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Planet of Lana is a pleasant surprise. It tells a compelling story with some unexpected twists, and it does so without the need to utter a word in a language we understand. The puzzles aren't obtuse enough to be frustrating, while the platforming never feels imprecise. To top it off, the presentation both looks and sounds amazing. Unless you dislike the entire genre, Planet of Lana is easily a contender for any "best of" lists this year.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is almost the raw ideal of video games. It's a giant exciting open world, and you're given a huge amount of tools and puzzles to use in that world. It takes everything that was great about Breath of the Wild and improves upon it. It even takes some of the previous negatives (like weapon durability) and turns them into new strengths. The only weak part in the game is that the story isn't any great shakes, but even that's more of a minor annoyance than a serious complaint. Tears of the Kingdom is destined to be a modern classic, and it's an absolute joy to play. Unless you disliked the Breath of the Wild formula, Tears of the Kingdom is a must-play for any Switch owner.
Tents and Trees is a solid nonograms game that does a good job of handling the twists it has for the player. The board limitations make for some very interesting puzzles, while the casual nature of the game and generous hint system don't scare away those who aren't already well versed in this type of game. With a near-limitless supply of puzzles at hand, Tents and Trees is a great recommendation for anyone who is a big fan of the genre.
LEGO 2K Drive is a fun romp if you know what you're getting into. The racing is fast and exciting, and the catch-up code seems tuned just right. The open worlds provide a ton to do, and the freeform exploration and destruction makes driving around feel enjoyable. The amount of grind needed to make some real progression can drag down things in the intervals, when there are no story-based missions. Some of the quests that aren't strictly related to racing can be very hit-and-miss in terms of enjoyment. The presence of microtransactions is unsettling to see in the publisher's non-sports titles. If you can ensure you aren't tempted to buy new cars due to the paltry reward payouts, you'll have a very good time with this racing title.
There's a good idea behind God of Rock. The concept of a rhythm game with the trappings of a fighting game has worked in the past, so we know this combination can work. The execution is flawed enough for both genres that the idea can't shine through. Some more polish and perhaps a rethinking of readability would help this become more desirable, but it's currently difficult to recommend.
Metal Mutation is the textbook definition of average. It's acceptable enough to be fun, but it doesn't have the highs or lows to make it anything more - or anything less. "Cyberpunk Hades" is a super cool concept, but the game in its current iteration feels more like an Early Access title than a full game. It's probably worth a look if you pick it up on sale or during a bundle. I'd wait to see if Metal Mutation gets more fleshed out before taking the leap.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a competent linear adventure game that seamlessly connects the rebooted story of a young Sherlock Holmes with the twisted world of Lovecraft. While it's a focused effort overall, the presentation is clunky, and the Lovecraftian elements don't get the spotlight they deserve. The enjoyable mystery adventure romp will satisfy fans of the franchise, but everyone else might be better off waiting for a sale before jumping into this case.
Darkest Dungeon II is not the game I wanted. It's its own thing that is a darn fun game with a lot of interesting mechanics and beautiful artwork. One can't pre-judge DDII based on a player's opinion of the original. It shares a tone, a combat system, and a general aesthetic, but the flow and style of gameplay is so different that it is entirely its own thing. It will take hardened Darkest Dungeon players a bit to adjust to the change. If you're willing to go with the flow, it's an engaging and exciting title, if not quite the masterpiece of the original.
Arto isn't ready yet. There's a good premise, the mechanics play out well enough, and the hook of painting the environment with different art styles is certainly appealing. However, there are simply too many issues in every category that cannot be ignored no matter how hard you try. Should this extensive list get fixed, players will encounter a decent game that we could recommend checking out if you're curious. As it stands now, you should avoid Arto.
It's a bit difficult to parse out the overall quality of Redfall. If you're talking about it from a technical perspective, it's scattershot but comes out better than some games that look and sound pretty but have terrible performance. If you're looking at it from a story perspective, it's a slow burn that cranks up things once you get close to beating the first major vampire, and the same can be said for the gameplay. Solo play is also better than co-op, based solely on the issues we ran into with connectivity, but mileage can vary. Overall, Redfall asks quite a bit of time from players before getting really good, which makes it perfect for Game Pass but tougher for those who don't have the patience to spend the time to wade through the jank to reach that point.
I wish there were more to say, but Horizon: Forbidden West – Burning Shores is a short piece of DLC. It's like a quick episode of a TV show rather than a full-length movie. There's still quite a bit of content here, but the intent of the DLC is largely to set up plot threads for Horizon 3 and give Aloy a chance for some romance. If you're hankering for more Horizon, it fills that niche well, but it doesn't feel as essential as The Frozen Wilds did to Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a darn fine remake of two the GBA's most addictive games. It doesn't exactly change too much from the original, but it adds some new features, more multiplayer options, and a glossy new coat of paint. That's pretty much all it needs to be. Advance Wars ate hours of my life as a kid, and it certainly has the same potential now that I'm older.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and would recommend it to anyone who is remotely a fan of the Star Wars universe, whether they're getting exposed to it for the first time or are of a certain age and have loved it since they heard Luke Skywalker whine about power converters decades ago. Respawn is onto something here, and I've low-key been waiting - wishing - for Cal Kestis to show up in one of the upcoming shows or movies. These games have made that kind of impact, and I'm looking forward to where the story goes next.
Akka Arrh won't click with most people right away. It takes a while to understand how to effectively use the bombs and bullets while wrangling a free-aiming cursor. The inclusion of another level to travel to briefly when things get hectic can be a bit too much to handle all at once. When it does click, it becomes a beautiful destructive symphony that pushes a psychedelic landscape for a signature Jeff Minter title. This is well worth the trip if you want a shooter that moves away from the genre norms.
Your assessment of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a deep and serious story, you'll be severely disappointed. Even as it holds some Easter eggs for longtime fans of the series, the dialogue and characters and haphazard way it's all told will only appeal to fans who love bad but ultimately lovable cult classics. If you enjoy action games, this is a surprising treat that takes the Nioh base mechanics and loosens things up to make it more appealing. It's a fun title that's worth trying out - despite what the initial trailer might have led you to believe.
Zoeti is a neat concept that desperately needs more polish. The poker gameplay setup might not be as fun to me as the standard deck-builder, but I still enjoyed it, and I could see myself getting deeper into it if I were more interested in the card game. The art style is cute and charming, and the characters are amusing enough. The bugs and general lackluster presentation drags it down, but it can still be fun. Zoeti is just going to struggle with distinguishing itself in a very full market.
Dead Island 2 surely went through a few levels of development hell, so anyone following its path would reasonably suspect that the game might have issues. I can't say that it does anything exceptionally well, but it has enough life in it to avoid major stumbles. For better or worse, it is a by-the-numbers zombie basher that doesn't do anything terribly distinct. Its humor makes it compelling and fun, and it's at its best whenever it relies on that strength.
Overall, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is a really good collection. Even if every game isn't a hit, more than enough of them are strong that you'll probably lose hours of time to these games if they even remotely hit for you. Their unique combat system is fondly remembered to this day, and the weirdly prescient concept of the future has aged shockingly well. It's not going to be the platforming game that some fans of the franchise might prefer, but of all the Mega Man collections, this is going to give you the most value for your dollar.
In the end, Road 96: Mile 0 doesn't quite pull together everything to create something that reaches the heights of the original title. The first-person exploration portions are flawed but fine, while the auto-runner sequences can be unfair but ultimately get a pass thanks to a skip feature. It is the uneven tone, characters, and story that sink the game, as it plays more to caricature and wild logic leaps rather than the original's more thought-out approach. The low asking price might be tempting for those looking for more from the world of Road 96, but ultimately, we were probably better off waiting for Digixart to create a brand-new project in a brand-new world.
There's a good golf game hiding in EA Sports PGA Tour. The litany of courses is enough to entice fans of the sport, while the roster of pro golfers is amplified by a presentation that looks gorgeous even if the TV-style broadcast feels excessive. However, the imprecise controls make one hope that the upcoming three-click system will make the gameplay more palatable, since everything else related to the actual sport does a great job of trying to help you understand how to perfect shots. Although PGA Tour 2K23 is the better golf game this time around, there is a good base to work with here. Hopefully EA's future iteration can fix the issues to make this a contender for best pro golf simulation on the PC.