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Inertial Drift is a unique racing/drifting racer, but it feels counter-intuitive. While the game does have a reasonable amount of content aside from the drifting mechanic, it takes a while to get used to and the A.I.’s frustrating difficulty makes it a hit or miss. Personally, I found myself frustrated more than anything. I applaud the developer for taking a chance, but unless you plan on spending hours on end on this game, it’s a pass.
Never been a huge fan of the Metroidvania genre, but Minoria (along with Touhou Luna Nights) came out of left field to surprise and sink its teeth in me. The simplistic combat mixed with the various Incenses, gothic setting and its haunting score and the challenging boss battles makes for a great game. It won’t be a cakewalk and does require a bit of mastery of the dodging/parring, but within the first hour, everything feels right and clicks. If you can tolerate backtracking through the map and the deep exploration, Minoria is a must-play.
While the point-and-click genre isn’t in my top 5 of favorite genres, I was actually looking forward to give this game a shot. Unfortunately, Leisure Suit Larry Wet Dreams Don’t Dry doesn’t change my stance on the genre. Vague hints for puzzles, the constant peaking and poking everything/everywhere makes for a tedious experience. Fans of the genre will definitely enjoy this more mature themed experience.
Mask of Mists is a great and fun addition to the RPG genres. Fans of the genre should definitely give this game a shot; sure it’s not as huge as Skyrim or The Witcher 3, but sometimes it’s a nice diversion doing something smaller. It’s not perfect as you’ll possibly lose a bit of time going around in circles trying to figure out what to do, but it’s a peaceful game to lose yourself into.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster is one of the most enjoyable and tension-filled walking simulators I’ve had the privileged of reviewing. The game doesn’t necessarily rely on scares at every corner, but rather builds tension with what-ifs could happen around the corner. While the pacing isn’t ideal and makes the game feels rushed earlier on, it makes up for it in the latter parts of the game. With Halloween coming soon, this is the perfect time for this gem.
Johnny Rocket is a game to be avoided at all costs. It’s short, frustrating, cheap and full of questionable design. Cheap and unpreventable enemy attacks, questionable detection issues, unresponsive jumping, boring bosses, zero replay value, the only redeeming quality about the game is its unique visual presentation. I guess it’s something right? Given the amount of better run n’ gun available, don’t waste your time with Johnny Rocket.
To be honest, Cinders is one of the most enjoyable visual novels I’ve had the chance to review; a new take on a classic fairytale is an interesting way to go; it feels familiar and new at the same time. Thanks to the bevy of choices, replay value is through the roof, but as with any visual novel, it sometimes feels tedious going through the “same” story again, even if it leads to a different ending.
Touhou Luna Nights is definitely one of the best Metroidvania games. It’s fun, addictive, easy to pick up and play and features a setting that can be reminiscent of the Castlevania games. The time manipulation definitely adds to the fun factor as it can be used in a myriad of ways. Finding and using new skills that opens up more of the map is always one of the best things about Metroidvania games. If you can overcome and push through the difficult boss battles, you’ll definitely find one of the most action-packed experiences of the year.
Tony Stewart’s All-American Racing is an interesting, fun albeit shallow racing experience. The content that is there is pretty solid and easy to pick up and play; responsive and very simplistic controls combined with a plethora of difficulty settings is sure to make it enjoyable to all types of gamers and makes for a nice diversion from the bevy of racing sims we’ve seen this year. Unfortunately, it can get boring and tedious pretty quickly for non-fans of the sport. Doing circles on very simplistic circuits over and over doesn’t account much for a challenge. I understand there’s a limitation to the racing genre, but Tony Stewart’s All-American Racing feels empty and very limited.
As a fan of the rhythm genre, I was hopeful to play something new with Hexagroove: Tactical DJ. The problem is the game is a confusing mess where you never really know what you’re doing.
To be honest, I was looking forward to giving Cooking Simulator a shot. Unfortunately, the game will make you go through some unnecessary loops to understand what to do or how to do it such as cutting ingredients. Once you finally graps the concept, it’s pretty enjoyable for what it is, but gets old fast.
Mortal Shell follows the Souls/Borne genre to a tee. Lacks any accessibility, combat feels sluggish and cumbersome. Considering the game will only appeal to a limited niche of gamers, I cannot recommend Mortal Shell. The clunky combat, the dated visuals, lack of accessibility features, this feels like a cheap Dark Souls clone.
I’ll be honest, New Super Lucky’s Tale took me by surprise. When it first came out under the Super Lucky’s Tale moniker, I kinda dismissed it as it looked generic. But the more I played New Super Lucky’s Tale. It’s easy to pick up and play, perfect for gamers of all ages, features a great variety of gameplay mechanics. The long load times can be annoying, but it doesn’t deter the whole experience. If you’re looking for something light, play New Super Lucky’s Tale. It’s definitely worth your time.
So, overall hopefully I’ve painted the picture that states, that if you’ve ever played a WRC rally game, this is the best one yet, and that there’s enough changes and new ideas for those that have played the latest really games on offer on Xbox to invest in this fantastic effort, and last but not least, I would like to remind you again that WRC 9 supports Smart Delivery, so go buy it!
She Sees Red is a great addition to the FMV genre. It features a thrilling, griping story which will have you guessing through the 2/3rds of your second playthrough to find out the truth. While the English voice-acting is told in a robotic kind of manner, it doesn’t take away from the story-telling. It takes about an hour and a half to do both runs so it’s a nice diversion. Don’t miss it.
Zero Strain is a great addition to the smhup genre. It’s frantic, hectic and challenging; maybe a bit too much. The unique arena like level design will definitely add an additional level of challenge as it reduces safe area space, but it’s definitely worth a try. Shmup aficionados, definitely do not miss this one.
Bite The Bullet is one of the most clunky run n’ gun games I’ve ever played. While the idea behind the eating mechanic is a unique and interesting approach to the genre, the execution falls flat thanks to floaty controls and levels that drag on forever. There’s a decent variety of weapons to keep the gameplay fresh, but it’s not enough from saving this rotting leftovers.
Through my multiple sessions of Lost Wing, I realized that the only thing holding back is the nuisance caused by actually running out of ammo; it’s a bit unfathomable given that this is a shmup. Otherwise, this is an interesting entry in the hardcore genre. Fans of the shmup genre will be delighted to play something different, unfortunately it’s not the ideal game for newcomers.
The Mean Greens – Plastic Warfare is a great game and diversion for fans of the online modes of the Call of Duty games. Either the typical PvP mode such as Capture the Flag or Team Deathmatch or unique twists on PvP such as the Table football map will be a nice diversion from Call of Duty. Unfortunately, the lack of single player is a huge miss here because it could’ve given the single player games aficinados the closest thing to the movie Small Soldiers.
The Alto Collection is definitely one of best games to come out this year on Xbox One. Sure, it’s not as deep as some other sports games, but it’s easy to pick up and play mechanic makes it ideal for gamers of all ages. The goals aren’t that difficult and both games’ procedurally generated levels ensure that no playthroughs are similar. Don’t miss out.