Worth Playing
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Octopath Traveler II is a case of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Almost everything is very similar to the first game, but there's more content, and the features are smoother. There are a number of areas where the developers clearly had more confidence than they had in the original Octopath. I loved the first game, and I found the second to be a more enjoyable experience in pretty much every way. It's a charming, delightful, and incredibly fun JRPG experience that fans of old-school RPGs should relish.
Like A Dragon: Ishin! is Ye Olde Yakuza, but that's all it needs to be. The setting is fresh for the series, and it provides a fun way to see the same crime drama action in a new historical setting. Even if I prefer the modern setting, Ishin handles the change of setting well. It doesn't break an molds, but it's a delightfully fun experience for fans of the franchise. If you're itching for more Like A Dragon, Ishin! scratches that itch wonderfully, and it's a darn fun game in its own right.
Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is exactly what it promises to be in the best possible way. It's a simple, addictive and incredibly delightful rhythm game set to some of the best songs in gaming. The RPG elements add some nice customization and Final Fantasy feel, but the real star of the show is the songs. With enough customization and options to make even the rhythmically inept feel comfortable, it's a game for anyone who has ever hummed "Locke's Theme or Answers" without realizing it. Just be prepared to lose hours upon hours trying to master it.
Wanted: Dead is certainly an experience. It's a weird game with occasional flashes of something great. It's difficult to recommend it solely based on that. It's disjointed, repetitive, and feels more like a collection of ideas stitched together into the rough shape of a game rather than anything cohesive. For a certain kind of gamer, this is going to be catnip, but for the average person, it's probably going to be too weird to work, and unfortunately, the gameplay isn't strong enough on its own merit to overcome that.
Overall, The Jackbox Party Pack 9 is average, so if you're looking for new material for virtual get-togethers, this is a serviceable option. Fibbage 4 is dependable, and Junktopia was a pleasant surprise. The enjoyment of Nonsensory and Quixort is heavily dependent on the prompts that players receive in each of those minigames. I can't imagine anyone willingly returning to Roomerang.
Marvel's Midnight Suns: The Good, The Bad, and The Undead DLC might scare off people with its $15 price tag for one new character and three new missions. The price is steep, even if the new enemies and Deadpool pop up in other side missions. The content is good and fits well with the established mechanics without getting too chaotic, and it is a nice introduction to a new story arc. For now, despite the score, you should probably hold off on this unless you already have the Season Pass or you're a huge fan of the Merc with a Mouth.
It's extremely difficult to not gush about Dead Space Remake because it does everything right. As much as I love Resident Evil 2's remake, it's fundamentally a very different game from the original. Dead Space Remake is a loyal and loving remake that captures everything that was good about the original, while fixing almost everything that was bad. It's easily the gold standard for how to remake a beloved game, and it's easily as good as Capcom's efforts. If you were a fan of the original, Dead Space Remake is a must-play, and if you're interested in experiencing it for the first time, the remake is the best option.
Dread Templar is a good example of a solid boomer shooter. It's fast, the enemies are dumb yet formidable, and the level design begs for exploration. The upgrade system is quite nice but doesn't show off its capabilities until you get further into the game. Weapon types are fine until you get them really powered up. While some things are a bit unfair, with explosions reaching far beyond their intended range and enemies refusing to drop ammo, Dread Templar remains an adrenaline-pumping experience that you'll return to - as long as you aren't expecting anything revolutionary.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a solid game that will make series fans happy and surprise the more casual ones. The action in the levels meanders a bit, and the platforming can be a little rough, but the majority of the action is good. The multitude of secrets to uncover give the game some real legs after you complete the campaign. If future entries are handled by this developer, SpongeBob fans will have some good stuff to look forward to in the years to come.
Mahokenshi has a cool concept and plenty of high moments. It lacks that special something to separate a good deck builder from a great deck builder. It's too slow, too repetitive, and a touch too easy. Even taking that into account, you'll still get hours of gameplay out of the loop, and if that works for you, it's easy to see it becoming a niche favorite. With the deck builder market so crowded, Mahokenshi doesn't stand out as much as it should, but it's still a well-made game.
Power Chord is a perfectly competent but entirely unexceptional roguelike deck builder. Once you take away the rock 'n' roll theme, it's pretty much another Slay the Spire clone that doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from the rest. It looks nice and plays well, but it doesn't stand out. If you've already burned through the other games in the genre and want something new, Power Chord will be the nice snack, but don't expect it to be a long-term engagement.
Fire Emblem Engage is a mix of steps forward and back. On a gameplay level, it's pretty much the absolute best the franchise has ever been, with excellent level design, great new gimmicks and features, and a customization system that offers a ton of depth. The storyline feels too much like standard Fire Emblem to stand out, and the side content that isn't focused on combat feels tacked-on. It's still a delightful game to play, and despite my nitpicks, I had a fantastic time. Fire Emblem fans will find a lot to enjoy, even if the story might not be to their tastes.
It might not seem like it right now, but Forspoken had some very good ideas, and I ended up still having some fun with it. It feels like it needed a little more time to figure out its real identity instead of its disjointed little-of-this, little-of-that experience. I think it's true form, which it hinted at, is as a young-adult, Bayonetta-adjacent ass-kicker, that needs to pick a tone and lean into it. If that's what it had been, we'd be onto something.
Graze Counter GM takes an already solid shooting experience and makes it shine even more. The addition of more content all around gives the game much more replayability, and the fact that it accommodates players of all skill types makes it more inviting. The lack of things like an online leaderboard and TATE mode may be off-putting for very hardcore shooting fans, but for everyone else with an interest in the genre, this is well worth looking into.
Colossal Cave is a good adventure game that will appeal more to those with some nostalgia for classics and classic sensibilities. The limited inventory system and the slightly obtuse puzzles might not gel if you've only been exposed to modern adventure games. That said, the sense of exploration is still strong, and the point system gives the game some replayability, which is something rarely seen in the genre. The reimagining of the original game works well, and genre fans who are keen to see where it all began should pick this up.
Persona 4: Golden is probably the ideal place to start your Persona experience if you haven't yet. It's probably the most consistent of the three games, and it nails the atmosphere, characterization and tone while keeping the gameplay fresh and exciting enough. It fun even if you are coming directly from Persona 3 Portable. If you have the current PC release, not a ton has changed with the latest patch, and you might consider whether you want to start this all over again. If you're looking for an excuse to pick it up, there's no better time.
It might sound like I'm being negative about Persona 3, but I'm not. It's a lot of fun, and it has a lot of interesting strengths. It has the misfortune of being the first game in a franchise where the sequels improved on a ton of features and were released before it on the PC. If you've never played it, it's well worth a shot. It's still a great game, but it has aged more than its sequels. Despite that, it still does some things superbly well. The addition of an entire second playable story path and a bunch of new social links also makes it a worthwhile experience for those who played the original release but not the portable version.
One Piece Odyssey is a nice RPG for fans of the franchise. It's clearly crafted with a lot of love, and there's a ton of great banter and interaction between the cast members. The core gameplay is perfectly serviceable, but it never really reaches the realm of "great," and it takes a bit too long to get going. It's probably not going to attract the attention of anyone who isn't a big "One Piece" fan, but for those fans, it should be an enjoyable little RPG. At the end of the day, how much fun you'll have boils down to how much you enjoy punching bad pirates in the face with your favorite pirates, and there's a whole lot of folks who want just that.
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a game that stepped right out of the '90s. It's a fun little platformer that controls well and is a delight to play, and it evokes a remarkable amount of nostalgia for a game that is coming out in 2023. Much like Blazing Chrome, it's the closest you'll come to a new Strider game that plays like the old-school Strider. If that is what you're looking for, you'll be delighted, and if you love old-school platforming action, Moonrider offers it in spades, without the quarter-munching or rental fees.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed may not be perfect, but as a Ghostbusters fan, I'm really enjoying it. If you're not a fan of the franchise, there are better multiplayer options out there, but for the Ghostbusters faithful, it's a blast.