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Having put 70+ hours into Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I can safely say that this title is going to give more bang for your buck than many other games this year. With an engrossing story, compelling characters and more side activities than you can poke a bat at, the value alone on this title makes this well worth picking up.
This silly game often feels too difficult for its own good. The bullet-hell inspirations aren't as charming as the rest of the game, and looking back, the first game is easily a much better experience thanks to its gameplay and characters.
The Cub is releasing early in 2024, but it's starting the year with a masterpiece and playing this has made me want to explore more games from this developer, Demagog Studio.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the revitalization of a franchise that has long been buried in the sand of uninteresting ideas.
While The Iron’s Hot does just about everything in its package well, it also never progresses any of its components into great territory. It offers an involved crafting process as its primary gameplay system that successfully engages you in feeling like a blacksmith, though the system does not evolve as your character hones his craft. Along with this, a fun adventure unfolds with eccentric characters and suitable change-of-pace activities.
KarmaZoo is great for relaxing and is an excellent way to wind down after a long day by yourself, or with friends.
I largely do not have a lot to say about American Arcadia other than it's excellent. Out of the Blue Games has served up a well-rounded narrative puzzle adventure that largely succeeds in all areas.
A simple and effective game that never seeks to be an overwhelming experience. It mostly achieves its goals of offering a Pirate Mech roguelike adventure, raiding derelict spaceships for their booty and combating the obstacles and enemies along the way.
The WarioWare games have always been weird and wacky fun, and this latest instalment is no different. I had fun playing through the main story and seeing the result of Wario's vacation.
A great addition to any games night, with no need for fancy controllers, and enough variety that there is a game for everyone.
Assassins Creed has taken many forms to date, but this has been my favourite, a return to its roots while taking many of its adaptions and changing the title for the better.
When played in short bursts, Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a strangely compelling game, mostly thanks to its characters and defining art style doing a lot of heavy lifting. Despite its lack of compelling gameplay systems, there is something about the simplicity presented that offers some comfort in how you play the game, and the right person might still find some enjoyment in exploring the Wyrd.
Wizard with a Gun is a very tight package, its magic being how quickly and efficiently it has you into its systems and into the groove of turning back time to save the world. It achieves this with tight-timed runs and its trim systems throughout, never leading you too far off the path to salvation.
I had a fantastic time with Detective Pikachu Returns, with more than a couple of jokes and moments having me laugh or smile at the screen. I would often wish I had been playing it with someone else in the room with me as I wanted to point out silly little jokes, comments from Pikachu or odd things the other Pokemon in the game were doing. It's got some issues, but I never once wanted to stop playing it. Now excuse me while I make a coffee!
Bilkin’s Folly is a game that I could recommend to almost anyone in the mood for a treasure-hunting adventure. Its tone and characters highlight the experience and make the longer-than-expected time sail by, whilst its puzzling is largely engaging if drawn back by more obtusely difficult puzzles and some technical hiccups that will surely be fixed in short order.
Firewall Ultra has quickly moved itself to the regular playlist at my home. The game's fun and unique style of combat over other FPS titles on the market make for some interesting matches and tactics.
Starfield is not for everyone, but it is a game that can be truly special individually when players try to make their adventure within it. Unlike the Bethesda blueprint that appears at the game's foundation, there is no blueprint for how to play Starfield.
It is almost uncanny how the story of Jumplight Odyssey is analogous to its current state in Early Access, with both the game and the flagship SDF Catalina in functional yet imperfect states, as both seek to work towards optimisation, development of systems and eventually the salvation of the Forever Star/ 1.0 Launch.
The cast of characters here is super-likable and is the most I've enjoyed a High School cast in a video game since Life is Strange: Beyond the Storm. KO_OP may have taken a long time to get Goodbye Volcano High out the door, but it's been more than worth the wait for this final product, which is one of my favourite games of the year.
In summary, while Diablo IV has been released with a few annoying issues, the gameplay is enjoyable, and I enjoy the story. Unfortunately, the game hasn't been able to keep me invested after the story was complete.