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Despite clocking in at just a few hours long, A Hat in Time: Nyakuza Metro is an instant recommendation. It's pretty much everything I want out of a Hat DLC, and the exact formula I'd want Gears for Breakfast to keep replicating if said DLC never stopped coming. I hope it never stops.
What it all comes down to is that it's hard to be down on a game like SiNKR 2. It so effortlessly executes its central premise that thinking up any negatives would mostly be nitpicking. Maybe you don't like minimalist puzzles games or just aren't big on mobile titles, but that doesn't make SiNKR 2 bad. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the price makes this a no-brainer purchase for even the most discerning individuals.
It's a small price to pay for low-stakes arcade open world antics. Shakedown: Hawaii might play similarly to Retro City Rampage, but it takes place in a markedly different world. It's more than enough to warrant giving both games a shot, and a worthy successor to a now-seven-year-old game.
In the end, Zanki Zero: Last Beginning is a credible and entertaining adventure, but its potential to stand alongside its developers' best works is hampered by its systems and story's inability to come together and elevate the experience beyond the sum of its parts.
My complaints with Mechstermination Force are straightforward because that's really what the game is, a boss rush shoot-fest. If the stars align and you can find someone who really enjoys 2D shooters, give the game a go: even its fleeting joy is worth the entry ticket. Hell, it's worth it if you go alone, so long as your expectations are in check.
There is far more I can say about how much I love this game, including the audial delight that is Ludowic and Bill Kiley's soundtrack or VHS visual tricks the game employs as the narrative grows more fractured, but at this point, I've already gushed enough. It can be frustrating at times. It made me want to break my Switch in half. But even in its most aggressively exasperating moments, Katana Zero remains bleak, beautiful, bloody, and brilliant.
Days Gone ups the open world survival ante but doesn't have enough cash to pay for the rest of the rounds of betting, making it one of the weirdest AAA releases in recent memory. If enough people buy it, its stronger moments will likely be immortalized in YouTube videos for years to come. Yet, most people will probably remember it as the open world zombie game that didn't bring much mechanically to the table. With some tweaks to the pacing, it could have reconciled its warm, frank look at humanity and been something special.
Imperator: Rome feels like it's yet another step in Paradox's attempts to make the perfect grand strategy game. It pulls bits from Paradox's storied past in the genre and adopts it for the ancient era. Because of this, it doesn't feel like past releases where the game does one thing fantastically and falters in the rest of the mechanics but instead refines past mechanics into a marble bust of megalomaniacal fun. Ave Imperator: Rome!
This leaves us with Anno 1800, a refined city-building game with a delectably savory approach to logistics optimization, a lovely core aesthetic, and a time-devouring rhythm. For me, that's worth the cost of a historical anachronism or two.
Nearly 30 years later, Mortal Kombat still deserves to hang in the top-tier of fighting games. With improved visuals, overhauled mechanics and exciting strategic potential, MK 11 offers a brilliant fighting experience. Unfortunately, the overall fun is bogged down with miserable modern-day business practices that frequently pump the brakes on your enjoyment. The Fight is the thing, however, and as long as the fists are flying, then Mortal Kombat 11 packs a helluva punch.
The thing is, I would have played SteamWorld Quest for 40 hours, flaws and all. It's brief in more ways than one but charming as hell. I hope Image & Form continues to make games and, to go one step further, never stops creating SteamWorld experiences.
Legacy of the First Blade was a fine questline, but often relied too heavily on nostalgia while making liberal use of the existing world map. Fate of Atlantis by comparison actually feels like a premium creation while forging its own identity: it requires no caveat, it builds on Odyssey. This isn't something I'm cautiously optimistic for, I'm ready to dive into the rest with both feet.
Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!, with its thoughtful additions, is simply a better version of it. Hardcore roguelike fans may find it too forgiving, but for anyone unfamiliar with the genre, you won't find a better jumping off point than this.
Is World War Z as good as Left 4 Dead? No. Is it fun despite that? Yes. There's few pleasures in gaming that can compare to swinging a thrumming chainsaw blade through a horde of ravenous undead, and World War Z delivers. And really, it's not like Valve makes games anymore.
If you had to pick out a single Overcooked 2 DLC, Campfire Cook Off would be my recommendation without hesitation. It adds depth to the usual proceedings without going overboard on complexity, and the clever new backpack mechanic encourages even deeper teamwork. You can't go wrong.
On the narrative end, Vaporum is more than engaging enough. Surprisingly well-performed audio logs litter the halls, telling the story of our clockwork tower. On the visual side, the halls are dimly lit and filled with clunking robots and steam spouting pipes. Nothing revolutionary, but it's a pretty good steampunk fantasy world.
Despite being in development for eight or more years, Dragon Marked for Death could have actually used more time in the oven. I'm sure there is a great game buried somewhere in there but between its lack of balance, less-than-ideal controls, boring levels, and unfortunate co-op requirements, the end product isn't nearly up to the level of the rest of Inti Creates's catalog.
And that's pretty much it. Despite the marketing of a more "serious" tone this is still very much EDF - a bug-shooting Dynasty Warriors-esque hack and slash at heart. Given that it's a standalone game you can also just jump right in (not that you'd need to keep up with EDF lore regardless).
Ghost Giant isn't revolutionary. It feels like a VR advancement of a classic PC point-and-click adventure game, albeit one with a great look, phenomenal sound design, and a story I'm not ashamed to admit had me choking up a bit toward the end. You won't be blown away by the immersion here, but it's fun to interact with the dollhouse-like sets and just sort of goof around. Like a lot of VR titles, Ghost Giant is a shorter experience, but it's a solid one that tells a charming story in a vibrant and colorful world.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid suffers from dated visuals, poor presentation, and a serious lack of content, unable to hide its low-budget shortcomings. At its core is something of a slick and wholly-accessible fighting game. Yet without the visual pizazz of the brand, a full, varied roster of characters, or a glut of exciting content to dive into, Battle for the Grid ultimately feels like the unfinished prototype of what could have been a very special release.