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In Surviving the Aftermath, players need to build a sustainable colony similar to Endzone: A World Apart. The storyline gives players a goal to work towards as they explore the world map and enhance their colony. Aside from the ineffective tutorial and tips section of the game, players can expect a fun city-building survival experience. At its core, Surviving the Aftermath is a high-stakes building game where the biggest challenge is making the right decisions in order to stay alive in a dangerous, apocalyptic world.
For anyone new or returning to the Pokémon series, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is a perfect starting point that bridges the gap between classic and modern Pokémon games. The quality-of-life additions make the game more accessible without making it feel bloated, the art style is simplistic and cute, and the gameplay mechanics will keep players moving through the adventure with ease. For veterans of the series, these versions are an easy recommendation and an excellent recreation of a fan favorite. With only a few exclusive Pokémon between Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, either one is an excellent choice for any player.
It's not as unsalvageable as Battlefield 5, but it's still hard to imagine this evolving into the definitive Battlefield game that DICE wants it to be. There is fleeting fun to be had here, but it's often spoiled by the game's blatant shortcomings. The maps are a slog, gunplay is bogged down by puzzling design choices, and there's no shortage of bugs that actively require the player to restart the entire game. It's a far cry from the 10-year-old Battlefield 3 and as it continues to age, the series strays further away from those glory days with no road to redemption in sight.
At the very least, Vaas: Insanity succeeds more than Far Cry 6 proper at moving the franchise forward. By the same token, sanding off the hard edges of a character conceived in a much different world could sever the last few connections to Far Cry's glorious past. The DLC's roguelike structure feels novel but incomplete, another ultimately unsuccessful attempt at mixing things up after Far Cry: New Dawn's RPG elements and Far Cry 5's DLC adventures into new genres. If Ubisoft can do a better job of recapturing the spirit of its other two antagonists in the rest of Far Cry 6's season pass (or in the recently rumored Vaas film project) franchise fans may finally have something to celebrate in 2021.
Overall this means that Knights of the Old Republic is still one of the best games ever made, even if it's not received any particular improvements on its older versions. The main pull here is that players can finally enjoy the title on the go via the Switch, and for Star Wars fans who have never played the game before it's another opportunity to enjoy one of the best Star Wars stories ever told. There will no doubt be debates about PC versus Switch for Knights of the Old Republic, and those who already own the game already aren't missing anything if they ignore this new port, but none of that takes away from one of the true classics of the early 2000s.
A lot of the issues with Sherlock Holmes Chapter One can be resolved with updates. The performances issues can be ironed out, John's obnoxious behavior can be toned down, and an improved hint system could remove the frustration of being lost during a case. With a few tweaks, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One could be an interesting open-world twist on the detective genre. As it stands, the game at launch still needs work before Sherlock Holmes can fully embrace his role as the greatest detective of all time.
Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas are some of the PlayStation 2's best games and helped to both pioneer and define the open world genre. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition does not provide the best way to experience these titles, nor should this be considered the "definitive" edition of the games included. The Definitive Edition is often prettier and slightly more modern in its controls and presentation, but missing features and poorly optimized content let down what could have been ideal remasters. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition feels rushed - and after twenty years, that's disappointing.
For being as strange and bloated as it is, Epic Chef is a very engaging experience. While there are an almost frightening number of different mechanics involved, they all work together in interesting ways to create a very cohesive experience. Some people will like specific aspects of Epic Chef over others, but the way in which they work together means that very few are going to have trouble engaging with the whole, at least on some level.
As it is now, it's difficult to recommend Jurassic World Evolution 2 because, despite some great new ideas, the execution feels potentially alienating for its target audience.
The modern dance visuals and the addition of popular songs in Just Dance 2022 will likely appeal to longtime fans of the game; however, those who are new to the series may want to opt for a version a few years older, and purchase the Just Dance Unlimited subscription instead, to save money and learn gameplay with songs that have easier dance moves. While unlikely at this time, the option to permanently purchase past songs as DLC would be a big benefit for Just Dance 2022, allowing players to pay a one-time fee for their favorite songs, rather than a monthly steep monthly cost for songs that may not get played.
In spite of its issues, Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View is a video game mystery done right. Its main plot is well-written and its characters expertly performed, while its gameplay genuinely makes the player feel like a detective. It's not perfect, but Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View is a successful, small-scale head-scratcher done right.
My Singing Monsters Playground is fun but short.
Blue Reflection: Second Light might not break any molds when it comes to JRPGs, but it does a solid job blending different gameplay mechanics with an emotional tale of reconnecting to old friends and making peace with the past. Players who enjoyed the social interactions and teen drama of modern Persona games should feel right at home here, as Blue Reflection: Second Light has all the ingredients of a decent anime-style high school adventure.
Once players complete every milestone in their career, they can continue to update facilities, remodel homes, and offer new designs to visiting clients. This gives players a lot of content to discover and play through. When combined with the 2.0 update, the Happy Home Paradise DLC offers players a variety of new mechanics to unlock and use both at the resort and on their own island. Each new feature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 and Happy Home Paradise adds to the players' overall experience by creating new customization options and different areas to explore.
Forza Horizon 5 is one of the best entries in the series to date, thanks to its massive and beautiful open world, which is full of exciting races.
Shin Megami Tensei V revels in JRPG traditions and, while it does mark a leap forward for the franchise, its excellence is at odds with its approach.
Despite a few shortcomings, over the course of a playthrough, Time Loader proves itself to be a game worth trying out for those interested in its concept. The story is smart and, in true time travel fashion, has multiple ways in which it can come to a close. All of this is presented alongside a solid gameplay core which makes for a fun, if short, jaunt through a sci-fi tale.
Demon Turf feels like a missed opportunity for its engaging, interesting new world to be catered to such a niche audience. Perhaps these lost levels can give way to an adventure with Beebz that's more up to speed with the general public, but for now, Demon Turf is well worth a try for hardcore platforming fans and difficult to recommend for those less fond of the genre.
Overall, though, Bloodshore is still one of the better examples of the FMV revolution. It's a lot of fun to experience, and leans into the cheese that both successfully works with a lot of FMV games, and for examples of the stories it is emulating. The game has its issues, but as a hokey piece of B-movie fun it's worth replaying to find its various story strands.
From the tiniest details in each item to the massive story told through simple gameplay, Unpacking is a fantastic indie game. The relaxing gameplay and chill music create a nice getaway experience. It's easy to disappear into Unpacking and complete the entire game in one playthrough, but the experience is so satisfying that players will want to do it again and again.