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Atomic Heart is a mixed bag of weird design choices and gameplay mechanics, and while the combat loop is satisfying when everything comes together, there’s also a lot of jank that comes along with it. Several parts of Atomic Heart feel like they’ve been made to be unnecessarily complicated, adding layers of interaction that do not feel fun. The game does look very pretty, and the world and its inhabitants are interestingly unique, but the payoff at the end is predictable and ultimately disappointing. Given a chance, Atomic Heart is a frenetic first-person shooter with a great visual style and some set pieces that pack a punch. Yet just like its overwrought themes and its poor attempt at profound existential exploration, they feel ultimately superficial and shaky.
Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake is a serviceable platformer that succeeds in offering a simple yet fun time for its target audience. While it is a surprisingly entertaining game, the fluctuating difficulty spikes can give experienced gamers something to enjoy but can be a bit frustrating for others, especially the children who are fans of the show. The game does have enough extras and content to keep players busy, especially with the challenge of collecting every costume. Overall, if you’re looking for a relaxing and relatively stress-free affair with the cast of the show, Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake could be the game you’re looking for.
SEASON: A Letter to the Future is a beautifully written atmospheric adventure that may not appeal to all tastes. The pacing is a little meditative, and the plot is ambiguous to the point of being obtuse, which may frustrate the impatient player. If collecting entries for the codex isn’t your thing, you might find SEASON’s gameplay a little light. Despite its flaws, there’s much to enjoy in SEASON, especially if you’re a fan of narrative adventures. Patient players will be rewarded with a rich story and cozy soundtrack, but the unsatisfying final act is a turn-off.
Forspoken is a game of unrealized potential. A lot of the bad press it received in the months leading up to its launch was due to its writing and dialogue, which are honestly not that bad when taken in context, but the game has a tendency to use things in excess, making them something that you’d rather miss out on. The combat and traversal mechanics are generally fantastic once they come together, but the half-baked story and lack of immersive storytelling aren’t quite as present compared to the gameplay. It's terribly paced first few hours also don’t help, giving off a misunderstood first impression that may lose players before it gets a chance to recover.
The Callisto Protocol excels as an atmospheric survival horror title, at least in its early parts of the game. However, because so many of its inconsistent combat mechanics could’ve used more balancing, the aspects that made the title stand out ultimately worked against it. Moreso, the unsatisfying conclusion squanders the mystery that’s been set up at the start of the title with its impressive cinematic cut-scenes. I commend Glen Schofield and his team for sticking to the overall concept and experimenting with new mechanics, however, many of these creative choices snowballed into a frustrating time for random horror fans looking for a good scare.
Evil West returns to the glory days of action games with a fun and straightforward approach to the genre. The combat is frenetic, simple, and fluid enough to create the ultimate vampire slayer. You also have straightforward characters that scratch an itch and then some. While there’s no need to reinvent the wheel, I feel that they could’ve done better by utilizing the current-gen console’s power to push its visual style and charming characters to a higher standard. However, due to its frame rate issues and lazy enemy variants being thrown at you in swarms, Evil West may be an annoyance in higher difficulties.
The Devil In Me, the last installment in this anthology, tries to innovate the tired formula but doesn’t really succeed. The developers have experimented with new features such as adding an inventory system and improving their existing QuickTime events, but at the same time, they shoot themselves in the foot by overdoing certain aspects that could have made for a better horror game. The Devil In Me works as part of the complete set. However, as the season-ender that would collectively blow our minds, it definitely could’ve done more to push the envelope.
Goat Simulator 3 doesn’t take itself seriously, and that’s a good thing. While it’s definitely a blast, it’s hard to recommend this because your enjoyment of it depends on your tolerance for the concept. For me, it ended after a few hours before I got bored, but the fun can definitely last if you’re taking advantage of the online multiplayer feature. That being said, while there are a lot of activities and jokes to be had, if you’re the type of player that enjoys having a defined path to follow, Goat Simulator 3 is probably the furthest from it. It would be advisable to check out some videos about the game first before diving in.
As a fan of the series, I really looked forward to Gungrave G.O.R.E but was left disappointed by the experience. While the DNA of Gungrave was present, it really lacked some of the crucial aspects that made the previous games fun and entertaining. Gungrave G.O.R.E isn’t exactly a bad game, but there are some decisions here that make it feel frustrating and stuck in the past, which is sad because there’s much that could have been done here thanks to the advancements in technology over the years.
The Chant has some good ideas, but unfortunately squanders its current-gen pedigree by delivering a straightforward survival horror that doesn’t innovate nor entertain. Featuring underwhelming visuals and repetitive combat mechanics, its short playthrough can be a challenge. What we have is a forgettable by-the-numbers survival horror game that tried too hard to become other games when it could’ve stood on its own with its charm and ideas. Truly a missed opportunity.
Valkyrie Elysium is a very rough time, which is a shame considering its pedigree. Despite a few bright moments like its fast-paced combat, the game is bogged down by questionable design decisions and repetitive gameplay that sour the whole experience. The fun combat system can only do so much to carry the weight, but alas, everything else feels average and fails to live up to its storied past. A deep sale is recommended before even trying it out.
Gotham Knights does a lot of things right but keeps flying low and fails to push past the point of just good to great. Crime fighting is best done with another Knight by your side, and the untethered nature of its co-op play feels great until you experience the massive performance drops. Players will need to look past a number of things before considering the game, which could be a tough ask, especially with other big-ticket titles launching within its release window. It’s a shame, because Gotham Knights has some interesting ideas that simply suffer from average implementation. A lot of things in the game feels ok but not great, but fans of the Bat-universe can find quite a decent adventure that can easily entertain.
NBA 2K23 is by no means a bad game. Year after year, the team has been adding tweaks and making changes to the formula that further solidify it as the best basketball game out there. The addition of the Jordan Challenge is a cherry on top of the cake that makes this content-complete package truly delectable. Once a highlight, it feels like MyCAREER has been relegated to the background in NBA 2K23. The lack of an engaging story is sorely felt, and this year, more than ever, the decision boils down to what mode you actually enjoy playing the most. Overall, NBA 2K23 feels like the most realistic it’s ever been, and that may be a good or bad thing depending on who you ask. While the gameplay remains fun and engaging, some parts of the whole feel like they have regressed in favor of others. There’s a definite give-and-take here that’s more pronounced than in previous years, and players will just have to pick their poison.
The Diofield Chronicle excels with fantastic strategic elements that give a fresh take on the genre. The game moves away from the traditional turn-based chessboard movement system and allows for a deep real-time strategy involving a diverse unit customization system. However, The Diofield Chronicle fails to deliver a solid overall experience because of its basic plot, bland visuals, and lack of engaging side activities. Players don’t have a reason to get attached to the characters and the story, making the playthrough a tedious one. The game certainly shows promise, and it looks like the developers have a solid framework they can work on here, making us look forward to what the next iteration of The Diofield Chronicle will look like.
Endling: Extinction is Forever has moments of heart and engaging gameplay with its interesting blend of survival management and immersive narrative adventure. However, it screws the pooch by giving us too much of its message while not motivating us to play more because of its slow pacing and unclear tutorials. Don't be mistaken, there is an excellent game underneath the many frustrating elements.
F1 22 is in a bit of a strange situation because while it doesn’t add drastic changes or updates to the game, it still is the best F1 game out there that’s as easily accessible to newcomers as well as F1-heads looking for a deep experience. One thing it adds is F1 Life, a lackluster experience when compared to Braking Point, which I would expect to make a return next year. Other than this, F1 22 will feel overly similar to last year, especially for casual players that won’t pay too much attention to the finer details and will simply enjoy the game for what it is – a fun and exciting racing experience. F1 22 is far from a bad game, but its current offering this year features a laundry list of changes that don’t do too much to change the overall experience unless you know what to look for. Some will like the consistency while others will rue the lack of updates, and it will really depend on how much these mean to you when thinking of that eventual purchase.
The Quarry doesn't hit the same highs as Until Dawn, with very simple QTEs and the lack of good and genuine scares that do the game a disservice. It is unfortunate because the star-studded cast delivers the goods but isn't enough to lift the game to the heights that it aimed to reach. I commend how The Quarry attempts to stand out with its accessibility and slightly revised mechanics, but for all intents and purposes, it is an overpriced version of Until Dawn. The Supermassive formula is begging for a refresh, and The Quarry is its latest victim.
There’s a lot of enjoyment to be had with Metal Max Xeno Reborn in the long run, but it’ll take a long while before you get there. The moment you’ve established your base of operations, recruited all your survivors, and maxed out your tanks, there’s a real cathartic way that the post-apocalyptic world of Dystokyo comes to life with its intense bounty hunting and fetch quests. However, the game terribly suffers in its early to mid-game, which can be a bit of a disappointment due to its rushed tutorials and unforgiving difficulty spikes. As a longtime JRPG fan, it really reminds me of old-school JRPGs that had a bit of jank but had their unique charm. As with classic JRPGs, it also comes with its quirks that make the game frustrating, especially when starting out and getting lost in the process. It gets better in the endgame if you last that long.
For fans of the series, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong would hopefully quench your thirst until the eventual release of Bloodlines 2. However, I feel that newcomers to the series will have varying degrees of enjoyment regarding the lore, and if you’re not a fan of reading, it’ll be a bumpy start. The magic of Swansong is that succeeding playthroughs will definitely get better as you learn more of the lore and paint a complete picture of the whole mystery. If you have the patience for all that legwork, more power to you to be able to unravel every one of its mysteries. It also really doesn’t help that the puzzles are quite obtuse and the visuals aren’t as inviting as something like Vampyr or Detroit: Become Human.
Card Shark is a rather unique game with an interesting premise, but I strongly suggest you try out the demo before committing. The aesthetic and narrative are entertaining enough, but require you to learn a rather tedious mini-game system whose costs outweigh the rewards. There are a few strange design decisions that prevent the enjoyment of Card Shark, as a simple manual save could save us a lot of grief going through the journey. The tutorials are quite obtuse, but the early quests keep it easy that when it starts to combine variations of techniques, there’s no way to review old tricks to keep the momentum going.