fears that it looked like a cheap, grody-looking, nothing game trying to cruise on a classic IP ended up being completely unfounded. Instead, what I got was a game clearly under Kawazato’s supervision, but with younger blood coursing through its veins.
It’s an experience unlike many others; magical, memorable, and full of heart.
If you’ve been looking for a reason to take the plunge and upgrade, consider this your penalty kick in the pants.
Perhaps most important, for the first time, I actually felt like I understood the Souls genre with The Surge 2. It's the first one that made me actually feel anything other than annoyed and confused and that I wanted to actually stick around to see the end of. It still has issues, and I'd love to see more enemy variety, but I can safely say that I'll be back for whatever Deck 13 has planned next.
Why spend time in a lackluster world when I have a stack of other wonderful games waiting for me?
I had fun with Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered, but I found myself knocking it down to easy so I could just hit things without thinking too hard, and going through the more compelling sights and sounds without having to dive into a bunch of clumsy systems I didn’t enjoy engaging with.
In conclusion, Bus Simulator is honestly more entertaining than I thought it would be. Driving a bus, picking up passengers, and ensuring you give them the correct change may not be as thrilling as traversing planet Pandora in search of loot in Borderlands 3, or surviving Hell on Earth in the upcoming Doom Eternal, but Bus Simulator is an immersive experience that I can see myself revisiting on a rainy day.