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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.
Super Robot Wars T is in a weird place for me critically. If I had to pick a game in order to introduce someone to the franchise, this would be it. It sports an excellent roster with a broad appeal paired with the best original story of the translated trio, along with all the gameplay improvements X had, regardless of its difficulty issues. From a veteran's perspective though, the asset reuse only reinforces a tired sense of déjà vu. Combined with the lack of effort on fixing the balance and difficulty, it's hard to recommend to a veteran hoping for a more complete package.
All in all, Dangerous Driving is a marked improvement in basically every facet over Danger Zone 1 and 2. This is Three Fields firing on all cylinders and giving Burnout fans the experience they've been craving. While a few technical hiccups stop this from achieving greatness, you really shouldn't sleep on this if you're a fan of arcade racers. Dangerous Driving is the real deal and any Burnout fan would be crazy to skip it.
Blaster Master Zero 2 is a clear improvement on its predecessor. The graphics are slightly better, the story is better written, and the soundtrack is more diverse; I could go on and on. Maybe Zero 2 won't make a convert out of you if you didn't enjoy the first, but it is well worth exploring for fans of Inti Creates and Blaster Master.
Most of my journey through the wonderful cardboard universe of Yoshi's Crafted World, littered with myriad ridiculous noises from Yoshi, was spent with a smile on my face. It's not the type of project that's going to set the world on fire like Tropical Freeze, but it still has more heart than most studios could ever hope to give in their lifetime.
We. The Revolution is clearly not for everyone. It's undoubtedly slow with the most thrilling aspect being the persuasion speeches, and even then that's just dialogue. But if you're in the mood for something that really transports you to the tumultuous time of the French Revolution then I don't think you will find a better way there.
Taken as a whole, Outward practically screams "cult classic." Its consistent challenge, cumbersome combat, and co-op systems won't resonate with everyone. But for a particular type of player—ones that don't mind trading dozens of frustrating moments for open-ended experiences—Nine Dot Studios' RPG is sure to find a dedicated audience. Outward's aspirations are commendable, but just like its protagonist, the end result is just average.
There are some genuinely cool moments buried among the slop. If this were an Early Access title, I'd be very content saying to keep an eye on it as it nears release. Considering that this game is being released like this, I will instead warn not to waste any money on this unfinished title..
Strictly speaking, you don't need a review to tell you whether to play the final episode in the fourth season of a franchise. This far down the line, you're already on board, or you aren't. I think Take Us Back's writing will find some division in the community, regardless of your own personal outcome.