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I'm sure Wolcen could be a good isometric hack-and-slash adventure. The problem is, this console port does its utmost to hide all of Wolcen's positive qualities with a constant barrage of crashes and performance issues, rendering a game that should be escapist fun into a frustrating slog. In time this might be worth your attention, but significant patching will be required for it to be so.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp takes a strategy classic and buffs it up for a modern audience – the fact that it is so faithful to the originals only reinforces how brilliant they were in the first place. Re-Boot Camp is essential for fans of tactical warfare, and a perfect companion for Nintendo Switch; hopefully its release will rekindle interest in the series, and bring us a long overdue new entry.
Burning Shores is exactly what you would expect, with even more of that solid Horizon gameplay wrapped around a story that initially seems quite frivolous but soon becomes very dark and uncomfortable. If you loved Horizon Forbidden West, you will love this too.
Dead Island 2 does a great job of reanimating this dormant zombie-battling series, with the gore-filled combat and excessive weaponry that goes well with the oversaturated LA setting. It's an enjoyable romp, but at the same time, ironically feels like it's playing it safe.
Hunt the Night is close to being a great Bloodbourne-inspired Souls-like, but it suffers from a midgame area that's a chore to navigate and a late game difficulty spike that goes beyond punishing and straight into sadistic. Some of this could be adjusted in updates, but as things stand, I can only recommend this title to those who really want to challenge themselves. If that sounds like you, then there is much to like.
Minecraft Legends captures the magic of Minecraft in a wholly new way. It's chaotic, it's creative, it's competitive and it's an absolute blast.
The Mega Man Battle Network series was a huge part of my childhood, but now I get to appreciate these card-collection tactical RPGs from a whole new perspective. While some of these entries are mostly fun nostalgia trips, most of them hold up just as well today, and the restored content from the Patch Cards alongside the robust online functionality make this collection the definitive way to experience the series.
Elderand is a worthy addition to the wider Metroidvania genre and offers plenty of bang for your buck. It takes clear inspiration from the best of Castlevania and marries it to challenging combat. That being said, there isn't anything particularly new here, and there is a lack of consistency across the level design. The result is a solid indie game offering plenty for genre fans.
Mile High Taxi brings a huge chunk of Crazy Taxi's frivolity to the futuristic skies, and it's clear that solo developer Cassius John-Adams has put their heart and soul into making this a truly Crazy ride.
The whole thing is a delight, and one of the more interesting takes on the deckbuilding roguelike genre I've played since Monster Train, which is apt, because it definitely takes some inspiration from that game. This is one of those games I'll be playing for months and possibly years to come, because it just feels good when you finally get a strong run going. However, the difficulty may put off some players. I recommend pushing through and fighting for those small successes, and those that do so will be rewarded by one of the best indie games of 2023 so far.
Meet Your Maker is a cunning blend of testing your skills and wits against devious deathtraps, and the creative joys of creating your own murderous mazes. The progression systems are a bit slow, the restrictions it puts on your ability to create levels somewhat restrictive, but there's the foundations of a game here that Behaviour Interactive can build upon.
Fueled Up may be an Overcooked! clone but it nonetheless has some intriguing ideas that set it apart from other games in the genre. Unfortunately, the issues with pacing, poor tutorials, haphazard controls, and difficulty spikes make for an uneven experience that will not suit many players. If you've done Ghost Town Game's finest to death then Fueled up might be worth a look, otherwise, forget fuelling spaceships and go fry some burgers instead.
With thoroughly inconsistent combat and painful platforming, The Crown of Wu has earned itself the unfortunate and distinctive demerit of being the worst video game based on the Journey to the West.
After a thrilling opening, Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo descends into utter farce. This awkward attempt at a narrative adventure is hampered by ridiculously long loading times, terrible animation, and awkward vocal performances. Give this one a wide birth and just go watch the film instead.
LOUD is a fun guitar arcade experience. The songs are fun to play through and are very reminiscent of a specific time for music. An initial run can be quite short but there is replay value in trying to get S ranks on songs, and unlocking higher levels.
The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog is a simple and fun visual novel adventure that any Sonic fan can click with. Even though it's been released for April Fools, the game is well polished and offers a truly engaging experience.
I really wanted to like Crime Boss: Rockay City, but it just feels like it was haphazardly thrown together, and the result is a game that feels like a bad copy of a popular franchise, with the tired actors, awful dialogue and repetitive gameplay really putting the boot in.
Ravenbound is a striking Scandinavian fantasy, and one that's often a delight to experience. However, this particular open world can often feel too empty and lifeless, relying on a player's thorough involvement in its collection of gameplay ideas to stay engaged.
While it paints its dystopian future in broad strokes and has some rough edges, there's a worthwhile and enjoyable tale to experience within The Last Worker.
As a wrestling fan, I want to create five-star classic matches, with back-and-forth action, near falls, and iconic moments, but ultimately WWE 2K23 cannot facilitate that. Messy and overly complicated controls hamper those efforts, but it's 2K's obsession with players winning matches that ensure this professional wrestling game misses the point entirely.