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There was once a time where you would never struggle in your quest to be the ultimate Pokemon trainer. These feelings were often fueled by the fact that you were currently playing the biggest and boldest adventure so far. A lot has changed in 15 years that has this title feeling a little too lacklustre. The relentless pokemon battles try to distract you from the fact that the region map is rather small and offers very little to do outside of grinding up Pokemon levels. Diamond and Shining Pearl may have been great in their day but after the release of Sword and Shield and the prospect of what is to come with Arceus, this title just feels too dated outside of being a nostalgia trip for some, it falls far too short of what a fun pokemon adventure is these days.
While Edge of Time is not perfect, there isn’t anything in this game to be overly critical about. It does a fairly good job at giving you an authentic feeling Doctor Who experience. There are some silly plot holes but nothing to ruin the experience. The sonic screwdriver plays a big part the TV series, but is not used to the same extent in the game and is the biggest let down. It feels like Edge of Time was a prototype that was polished to completion. Far too many elements of this game were not fleshed out enough to reach their full potential. You will still have fun playing this game, it is just a shame to see a perfect storm not end up with a perfect game.
Woven provides a pleasant experience with a nicely narrated story that will be very well suited to young children. While the technical issues are likely to go unnoticed by the target audience, they are enough to ruin the experience for anyone who plays games regularly. There isn’t much here that the average gamer would find enjoyable. With that being said, for parents looking for a game to introduce their children into gaming, you couldn’t find a better game than this.
As far as rail shooters go, Dick Wilde doesn’t try to do anything unique or unusual. It has some solid shooting built on a fairly generic theme. The levels are quite repetitive and mundane, but if you shake up your play style with different weapons it will prolong the enjoyment quite a bit. Once you reach the end of the fun in single player, the online multiplayer will help spice things up but it can only do so much to cover up the fact that you are just playing the same 3 or 4 level designs over and over again.
Overall Bandit Six: Combined arms is a fun game that is just lacking in content. It is a lot of fun shooting the turrets and blowing up everything in sight. It is a shame that there wasn't a little more variety in what you get to shoot, but as a relatively cheap VR game it doesn't feel like you are getting ripped off. If you spot this game for cheap, it is well worth playing. There is fun to be had in this game, just not too much fun.
Not a Hero starts out very strong and you will really enjoy the first 10-15 levels. Once the difficulty level goes through the roof the fun stops. The dialog is funny and the game itself is just weird and funny. The occasional laugh is not enough to make up for the frequent angry groan. The final few missions in the game are incredibly difficult. Hotline Miami was difficult, but at least everyone died in 1 shot. Not a hero is a challenging game that does not give you an even playing field against the enemies it throws at you.
The artistic style and theme of Contrast helps push it out there and sets it apart from other games of a similar budget. Technical issues do get in the way of the fun and sometimes hurt the puzzle solving process, but not to a degree that completely spoils the game. There is a lot here to work with, but it wasn't fully utilized. I think there is a lot of potential in the future for a second game which could definitely work out to be an impressive title.
I don't feel the game worked very well as a 2d platformer when compared to games like Ninja Gaiden. There were too many times where the lack of a 3rd dimension made dodging attacks near impossible and the camera in general just got in the way of things. Strider is a good attempt at making a 2d game similar to the modern Ninja Gaiden games and would have been quite good had it not have been a 2D game.
Rise of the Ronin presents a deep and complex combat system set against the backdrop of Japan's Bakumatsu period, offering a unique blend of historical immersion and challenging gameplay. However, its ambitious mechanics are somewhat overshadowed by an overwhelming tutorial system, lifeless urban environments, and inconsistent voice acting. Despite these drawbacks, the game rewards players who persevere with a richly rewarding combat experience, especially through its intricate parry system.
Postal: Brain Damaged provides plenty of laughs with the wild selection of weapons and your ability to urinate on anything at a moment's notice. Jokes aside, while the combat is fast-paced and fun, like many retro shooters, the levels just feel a bit dull. While the initial suburbs level gives you a feeling that this may be something a little different, it quickly jumps back to the generic sewers and grimy old buildings that we saw far too many 2000s-era shooters rely on. Combined with a constant lack of ammo, you never really get to do the kind of blasting you would like.
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One might take the franchise in an awesome new direction with a really nice island to explore, lots of fun mysteries to solve and some good production values as an overall package. The game lets itself down when it comes to the clunky quest diary and the nonsensical system of having to pin items of importance in order to make conversations and even items appear in the world that should have already been there. The game's lack of handholding is by far its biggest strength but by adding so many pieces of ambiguous evidence to a mystery and making you pin the right one so items appear in the game world becomes frustrating to figure out what to do when you get stuck and have dozens of items to pin to see if you get a response out of people.
Paradise Lost is an engrossing adventure that will suck you right in and deliver just enough to keep you satisfied but leave you wanting more. The experience is hindered by an aggravatingly slow walk speed with no option to run. While you will get used to it, it only highlights the limitations the walking simulator genre has imposed on what is one of the most unique settings in a game based on this time period.
The Sojourn makes a great first impression. Strong visuals that show great production values. Unfortunately, the game fails to keep things interesting. Repetitive levels and repeating puzzle ideas stop this game from leaving a lasting impression.
Forager starts out incredibly strong. A huge map that is currently hidden. You get a Zelda like feeling that there is a huge adventure ahead. What initially appears to be an exciting game with lots of mysteries to uncover, actually turns out to be an endless loot grind with very little to stimulate your creative needs and sense of adventure. Forager was 5 hours of fun and 5 hours of a steady decline into “is this what I have been working toward?”. The low price tag makes this game well worth the money. It is just a shame there isn't more meat to sink your teeth into.
Vacation simulator does a great job as a sandbox that shows all of the cool little things you can do with VR. If you have just bought a VR headset and are looking for games to play, this one is well worth picking up. Much like the narrative, this game feels like more of an experiment than an actual game. You won’t sink a lot of hours into it, but in the 5 or 6 hours you spend playing it, you will encounter a huge amount of the cool gameplay elements that make up VR games.
Part of me wonders what this game could have been like if it were a regular first-person shooter and not grid based. The game was good, but it seems like there is a lot more that could have been. I was let down by the lack of steampunk elements and how most of the unique and interesting parts didn't happen until the second half of the game, but It didn't take away from the fun of the puzzle solving. This game has some good puzzles and it is a lot of fun trying to figure them out. The diverse enemy types and combat make the RPG elements of the game more interesting and make you put some thought into the gear you equip. A story with voice acting is a real plus when it comes to indie games and this really helps bring the Vaporum to life and give a good sense of what went on in this place before your arrival. I would like to see another entry to this series in the future. Fumium has the potential for a lot more and It would be great to see another game around this in the future. If you like dungeon crawlers, then this game is definitely worth picking up.
I found The Elder Scrolls: Legends to be an enjoyable game for the most part. I found myself getting frustrated a few times when things just felt unfair with AI opponents. It does hurt the game, but with some persistence, it is always possible to win levels if you shuffle your deck a bit. The story and narrative elements to the game were a nice addition to the story mode. The voice acting was a nice addition that helped give the game a more professional feel compared to what we see with most mobile games. ES Legends is not a perfect game, but it is a good attempt at replicating the success of games like Hearthstone.
Teslagrad offers a visually appealing platformer that has solid performance and fun game mechanics. Unfortunately it falls very short in terms of story and logic making the game feel more like an awesome tech demo rather than a full on game.
Assassin's Creed Mirage takes a step back to focus on the franchise's stealth roots, and it does offer an enjoyable experience despite its hiccups. While the stealth gameplay could use some refinement and the graphical fidelity falls short of expectations, the pared-down character management and emphasis on strategy add a layer of depth often missing from bigger, broader RPGs. It's clear that Mirage could have benefited from a bit more polish and attention to detail. If you're a fan of the series or enjoy stealth-focused games, Assassin's Creed Mirage might be worth your while, but go in knowing it's not flawless.
Aliens Fireteams is a pretty solid shooter that is quite a bit of fun to play with a team of friends. The combat is flexible enough that it is fun but not too complex that you need extended tutorials to figure everything out. The aliens are incredibly well recreated and can give you chills when they are crawling along the walls or just straight up sprinting toward you as you are trying to fill them with bullets before they lunge on top of you. The different classes add a lot to the combat when your squad makes use of the different perks. The lack of incentives to replay the game is by far the biggest flaw that will prevent this game from being one that you keep coming back to.