Gaming Age
HomepageGaming Age's Reviews
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.
Tenebris Pictura is part-puzzle game, part-beat-’em-up, and the two halves never come together in a way that’s remotely fun.
It all feels like someone grabbed a bunch of ideas and put them into a “Create your own PS2-era platformer” generator.
Red Dead Redemption was a great game when it came out in 2010, and this proves it’s still a great game in 2023. While some classics from previous generations feel dated, that’s certainly not the case here – and if you missed it (or weren’t around for it) thirteen years ago, now’s the time to finally play it. And if you did play it? Maybe it’s time to play it again.
ININ has done a fine job bringing these classics together. Even if the complete package offers nothing new outside of a game selection screen, these are all still pretty fun games.
Starfield is, overall, a very good RPG from a studio known for making very good RPGs. Not the most surprising news I’m sure, but it’s nice to see that they’re able to break away from the Elder Scrolls and Fallout settings successfully, and I do feel like their take on space exploration is a breath of fresh air for this type of RPG experience. It’s a huge game overall, so if you’re the person that believes time played = value, you’ll be pretty happy with this one for sure, but at the same time if you’re worried about overall quality, I think you’ll still enjoy your time with Starfield.
It’s been a long time since I hated a game as much as I hate Fort Solis. From top to bottom, there literally wasn’t a single thing about the game I liked. I’m sure I’ve played games that are more poorly made than Fort Solis, but for sheer dislike, I can’t think of many games that come close.
I’ve really been impressed with Sea of Stars overall. I think it delivers the total package when it comes to retro-infused RPG’s, and it feels pretty unique in a field that’s full of like-minded games.
Sephonie is one of those games that’s absolutely bursting with ideas. Its Steam page called the game a “Tony-Hawk-esque 3D platformer”, it’s got lengthy dialogue sequences that are basically just philosophical musings, and one of the core parts of the game is cataloguing all the flora and fauna of an underground cave network – which you do via minigames that look like Tetris reimagined as a match-3 puzzle. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t have any notion of how to turn those ideas into a particularly interesting game.
The fact that Immortals of Aveum is a lot of fun to play will also make you want to invest your time (and money) in it. It may not be the most original game I’ve ever played, but when it’s this enjoyable, I’m okay with that.
I wanted to love this game, I really did. The team at Gunfire Games clearly poured a lot of love and lessons learned into this game, and they were kind enough to provide us with 3 codes for Remnant 2 so we could get effective co-op testing in. Unfortunately, a combination of some mechanics pulling the game down, as well as one of the biggest years for new releases EVER lead to Remnant 2 falling behind and getting a bit lost in the shuffle.
It really is a remarkable game, and in a year that’s been blessed with way more than its fair share of standout games, I’d put Viewfinder on the same level as any of them.
Quantum: Recharged is just an OK addition to the series and while not based on a very well known property, it's an interesting game once you get the hang of it. This new release is not terrible by any means, but if you happen to pass this one by, you aren't really missing much.
It may not be aimed at Dragon Quest diehards, but if you’ve ever wanted to get into the series, Dragon Quest Treasures is a great place to start.
When you get down to it, Ducky’s Delivery Service feels very much like a classic platformer – if not the archetypal 2D platformer. It’s obviously not going to have the same level of fame or influence, but it’s fun enough that it’s worth playing.