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NeverAwake kept me awake long hours as I felt compelled to binge-play the more than 80 levels in the game. The luscious graphics and innovative level-looping gameplay instantly hooked me and separates it from the crowed shoot 'em up genre. The best surprise, though, was the thoughtful story that tackles tough topics with sensitivity and elegance.
Trenches is a bold first-person survival horror game that delivers chilling jump scares in a unique war-torn environment. The audio design is the real winner here, and playing the game with headphones on is a must. The visuals wear thin after one playthrough and there's not much incentive to reply this short game, but at ten bucks it offers a couple of hours of intense scares that are worth experiencing if you're a big horror buff.
While not the showpiece for Xbox Series X fans were likely hoping for, it's a nice Game Pass addition that I've happily plunked 20+ hours into and will definitely continue playing to secure the 1000/1000 Achievements.
Wanted: Dead is a hard game to review considering nearly every aspect has positives and flaws. The gameplay can be extremely satisfying when you get into a good rhythm, but the limited enemy variety and spongy health make every mission feel the same. The story and characters have wacky charm, at times being incredibly funny yet far too frequently becoming a head-scratcher. The cutscene voice acting is bad, but the anime flashbacks are superb. I could go on and on but the bottom line is this game is unique—for better or for worse—and probably just as many people will love it as those who don't.
Garfield Lasagna Party is a solid mini-game collection that won't knock off the kings like Mario Party or WarioWare, but still offers enough that families should get a real kick out of it. The majority of the 32 mini-games are fun to play, but it is too bad the main board game race mode doesn't deliver. Stick with the challenge mode though, which lets you play mini-games of your choice, and you're bound to have a great time.
Do Not Open delivers on its escape room horror promise with cleverly designed puzzles that are fun and challenging to solve. Combined with its spooky story and high-quality environmental visuals, there's enough here to make a solid recommendation to horror fans. One caveat though: depending on your budget, its $24.99 price tag may be a little steep considering the game's length, so you might want to hold out for a sale.
Scorn frustrated the heck out of me at times, but the world and art style are so darn interesting I just had to push myself forward. And while it was tough at times, I'm glad I made it all the way through. This is a very unique experience offering disturbing-yet-breathtaking visuals and a story that will make you think during and long after it's over.
MADiSON starts out strong with pristine graphics, scary audio, an intriguing story, great level design and interesting puzzles. It's a shame then that the latter half unravels to a degree as you recognize that the creaks and shrieks are a harmless audio loop, a few puzzles become obtuse and the narrative gets messy with poorly explained demons. Overall, I did enjoy the game though, perhaps because it so closely scratched that P.T. itch.
Whether you're an older gamer like me that grew up with the Smurfs or are looking for your next family-friendly gaming adventure, The Smurfs - Mission Vileaf is a good game to check out.
All in all, I had a bubble-blasting good time with Puzzle Bobble 3D Vacation Odyssey. It was fun to rethink my Bust-a-Move strategies in 3D, and while the third perspective does create some camera issues, I still really enjoyed this fresh new take on the classic series.
Song of Horror isn't the most graphically-impressive horror game I've played in recent years, but it does deliver where it matters most: intense, unrelenting terror. I'm a big fan of classic third-person horror titles so this game definitely spoke to me and made me pine for more retro titles in the same vein. If you like Resident Evil or Silent Hill don't hesitate to check out this Lovecraftian nightmare.
Scars Above really embraces its sci-fi and soulslike themes, offering an atmospheric game with a good balance between exploration, puzzle-solving and battles. It's a bit janky but palatable when you consider the game comes at a budget price. If you're looking for something different than the mainstream cooker cutter offering, Scars Above is worth the time and effort.
If you enjoy classic horror games from yesteryear, this game is ready to give you an earful of scares.
Smurfs Kart doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, instead giving you a clear Mario Kart-inspired kart racer with fantastic visuals, a good variety of playable Smurfs and accessible gameplay. If your family is looking for their next competitive racer, this game delivers tons of multiplayer thrills.
What a great surprise The Chant was. It's a superb debut game from Brass Token filled with top-notch motion capture and voice acting, highly detailed environments, an engaging story, and it has some truly haunting enemy designs. If you like horror adventure games, book your trip to Glory Island immediately.
Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed is a saucy game full of foul-mouthed characters and silly antics. Fans of the original, which I'm definitely one of, will love this new remake that totally revamps the graphics while retaining the classic gameplay. It's too bad the game is so bug-ridden though as those moments stunk of serious Ark-doo-doo. Still, with probing this fun, I was easily compelled to see this invasive operation all the way through.
I had a great time with Thymesia, from it's Bloodborne-inspired atmosphere to it's buttery-smooth gameplay. I only wish the game was longer—its three worlds can be completed in about 6-8 hours. At its budget price though, it's certainly worth the cost of admission.
In my family, DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace is a tale of two gamers. For me, I thought the game offered decent fun, the type of game I'd play and platinum over the weekend and likely not touch again. But my child's experience was much better, he's totally into the game and had incredible fun playing it.
Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions is a fun and innovative tactical adventure that introduces some cool mechanics to the genre. Any fan of Jump+ manga will love this game, as will younger players or seasoned veterans looking to flex their tactical skills in low-pressure combat missions.
If you're looking for a neat indie horror game to play over the weekend, Oxide Room 104 delivers a satisfying experience. It's not a long game—you can beat it in about two hours—but with four endings and multiple remixes of the hotel there's plenty of replayability. I especially enjoyed the escape room puzzles and thought the majority of them offered a good challenge.