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If you're reading this and thinking 'Gee, that sure doesn't sound like a particularly great game', well, you're right, it's kind of not. The Thing: Remastered so gloriously channels the vibe of something you'd rent from the video store on a Friday night and binge across the weekend that I can't help but love it anyway. Level layouts are often uninspiring, what few puzzles there are tend to be mildly annoying in their design, companion and enemy A.I. alike are completely wretched, and from start to finish it filled me with childlike delight in a way that no new game has in years. I've always had a soft spot for earnest B games, and The Thing: Remastered is the most earnest B one I've played in a long time.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind is probably the most ambitious title this franchise has ever received. It mixes classic side-scrolling beat-em-up action, with varied other retro-inspired styles of gameplay. It is hit-and-miss; playing by yourself feels brutal and at times unfair, and the non-beat-em-up sections, whilst initially exciting, can be tiresome. But with hand-drawn SNES-style graphics, a pumping soundtrack and nostalgia coming out of its ears, it still manages to be fun most of the time.
I want it to be known that I really wanted to like The Spirit of the Samurai. I am a massive fan of stop-motion animation, and any piece of media that utilises or seeks to evoke or pay homage to that style has earned my respect. That said, as well put-together as the cutscenes are, The Spirit of the Samurai is just not very fun as a game. From the clunky and unresponsive controls to the linear and murky levels filled with oddly placed traps and pitfalls, it can often feel like a slog to actually play. If you are a fan of stop-motion animation, then you may get something from the experience, but it is unlikely to be too satisfying for just about anyone else.
Aspyr continues their recent but crucial work of restoring legacy games with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, and it's arguably their best work yet. The visual fidelity and style upgrades are meaningful, only touching the fundamentals minimally so the twenty-plus-year-old cult classics remain the historic ventures they always have been. Though the untouched level design will feel at times dated with players, it's a janky and charming pair of games that are dripping with edge. Nostalgic fans and lovers of 2000s broodiness and creative design won't want to miss this one.
Getting absorbed into the world of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is easy, thanks to its gorgeous presentation, thrilling action-movie moments and delightfully tactile puzzle-solving. Exploring ancient temples and foraging for artefacts beneath the surface as you solve intricate conundrums gives Indy a really satisfying sense of place, as he cracks jokes almost as often as he cracks his whip, no matter what danger might lurk around the corner. While combat and stealth can be a bit clunky and forgettable, at its heart, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a thrilling globetrotting story with plenty of tantalising secrets to uncover. It's yet another strong entry from MachineGames which will, hopefully, spawn a whole darn series of Indy games from here on out.
Neon Blood, on its surface, is a stunning pixelated cyberpunk adventure that boasts an intriguing plot. However, players will unfortunately find that when they spend more time with the game it is riddled with clunky traversal, uninspiring combat and the lack of accessibility features. Though Neon Blood looks like it would be an exciting cyberpunk adventure, the issues make it visually gorgeous but not a super fun experience.
Antonblast is an incredibly odd, yet rather absorbing platformer. Despite its audacious presentation, there is a surprisingly skillful platformer underneath the over-the-top chaos of its visuals that fans of speedrunning and mastery over a game's mechanics will be sure to greatly enjoy. Not all of the level gimmicks work as well as others, but considering the amount of imagination which has been squeezed into this 10-ish hour experience, it's hard to come away from the game without a smile on your face. If you're a fan of Crash Bandicoot or the old Wario Land games, or just really like well-designed and memorable 2D platformers, Antonblast is a tonne of fun and an easy recommend.
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension is a vibrant and whimsical RPG from some of the best that have ever done it. The incredibly rich storytelling and setting are bolstered by a quaint and gorgeous world to explore thanks to the striking diorama sets, charming characters and another stellar Nobuo Uematsu soundtrack. Though the game isn't without its frustrating grinds, it's more than the sum of its parts. This is a step forward for the turn-based genre thanks to meaningful and much-needed quality-of-life improvements in its tactical nature and pace-controlling Dimengion system. FANTASIAN Neo Dimension proves there is still so much excellence and magnificence to come from RPGs.
If you're looking for a fun fitness routine that you can easily do at home, then Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer. Not only does it incentivise you to return every day, but the exercises you will be doing will get your heart racing. While it shouldn't replace going to a gym, nor will it make you a professional boxer, it will give you a workout based on your needs and abilities and you can change it to your heart's content.
Overall, Microsoft Flight Simulator is an absolute technical marvel when everything is running as it should. While there were significant hiccups at launch, the level of ambition Asobo brought to the table is clear. With numerous challenges, missions, and a vast and beautiful world to explore, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is sure to keep you entertained. While the learning curve for newbie pilots may be steep, Flight Simulator has plenty on offer for beginning players and veterans alike, no matter whether you're keen to just do some in-flight sightseeing, or embark on a career mode to get all possible qualifications in-game.
Loco Motive is a comfy ride the whole way through. It's good lookin', it's got a pleasant soundtrack, and the writing and voice acting are good for several chuckles. The way the stories of the three protagonists intermingle is a great concept that's executed well enough, even if I wish it was a little more fleshed out. Still, fans of point-and-click adventure games have no reason not to add Loco Motive to their library.
Nairi: Rising Tide is a beautiful game. The background art showcases how gorgeous an area is, and it gives so much life to the characters. The writing is hilarious, and it makes the characterisation display every positive and negative trait of everyone. But, even with that, art and writing cannot carry a game alone, as the puzzles become too puzzling, and some of the themes and world-building don't feel explored enough. Its hint system is mostly unhelpful, causing frustration rather than satisfaction. If Nairi is to have another entry, HomeBearStudio will hopefully learn from its mistakes.
30 Birds is a rich experience with a gorgeous world to explore that takes full advantage of the marriage of both 2D and 3D. The puzzles are engaging and there is plenty of variety to be found across the lanterns and amongst its colourful cast of characters. The story ends a little more abruptly than I would have liked, but it does end with the implication that Zig and the bird goddess are romantically interested in each other, which rules. There's a lot to love with 30 Birds so it's a shame that it still has a couple of bugs here and there and that the outstanding soundtrack just disappears sometimes. They are very minor issues though and ones that I'm certain will be patched very soon. I had a great time exploring the lanterns within 30 Birds and I'm sure you will too.
Everholm succeeds at delivering a cozy farming sim that involves solving a mystery. You have fun configuring your farm while building relationships with the town's residents and exploring dungeons, but you will spend more time farming and exploring than solving the mystery since it has a slow pace. There aren't many differences from other popular games in the genre as well. But if you know what you are getting into, Everholm delivers a solid experience.
Critter Café takes you to a colourful world that mixes modernity with fantasy. Not only are you operating the magical animal café of your dreams, but you also get to escape reality and go on an adventure to save critters. However, unlike other restaurant-based cozy games, there's a missed opportunity to offer more interactive opportunities outside the café operation and the exploration of the ruins, making the game feel a bit boring, lifeless, and repetitive.
Toads of the Bayou has so many awesome concepts that I thought it may just be one of my games of 2024. The character and world design are both well-developed and adorable, and the gameplay was fun… before I started dying over and over again. To really let more players appreciate this world they have created, La Grange either needs to put in difficulty settings or provide players with more support, instead making gameplay harder by punishing them with 'cursed' cards when they are struggling. Because the way it stands, I won't be jumpin' to head back to the bayou anytime soon.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an anomaly. It dazzles with stunning visuals, an eerie atmosphere, and gameplay that captures the soul of the original series. Yet, like The Zone itself, it's plagued by technical glitches, inconsistent performance, and design missteps that get in the way of its lofty ambitions. Despite its flaws, STALKER 2 has a strange magnetic force, and once you're in, it's hard to look away.
Tetris Forever is best approached as a tribute to the cultural legacy of Tetris. It's not the definitive way to play the game, but it's an essential experience for anyone interested in gaming history. Just don't go in expecting the perfect Tetris fix-this is a museum exhibit, not an arcade.
I liked Spirit Mancer well enough as an arcadey 2D hack and slasher with a fun monster summoning twist, and you might too. The addition of a monster collection element is a pretty fantastic inclusion, and the simplicity of sealing a weakened monster into my deck and then pulling them out at the opportune moment always felt satisfying. Unfortunately, the boss fights are mostly a bit of a letdown, feeling surprisingly slow-paced and often frustrating, and while the narrative doesn't take itself too seriously, it doesn't quite end with the impact that it should. That said, if you just want a fun 2D hack-and-slash game with a unique twist that you can play with a friend, you can do far worse than Spirit Mancer.
Sorry We're Closed is an incredible debut from á la mode games. It dares to go where scarce horror games have gone prior in making their underworld adventure also dreamy, poppy and dripping in substance. The world of demons and angels is tantalising in writing and worldbuilding but also visual design, depicted as god-like otherworldly hotties. Thankfully that substance isn't skin deep and also translates to inventive horror gameplay design where you're constantly shifting between claustrophobic fixed camera positioning for arena fights and first-person mode for lining up crunchy shotgun blasts. All these moving parts make for a memorable adventure filled with exciting boss fights, wicked needle-drop moments mid-battle and deep discussions on love and relationships. Quite simply the coolest survival horror game to ever exist, Sorry We're Closed is certifiably one for the girlies.