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Even with the so-so performance, Boti: Byteland Overclocked is still worth playing if you’re a fan of 3D platformers. It’s got fun characters, a vibrant aesthetic, and gameplay that’ll feel comfortable to anyone who’s ever played one of these games in the past few decades. There may be some flaws, but the overall package is solid enough that it’s worth overlooking them.
This is very much a racing game focused on competition, both online and off, that drops any and all fluff or extraneous content in favor of doubling down on lots of car options, some really stellar track redesigns, and just the general thrill of competitive track racing. It’s not going to be a racing game for everyone, falling very much into the category of sim racer, but there are enough accessibility options and difficulty sliders that even the most inexperienced racing player will manage to eke out some enjoyment here.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage continues that run of solid games, without question. It doesn’t break new ground – by design, I would argue – but it shows that around twenty games in (counting spin-offs), there’s still plenty of story for the series to delve into. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is an Assassin’s Creed game, for all the good and bad (mostly good) that entails.
It’s strange and it’s random, which might be exactly what certain gamers are after. Personally, though, I just found Freak Crossing to be a vaguely unsettling waste of time – which may be its point, but that doesn’t mean I want to play it.
Any game that makes movement feel this cool and effortless is a must-play, as far as I’m concerned.
Eternights feels like a fairly original game. It’s always nice to see a game try out some new genre combinations – and, as this shows, it’s especially fun when the game in question mostly pulls off the combo.
I’ve found The Expanse: A Telltale Series to be a solid attempt to re-establish Telltale as the king of adventure games once again. They were able to consistently hit their release deadlines for each episode, and with all now available, it’s the perfect time to check this one out. If you’ve ever had any affinity for the show, or Telltale’s prior efforts, you’ll likely find something to enjoy here.
As someone who is a fan of Forza Horizon and didn’t care a great deal for The Crew 2, this latest entry in The Crew certainly works for me. I’ve had a lot of fun driving around the island of Oahu, and the Hawaii setting is a great backdrop for all the racing this game contains. While maybe not the most original racer on the market, this approach for The Crew Motorfest makes for a better experience overall, and helps fill the void for AAA arcade racers this year.
Still, it gets really tiresome, really quickly to put down a letter, check to make sure that you haven’t placed it in the wrong place, then put down another letter, and then check again...and so on. Basically, the game goes place-check-place-check for about five minutes, then you’re done and it’s on to the next puzzle.
As the series enters into its third (!!!) decade, this PC port is a fine way to show that the Ratchet and Clank are still compelling characters, and even if there are a few points where it feels like the game could use a little more polish in terms of performance, they can’t take away the fact that Rift Apart is an outstanding game.
The story is weird and interesting enough to also keep you entertained, which certainly helps make Gunbrella feel fresh despite there being a number of retro-themed action-platformers on the market today. I’d highly recommend checking out Gunbrella when you get a chance, you won’t be disappointed.
It’s an enjoyably challenging platformer that’s sure to scratch any Mega Man or roguelike itches you have. Factor in Maker Mode, and you’ve got a recipe for a platformer that’s a huge – and hugely fun – time sink.
Despite the inevitable comparisons, Round8’s title stands on its own and can fill the void for those always beseeching a new entry of Bloodborne or at least a port to different platforms.
I totally get the appeal of Super Dungeon Maker if you’re the kind of person who loves building their own game worlds. It never claims to be anything more than that, and there seems to be a solid community in place to help the game continue to grow. To me it feels like there’s still some work to be done on fleshing it out, but as it stands, there’s definitely some potential here.
Firewall Ultra for the PlayStation VR2 was poised to be the de-facto FPS in VR. Top-notch graphics and immersion promised a shooter experience unlike any other. Unfortunately, what we have here at launch is a far cry from the promises of what could have been.
2023 might be the most stacked year for video games in history, with an absurd number of absolutely incredible titles available to play, and even more to come before the year closes! With all of that in mind, Baldur’s Gate 3 has captured the cultural zeitgeist in a way that few games in history have, all while being the most polished and complete, well-put-together launch experience I have seen in years (due in large part to the three years of early access, but still). This has been an absolutely banner year for video games, but Baldur’s Gate has planted its flag firmly at the top, and I don’t see anyone dethroning it for years to come.
Overall, Mortal Kombat 1 is a polished, beautiful work of art that is a remarkably innovative entry into the long running franchise. You can feel the love and care that went into recrafting existing characters in a way I never knew I would love.
It all feels very worthwhile. The thing is, at least as far as the Switch version goes, you need to dig deep in order to see all that – and honestly, it’s hard to say that it’s worth it, all things considered. I’ve no doubt that Skabma - Snowfall is a very interesting, enjoyable game on systems that can handle it, but unfortunately the Switch isn’t one of those systems.
Just when we think EA is righting the ship on Madden, we get this lazy borderline rerelease of the previous year’s iteration. It’s clear the NFL doesn’t care about the quality of their games, as long as you’re not making “after the play hits” for which the Blitz franchise was famous. No one is holding the developers and publishers accountable anymore and the only way to see change is by voting with your wallet. Don’t buy this year’s release of Madden. Even if you didn’t grab Madden 23 last season, go pick it up used and update the in-game roster. EA should be embarrassed passing along Madden NFL 24 as a brand new release for $70. Enough is enough and it’s time for a change.
Plenty of games draw inspiration from classics but never amount to much – in part because they lack the technical ability to pull off their theft. Pilfer, by contrast, was made by someone competent enough to copy Super Mario Galaxy and smart enough to not get in the way of an already near-perfect thing. It may not deliver something we’ve never seen before, but it does deliver a product that works, which is more than a lot of imitators can say.