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Bethesda did it -- they ported Doom to a Nintendo console. It might not be the prettiest version, but it works, and it was enough to get me to play it all over again. Nintendo learned a lot from its failure on the Wii U, and its ability to welcome in more mature games on the system is something it hasn't done in quite a while. It's a message for all the prospective first and third parties alike -- keep doing it.
Call of Duty: WWII is a satisfying experience. It is also easily one of the best-looking and feature-packed iterations of the franchise to date. But the cracks are definitely showing, with years of repetition getting ever-harder to disguise. The game will please a huge contingent of its dedicated fanbase, but its reliance on the status quo might be wearying for others.
While I see potential in Sonic Forces, the execution just isn't there, especially with the Switch edition. In the future I really hope Sega reinvents the wheel, taking a more Mario Odyssey adventure approach. The whole level-based 3D "thing" hasn't worked out so frequently that it's worth a shot.
The Frozen Wilds doesn't feel like a must-play add-on, but it's more Horizon Zero Dawn. It's something you can enjoy once or stack with New Game+ runs when you inevitably play through it again. In other words, an actual expansion.
In the end, Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series' finale is more a whimper than a bang, but it's not disappointing enough to taint the good times I've had so far with this crew. I can only hope that the narrative seeds planted here turn into something substantial in the future, as this is a family I'd like to stick around with, if I can.
Creeping Terror is a short, serviceable title that pays tribute to a bygone era of horror gaming. That sentence is probably the nicest thing I can say about it.
While I do wish that there was a bit more of it, what's here is phenomenal. This is a game I'll definitely be revisiting for the foreseeable future. It manages to take a grab bag of various mechanics, lifted from its influences, and turn them into something totally fresh and unique. Splashteam knocked it out of the goddamn park with this one, and it's absolutely criminal that I never got around to playing it on other consoles before this. This is an essential release for genre fans and a great introduction for newcomers. The Switch may be jam-packed with quality eShop titles right now, but Splasher is genuinely something special. It would be a shame to see it lost in the crowd.
Despite all of the minor gameplay upgrades in Super Lucky's Tale, I actually had a better time playing as Lucky in VR last year. It was really cool to be able to "peek" around things and control the camera yourself, and despite all of the claims that "platformers don't benefit from VR" I couldn't disagree more. If stripping that is what Playful Corp needs to do to reach a bigger audience so be it, but a version with optional VR would have been ideal.
In a year that has brought us a bevvy of amazing platformers, some even revitalizing long-dormant series, Bubsy is easily left behind.
To be honest, each time I reset and lost my progress I had to sit and wonder whether or not I wanted to go through those certain areas again. In the end, I only continued because of professional courtesy but I'm sure only the truly dedicated will put up with this in normal circumstances.
Part political commentary, part comic-book farce, completely bat**** insane, and as primal as an FPS title can be, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is certainly recommended. It has a great cast, stunning visuals, breathless combat, and unforgettable story moments.
Total War: Warhammer 2's inability to solve some longstanding franchise-wide issues don't really dampen the sense that this is the biggest, and one of the best, executions on the same formula. Adding that this is only the second game in a planned trilogy ends up only making me more excited to see what's in store for Total War: Warhammer 3.
If you enjoyed Yomawari: Night Alone, you'll love Midnight Shadows. It keeps the creative elements of its predecessor intact while expanding on some of its finer points. If you haven't played Night Alone, you can still jump into Midnight Shadows and experience the same surprises as the original, both scary and cute.
Seeing as how even the online modes have weird time limits or aren't fully ready, Gran Turismo Sport is honestly not worth looking into at the moment. Maybe this will mature into a better racing game in the future (much like Driveclub), but you can presently get so much better on PS4 that I'm not sure why GT Sport wasn't delayed to add some more content. The ulta realism isn't enough to justify the cuts done to the core GT gameplay of the past.
I was really torn in assessing Assassin's Creed Origins, as it hits several of the same lows as the rest of the series, with its sometimes uneven mission structure and janky physics. But given that they now have the formula down to a science and didn't rush it out the door, all of that is a little easier to deal with than its predecessors. It was a big risk trying so many new things at once, but it worked, and the setting carries it.
Has there ever been a bad 3D Mario game? Many would reserve that honor for Super Mario Sunshine (my least favorite), but it's a far cry from a failure. No, before shipping any iteration of its flagship franchise, Nintendo ensures that a proper level of care goes into its plumber, and that streak of quality still remains unbroken with Super Mario Odyssey.
Those complaints aside, I enjoyed my time with The Mummy Demastered from near beginning to end. (My initial playthrough took four hours but I still have half of the 50 optional "relics" to suss out.) This game doesn't do anything meaningfully new or original for metroidvania fans, but everything here is solid and WayForward got the fundamentals right... in a licensed Mummy adaptation, of all things.
When I am unwinding after a long day and commute, Campfire Cooking is the exact type of game I want to play. A quaint and clever puzzler that is able to get a myriad of miles out of its simple concept, it's nearly perfect on my iPad and well worth the tiny asking price.
As it is currently, Chaos;Child did not make me feel under either a positive nor a negative delusion.
High Hell is a challenging, cathartic, and unique shooter. There is beauty in its obnoxious aesthetics, and satisfaction in its fast-moving, mouse-mashing violence. It is a very short game, but one I expect to see become a darling of speedrun weekends and Twitch streams. High Hell is an anarchic injection of neon-pink adrenaline, made with a dirty needle. At only ten bucks, it's a dang cheap way to stick it to The Man.