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Nonetheless, I found myself largely enamored with Phoenotopia Awakening. Its often humorous and sometimes sentimental dialogue got through to me, and its challenging but tight platforming action really appealed. I'm a little bit weary from my trek through its expansive campaign, but I'm satisfied all the same. It's an aesthetically pleasing, unforgivingly mean, but an altogether lovingly assembled experience.
Battletoads is another one of 2020's infamous oddities. I suspect it's going to be highly polarizing (not only due to the adherence to retro style difficulty but the newness of the art and humor), but it somewhat won me over due to sheer force of will. I also can safely assume that I'm going to be on the higher-end of the spectrum of liking it: but if we never see these dudes again because this game was an absolute cacophony, I'll be a bit bummed.
Hyper Scape has some cool ideas, but still feels like it's in beta even after the 1.0 launch, especially on PC. We've seen Ubisoft snatch victory from the jaws of "somewhat underwhelming" before. Maybe they can do it again.
Despite my qualms with certain challenges and the last boss, I cannot get enough of Risk of Rain 2. I love the characters and discovering secrets while setting new goals for myself. As someone who mostly bounced off the first game, the sequel sucked me in like a Primordial Cube (an in-joke, hah!).
Having played through Horizon Zero Dawn on PC, my view of it hasn’t changed since I first played it in early 2017. There’s a lot of open world bloat present, but when it works, it works. And man is it still beautiful, especially on PC.
I did enjoy what time I spent with Lost Wing, though that didn't exactly last long.
If none of our hopes and dreams pan out (I'm sure at least some of them will considering the game's early success), Fall Guys is still one of the feel-good excursions of 2020. How much longevity players can get out of it will vary from person to person, but as someone who had essentially called it quits on the all-too-samey battle royale genre, I'm having a ridiculously fun time right here and now.
Merchant of the Skies is just disappointingly flat. It's enjoyable enough to play through — once. However, after you've accumulated your wealth, there's little left to be done. Another layer of challenge would have done the game a world of good, but as it stands, it's just a one-way trip.
Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxiboost On is what Gundam Versus should have been in the first place. A more properly thought-out offline suite, split-screen support, LAN mode, a deep roster, and an improved netcode all lead to a superior package that can appeal to even non-Gundam fans. However, the lack of a proper tutorial and some questionable decisions with the online hold it back as a whole. Regardless of these issues, it has absolutely lived up to the hype of players who experienced it during its arcade reign.
Hellbound is pretty upfront with what it is. If you've already burned through most of the homages I listed above, give this a shot.
It feels really weird for a new take on Crysis to be releasing so close to the next generation, behind the curve. For those of you who are curious about this series and want to jump in, you could do a whole lot worse on the Nintendo Switch. If you want to play Crysis in the most shiny way possible and own another platform, it's best to wait.
Over the course of its roughly three-hour runtime, I laughed and smiled a bunch. That's more than enough for me. This could have easily ended up as an embarrassing attempt to relive and milk the franchises' past success, but it turned out to be something much more enjoyable. It's not the flashbang of passion and possibility that the original offered, because few things in this world are, but it feels like it has something unique to say, and I think most fans will walk away happy if they take the time to listen.
The Tengu's Disciple is more of the same and that's largely okay. The historical figures and all-new yokai are memorable, the two main missions have good pacing, and the Splitstaff is just plain cool to wield. That said, I can't help but wish the story left a stronger impression – it ends a bit too abruptly.
Beneath the veneer, there isn't much that makes Hotel Sowls shine. The plot, the characters, and the gameplay are all wax-paper thin. The game ticks away mechanically under its inspired art style.
Void Terrarium is tough, and it can be unforgiving with a lot of different systems to keep track of. But it's always a satisfying experience. It's not the greatest roguelike/Mystery Dungeon title I've played, but it might just have the most rewarding gameplay loop I've seen in the genre.
Crypto-137 is hellbent on ensuring that humanity meets a terrible fate. By comparison, Destroy All Humans has met an enjoyable-enough-but-certainly-not-amazing fate. That's fine, but it's tough to not feel as though something truly great could've happened with some more creative license. If nothing else, this remake left me thinking that Destroy All Humans is still a viable property and that a brand new game might not be such a bad idea. But maybe that's because an extraterrestrial has control of my cortex.
When it comes to actually providing a fun experience, that's a bit more shaky. While the exploration based framework and interconnected world comes off very well, the combat is such an unavoidable drag, and since that is such a core part of gameplay, everything is brought down with it. There's still a lot of value to be found if you're a cyberpunker, but otherwise, the future is bleak.
When it comes to gameplay and longevity, Death Come True suffers from the exact same issues as many titles in the FMV genre without breaking new ground. But Izanagi's engrossing tale of love, regret, and murder redresses the balance with superb performances, dramatic twists, and a genuinely impassioned climax. It's a short, somewhat expensive trip, but one worth taking when it hits your personal price-point.
You know, last week I'm not sure I could have told you the last time I cried while playing a video game. Maybe it was Persona 4 on the PlayStation 2? I've been introspective a lot, but rarely sad and on the verge of crying. Well, now I know exactly the last time a video game made me cry, because it was yesterday while finishing up Necrobarista. While I have some qualms with how the game's "memories" are handled, it's such a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things. For anyone interesting in a wholly unique story that is almost guaranteed to sink its hooks into you, look no further than Necrobarista.
If you're looking for a cathartic pick-up-and-play game with little to no fat that you can slip in between this summer's massive story-driven titles, that's Carrion all the way. It's a devilish snack.