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Last Flag has some cool ideas, many of which feel like a tribute to a bygone era.
Kiln is the latest example of one of gaming’s most creative studios executing well on a fresh idea. There may be a couple of aspects that could’ve used more time in the oven, but Double Fine’s Kiln is a cool and quirky addition to Xbox’s 2026 lineup.
Invincible VS is a great start. Quarter Up brought the characters, the mechanics, and an overall presentation that just might make Mortal Kombat fans blush. I really dig how many niches and specialties are represented in this pool, and it ends up making for a satisfying experience in both offline and online play, with solid netcode and crossplay systems to keep the fun going. I wish the story cutscenes weren’t jarring compared to the rest of the game’s animation, and that things like Sudden Death and Assist Break didn’t leave me feeling grumpy after a sweaty match, but I can’t deny I had a blast assembling teams and seeing how they matched up against the rest of the game. I found it hard not to read this as an opening chapter for Quarter Up and Invincible VS, and it's a good one.
Aphelion is far from the next classic Don’t Nod game, but fans of the studio will likely have a good enough time with it. The concept and narrative execution are strong here, but so much of it is bogged down by gameplay segments that made me wish I could skip like a cutscene.
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Where it hits is all in how its trademark style and systems translate, the snappy card combat, and of course the banging soundtrack I’m only just mentioning because I’m not great at talking about music. So a thumbs-up from me, but one that comes with an acute sadness at how much more Vampire Crawlers could have been if it had true blobber bona fides.
Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is a heck of an experience that, depending on how much you know about this stuff going in, can be a window into an unfamiliar world, a push down a rabbit hole you had no previous plans to enter.
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I suspect some speedrunner will weave wizardry in their mastery of Super Meat Boy 3D and its levels. That said, this feels like a game in which you have to have more patience that ever to put up with the shenanigans that a fast-paced 3D Meat Boy game presents.
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Sauceless combat, a do-nothing story, and striking lack of personality don’t do any favors to a novel premise and quality voice acting that gave an initially promising first impression. A God of War Metroidvania could have been a productive and exciting use of the IP, especially in a post-Silksong world, but Sons of Sparta doesn’t have a fraction of that juice.
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