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Combat is flashy, but unresponsive. The open world is vast, but soulless. The NPCs are legion, but uninspired. The puzzles are complex, but frustrating. Systems are convoluted, but not deep. And the patches keep making the game more and more generic. The bottom line is that Crimson Desert demands at least 100 hours of your life, and it cannot justify that ask with a rewarding experience.
Life is Strange: Reunion gives Max and Chloe the perfect send-off, with an ending that I’m still thinking about now. If this is the last time we see the pair (or the series in general), it’s a satisfying conclusion.
Grime II is a solid Metroidvania that excels where it counts, the exploration, although there are a few nagging issues with some of its combat. It certainly is not without challenge, so those looking for an easy time might want to search elsewhere.
The anime-inspired storytelling will surprise some, delight others, and confuse everyone else. But this is a welcome return for a classic arcade racing series, and the twin-stick on-track action is fast, fun, and rewarding.
The foundational elements of Marathon are extremely solid and fun. However, while the gameplay, art design, music, and lore are all great in a vacuum, they combine inside a genre that doesn’t always allow the game’s best elements to shine. Right now, Marathon is very good. It could be great, though.
Pokémon Pokopia is the Pokémon game we didn’t know we needed. With incredibly player-friendly systems, building little homes and habitats for dozens of Pokémon while solving the mystery behind the disappearance of humanity comes together to create an addictive, chill experience that I can’t see myself putting down anytime soon.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake feels like a game from a different era, but it’s charming because of it. However, the visuals and haunting atmosphere upgrades the game and help modernize it in impressive ways.
Despite not shaking off all of the series’ gameplay issues, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection benefits from a huge graphical boost and a more mature story.
Resident Evil Requiem blends the lessons and learnings of the franchise over the last ten years to create a game that offers a varied, constantly surprising, and boundary-pushing gameplay experience and a narrative that is vital to fans of the series.
Romeo is a Dead Man throws every idea at the wall, and while some won’t stick for certain people and some might bounce straight off, the game is full of so much human creativity and love, it’s hard not to fall in love with this weird, undefinable Shakespearean tragedy.
There is precious little to enjoy about Yakuza Kiwami 3. From problematic casting to combat that feels near mindless compared to the series’ usual output, incredibly dull side content to story changes that seem to actively disdain the work of the original writers, Yakuza Kiwami 3 lacks charm, heart, and a clear direction, resulting in a new low point for the venerable series.
Nioh 3 feels like the culmination of Team Ninja’s action games since Nioh, offering a delightful new level structure and the most satisfying and flexible gameplay in the series to date.
Cairn is a challenging game in more ways than one, and it won’t be for everyone. While it demands a lot from the player, what it gives in return is a deeply rewarding gameplay loop that pairs with gorgeous visuals and compelling characters for a deeply affecting story.
Code Vein II realizes a lot of the original’s ideas better, but doesn’t do much with its narrative setup and still feels like a milquetoast Soulslike without much to latch onto.
Arknights: Endfield tries to bring something new to the genre, and after a slow start, its unique take blending factory management alongside a more traditional Gacha is an interesting one.
Well-worn genre tropes give way to surprising hidden depths. A complex, flawed, gorgeous, and remarkably generous game that will surprise and delight even as it frustrates.
Trails Beyond the Horizon finally moves the series’ main plot forward in a satisfying way, despite leaving off with a massive cliffhanger. With fantastic combat refinements, not even a slow first Act can dull our excitement about where the series goes from here.
Despite the amount of melodramatic story to sit through in this 100+ hour adventure, the incredibly deep turn-based combat and HD-2D style more than make up for any plot threads that might put you to sleep.
While there’s a nostalgic and fun, arcade-like foundation in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, it’s buried beneath tedious flaws like a bland hub world, a lack of enemy variety, and companions that just won’t let go of your hand.
A slick and polished slice of 2D Metroidvania comfort food that executes well on a familiar formula. A lack of new ideas and a few mechanical stumbles hold it back from reaching the same heights as the classics that inspired it, but it gets close enough to scratch the same itch.