CBR's Reviews
But in general, Alien: Rogue Incursion is a great addition to the VR library and Alien franchise. The amount of interactivity with the game's environments is superb, keeping the player engaged and giving a great sense of actually being in the Xenomorph-infested facility. On top of that, the gunplay is some of the best the VR market has seen in years (when it's working properly). Alien: Rogue Incursion is definitely worth being experienced by VR enthusiasts and Alien fans, even if it's a bumpy experience.
Despite certain but glaring shortcomings in its design and production, Vivid Knight is an infinitely replayable dungeon crawler that will have players sinking hours into the game. The fun artwork and sounds keep gamers in the difficult labyrinth even when they feel tempted to rage-quit after losing to a boss for the umpteenth time on the final dungeon floor. As the first game out of Asobism, fans can eagerly expect to play their upcoming releases in the near future.
As cute and fun as this game may be, it should not be recommended to anyone above the age of 10 or more serious players who have a lot of gaming experience.
There's something to love here for almost any type of gamer, including horror fans, Metroidvania enthusiasts, and even platformer lovers. While the combat can grow stale and tedious due to its lack of innovation, it's still good enough to keep the player engaged for hours on end as they traverse Deadside on their journey to save the world. The story of Shadow Man is really where it shines, though, with excellent voice acting and a dark tone that was arguably ahead of its time at its initial release. The lack of a traditional map may be offputting for modern players, but the removal of easy solutions does the game favors, as there's an incredible sense of accomplishment figuring it out on your own. Shadow Man was a fantastic game in the 90s, and now it's even more so with the remastered version.
The mobs are plain funny, and good for a laughing scream that has players swimming away. Players may even find themselves receiving a message from a Skeleton asking if they dropped a collarbone, not sure what that's about. This game will have players laughing, even if it will also sometimes have players annoyed and plain enraged by creatures and their poor stamina. Murky Divers is the type of game players should expect some rage-quits from, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't come back. The game has hours of fun to offer with friends, even if what's going on isn't quite clear, and even if the games can make a player want to throw their entire desktop out of the window in a fit of rage. It's a chaotic, funny, slightly-terrifying time, and a great addition to the survival horror co-op genre. With 1.0 now available, there's plenty more dismembered feet, nightmarish creatures and rage-quits to come.
Castlevania Dominus Collection sets a new standard for classic game re-releases. When Nintendo still struggles to make its classic gaming library legally accessible, Konami unintentionally provided the perfect history lesson on the Nintendo DS through this amazing handheld trilogy. The collection puts equally nostalgic but much lazier cash grabs to shame with how much it offers to both franchise veterans and newcomers at such an affordable price. Until Dracula is resurrected yet again in the next official Castlevania game, this collection and other retro Castlevania sets like it will provide plenty of whip-cracking fun to pass the time until that fateful day comes. Or, at the very least, until a new season of Castlevania: Nocturne is ready to stream.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game finds success by incorporating the most popular characters and references to SpongeBob SquarePants to create a uniquely physics-centered game set in Bikini Bottom. The plethora of minigames and areas to explore will likely have most players overlooking the game's flaws and repetitiveness, making it a worthwhile addition to SpongeBob SquarePants' already massive video game lineup. Despite the present challenges in game design and mechanics, the game provides at least five hours of fun and wacky game play that can be enjoyed by players of all ages.
River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Next is both a solid role-playing game and a great beat-em-up brawler that is not afraid to challenge the player's fighting skill.
Ballionaire isn't lacking in potential or variety, or well-executed animation and art style; it can manage to hit the mark sometimes. It just needs an extra push. The lack of reliance on strategy for a player is a huge part; a roguelike is something that should be mostly skill. It's what makes the grind fun, challenging, and engaging. When players find themselves starting to go through the motions, watching another ball drop and hit none of the triggers they set in place, they'll stop caring. Their eyes glaze over, and five minutes later, they're closing the game and moving on to something else. For what it's offering, Ballionaire is so close to achieving what it's trying to do. It can provide short bursts of fun and something to idly participate in while having something on in the background. It's not a bad game by any means, but it has all the right stuff going for it to be better.
While Europa lacks depth and replayability, the game's $15 price point still makes it well worth the cost. Despite the linear landscapes and limited game play, players can expect to get at least four hours of entertainment out of the main storyline. Given its focus on visuals, music, and storytelling, Europa is most ideal for those looking for an easy and relaxing gaming experience.
Backyard Soccer '98 is another success for the Backyard Sports franchise's revival. The charm of the series (both the original and this relaunch) lies with the players and their quirks. Everyone gets a moment to shine, which helps build a team into a fun strategy. League Play and Practice offer tons of variety in gameplay and player choice. However, the lack of tutorials feels off, considering that not as many American kids know about the sport as they do about football or basketball. Despite this missed opportunity, Backyard Soccer '98 is still an excellent time for any soccer fan who wants to jump back into their '90s nostalgia, or experience something new.
Gamers looking for a true escape to a whimsical and adorable world are in for a treat with Critter Café. This is a refreshing take on the cozy game genre that eliminates the usual grind of endlessly gathering resources and constantly keeping critters happy and energized. The amount of free time that the game gives back to players rewards them with cuteness every step of the way. Whether it's filling late orders or rescuing critters, Critter Café provides simple yet fun challenges and instant gratification that allows the real world to gladly slip away.
Guilty Gear Strive is a great fighting game that fits right at home in the genre, and that doesn't change with the Blazing Edition. However, this "definitive" version seems rather pointless for most players, both old and new.
The announcement of Horizon Zero Dawn getting its own Lego title came out of left field, but playing Lego Horizon Adventures is all one needs to put any doubts and concerns to rest. Making Horizon's world much lighter and kid-friendly through the lens of Lego was a most unexpected but welcome surprise, not some cynical spin-off. Burch and the rest of the cast seemed to have a lot of fun portraying their characters in a more comedic tone. At its worst, the gameplay wasn't perfect; it needed additions from both the Lego and Horizon worlds to balance each other out. But even so, it doesn't matter if players are newcomers or established Horizon fans; everyone should play Lego Horizon Adventures.
Players will be invested in Black Ops 6 as much as they want to and participate in something that delivers precisely what it's supposed to. Fast-paced action, farcical storytelling, and access to a world of people who want to curse you out on a microphone -- that's what Black Ops 6, the Call of Duty series and most modern video games are all about.
After playing Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, any qualms about this remaster can and will vanish. This is an in-depth remaster that’s just shy of being a remake. The way Nixxes Studios manages to rework countless motion capture footage to make interactions more lifelike and having the environments pop more than they did in the past is incredible.
It makes sense that Meta bundled Arkham Shadow with new purchases for their Meta Quest 3/3S, as this game is a headset seller. Camaouflaj made a full-length Arkham VR game that perfectly immerses players in the world. Being Batman is rewarding, as taking out enemies never felt better. Getting involved in a conspiracy that engulfed Gotham while fighting legions of enemies with some of the superhero genre's most famous gadgets is pure Dark Knight goodness. With these in mind, Batman: Arkham Shadow isn't just the best VR title out right now and a great holiday gift, but it's the worthy continuation of the Batman: Arkham games that fans have been waiting for.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is the sequel that fans have longed for, and it's worth the almost-10 year wait. Max is still a great protagonist, and watching her try to figure out Safi's murder provides some intense moments. The new powers provided excellent gameplay and choices, even if some puzzles were too easy. While the art was stunning, the issues with the sound were a little distracting. Not helping were some instances of lousy lip-syncing and low audio levels. That said, these are minor bumps along the way. If any player wants to see Max again, they'll be happy with Life is Strange: Double Exposure.
Metro Awakening is a thrilling title that newcomers and longtime fans will love despite its few but glaring flaws. The game smartly rolls out different weapons and gadgets, so it's not too overwhelming for the player. Shooting monsters and planning out stealth strategies is a lot of fun, even if the combat itself may feel more cumbersome than it should. It's frustrating that there were moments when the game needed to be restarted as the frame rate dropped significantly. With the holidays coming up, Metro Awakening is a must-have game for any VR lover, old-school Metro fan or both.
All these improvements come together to create the perfect package that any fan could only dream of. The 2002 version of Resident Evil is the epitome of what a remake should be: sticking true to its source material, while also making necessary changes in all the right places. While some will claim there are better remakes out there, no one can take away the fact that Resident Evil remains the touchstone of survival horror. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and since its easy to see Resident Evil's DNA everywhere in the industry, we can safely say that it is the best remake ever made.