Worth Playing
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Freedom Finger is awesome, especially if you're a shoot-'em-up fan. Even if you're the type to skip over cut scenes or aren't moved by the graphical style, the shooting mechanics are enough to sway you, since it plays around with the formula enough to feel different from everything else. Mix it in with a truly electric soundtrack, and you have a pleasant surprise of a game, and its only weakness is that it was released this year, which has had some really outstanding indie titles.
If you're looking at Sayonara Wild Hearts as a game, then it'll remind you of a very forgiving arcade game. There are some extra modes designed to challenge those who are chasing high scores, and the zodiac wheel is good for those who want to earn some Trophies for solving brain teasers, but the game's forgiving nature and short length mean that it is easy to reach the game's ending. Instead, the game wants you to look at it as a catchy pop album that you'll want to return to, time and again. With the gameplay, graphical presentation, and music coming together so well, that's exactly what you'll be doing.
Untitled Goose Game is a gem that hits all the right marks. There's some real appeal in using an otherwise innocuous animal sowing chaos in a sleepy village, and it helps that the results aren't violent at all. The game's short length keeps the experience from wearing thin, but there's enough here to keep you busy. With a pleasant presentation, Untitled Goose Game is a title where you'll both cherish the initial experience and enjoy showing it off to friends to see their reactions.
BurgerTime Party is a title that feels overstuffed.
For better or worse, the included games are the same as they were.
If you're into challenging action platformer games, Blasphemous is as good as the next. It isn't perfect or revolutionary, but it doesn't have to be. Its lore and visual direction are disturbingly beautiful and craft an interesting and distinct world. Great boss fights and an enjoyable and challenging combat system ensures that fans of the genre will have enough to sink their teeth into and enjoy.
Stranger Things 3: The Game is a throwback to a time when the only audience the game is suited for are non-discerning fans of the series. Even then, there's not much here unless they're completely fine reliving the events of the season in a loose way. The gameplay is serviceable, but there's not much here to draw in people who just want a solid title or something to enhance their experience of the show. It isn't that bad if you can get it for cheap, but it isn't something to actively seek out, either.
For what it is, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD knocks it out of the park. From the simplicity, approachability, and variability of the gameplay to the fun aesthetics and music, Banana Blitz HD has a level of quality and self-awareness that many games (especially those for younger audiences) lack nowadays. At the end of it all, this game is a complete joy to play, full stop.
Your enjoyment of Narcos: Rise of the Cartels is going to be heavily based on whether you can accept its strategy game conceit.
Overall, Trine 4 is a delightful game that's sure to satisfy anyone looking for a fun, light-hearted physics-based puzzle game. With roughly 10 hours of content, it's an easy recommendation if only to experience the game world's rich art design and clever puzzles. The puzzles aren't as complex as those found in Portal 2 or The Witness, but the variety of approaches is rewarding in its own way. For that reason alone, it's easy to recommend Trine 4, a game in a genre that rarely receives entries with this level of heart and soul in the art design department.
At its core, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast remains a good title. Get past the shooting, and you're rewarded with a ton of Force powers and lightsaber combat that remains at the top of its field to this day. However, the port job isn't up to snuff, as it lacks some slight auto-aim and lock-on to make the experience more user-friendly for console players, so the opening levels are a real chore to get through even if you can handle the outdated textures and adherence to the old way of doing puzzles.
I suspect that many players will have an uneven time with Planet Zoo. At times, it's pretty straightforward and provides the player with plenty of feedback so they can improve their zoo. Other times, the game has you digging around in areas that are unnecessarily tough to figure out, with tutorials that barely touch on the feature (if at all). The thing with Planet Zoo is that it is so charming and appealing that the fun parts outweigh the frustrating ones. It's not a perfect game in the genre, but it is one of the best ones you can play right now.
Cat Quest II is just as good as the original. The core mechanics remain appealing, while the addition of magic rods and projectile attacks are enough to change things up for those who were afraid of another melee-fest. The elimination of some required grinding makes the game feel more streamlined for those who were anxious to see where the main storyline goes, but the inclusion of local co-op increases the game's fun factor tenfold. This is another job well done and another quality title to add to one's gaming library.
There are some issues within WRC 8, and they're not small, but the game is otherwise so good that it's easy to overlook them. For all the times your engine switches to stealth mode or a fence post sends you into low Earth orbit, there are hundreds of times when you are blissfully guiding your car into a drift around a dusty apex in Argentina, or masterfully twisting through a series of highly technical corners during heavy rain. The vehicle handling is so good — and that is so important for a rally game — that even with its flaws, WRC 8 is likely the high bar that other rally games should aspire to.
At the end of the day, Paper Train comes off as pretty flat.
Greedfall is a tough game to judge. It's neither bad nor great. It comes staggeringly close to greatness in a number of areas, but it just lacks the polish or ambition to go further. If you're looking for a nostalgic trip back to the mid-2000s style of WRPGs, then you'll find a lot to like in Greedfall. It's worth a shot if you're a fan of that style of games. In a year that gave us titles like Disco Elysium, it's difficult to be particularly impressed by something that is merely standard.
If you can brush aside the lack of single console multiplayer, Torchlight II remains an addictive action-RPG experience.
Death Stranding is not for everyone. This isn't the first game that asks players to push through and grind. Ask anyone who's played Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. But that game asks you to fight through chaos and fury. Death Stranding asks you to embrace the process of work and the journey, trusting that you'll feel rewarded at the end. For my part, I did. If you think of a Kojima game as an event, then you should know what you're signing up for. That's the best way to enjoy it. If not, you'll be in the middle of a beautiful landscape, wondering what the hell you're doing out there, maybe even a little stranded.
While the art, gameplay and music are fine, it feels like EA made a game so exclusively for children that their parents won't want to play it with them, leaving them to be influenced alone. Even if you can tolerate the tone and have the wherewithal to not spend too much money on DLC, Neighborville is fine. It just won't be your best purchase EVAR.
There's a shimmer of something good in Blacksad: Under the Skin.