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The major aspects of Trek to Yomi that will stick with the player are the combat, the atmosphere, and the world design. All three of these key features will drive the player to continue playing and enhance the gameplay. One example would be how exploration can reveal alternate ways to defeat groups of enemies. These moments are few and far between, but their inclusion is a nice reward for players who choose to explore the map. It's one of many smaller pieces of gameplay that makes the overall experience stand out among other indie titles.
Despite the beautiful character and environmental designs, Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King has some mechanical issues.
Revita is a brilliant roguelite featuring impactful mechanics and a fun gameplay loop.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed's Switch port tries to capitalize on nostalgia but ultimately fails to capture what made the original game so special.
Moss: Book 2 continues Quill's story with even more satisfying puzzle-platforming action, but some issues hold it back from being exceptional.
Teardown is a wonderful game when it’s utilizing its strengths. Tuxedo Labs created a technical marvel of a game reminiscent of Red Faction: Guerrilla where destruction is its bread and butter and deserves endless praise on that front. Nothing’s quite as refreshing as throwing explosives at a building where it’s weakest and watching it tragically crash to the ground or explode into glorious pieces. All the surrounding elements, however, from the stunted variety and diminishing returns of the heists to the lackluster campaign, work against Teardown to create an uneven seesaw that soars during its highs but underwhelms as it slowly descends from its great heights.
Aside from the changes to the feel and efficiency with the cursor controls and some stuttering cutscenes, Tormented Souls remains one of the few successful attempts at recreating that late 90s survival horror vibe. Cinematic camera movements and a beautiful but eerie atmosphere (not to mention nightmarish monsters) lends some scariness to the game, while terrible voice acting and a strangely bare plot leaves players with more questions than answers by the time the game is over. It would seem the best and most authentic way to play Tormented Souls would be on Playstation 4, Xbox One, or PC. The very slight graphical improvements on a smaller mobile screen don’t take away the benefits of playing on other consoles.
There is room for improvement in future patches, but MLB The Show 22 is an enjoyable experience regardless of how it's played or how new a player is to the franchise. There's nothing quite like hearing the crack of the bat on a perfect swing and watching the ball sail out of the park. For veteran players, the minor improvements will go a long way in the near future, making this game feel true to the actual sport and giving players a realistic feeling of being on the field.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is an easy recommendation for Borderlands and D&D fans, but those who have had their fill of the franchise may get tired of the repetitive combat and constantly looting useless items. The technical problems are the biggest issue, so hopefully, Gearbox Software releases new Tiny Tina's Wonderlands updates to address them soon.
Overall, however, this is a one-of-a-kind horror FPS delight. All the game’s nuances and features come together to craft an ode to H.P. Lovecraft that the author himself would be proud of. With incredible gunplay, myriad secrets to uncover, a gorgeous aesthetic, and memorable boss encounters, its technical issues don’t quite stop Forgive Me Father from being something a die-hard FPS fanatic looking for a fresh, new experience should miss out on.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is easily the best compilation that TT Games has put together. Visually stunning, mechanically evolved, and endlessly entertaining, the game puts its foot on the gas and never lets off. Pacing issues and simplicity aside, the fact that the devs could revisit games they literally already made and make this package feel fresh is an accomplishment all its own. No matter how players might feel about the stories of the three trilogies, it’s hard to argue this is the best video game representation of them that just so happens to be LEGO.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an adorable 3D platformer that feels like a major step forward for the long-running franchise.
Weird West is a brilliant execution of immersive sim principles in an isometric environment.
Tango Gameworks' Ghostwire: Tokyo builds a paranormal mystery in a grounded setting but loses some of its shine in its pacing and combat.
The next-gen version of Grand Theft Auto 5 is a new way to play one of the best games ever made, but the upgrades may not be worth it for everyone.
Dicey's Zelda-inspired indie adventure Tunic gives players a magical world to explore, if they can handle the game's difficulty.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin seems to prove that the Final Fantasy franchise can thrive in the action game scene with this first franchise venture from Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. The title isn't a true home run, but it is an exciting adventure that expands the franchise lore in a unique direction. The Final Fantasy Job system is as interesting and exciting as ever and adds a unique twist on the action game format as players grind through each challenging dungeon and fill in all the Job talent trees one by one.
From Showcase to MyGM, WWE 2K22 is stuffed with content, and in terms of graphics and polish, it's a huge improvement over its predecessors. But the game has some notable drawbacks, especially with the botched MyGM, which could have been the crown jewel of WWE 2K22's game modes. The foundation is there for a future WWE game to provide a more fleshed-out MyGM experience, so hopefully, it isn't abandoned again.
Time will tell how fans will react to Gran Turismo 7's microtransactions, but putting them aside, what's there is still a deep racing game experience that will keep fans of the genre busy for hours on end. It's a gorgeous racing game and while it's not going to be knocking down any boundaries to convert non-racing game fans, Gran Turismo 7 should greatly appeal to its target audience.
Although Piranha Bytes' Elex 2 is not without its minor shortcomings, it is the definition of what all open-world RPGs should be.