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Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl contains the beginnings of what may end up being the most unlikely competitive fighting franchise ever conceived. It knows its audience and it has been able to appease them, garnering a lot of excitement along the way. However, where Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl missteps is in the handling of its properties. It's easy to get excited about the thought of Reptar dash-dancing across Jellyfish Fields, but it's tough to buy into the idea when there's a rogue ukulele serenading the mute dinosaur while it happens.
What Legend of the Kestrel Lancers comes down to is how much players enjoyed the spectacle and gunplay of MechWarrior 5, and how much they want to extend their time with the game through a new, and definitely interesting, story, and bigger battles. The gameplay is fun, tight, and tactically sound, but it was in the core game as well. The DLC offers more of the same, hampered by a lack of new mechs and diverse missions, but what is present in Kestrel Lancers is fun and purpose-built to give fans more of what they like. If players are only dipping their toes into MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, the base game has plenty to offer before players need to judge this DLC's worth.
These issues ultimately don't undermine just how charming Rainbow Billy is to play. With a message of good faith that rarely wears out its welcome and a brilliant take on turn-based RPG combat, Rainbow Billy is a game that was clearly made with a lot of care for its individual components. Providing players can turn off their cynicism, there's plenty to love here.
There is a vague story to Song in the Smoke and cutscenes that guide the player through their boss fights. The tips for how to defeat bosses or draw them out are revealed in a creative and immersive way. The environment and music, as well as constant sounds made by other creatures, make Song in the Smoke a truly mesmerizing experience. Players will feel the dread of traversing dangerous areas, and the satisfaction of defeating a powerful boss. Song in the Smoke is an unrivaled VR survival game with horror elements, and it gives players complete freedom to explore, hunt in, and conquer the treacherous wilderness.
There's a lot to like about Far Cry 6, but not a lot that's new.
Metroid Dread is an instant classic. Its seamless blend of exploration, combat, puzzle-solving, and light touches of story creates one of the most engaging experiences on Nintendo Switch.
Between combat with free-aim and comprehensive exploration through the Geoscape, Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition has a lot of content to offer. Like other strategy games, such as Empire of Sin, players can win multiple ways, and there are plenty of chances to lose. Unfortunately, the console edition has a lot of issues with loading and crashing, but as long as players have the patience, the game is still enjoyable. Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition comes with the base game and four DLC expansions for players to tactfully explore.
Overall, however, New World shows a lot of promise and has plenty of room to continue introducing unique and genre-defining ideas to the MMO space.
While the fast loading times and updated graphics show off the beauty of Dharma City's neon-grunge aesthetic and keep players in the action, it's ultimately the same experience. Screen Rant's first Ghostrunner review perfectly sums up the PS5 version's experience, in that it's "Sometimes Fast, Sometimes Slow." Ghostrunner is a great game that provides a proper adrenaline rush when everything works as intended, but those hoping for any significant changes in this next-gen version will be disappointed.4
Aside from some performance issues and a rushed ending, JETT: The Far Shore provides a solid experience with fantastic flying mechanics, interesting world lore and a keen grasp of the spectacle of space exploration. While it's not the best among the many titles eager to tell their particular tale of the exploration of the stars, JETT: The Far Shore succeeds more often than it fails, and it's worth a look for those looking to scratch an interstellar itch.
Insurgency: Sandstorm is a balanced mix of realism and enjoyable gameplay, with very few downsides. The game is challenging and can take some getting used to, but even with its level of difficulty, it's still a lot fun. Insurgency: Sandstorm offers the option to spend some time with AI teammates to develop strategies and practice. Although there is no campaign mode, players can also train at the range, which spawns in different types of enemy forces. Insurgency: Sandstorm is a realistic and difficult first-person shooter with diverse game modes and hours of unique entertainment.
Alan Wake Remastered's improvements are subtle and won't dramatically change the experience, but that also means it retains what made it so special in the first place. The atmosphere is chilling ,and the story holds up after over a decade, meaning it doesn't need a full-blown remake to still feel worthy of a modern retelling. Even with its flaws, Alan Wake Remastered is worth playing in 2021, especially for those who missed it the first time around.
Ultimately, eFootball 2022 is a disaster at launch. It's a buggy, unenjoyable mess with limited gameplay options that strip back the core strengths of the PES series, and the fact that it was released in this state at all is shocking. Konami may bring in fixes as it implements further free-to-play updates, but even then, the question over eFootball 2022's worth will still need to be repeatedly asked.
If it weren't for the game's varied levels and quirky scenarios, it's likely that I Am Fish would sink under that weight, but thanks to excessive charm, it still manages to get enough right to justify a look from anyone with enough patience to appreciate it.
The original Actraiser achieved cult classic status back when it first debuted thanks to its unique premise and gameplay. Fortunately, the promised Renaissance is able to more than give this gem another look for those who understandably missed its decades-old launch, and Actraiser Renaissance is an exciting, engaging experience in 2021.
Overall, Lemnis Gate brings a lot of innovation to the table, surpassing its time travel rival to present a strategic FPS that's well worth some attention. While held back by a lack of modes outside of online multiplayer and an outdated presentation, launching on the hugely successful Xbox Game Pass service makes the game palatable to those with an existing subscription. Whether it's jumping into an online lobby or gathering a group of friends for private matchmaking, there's nothing else quite like Lemnis Gate on console, and it's well worth a look for anyone who wants to see one possible future of the FPS genre.
Aeon Drive is an otherwise solid experience with nuanced mechanics. The biggest areas where the game struggles are, luckily, in the smaller details such as the lack of hangtime and forgetting to include a mechanic in the tutorial that, thankfully, didn't hinder the gameplay until the end. With its comfortable three-hour playtime, native speedrunning leaderboards, competitive mode, and charming personality, Aeon Drive is definitely worth checking out.
With over 12 hours of gameplay, and upgrades that streamline the repair process, Rover Mechanic Simulator turns out to be too much of a good thing. The game's job diversity only lasts for the first half, and there's not much challenge after that. Still, the accuracy of the machines, and the satisfaction of completing a complicated repair make Rover Mechanic Simulator an enjoyable game that can help players unwind, as long as they're okay with the limitations at play within its gameplay mechanics and design.
Overall, Gas Station Simulator is vastly better than a lot of the simulator games that are available. It's a charming and occasionally buggy experience, but one that allows the player to find a little bit of peace in a daily grind.
Astria Ascending has the makings of a great game, but it falls short on several fronts. A version of the game that started out at an earlier point in the story, in order to gradually introduce each character and their abilities, would have helped smooth the transition into the main quest. A number of QoL improvements, especially related to the speed of the battles, would also drastically improve the gameplay. As it stands, Astria Ascending feels like a throwback to a different era, while needlessly ignoring the modern conveniences that have improved the genre in the time that has passed since then.