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Nonetheless, Berzerk: Recharged is a fun experience for as long as it lasts. It doesn’t quite capture the charm of the original, and there are many better choices now in terms of twin-stick shooters. However, those games don’t have a deadly grinning ball that follows you until it witnesses your death. Its gleeful grin, looking down at your robot-ravaged body, reveling in its victory. No, you are safe from that nightmare in your pathetic human games.
Overall, Air Twister is a fine arcade title. It’s initially fun to play, and its trippy fantasy visuals do a decent job of drawing you in. However, once you’ve managed to topple the final boss and are treated to the end cutscene, there really isn’t much to keep you playing or cement the game in memory. The main story mode becomes just what you grind on to afford better butt dressings. I think the fallen swan deserved better.
Like a Dragon Gaiden has games, laughs, tears, and brawls where characters dramatically reveal their resplendent back tattoos. It does what a new Like a Dragon entry needs to do, and tees up some big emotional moments for its longtime series lead along the way. If you want a deep story with twists and turns, this may not be all you hope for. But if you run off the beaten path to get a model AiAi out of the UFO Catcher, this should more than tide you over to Infinite Wealth.
After spending a week with Alan Wake 2 and finally seeing the credits, I can say that it’s one of my favorite titles in an extremely competitive year. Not only has it redefined what I believe video game narratives are capable of, but it also left me invigorated to see how Remedy will innovate once again.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R recaptures all the otherworldly wonder of its PlayStation predecessor. The rough edges of the original are now smooth to the touch, and the enhanced visuals amplify that classic pixel art aesthetic in a way that few remakes pull off. It’s a thoughtful snapshot encapsulating RPGs of the era, retaining all the passion and whimsy I remember so fondly. I loved this look back at Star Ocean‘s past, and I hope this marks a new beginning for the series’ future.
Most WarioWare fans will likely want to pull the trigger on this one, but I don’t blame you for being wary. There’s a lot of give and take here, especially with the heavy motion focus.
I feel like RoboCop: Rogue City is a terrific game. To use the obvious reference: I’d buy that for a dollar. I can see myself playing through its 15-20 hours again, not necessarily to check out things I may have missed, but simply to re-experience the world it presents. I know that it almost looks like something that belongs in the scrap heap, but if you’re able to look past its rough exterior and exposed seams, you might see the heart that beats underneath. Teyon did a fantastic job with the resources they had, but they’re only human.
Slay the Princess is a horror meta-narrative visual novel about the choices we make, and how they change us and those around us. It’s about the interpersonal relationships that can wound us, make us versions of ourselves we never imagined, yet teach us. It is a damn good story, and one worth experiencing.
Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story may be the best Riot Forge title yet. It’s more proof that the universe League of Legends has created deserves to be explored in as many ways as possible. I can’t imagine a better outing for exploring the relationship between Nunu and Willump. And to take it a step further, I think Tequila Works was just the right developer for telling the story.
Sonic Superstars is a game that understands the broad strokes of 16-bit Sonic games, but not any of the finer details. The new ideas it brings to the table are undercooked, and its multiplayer component is too poorly utilized to recommend. There are undoubtedly moments of genius here when everything lines up just right. But any goodwill I had for the game was ruined by the tedious, arduous boss battles. If you’re a Sonic fan who has thoroughly mastered the classics, you may find some entertainment here. But you deserve so much better than this.
All I can say after finishing Ghostrunner 2 is that I want more. Considering that was my reaction at the end of the original Ghostrunner, I can say One More Level created a solid follow-up. Both titles might have had “meh” narratives, but the core gameplay is so fantastic I honestly didn’t care while I was playing. At its best, Ghostrunner 2 is the first game but better, and at its worst, it’s just a little less polished than its predecessor.
Truly, this is one for the fans. It’s a remaster for people who have fond memories of renting it for the Genesis back in the day. Fans of the cartoon might also find some value in it, as much as it tends to be an unfaithful adaptation. For everyone else, there are a lot of other games you can play before you need to reach the depths of Gargoyles. It’s not terrible, it just isn’t good. But at least it hasn’t been left sleeping for one thousand years.
The Jackbox Party Pack 10 is a mixed bag. Two of the games are confusing, one is a welcomed return, and Time Jinx is the absolute star in this pack for being a creative trivia title.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first Mario game in literal decades to live up to the plumber’s legendary 2D platforming legacy. It is a return to levels overflowing with creativity, a world rich with secrets to uncover, and controls that make the mere act of movement fun. Whether Wonder exceeds or meets the quality of Super Mario Bros. 3 or World is for the fans to debate. But that aside, I’m confident in saying that Mario’s latest adventure is one of the best side-scrollers you’ll find on the Switch. Long live 2D Mario!
World of Horror seems to hit all its goals. While its approach to horror is rather derivative of Junji Ito, it’s applied in a creative way and with a vision of its own. I can’t say I was blown away because it really is exactly the game that it claims to be. However, I was immensely satisfied. It’s a wonderfully modular experience, but if you’re deathly afraid of numbers, then that’s where you’ll find the real horror.
Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
For me, Aftershock has simply proven that I’m not going to enjoy Ion Fury no matter how hard I try. My main issues with the game are hard to nail down, but the reality is that it’s just about everything. It’s a game of highs and lows, which just makes an aggravatingly coarse surface. That feeling carries over to the Aftershock expansion. The Build Engine just isn’t enough for me to completely overlook its flaws.
Disney Speedstorm is certainly “on a roll” with its electrifying stages and game design, but it’s certainly not “undefeated.” The confusing microtransactions pull it down and become an annoying distraction to what’s great in this kart racer. While a love for the Disney product is certainly present in Disney Speedstorm, there are a few annoying aspects of the game to be mindful of.
It’s abundantly clear that this series isn’t over yet, and I hope that Insomniac never really stops working on superhero games. There’s so much of the Spider-Man mythos that’s untapped so far, and you could keep this gravy train running with some crazier ideas once this presumed trilogy is over. As long as Insomniac is on board, I’ll be along for the ride.
When the FPS isn’t dipping, and bosses aren’t cheesing you every step of the way, LotF feels good. But with myriad performance issues, broken multiplayer, and boss fights that increase difficulty through unfair mechanics as opposed to well-developed ones, it really weighs down on the experience.