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Elden Ring is exactly the game people were hoping it would be. It's the biggest FromSoft Soulslike to date, with a ton of polish and a bucketload of content. It won't change your mind if you don't enjoy the genre, but Elden Ring accomplishes what it had set out to do. Not every new feature hits, and it sometimes felt a touch too familiar, but when the biggest complaint I can think of is, "It feels like some of the best games ever made," that is a sign of its quality. Elden Ring is the game we've all been waiting for.
Myst still holds up after all this time, despite not being the definitive edition of the game. The puzzles are still smartly done, even if they can be quite obtuse, and the tranquil vibe of the environment and presentation remains effective in both regular and VR modes. The inclusion of both movement styles and different control methods is great for accessibility, even if most people will default to the old methods, but the lack of improvements to a few areas and removal of certain things from realMyst is a letdown. This is still a fine title that is worthy of being in an adventure gamer's library, especially if they've never played it before, but realMyst remains the better buy if you intend on playing with a keyboard and mouse. That said, we're all secretly hoping that this causes Cyan to revisit and remaster the other titles instead of visiting the original title yet again in the future.
River City Girls Zero is geared more toward existing Kunio-kun fans rather than those who are new to the series. Existing fans can appreciate the callbacks to older titles and like the fact that the game tries something different with the formula. Everyone else will still enjoy the game but may wonder why many series elements and genre traits are missing. It is a solid game, but be cautious going in if you aren't already a fan of the Kunio-kun series.
Overall, some minor technical nagging is the only thing that really holds back Horizon: Forbidden West back. It has a delightful protagonist, an engaging story, a wonderful setting, fun combat and exploration, and lovely visuals. I enjoyed just about every moment I spent with the game. If you were a fan of the original, then the sequel delivers on everything that it promises. Newcomers will likely want to finish Zero Dawn first, but as long as the idea of hunting robot dinosaurs with a bow and arrow sounds good, then two of the finest open-world games await you.
SNK has always produced solid entries in the KoF series, and The King of Fighters XV is no exception. Even though players will be split on the usual character shuffling, the fighting remains as tight and fast as ever, despite the move from sprites to polygons. The single-player experience feels fair compared to the company's older output. Although the game is largely the same as before, the much-improved presentation makes it feel more like a finished product. With the online performance in a good place so far, KoF XV feels like a significant improvement over the previous title. Fighting fans will certainly be happy with this iteration.
In the end, Yuki is a nice bullet hell shooter for VR. The premise helps the campaign mode make sense, and the use of VR works quite well despite being an on-rails experience. The roguelike nature might throw off some players, especially since some of that genre's more recognizable features seem absent, and the amount of repetition needed to reach the game's real ending might not be for everyone. Shooter fans who don't mind a more playful experience will really enjoy Yuki.
Overall, The Sisters: Party of the Year has some good ideas. The open world of the campaign works well not just because of the number of things to do and collect but also because it feels alive for what is essentially a small town. Including a story mode in the first place makes it stand out among its contemporaries. That said, from the mediocre minigames to the restrictive open world and presentation issues, there's not much to entice players to give it more than one playthrough, much less seek out ways to view the source material. You'd be better served checking out some of the stronger minigame compilations.
If there's anything that might make me hesitate from recommending Sifu to everybody, it's that its difficulty clearly makes it not for everyone. In addition to being a beat-'em-up, it's also a roguelike in some ways, where repeated failure is to be expected and almost embraced. Not everybody is going to be into that, and it's a shame because in addition to all the action, it's got a very cool art style and outstanding soundtrack. It also just "gets" fans of fighting movies and kung-fu. There's a sequence in the game's first level in an abandoned building where the camera perspective shifts from over the shoulder into 2D, left to right, in a nearly spot-on replication of the hallway fight from "Oldboy." You get to fight a hallway full of people; that alone gave me chills and makes the ensuing hardcore, hand-cramping fights to come worth it. Perhaps one of the best compliments I can give to Sifu's essence is this: Playing and improving in this game actually seemed to make me better at other games. What's more kung-fu than that?
In the end, "Moonfall" pretty much delivers what you'd expect. Is it a perfect film? No. Is it a dumb film? You bet. But it's the glorious kind of dumb that provides a fun spectacle, so long as you're willing to check your brain at the door.
OlliOlli World is a delightfully charming little platformer. It has its own sense of style, and it's dripping with personality. The gameplay is a delightful mix that's easy to pick up and play but difficult to master. If you're looking for something that scratches the Tony Hawk bug, then OlliOlli World succeeds in spades. Just don't get frustrated when your near-perfect run is ruined by a stray cat sitting at the very end of the level.
Dying Light 2 is a good game that happens to be the long-awaited sequel to a great game. There's still a ton of fun to be had, and the exploration alone is worth the price of admission. At the same time, it's bigger without necessarily being better. I had a lot of fun with it, but I can't help but feel more positive toward the original. If you're looking for a fresh new world to smash zombies in and you're burned out on Harran, then Dying Light 2 will scratch that itch well.
At around $8, Jentrix feels like an easy purchase. Even with the lack of multiplayer, there's enough here for the solo player to enjoy, from the structured campaign to the endless Arcade mode. Loose physics system aside, the affair is adapted well to VR as opposed to something that can be done via more traditional means. For puzzle fans looking for something more traditional, Jentrix works just fine.
Overall, Hitman 3 VR is a fun distraction when treated as an additional mode and nothing more. If you've played the game in VR on the PlayStation, this is essentially the same thing with minor improvements, several of which turned out to be useless. It's a shame given the potential and how well the fundamentals have come together, but it pales in comparison to what consumers expect from a VR port. In its current state, Hitman VR feels like a one-man modding attempt rather than a big-budget studio investing resources to make it a worthwhile addition. If you were banking on getting a polished VR experience out of Hitman 3, this is not it. With a few patches or mods, that could change in the future, and I sincerely hope it does.
There's potential in Clid the Snail. The postapocalyptic setting feels fresher thanks to the new perspective, and the characters are charming, even if they fit expected tropes from stories about a ragtag bunch being forced to come together. A fascinating setting cannot overcome gameplay that feels repetitive due to unexciting shooting mechanics and enemies that fail to become intelligent until you reach a boss fight. It can be fun if you temper your expectations significantly, but for most people, Clid the Snail won't do it for them.
Through all that, I found Tormented Souls to be just intriguing enough to be worth checking out if you have the time. It's a lesson in where survival-horror games have come from and what stories can still be told within the genre. With a little more modernization within the combat and cleaner visuals, this probably could have been an underground classic.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a no-frills, straight-to-PS5 port that checks all of the required boxes, and that's about it. A couple of performance modes support up to 120fps, there's a rudimentary DualSense implementation, and the great loading times make experiencing these games more enjoyable than ever, but it's hardly a phenomenal upgrade even at the lower price point - both for those upgrading from a PS4 copy and those buying into the franchise for the first time. While the Uncharted gameplay formula has become slightly predictable, both Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy are enjoyable because of the stories they tell and their highly polished production values.
Once you start playing Rainbow Six: Extraction, it's difficult to stop. From the XP feed to the randomized nature of the levels and objectives, there's enough to keep players coming back for quite some time, especially with the constant opportunities to pull off nice saves amidst the chaos and tension. It is a great alternative for Rainbow Six fans who crave PvE after playing PvP for so long, but it also gives single-player fans a solid opportunity to experience some elements from Siege. It's still early in 2022, and a bevy of other co-op PvE games are still on the way, but Rainbow Six: Extraction provides enough variety that it needs to be played.
The parts that comprise God of War may not all be equally well-crafted, but they build a great cohesive experience and a noteworthy PC port. The soundtrack, visuals, story, combat, and the world come together so well that it amounts to something greater than the sum of its parts, and that is still true on PC almost four years removed from its original release on a last-gen console. That's all you need to know, so go and finally experience this gem for yourself.
Praey for the Gods is game that is inches away from being a new classic. It does many things very well, and it is an incredibly impressive achievement for a small team. It is dragged down a bit by trying to be too many things at once. I applaud the attempt to spice up the "in-between" time that Shadow had, but the result doesn't quite hit the mark. If you have a tolerance for tedium to reach some brief high points, then Praey delivers, but newcomers might be best served by starting off with Shadow of the Colossus.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is perhaps the best stand-alone game to use the license by far. It nails the feeling of racing with tiny die-cast cars and melds it with a presentation that looks far better than what you'd expect for a licensed title. The race variety is lacking, given the presence of only two race types, but the track variety greatly makes up for that shortcoming. It may have flown under everyone's radar, but Unleashed is worth everyone's attention.