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Still, the essential excitement of turning the page to discover what's next is so powerfully represented in The Plucky Squire, and the game retains this energy into its final chapters, even while otherwise lacking notable tension or danger. It’s an entertainingly busy book to play through, but it's a pity that many of The Plucky Squire’s best ideas are ultimately underexplored. Perhaps these are just being held back for any plucky printed new worlds to come.
Frostpunk 2 is an innovative take on management.
Expectations for annual releases are often low, so NBA 2K25 is a pleasant surprise in that regard. The game feels like a notable improvement on NBA 2K24. It’s hard to say players absolutely have to buy it if they already have last year’s game, but players who buy the NBA 2K games annually regardless will be pleased with this year’s offering.
It's a good game that never quite reaches greatness. It's not a perfect RPG by any means - and it still feels outdated in a lot of ways. However, it's a game that leaves me feeling hopeful about the series' future. It feels like, at long last, the Mana series is back on track.
Team Asobi has teased that tools will eventually be added to Astro Bot that should appeal to speedrunners. With that tool and a bit of post-launch content updates, Astro Bot's fun could last a lot longer than it does, and that would be a welcome inclusion for a game with a short run time. Still, any frustration with the game ultimately stems from wanting more of what Astro Bot provides, which at its core is a top-tier platformer with innovation, charm, and enjoyment to spare.
That said, anyone looking for a solid narrative will likely be disappointed with The Casting of Frank Stone. It lacks the type of meaning that could make the story compelling, and also the type of over-the-top action that could make it pulpy fun. Instead, players are treated to a middling experience exploring largely homogenous areas of two stale environments with little to care about.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is enjoyable front to back, and is sure to find a lot of admirers who stick around for the co-op and PvP progression. In particular, fans of the universe and of the first game will likely be pleased that this long-awaited sequel is in no way a misstep, executing its vision soundly without becoming overly ambitious.
While Star Wars Outlaws does have its pacing issues and there are moments where it feels restrictive, for the most part, it is still an enjoyable open-world experience to dive into. It's definitely one of the more in-depth insights into and excellent explorations of the scoundrel side. How Kay Vess' story plays into the wider franchise is yet to be seen, but with some major revelations in the final part of the game, there are bound to be some exciting consequences going forward from this excellent first adventure.
Madden NFL 25 truly does make some improvements over Madden NFL 24. That said, it is hard to give the game a glowing review when it isn’t even the best football game EA Sports has released this Summer. Anyone loyal enough to the Madden franchise to pick up the new version each year will definitely be pleased with Madden NFL 25, but the game isn’t a must-have by any metric.
Although Concord is solid and polished on a basic level, it's faced with an uphill battle that it already seems to be losing. A shotgun blast approach that attempts to hit the basic notes of every hero shooter prerogative makes it harder for it to do one thing in a truly fresh way, and the casual modes would be more exciting with bigger abilities and maps with more interesting pressure points. The game's systems click in Rivalry and get the job done across the other game modes, but Concord lacks the spark necessary to light much of a flame.
While it has some exceptional features, including its visuals, combat design, and many extraordinarily exhilarating boss fights, as well as a compelling plot line, it is not enough to warrant a better score. Given that most of its shortcomings lie in performance, diversity, and wasted environmental factors that would have transformed it into something great, these are integral features that, at a fundamental level, all RPGs, especially soulslike ones, should encompass in their content.
Anyone who has played a Hidden Through Time game and enjoyed it will love Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery, as it truly is just more of the same. While it could have been sold as an expansion or DLC to Myths & Magic, it still has a lot of content for a decent price, coming in at around $10, especially when you take into consideration that these maps are hand-drawn. The relaxing experience of searching for hidden items in the whimsical maps with aliens and monsters provides a cozy experience. Having more of the same isn't a bad thing, and not every game has to be fantastically updated or changed, although it still confuses me why Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery isn't an expansion.
Dustborn is a game that tries to be many things, and in the end does instill some of its charm in the player. However, the grating tone of the game's dialogue, which takes up the bulk of the game's run time, hampers the user's overall enjoyment. It's a bit of a missed opportunity, as underneath it all is a story and game world that begs to be properly realized.
Releasing an appropriate amount of time after Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was the right move, as Deathbound can't really go toe-to-toe with the greats. Still, anyone with a tolerance for jank and an interest in the game’s new ideas should come away satisfied, even while recognizing that this pluckiness only takes it so far. Deathbound is an indie soulslike through and through, a scrappy moonshot with some interesting tweaks on the genre, and a satisfying depth of lore to boot. Its flaws hold it back, but that shouldn’t distract from its enjoyable character-switching combat and overall gumption.
The game also showcases a great sense of humor on every level, from eccentric gameplay and entertainingly-nonsensical arguments to small details like its ads, which are designed by fellow developers and feature Easter eggs for other games like Cult of the Lamb. Especially considering the game's $16.99 price, it's easy to overlook some of its flaws, like repetition or a few buggy conversations where characters spoke too far apart, when it's so genuinely clever on every level. Crush House doesn't require a preexisting love of reality TV to enjoy - only an appreciation for true ingenuity.
The story itself is not long, only lasting 10–15 hours for the main game. Once the game is over, players can also try it in New Game+ Mode or the upcoming "Mew Game" Mode, which will provide challenges such as not allowing players to equip anything or preventing them from leveling up higher than level one. Providing many more hours of enjoyable gameplay for Cat Quest 3 even after the main story is over.
Players old and new will inevitably find themselves immersed in Vic's journey and Ava's fate, somewhere between its unique creature designs, evocative soundtrack, and moving story. As a whole, Creatures of Ava is a wonderful experience, and is likely to stick with players for a long time to come.
Eden Genesis has a rich pool of references to giddily point toward, but very little unprecedented innovation or personality to uplift its genre, and that’s a big problem. As a time-trials platformer, it’s only just about average in terms of control quality, creative hazards, and challenge level. For the latter, it leans more towards achingly precise triggers, but muddies this water with mechanics that are more frustrating than fun.
To sum it up, SteamWorld Heist 2 is fun, pure and simple. The silliness combined with game mechanics make it a true gem that is a must-play for anyone with a sense of humor.
As much as one can applaud Aspyr for rejuvenating a classic game like Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, one has to question the point if so little has been done to bring it up to today's standards. The visual tweaks are appreciated but when so many other issues have been ignored, it's really only a game for diehard fans looking for a nostalgia hit. Coupled with the fact that there are plenty of better Star Wars games, Jango Fett's prequel is likely better preserved in fans' memories than in this remaster.