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Ghostwire: Tokyo as a whole though is a very unique experience with few issues working against it. The sidekick KK stood out to me. But I was not a fan of protagonist Akito as well as most of the main cast. Even Akito’s sister felt very underutilized in the story. The gameplay and enemy variety is great. But the game’s map gets in the way of a lot of it. While only one of the four bosses was truly enjoyable. The spider’s thread game mode is great but only highlights the negatives in the bloat. For every pro there is a con, making this game only recommendable for its stellar gameplay and enemy design.
Where last year’s MLB The Show felt too copy-and-pasted, MLB The Show 23 feels legitimately improved. New modes featuring historical and recent stars give a breath of fresh air to this series. Expanding practice types for RTTS players also helps players get meaningful practice to get better at the game. What’s not updated is a tale of two stories. From a core mechanics standpoint, you don’t need to upgrade what already works. Playing baseball in The Show has been just as fun since 2021 as it is now. The things that do need updates need them badly, however. Sciambi and Singleton need something new to say so the game loses what repetitiveness it still has. Finally, some bugs are game-breaking or crashing.
Although rough around the edges, The Last Oricru delivered on what it intended to do. The game provided a decent souls like experience, with fun combat, great co-op, and an engaging premise. Best of all, this was all baked on top of a satisfying branching narrative system that truly delivers on player agency. The Last Oricru will likely surprise players, but expectations should be kept in check.
The Ascent gives off an impeccable first impression. The game is one of the most atmospheric titles I have experienced this year. Graphically, the game has some of the best environmental art styles of 2021. It’s a testament to the small developer team to be able to pull off these kinds of feats. However, where The Ascent does fall is in its uninspired RPG mechanics that felt like an afterthought. That, coupled with disastrous UI, difficulty spikes, and quest-scaling issues, hampered that amazing first impression. Though a later patch remedied some of these technical issues. All in all, The Ascent is definitely worth your time. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and will leave you a lasting impression of the dystopic nature that is the Arcology.
Despite its Flaws, Murder on Eridanos is an Improved DLC Let me make something clear: Murder on Eridanos has notable flaws. These flaws be they gameplay, plot, or technically oriented, hamper the overall experience. Yet, this DLC steps over its predecessor. You can thank the fresh story structure, commitment to the new location, and continually excellent dialog.
Although an amazingly beautiful game with a great story, the lack of replay does let it down in the end. I would have liked to have more instances of going back and seeing what happens after the end or changing character story arcs through my actions. All that said, it was a touching and poignant experience that was well told and that is enough.
This is a major turning point in Destiny. A new subclass blueprint and a phenomenal new location make Beyond Light required playing for all Destiny fans. Centering the expansion around literal and emotional coldness paid off in spades. The Exo Stranger, easily the series’ most mysterious character, needed to happen at some point, and Beyond Light was that perfect moment. Even though Europa’s frozen moons don’t cover the glaring flaws, weather effects are great additions to Destiny. When we look back at Beyond Light in a year or two, we’ll see the groundwork for bigger features and story beats in this add-on.
As a new Sam player, I had a ton of fun in both the single-player and co-op modes. I spilled a lot of sweat reloading the last save-game many times until I barely made it through alive. Finally succeeding in killing all the waves of enemies gives you that thrill of accomplishment that many games strive for but few achieve. The soundtrack is one of the highlights of the game. It works with the action very well except for inconsistent timings. Graphics on the other hand feels outdated, and not even the high-res textures can save it from appearing disappointing.
No doubt Immortals of Aveum is an experience that you will not forget any time soon. Its graphical prowess and its combat and gear system are serviceable, albeit uninspiring. The star-studded cast will likely leave a lasting impression. But its overly linear loop and complete lack of meaningful side content hamper replayability while relying too heavily on typical AAA design choices. Immortal of Aveum checks off many lists, but it plays it safe for the most part.
As someone who loves first-person perspective games, Dying Light 2 was a blast, despite unimaginative and forgettable side content. The gameplay loop kept me coming back for more. Although the storytelling and world design didn’t live up to expectations, it still was engaging and meaningful in its own way. Unfortunately, many of the bugs, and save file issues I had were incredibly detrimental to the experience. When the game works it is fun. But when it doesn’t, it is absolutely frustrating. Dying Light 2 could have been truly special if it had just had a little bit more time in development.
As Dusk Falls delivered an enthralling narrative with solid characters to follow. The game’s original graphics and art direction were off-putting at first but grew on me over time. The soundtrack and voice acting were both excellent. Multiplayer was well realized and added a whole new dimension to the gameplay. Though the game’s ending was a huge letdown and felt cheap overall. Despite this, As Dusk Falls is a solid experience and is worthy of your time.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the perfect building block to where the series is headed. With Pokémon: Let’s Go and Pokémon Sword and Shield, the three games feel like the first steps towards something bigger. If you can get past its looks, Arceus is the best Pokémon game on the Switch. While it may never be as iconic as some of the previous Pokémon games, it has deep gameplay systems and a map that feels extensive. Arceus is full of small moments where you get to experience Pokémon from a new perspective.
Cumulatively, Yuki is fun to play, it sounds great, it has a solid progression system, and there are layers of combat mechanics. Combined with a perfect implementation of difficulty, this makes Yuki one of the best VR games of 2021. I would like for the audio cues to be more relevant, and I would like to see what a Yuki sequel looks like on current-gen hardware with high-end visuals and a more open-level design. Hopefully, the next time around the developers will choose some larger fonts.
Lego 2K Drive is a solid offering. It takes the best parts of Mario Kart, adds some vehicle transformations from Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and borrows open-world game design from Forza Horizon, but with a Lego twist. Driving is enjoyable and the game’s performance is well-optimized. The mini-games are all sorts of fun and quite challenging as well. Lego 2K Drive is a solid foundation for a potential new franchise.
F1 22 has a lot of under-the-hood improvements that might not be obvious at first. Driving remains satisfying, engaging, and adaptable. While the AI is aggressive, it will likely add to your race experience. The game’s presentation remains impeccable and truly reflects authentic F1 coverage. There’s a ton of content to enjoy that will satiate F1 and racing fans. But its aging graphics and a lackluster F1 Life show that an overhaul is overdue.
Despite its technical and QoL shortcomings, Atlas Fallen has me excited. The game is a testament to how far AA development has come in recent years. The game does take tired open-world tropes but adds that extra creative and unique layer that AA developers are known for. Atlas Fallen delivers a fascinating, albeit undercooked, world with solid combat and build mechanics. Undoubtedly, Atlas Fallen is another feather in Deck13’s cap.
Square Enix deserves kudos for not being afraid to make such big changes. That being said, for all of its grand spectacle and bombastic Eikon battles, Final Fantasy XVI turns its back on many of the themes and mechanics that brought it to the table in the first place. Whether this decision was right or wrong is debatable. Fans who have grown up with the series are entitled to feel more than a little disappointed though. Ultimately, much of what many love about this series has been mercilessly swept aside in Square Enix’s attempt to attract a bigger audience.
All of the dialog is well written, the story is well thought out, and never takes itself too seriously. The character’s motivations are always clear and you understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. At times the story feels like a satire on The Last of Us, but it is never just a bunch of dumb jokes. In a time when a lot of games have begun to lean toward movies, Dead Island 2 just tries to be a video game. Dead Island 2 is a game that I would recommend to just about anyone. With some bugs aside. It is not a 100-hour RPG that is going to absorb your life but it has solid RPG mechanics. It is, not a “lifestyle” FPS like Destiny but it is a fun time with friends online. Dead Island 2 is not a cinematic masterpiece with a survival horror narrative but, there is a story and setting here that is a great time. While not mastering anything, Dead Island 2 has somehow found a way to be just good enough at everything.
Despite the short adventure, I highly enjoyed my time with Strayed Lights. Its atmospheric music and unique art style wonderfully set the game’s mysterious tone from the get-go. The game’s well-executed combat and boss fights remained engaging and satisfying throughout my playthrough. Despite some minor animation hiccups and repetitive enemy design, Strayed Lights is a wonderful journey from start to finish.
Just a couple of notes. First, as this is based on the works of Doyle and Lovecraft and set in Victorian times, some questionable ideas are espoused here. For the most part, the game goes out of its way to repudiate such views, like the man abusing his servant. But be aware they are there (the game warns you about this in its loading screens). Second and far less important, the game is relatively short. It took about fourteen hours to complete, and I wasn’t exactly trying for a speed run. I in no way think this is a bad thing, however. The timeframe kept the story tight and meant the game did not outstay its welcome. The game releases April 11, 2023, so if you pick it up let me know what you think in the comment below!