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Reviewing PO’ed: Definitive Edition is weird because, sure, the game is actually terrible, but it’s not Nightdive’s fault at all. On the contrary, they have done quite a lot of work remastering its visuals and improving its controls. Sadly, the core ideas, the original level design, those haven’t changed at all, and Nightdive wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.
It’s impeccably well-designed, with a ton of secrets to unfold, but I also feel it wasn’t that much fun at all times. I’m all for a game not holding my hand throughout its entire runtime, but it didn’t need to feel so cryptic, and so focused on trial-and-error, especially when its checkpoints were way too far away from each other. At times, I loved exploring its many secrets. Other times, I felt so frustrated I wanted to throw my Switch across the room. All in all, it’s still worth checking out if you’re into a deceptively complex metroidvania, but be aware of some truly obnoxious design choices and roadblocks.
Awesome. This is Mullet MadJack in a nutshell. It could have easily been just another first-person shooter with a neat visual gimmick, but its developers went above and beyond with a lot of style and a fantastic gameplay loop, which is equally enjoyable in either Easy or Hard difficulties, for completely different reasons. It doesn’t matter if you just want to feel overpowered against an army of robots, or if you’re looking for a challenge: Mullet MadJack delivers in spades.
It’s a disheartening game that is tedious, seemingly random and honestly runs so terribly slowly on console. I Am Your President is trying to poke fun at the establishment and probably provide some spoof-esque humor, but the delivery is underbaked, flat and just a slog. For Americans, unless you’re already a zealot about the elephant or the donkey, this isn’t going to ingratiate the political circuit to you any further. If you’re from outside the U.S., I cannot imagine the appeal of this game in any capacity.
Heading Out combines genres and styles which might sound incompatible at first glance, but did so in a very interesting manner, resulting in a truly unique roguelike experience. I, for one, really liked the presentation as well, with its slick visuals and soundtrack. It’s not entirely perfect, as the driving could have been more polished, and the pop-in glitches really took me out of the experience at times. That being said, it’s a game unlike any other out there, which wlll definitely keep you engaged through a good few runs.
Overall, Sker Ritual was a lot more of what I wanted and way more than I could have expected from it. Is this going to be a Call of Duty: Zombies killer? Maybe not as of now, but it’s clearly a really good step in the right direction, as that series simply doesn’t care about having to improve anymore. Even though it’s completely different from its predecessor, Sker Ritual is a pleasant surprise, a well-polished game, and something I definitely plan to continue returning to often, especially if there are any big content updates in the future.
The gameplay loop became repetitive after a while, as there is just so much you can do in terms of trading, loot, and exploring. The combat was an utter joke. I appreciate the effort, but this just didn’t land with me at all…
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a great concept that was clearly pushed forward by a good writer and storyteller. There is a deep narrative here that I enjoyed and it really carries the whole package here. While it starts out as a fairly simple, run-of-the-mill metroidvania gameplay wise, it is unfortunately brought way down by its lack of polish and design. Too often I felt like I was fighting the game itself instead of actually enjoying a good challenge. While the story shines bright, its enjoyment is diminished by its frustrating gameplay design.
Maybe it was too difficult to incorporate, maybe it made the game too easy, I couldn’t tell you. What I can say is Rainbow Cotton is the magical girl wrapped version of a Cybertruck. Quirky and odd, the novelty wears off when you can’t control it and it ultimately crashes and burns, killing you with design flaws that the creators were well aware of.
You need the proper mindset to enjoy it properly. If what you want is a relaxing, exploratory game, and if you’re into collectionism and task-completion, without having to actually resort to any complex mechanics or hardships, this will be a perfect fit. If not, you may find this game to be quite boring, possibly a bit pretentious. Thankfully, I sided with the former.
All in all, if you like Demon Slayer and you like Mario Party, there’s a really good chance you’ll have fun with this game, as niche as this condition can be. At least for a little bit. Much like Mario Party though, it may just be saved for parties when you have people around to play with because it’s not exactly the most thrilling thing to play alone, and as mentioned already, you won’t be able to find people online to play with unless you’re really, really lucky.
It does have a lot of issues, but Outcast: A New Beginning also features its fair share of saving graces. It is flawed, but a somewhat good time in smaller bursts. It’s a shame its open world design felt generic, never succeeding at captivating me, because the core combat mechanics and admittedly great visual design did a lot of heavy lifting. It’s an unapologetic old-school game in its premise and content; it doesn’t try to be anything else, nor does it try to punch above its weight. Whether you think this is commendable or not is up to your opinion.
Honestly I hate talking so poorly about any games, but when I can’t find a single redeeming aspect, and I can’t find a single praise to give a game after hours of game time, it’s concerning. If you’re going to ask “why did you play it for hours then? Couldn’t have been that bad!” The answer is I was desperate to find something positive, instead I found a terrible way to waste my time.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is a fine game, and one I recommend playing. What disappoints me most is just how little was done to this version to set itself apart from the original. The gameplay remains untouched, other than a completely clunky and bizarre co-op mode. The main changes were an enhanced soundtrack and graphics, but the large majority of the game is exactly the same as it was before.
Having said all that, Horrific Xanatorium had its moments, regardless of how short they were. The art styling was good (though I LOVED the pixel art in the credits), the concept was mostly well realized, and this is a really good first work from an up and coming designer and writer. The moments of hallucination, the fears and the inability to distinguish fact from fiction all nestled into my brain quite nicely, and I’m thrilled to be sure that I’m really here.
There’s charm, there’s cuteness, there’s a generous difficulty curve and there’s a plot that passes the Bechdel test. This is the right step forward for Peach into the spotlight, and I hope Showtime! is the first of many more adventures to come.
The major issue is, for something so potentially grand and promising, there’s just no fuel to keep the fire going. You find handfuls of tinder and the occasional decent stick to build a little heat, but when the most exciting moments come from shooting massive spiders and finding innovative ways to run around the map, it’s just a bit of a splodge that doesn’t ever quite find its shape.
Of course, there’s the everlasting conundrum regarding 2K’s monetization practices, but this game did not feel as grindy or egregious as its basketball counterparts. If you are not into online play, you won’t have a lot of options; you will most likely spending many hours grinding for experience points to upgrade your avatar. Thankfully, the gameplay is downright impeccable.
Yes, the army battles were a bit confusing. The thing is, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is chock full of content. It can keep me busy for hours upon hours before I start to get bored. From card games to spinning tops, I was very rarely not engaged.
The Switch version of Sticky Business is less of a game, and more of a very clunky and shallow creative tool with not a lot to entice players for long. The progression system is silly, the gameplay loop lacks any kind of excitemente, and the controls and interface are embarassingly bad, never taking advantage of the Switch’s touchscreen, or even giving us the bare minimum of a completely cursor-based interface.