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The Riven remake is gorgeous and difficult, and better than its precursor in many ways.
Thank Goodness You're Here is a wildly funny slapstick adventure.
It's not going to be the next Soulslike hit, but Deathbound has unique ideas and solid execution that genre fans can appreciate.
Volgarr the Viking 2 is a worthy, brutally difficult, and endlessly addicting follow-up to its tough-as-nails predecessor from 2013.
Steamworld Heist has finally gotten its hotly anticipated sequel, and so far, this brand-new turn-based adventure has not disappointment.
Like previous games in the series, Earth Defense Force 6 is a ridiculous B-movie-turned-game filled with giant monsters and explosions.
Dungeons of Hinterberg does a lot of things right. It features a story that shows the protagonist growing within themselves, albeit slowly, and embraces its casual atmosphere with wide-open arms. Players that enjoy that slower side of gaming will find some interesting moments while exploring and playing through the story. The rest will have to find something buried in the game's combat to keep their interest, though that may prove too difficult. Still, those players looking for something easy that never moves too fast and ambles on at a comfortable pace will enjoy Dungeons of Hinterberg for the qualities it fully embraces.
Developer Bureau 81’s ability to file The Operator down to its best components and focus solely on what works is its biggest asset. It’s not a bloated campaign with an equal balance of tacky and tactful puzzles. Instead, it’s a taut collection of cases that work in tandem to create a gripping adventure that encourages savvy problem-solving. It’s all cushy desk work, but The Operator makes examining phone records and enhancing grainy security camera footage just as exciting as tiptoeing through an enemy base with a silenced pistol.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn excels in as many areas as it falls short, meaning players' mileage will vary based on where they can compromise.
Squid Shock Studios lets loose an astonishing debut in the form of Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, a silky-smooth metroidvania platformer.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess isn't perfect, but it's a fascinating game and one that begs for a more refined sequel that builds on its ideas. What's here is still mostly great and should greatly appeal to fans of tower defense games, the Pikmin series, and even the Demon Slayer anime. It's great to see Capcom willing to roll the dice on such a unique concept, and hopefully there's more of Kunitsu-Gami to come.
Banana Rumble truly understands what makes the Super Monkey Ball series tick, giving players the same sense of intense, exhilarating thrill and wholesome fun thanks to its no-frills chaos. With polished fundamentals, Spin Dash, and online multiplayer, it's easy to see Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble fostering a strong community of players for years to come.
As the universe celebrates the prevention of its extinction, there is much debate about what awaits the future of Destiny and our Guardians. After all, the universe is a big place, and threats unknown or unresolved are bound to rear their heads sooner or later. There might be uncertainty in where the Guardians go from here, but there is also comfort in the certainty that this is not the end, but a new beginning – one where each Guardian makes their own fate.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance offers a lot for players, both old and new; an impressive enhanced art style, multiple story paths, and a definitive sense of the series progressing from what it once was. There may not be a ton of new things to justify purchasing the game again, but the additions that are here are excellent at keeping fans intrigued about what's going to happen next. Long-time fans will likely already know what they're getting into, as the game hasn't changed its turn-based combat and capture loops in a while. Still, those same fans have kept these games going until now, and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is another in a long line of enjoyable titles in the long-running series.
Minor issues of pacing and controls aside, V Rising on PS5 is a more than worthy port. Its expressive customization options, unfolding combat mechanics, and flexible build options have made it a must-own for PC players, and now the same can be said for PlayStation players. If you're a fan of survival games, action-RPGs, and Gothic horror, you can't do much better than V Rising.
Overall, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut feels like a fantastic port. The game was already an amazing open-world adventure, and the PC has made that even better. While the controls may be cumbersome at times, this is still probably the best way to play this game. Whether players are playing it for the first time or jumping in again, Jin Sakai's journey is definitely worth the price of admission.
Hypercharge: Unboxed doesn't revolutionize the shooter market or offer anything new, but what it does provide is a highly polished, chaotic, and lovingly crafted experience for players who have an itch for retro games and addictive combat loops. There's certainly an argument to be made that this version is coming a little too late into its life cycle, but if Hypercharge: Unboxed can find a consistent and renewed audience with this long-awaited release on Xbox consoles, then perhaps the future is indeed bright for this zany, old school shooter.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is not going to convert anyone that isn't already a fan of these types of games, and honestly, there are better, more polished versions of this already out there. Hardcore fans of the Killer Klowns movie will get the most out of the game adaptation, and it's hard to recommend it to anyone else, really. The game has its moments, but it's unlikely to keep most players entertained for all that long.
There is simply nothing else like Hellblade 2 on the market and that alone kept me enthralled the whole way through. Its pared-down elements might not be mechanically complex, but they give the story a momentum that makes it hard to put down. Ninja Theory tackles themes that are challenging and not often seen in games, with a backdrop that vacillates between the epic and the intimate. It's approach doesn't have widespread appeal, but Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is as close to an interactive movie as we’ve seen yet.
It's a good thing that Braid's puzzles are hard enough for players to get stuck on, because otherwise, the game would be an even shorter experience than it already is. Back in 2008, some critics singled out Braid's short length as one of its flaws, and that rings true in 2024 as well. Even with the added content, Braid: Anniversary Edition is very short, to the point where most players will be able to finish it in about three hours. A consequence of its short length is that the time-manipulation gimmicks feel like they don't really reach their full potential. There are only a handful of puzzles for each gimmick, and then players move on to the next world and the next gimmick. It would have been great to see a bit more meat on the bones for the Anniversary Edition.