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Flying Wild Hog's latest action game is a visual stunner, but the combat is repetitive.
The upside to all this is, DICE can continually push out patches in order to stomp out bugs, add in features, and so on. This is a live service game, so expect more content to be doled out as the game’s lifecyle continues. However, will players still be there when the game finally realizes its potential? We can’t say for certain. As it is right now, one can’t help but feel disappointed at BF2042. It should have beent he big one that made people forget about the sour taste BFV left in everyone’s mouth. But sadly, BF2042 seems to show that DICE has not learned from their past mistakes, and have even created new ones that shouldn’t have been issues at all.
Ultimately, Star Wars Outlaws’ biggest strength is that it has the Star Wars license, but in terms of gameplay? It feels by-the-numbers for the most part. This is one outlaw that might want to spend some time in the pokey to reflect on their missteps.
Being a looter and a GaaS doesn’t mean you have to follow the genre’s norm, and Rocksteady had a real opportunity here to really be different from other Gaas looter shooters. There are some excellent mechanics in Suicide Squad that other looters should have, but in the end, they don’t do enough to carry it through with what’s there for the post-game. That is unless you like turning your brain off entirely, but that doesn’t make the criticism disappear. The studio chased after the promise of what GaaS could bring but, in doing so, forgot what made people love them so much. There are still moments of that seen in the campaign, and I would still recommend any fan to play it at one point. But here, right now? Probably not, at least not at the asking price for an incomplete experience.
Without a compelling story or likable protagonist, or a compelling world to explore, Forspoken only has its combat to rely on, and while I always found that fun and engaging, it’s not enough to justify an open world for a decidedly linear game. It tries a lot of things and comes up short in most of them. There’s a really good game in Forspoken. It just needed to be refined, polished, and edited.
While I can strongly recommend Gotham Knights to any Batman fan out there, I will say that you should temper expectations a bit, especially if you’re going into this thinking it’ll be anything like the Arkham series. There’s a lot to enjoy about it, such as the combat, and the story that helps keeps you going, but outside of that, there is just too much left to be desired. The open-world isn’t particularly special in anyway, mostly serving as a way to pad hours with boring side activities that are forced to progress. Not the most interesting of gameplay loops that gets tiring well before the midpoint. Then there’s the stealth that just doesn’t build upon the working formula of the Arkham franchise, if not regresses it. It’s worth a play for sure, but nothing I would say that anyone needs to rush out and experience.
Madden NFL 23 has some good new ideas, but is mostly more of the same. The graphics and presentation are fine, but only just. The football appears to have a mind of its own sometimes, while commentators don’t always have a response to the on-field action that makes sense. If Franchise mode is where you spend your time, then you are likely to enjoy the changes. Outside of that, though, Madden 23 feels awfully familiar.
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy all of my time with Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, because I did enjoy quite a bit of it. And when they patch out the bugs I’m sure it will be a much better experience. Unfortunately, the things I butted heads with that are inherent to the design of the game sapped all of the joy out of it and by the time I finished the campaign, I just wanted to be done with it and move on to something else.
Project Wingman: Frontline 59 is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it is an arcade fighter pilot game in VR, something we haven’t seen much of lately. But the conversion is not complete, and only a small portion of the game is even playable in VR. This is especially baffling as the original release on Steam was completely in VR. Throw in a subpar graphical experience, and the whole package is rather uninspiring. There is a decent-length main campaign in addition to the new bonus VR missions, though, so if you’re okay with soaring in the skies in flat-screen gaming, then it is still a good amount of content for the price.
Ultimately, for a first attempt, Lies of P is a solid Soulslike that should keep fans of the genre happy and frustrated for the entire runtime. It’s clear Neowiz and Round8 have an affection for their inspiration even if they don’t quite have the skill to match.
Dust & Neon’s fast-paced combat, satisfying reloads, and streamlined gameplay loop are good enough to get one hooked right away, but the lack of variety in its zones, guns, and secondary systems leaves little incentive for anyone to keep playing past the game’s bare-bones story.
Destiny 2 Lightfall is somewhat of a mixed bag for me. While the Strand subclass is incredible, and I’ve been really enjoying actually playing the game, the story leaves a lot to be desired, and some of the new additions seem a little half-baked. The new Vow of the Disciple raid feels more like a strike due to how easy it is while exploring basic patrol zones on Neomuna feels like a death trap. If a new player asked me if this is the time to jump into Destiny 2, my honest answer would probably be no. The Guardian Ranks system is a step in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work to be done to make the game easier to get into. As a veteran player, I’ve been enjoying my time, though, and hopefully, Bungie can get things back on track in time for The Final Shape.
Open world Sonic should have happened a long time ago. One can only hope that they decide to give it another shot. Should that ever happen, we can just hope that they learn their lessons making this one. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a new Sonic game or are interested in a light single player experience, you could do worse than Sonic Frontiers. You could probably do better, but you could definitely do worse too.
The Callisto Protocol is a good first shot at terrifying you in space. While not as scary as Dead Space, and lacking the same kind of satisfying combat, there is still fun to be had amidst the sometimes enragingly-unfair fights and odd story pacing. After just eight chapters, the adventure is over, as it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Things are also setup nicely for a sequel, should sales meet or exceed expectations, so with any luck Striking Distance will have another chance to deliver a more refined adventure that truly terrifies us.
With a truly accomplished pixel art style and a noir vibe that gets under your skin, Hell is Others is a compelling loot shooter that shows its flaws when multiplayer starts to take preponderance over solo play. It’s a shame that the brilliant concept is dragged down by something so inherently tied to its core gameplay that it’s impossible to dissociate, but if you persist and overcome the early and frustratingly unbalanced player versus player battles, this is a bloody gem that deserves several excursions to this cursed city.
Session: Skate Sim is the best skateboarding simulator you can play today. It might not be the best skateboarding game, though, with so much focus on getting the feel of the ride just right. The learning curve is such a steep cliff that many more casual skateboarding fans (or especially those without huge chunks of time to dedicate to a game) will likely give up before being confident on these virtual decks. Still, Session: Skate Sim is a challenging simulator worth your time if you’re a hardcore skateboarding fan.
Vanguard comes at an awkward time for Activision, and into a sea of competition. While the campaign is decent, it’s nothing to write home about, and the Zombies experience probably should have been delayed altogether. For Call of Duty, multiplayer is where it counts though and they’ve managed to put together a solid offering this year. Kudos to the teams at Sledgehammer Games and the other COD studios for managing to do so on such a tight deadline, in the midst of a global pandemic.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a good game that could have been better had Ember Labs tightened up the combat controls and offered better reasons to explore the gorgeous world they created. I hope Kena is a big hit so Ember Labs can have another go at it, and hopefully get more ambitious and really nail down their combat. Meanwhile considering how much I was looking forward to this game, Kena: Bridge of Spirits can’t help but feel a little disappointing.
Ultimately I think Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a worthwhile play for those who don’t mind a stiff challenge, people who have kids that don’t mind a stiff challenge, or anyone nostalgic for the franchise’s early days. The graphical updates are solid and the game is appealing to look at. The music is as bumpy and of-the-era as it always has been. But I wouldn’t say that this is a game that will appeal to everyone so keep that in mind if you’re on the fence. Considering all this I’d say the game is a solid 7. But I’m giving all the preceding Banana jokes a lowly 4. They’re passable but I swear I’ll do better next time.
I’ve longed for the franchise to go to Japan ever since the first game was released in 2007. It seemed like the perfect setting for the series, and although Assassin’s Creed: Shadows doesn’t quite live up to my lofty expectations, it still delivers a generally good and enjoyable experience. The world is stunning, brimming with feudal Japan’s rich culture that oozes into the atmosphere, and the core gameplay remains as engaging as ever. While it may not break new ground or take the series to the next level, and it certainly has faults, Shadows captures the franchise’s spirit in fresh and exciting ways that I’m sure any diehard fan will come to appreciate.