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For its time, Pac-Man World was a revolutionary revival of a long dormant franchise. Nowadays, PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC is still a fun platformer, but it does feel a bit by-the-books, especially since we’re aware of the improvements featured in the original game’s sequels.
The remake of Destroy All Humans 2 takes what worked in the previous remake and polishes things up to remove a good chunk, but not all, of the jank that made its predecessor feel a tad bit disappointing at times. It’s still short, and it’s nowhere near as feature-filled as other open world games in the market, but there’s nothing else that looks and feels like this delightfully dumb title out there.
LOUD doesn’t feel like it was trying to copy the myriad of other rhythm-based games released over the years. It does feel like its own thing. The way the story is built feels much more like a personal story, making it feel more unique than other games in the genre. On top of that, it feels relatable, and anyone can understand whether it’s for the style of music, wanting to be a musician, or just having a passion for anything that you need inspiration for.
Insomniac’s Spider-Man is a surprising game for sure. I never got the chance to play it back in its PlayStation 4 release and was admittedly skeptical it was going to be this good. I was very wrong: I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game thanks to a great story, fast-paced combat and traversal mechanics that are just way too exciting. Hopefully we can expect more quality ports from Sony going forward.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is a fantastic addition to the Cuphead package that offers more of everything you loved about the game. Unfortunately, the only downfall really is how short it feels, and the unbalance of the solo and co-op difficulty.
This game just proves what I’ve been saying for years, that you don’t need a massive budget and nonstop jumpscares in order to make an effective horror game. The Mortuary Assistant succeeds where so many others have failed because of its use of subtly and cleverly subverting your expectations. Even though the shifts might be short, there are multiple endings, several of which require multiple playthroughs to unlock, so there is a ton of replayablility here. On top of that, the scares are randomized, so you’ll never get the same experience twice. Despite its flaws, I cannot recommend The Mortuary Assistant enough.
If you were hoping that Kirby’s Dream Buffet would be another great entry into the Kirby franchise, then I’m sorry to burst your bubble. There’s just not enough challenge or content to justify it as an actual game. It feels like they had some leftover ideas for Mario Party games, and decided to just throw them together with a Kirby coat of paint. It’s like eagerly awaiting an entree and getting an appetizer instead. Add in the less than stellar online play, and you’ve got a game that’s not worth your time or money. Best to skip out on this course.
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? feels like your bog standard Wii shovelware title released fifteen years too late. For as much as I enjoy the fact developers are still making games with local multiplayer shenanigans in mind, there is very little in this title that makes me want to consider it over Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune, or other party games in general.
Standing proudly as a title with amazing blends of gaming components and ferocious variety, this is one of the few sims that I not only really enjoyed, but it convinced me to keep coming back again and again. I have two save files going right now, and I’m determined to see if Buff Chilia will have a better life than Nun Chilia.
Saints Row is much better than its terrible reveal trailer made it look like, with some great controls, a ton of side content, a ludicrous character creator, and some truly amazing story missions, but its tone suffers from a proper lack of direction. At times, it resembles the ultra-imbecilic Saints Row we all know and love. Other times, it tries desperately to pander to a dab-appreciating, hashtag-tolerant, Twitter-addicted, Buzzfeed-consuming Gen Z generation that would never consider buying a game in this franchise to begin with. It’s a game that feels like it was written by two completely antagonistic committees. If you can ignore its tonal discrepancies, as well as some glitches, you’ll have a great time with yet another strong outing from Volition.
More than just a reskinned version of a very old Atari game, Yars: Recharged is the culmination of what this particular subseries from Atari was intended to be. It’s not a mere HD version of a classic arcade game with one or two new elements, it fully reinvents the formula of the original with a brand new gameplay loop, all while staying true to its roots. Add in an addictive (and very infuriating, may I add) mission mode, and you get what’s possibly the peak of the Recharged series, and most certainly the best title Atari has released in more than a decade.
Tinykin is the kind of the game that completely changes the image and course of the developers and publishers behind it. I was shocked at how amazing this game was. I just couldn’t stop playing it. The mixture between Pikmin, Toy Story 2 and Super Mario 64 resulted in a stupidly creative indie darling with a ton of charm, great controls, and a fantastic presentation.
It’s a beautifully put together package, and this isn’t the lackluster ending of a trilogy gone off the rails. This is a tight, enjoyable and absolutely true embodiment of what Inti Creates has been building all these years. For fans, it’s everything they could want. And for first timers…well, maybe pick up the Cliff’s Notes on what’s happened. It’s a lot, but it’s worth it.
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II is literally the same game, since it’s a direct port. All the best parts, and all the flaws, all are still prevalent in this release. It does feel a touch better thanks to upgraded hardware, thankfully no areas have slow down, while some sections early on in the sewers felt a bit sluggish originally.
Thanks to its slick presentation, which is enhanced by either the Switch’s or your TV’s speakers, Please Touch the Artwork is a really enjoyable audiovisual experience that requires your attention and rewards you for it, unlike your average casual mobile outing. This game is clearly not for everyone, and its pretentious atmosphere will put some players off, but I had a good time with it regardless. Way more than I could have ever imagined.
This is the bad kind of Switch port of a mobile game. This is the kind of game you just ask yourself “why would I want to play this anywhere other than a phone?” It features little to no graphics, sound, or anything else that would require the bare minimum of attention needed to play a mobile game for a couple of minutes at a time. With a portable system with a library as vast as the Nintendo Switch’s, Understand does very little to convince you to give it a shot.
Looking at other games released in 1991, it’s honestly stunning to think that Japanese players had Final Fantasy IV, A Link to the Past and this jaw-dropping sim all in one year (and my family decided to get me Captain America for the NES…cool). So, while it may not have aged great (and honestly has been poorly ported), fans of the series can take a look in this time capsule for a few bucks, nod in recognition, and then probably never pick it up again. Sorry princess, your audience is in another castle.
As a whole, Thymesia feels like a missed opportunity. The plague weapons and unique sense of progression carry its gameplay that can often feel a touch unfinished and forgettable. It’s short and very uneven: just when it’s starting to feel a bit more interesting, it ends in a very unspectacular fashion. If you are foaming for more soulslike games, then I guess that Thymesia can (maybe) be a good time. Even so, I’d strongly recommend grabbing it on sale.
Blossom Tales 2 continues what the first set out to achieve – paying respects to the golden standard and not only accomplishing that, but killing it too. It’s a masterstroke of unadulterated glee, with nods to its inspiration and other unrelated genres.
This was my first time playing an actual Azure Striker Gunvolt game, and I have to say: damn, I was missing out on some good stuff. Despite its short length and annoying grind sections, I was impressed with its amazing presentation, slick controls, excellent game feel, and the way the developers balanced out its difficulty by adding rankings at the end of each level, essentially making this game appealing for newcomers and veterans alike.