With a bigger emphasis on speeding up the action and progression, Monster Hunter Rise is an excellent gateway into the franchise for newer players.
All in all, Evil Genius 2: World Domination is an entertaining sim with an incredibly fun premise that while slow at times is still rewarding to stick with and see through to the end. It’s also great to see developer Rebellion go out of their comfort zone and try something besides a shooter every now and then. They’ve managed to build quite a catalog during their run, and if Evil Genius 2 is any indication, they are more than welcome to experiment with their other hits of old.
If you’re a newcomer to Blizzard or have only gotten to know them over the last couple decades, the Blizzard Arcade Collection is an excellent way to discover more of their history, going to show that there’s more to them than only their catalog of established franchises. Even the (arguably) biggest companies in the business had to start small, and as the collection proves, creativity and passion can go a long way, even if the Blizzard of today might seem like a far cry from what it was back then.
Hopefully there will be more to be seen in the universe built for the game, but under much better circumstances. What Bloober Team has achieved left me with mixed feelings by the time I reached its conclusion, almost 8 hours in. I adored the setting and fiction that’s been created for The Medium but I struggle to think of a single section of it that I truly enjoyed playing. It’s surely a weird place to be when it comes to a game I’m writing a review for, and one I’m not used to having to deal with. While I’m glad I got to see what it’s all about, I’m in no hurry to replaying it anytime soon; but then again, I want to see what could be in store in the story if there’s ever a (mercifully much better conceived) sequel.
Loop Hero is a satisfyingly rich experience, and you don’t have to be a Roguelike masochist to enjoy it.
Sometimes it’s good to get into a game that doesn’t overstay its welcome and can be beaten as quickly as Olija. It’s got very little fat and values the time you spend with it by dropping you into a very tightly designed journey, and honestly I can’t fault Skeleton Crew Studios for how short this game can be if it’s as beautiful and enjoyable as it is. I could think of worse ways to spend the short hours it took to get through Olija, and I’m glad that I did.
Death by absolute frustration.
If you’ve the patience of a saint to be at the whim of the gods, Gods Will Fall is your kind of game.
It may be more modest in its aspirations than the sprawling open-ended RPG some may have expected, but like a wolfpack on the hunt Earthblood is very efficient at what it does. Its story, characters and scope may leave something to be desired but its use of the lore is intriguing and its stealth and combat components are equally compelling. A pleasant surprise, Earthblood hopefully bodes well for future World of Darkness games.
Monstrum Nox might play close to the vest in just about every aspect, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a quality JRPG. Sometimes a comfort game like this is just what’s needed, and Ys IX certainly fits the bill checking all the boxes that you can expect out of a game of its kind. It’s a very fun and straight to the point adventure that’s well worth your time even if it doesn’t break the norm in any sort of way whatsoever.