Gameffine's Reviews
Jusant offers a therapeutic and heart-warming narrative about hope, struggle, reclamation and beginning anew conveyed through immersive and non-disruptive gameplay moments. The core gameplay is simple and fun thanks to the fluid controls and well-made animations. The lack of any sort of challenge and extremely basic puzzles does affect the catharsis, but Jusant is more than the sum of its parts and has enough substance, making it the perfect Gamepass material.
Kona II: Brume notably improves on its predecessor with a more nuanced take on its narrative, interactivity, visuals, and survival elements. If you are into titles like Green Hell, Sons of the Forest, or The Forest, or even the earlier Frictional products, the game is definitely worth checking out. As for newcomers, it can prove to be quite a daunting task to get into Kona II.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 “turbocharges” the arcade racing genre and adds to the core of the original game without changing the actual formula of an arcade racer. Players interested in arcade racers who can overlook the microtransaction aspect of the game can get the game at launch. Others can wait for a sale to decide for themselves how good the game really is.
Dark Envoy is a tactical RPG that tries to implement interesting ideas and features that make it somewhat redeemable, but its lack of an intriguing story, uninspired characters along with repetitive conquests get the best of it. Even though a lot of port issues have been addressed in its full release, some of the issues still remain prevalent as they were in its review build. Nevertheless, if you are new to the genre of tactical RPGs, Dark Envoy would be a decent place to start.
Ghostrunner 2 is a solid entry that builds on the foundation of the first game. Almost everything has been tweaked or expanded to provide a lengthier, more varied campaign that retains the precise platforming and fluid one-hit combat. While the PC performance is not optimal and some of the new additions disrupt the pace of the game, Ghostrunner 2 does enough to please fans of the first game and then some more.
Ion Fury: Aftershock is a must-play expansion for fans of the base game. Superior level design, better level variety, faster paced campaign, more firepower, more enemies, the awesome Road Ripper and the Arrange mode make Aftershock a noticeable improvement over Ion Fury. Those are some big enough reasons to grab the expansion at full price.
Pizza Possum is a well-crafted bite-sized game that largely succeeds in what it sets out to do- a stressbuster that you can play solo or with your spouse or kids in short bursts. Cute visuals, goofy sound effects, smooth animations, and a simple but engaging gameplay loop make this one a winner. Oh, and it’s reasonably priced too. The addition of more content will ensure that Pizza Possum gets more recognition than it does right now.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a decent yet deeply flawed survival horror that suffers greatly suffers to its clunky controls, inconsistent AI, and uninspired puzzles. The game has some improvements over its predecessor, but it still suffers from some technical issues and design flaws that prevent it from reaching its full potential. The game is worth playing for its story, atmosphere, and nostalgia factor, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the best revisit to the nostalgic experience and truly pivots to be the OG Assassin’s Creed game. With the city of Baghdad being highly detailed and dense, the game will often keep you hooked on how magical the city looks and feels. The combat is light but makes you prefer stealth since each area is well-designed, allowing multiple approaches and infiltration opportunities. The game’s story may not be the most memorable, especially with the shorter length, but the closure leaves more options for future content.
Among all the AAA blockbusters of Q2 and Q3, Wandering Sword was released, sandwiched between Armored Core 6 and Baldur’s Gate 3. However, it is slowly garnering attention from hardcore RPG fans. With a well-thought-out narrative, it might even hold a newcomer’s attention, but the plot takes some time to get into gear. That and the nigh easy combat might put many off if they are looking for a challenge. Despite these issues, Wandering Sword is a must-play entry in every RPG lover’s book.
The Crew Motorfest is genuinely what the name suggests – a Festival celebrating motor vehicles. With insane graphics and detailed vehicles, every ride or race becomes a solid experience that stays with you. Having many custom-designed mainstream content and creators’ collaboration took us by surprise. But even after the main story, you get a brand new theme each week and the constantly rotating multiplayer races. The Upgrade parts may force you to grind more to win more.
The Valiant is a strategy game marred with a number of problems. Players have the option of avoiding it or picking it up on a sale if they really want to try it out. The game brings back unhappy memories of Dawn of War 2 and how badly it failed, even though The Valiant does have some positive points to write home in its favor including its historical setting. Nevertheless, this is definitely not the game I’ll recommend if someone asks me for strategy game recommendations at a party.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways DLC surpasses its original counterpart in almost every regard by introducing a more cohesive and fleshed-out take on Ada’s side story. It leverages its linearity with its no-nonsense take on a bombastic campaign that not only compliments the events of Leon’s story but also hints at the series’ possible future paths. By introducing Ada’s grappling hook, it re-invents its combat and traversal in a non-tedious way but leaves little room for backtracking. It is easily the best downloadable content we’ve had in 2023.
FC 24 truly leaps in making the most realistic football game to date. From the intricate facial details to pitch wear, there is no room for errors. However, the game has minimum changes to its predecessor; just like before, the focus is on the Ultimate Team Multiplayer part instead of all game modes. Overall, apart from graphics, everything stayed the same.
Remnant 2 is a massive improvement over its predecessor thanks to fine-tuned gunplay, build customization, the massive amount of content, and excellent co-op support. It’s been a while since we’ve played a co-op action title that feels like it deserves the asking price (looking at you, Darktide). Whether you’re a Souls veteran or a casual player, Remnant 2 has something for you in store.
TT Isle of Man: Ride on The Edge 3 is a nerve-wracking high-speed, precision-based superbike racing game set on the actual tournaments of Traveller trophy at the Isle of Man. The accuracy of the physics and the newly introduced teams and liveries are a plus, but the disappointing graphics and lack of more content take a few points away.
Atlas Fallen is an action-packed RPG game with a storyline that starts slow, but the action-packed combat keeps it interesting. The co-op aspect has worked perfectly, and it is a blast to play with a friend. The fetch-and-grab quests, disappointing voiceovers, and writings make the game shine less than its true potential. To defeat a god is no easy perk, but you better wait for a sale before embarking on this adventure.
Chants of Sennaar is a beautifully crafted adventure-puzzle indie game with a captivating art style, soulful soundtrack and core puzzle-solving experience that rewards every effort. Although it may lack a few hints and helps players new to the genre, it is easier to track and progress if you spend enough time. For everyone interested in puzzle or indie games, we highly recommend Chants of Sennaar as your next pick.
While Red Dead Redemption is a spectacular masterpiece on its own, its PlayStation 4 port hardly brings anything new to the table with a steep price tag of its own. While it’s a huge missed opportunity after a decade-long wait, it’s nice that more modern systems besides Xbox consoles can finally play this piece of art. As for the recommendation, you should pick this up while it is on sale or wait for the possible PC and PS5 ports that may hit the stores next year.
If only Fort Solis was half as good as its trailers. One would expect a mind-boggling psychological thriller set on an isolated Martian colony, but there’s barely anything until three chapters into the game, and there are a total of four chapters! The only plus point of Fort Solis might be its extremely short length, (because you’d be screaming for this game to end), but the lack of sprint coupled with tedious walking sequences would make it a slow burn. TL;DR… give Fort Solis a hard pass, even on sale!