Cat with Monocle
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It’s great when a franchise is brought back from the dead, and done right. Many thanks to the people at Activision and Vicarious Visions, for treating this property with respect, and giving us a great game. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran, or picking this series up for the first time, with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, you’re sure to have a blast grinding rails and pretending you’re a Superman.
Nexomon got its start in 2017 as a cheap and easily accessible phone app. Ultimately, this may have been the better platform for the game, serving customers that don’t have access to Pokémon and gamers on the go. As a console game, Nexomon: Extinction is an adequate Pokémon stand-in, but without all the community excitement and social hype that makes Pokémon so much fun.
Even with the excessive loading times, New Super Lucky’s Tale is a fun, lovable game that fans of platformers should jump into. The countless improvements made are well worth it (even the cornier dialogue), easily making this the best version of Lucky and his adventure. You’ll be ready to become the next great guardian in no time, but you’re great the way you are.
Ghost of Tsushima is a beautiful and satisfying game. While it doesn’t feel like a revelation in innovation, it’s an improvement of existing models. We’ve already experienced the joys of the open world concept, but Ghost takes everything we’re familiar with and does it better.
Goshzookie! With a combination of varying gameplay styles alongside beautiful designs and upbeat music, Ooblets is an adorable and entertaining game that, even with its glitches, is still worth putting your time into playing. So come make your home in Badgetown. You’ll be glad you did.
CrossCode is a wonderfully told, and downright fun to play game. Fans of Secret of Mana and similar RPGs will find themselves right at home. CrossCode is full of charm, and with the accessibility sliders available, there is no excuse for not getting your paws on this game and enjoying everything this polished title has to offer. And did we mention it’s coded completely in HTML5? CrossCool!
With gorgeous character illustrations and vibrant level designs, Shantae and the Seven Sirens makes another bold statement for why Shantae has been going strong for eighteen years. It’s a fun, hair-whipping romp that no one should pass up. May the next eighteen years be filled with more amazing half-genie action!
Gris feels like a AAA game from a major gaming company, but it comes from a small indie studio and it’s an incredible debut. You can’t simply watch videos or read about it to fully understand it, though. You need to experience the game to appreciate its unique art style, smooth gameplay, and soothing music. While the journey isn’t long, it will stay with you long after you complete it. So go ahead and let yourself be taken into this beautifully realized world. You’ll be glad you did.
From its classic music to its gameplay, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends captures the delightful essence of the original. Despite a rehashing of levels and a curious lack of online play, the Bubble Dragons are back in a big way, and they are a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch. At the end of the day, you’ll be humming the Bubble Bobble theme before you know it.
One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows takes on the highly popular anime from a different perspective and pulls it off pretty well. With its unique fighting, over-the-top moves and charm from the show, fans can enjoy watching Saitama all over again. Newcomers will have some difficulty following along, but it may be enough to interest them in the show afterward (or in doing 100 push-ups, sit-ups, and squats and a 10K run every single day). After all, it’s just a hobby.
Disgaea 4 Complete+ has everything a tactical RPG fan wants, including a can of sardines. The humorous dialogue, enjoyable characters, and the sheer amount of content make the game difficult to put down. Plus, the port job to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 was done remarkably well, so the game looks and runs great. In short, it’s an excellent game for on-the-go or at home and one of the best tactical RPGs today, dood!
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is an entertaining game for fans of the franchise. Even though those who have already played the 2009 original won’t see any gameplay or graphical improvements, this is still the best, most authentic Ghostbusters experience by far (outside of living in the corner penthouse of Spook Central).
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a great game for a party, and the 2D mode adds a fair amount of replay value. While the story has its ups and downs, this is easily one of the best entries of the series.
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is an entertaining and welcome flashback to the 1990s. Those who are looking for some beat-em-up fun with a friend should take this game for a spin, even if it’s a short one. After all, who says android ninjas aren’t cool?
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is an entertaining card-based RPG that players who enjoy a turn-based challenge should not pass up. Regardless of its lengthy battles, its combat flexibility and enchanting world more than make up for it. So take up the sword and the gear, and save the world!
Pikuniku is fun, colorful, and simple. Its goofy animation and physics truly make the game stand out. Plus, you can beat the story in roughly around three to four hours, making it a great title to play in-between the larger, more in-depth entries in your library. So if you have an itch for simple puzzles and a LocoRoco-type game, give this one a kick.
Masterfully crafted pixel-based visuals, replayability galore, and great controls make Dead Cells a must have for fans of the roguevania genre. For everyone else, be prepared for endure countless deaths, but know that you’ll feel like a badass by the end. Docked or on the go, Dead Cells earns itself a solid 4 meows!
Death end reQuest is an unexpected mixture of RPG and visual novel gameplay elements that mesh together quite well, making it a unique title to play. Combined with a compelling story and entertaining battle mechanics, it is worth checking out, that is, if you don’t mind the instant death decisions and consequences. So make your choice: will you play or not? The game awaits your answer.
20XX provides many hours of jumping, dashing, and shooting, solo or with a friend. Although the randomized level generation does show patterns after many hours and the wait between stages is a little inconvenient. Batterystaple Games is committed to updating the game, so there is more polish and refinement yet to come. This is an absolute, recommended must-play for any Mega Man X fans! 4.5 loud MEOWS!!!
Who says playing as a bard isn’t fun? Wandersong is a harmonic and colorful game that proves that not every hero has to have a giant weapon to save the world; they just need a big heart (and maybe a decent set of lungs). The simplistic graphics and odd swordplay of this music-themed title may be a hurdle to some, but the gameplay, dialogue, and soundtrack is otherwise pure entertainment. Encore!