VDGMS's Reviews
Precision platformers don’t necessarily need stories, but once you have experienced them with deeply engaging plots, it’s hard to fully enjoy them without. What MainFrames lacks in story and cohesion, it certainly makes up for in other areas though. On a precision platformer level, Mainframes was challenging, unique and competes with the best in the genre. The controls were spot on, the pixel aesthetic was very nice, the score was charming and there was hints of a relevant story about corporate downsizing, but unfortunately remained largely unexplored. If you are just looking for a demanding precision platformer, MainFrames is only about ten bucks and will give you those endorphins you are looking for. Unfortunately, living in a post Celeste world, just being a hard as nails precision platformer isn’t enough anymore.
Knights In Tight Spaces adds plenty of variety and strategy to the already solid turn based, tactical gameplay of Fights in Tight Spaces. Repetition is still an issue for the franchise and a few QOL changes would go a long way in providing a more well rounded experience, but with a massive visual overhaul, great performance on Steam Deck and many major gameplay changes, Knights In Tight Spaces now positions the franchise in the upper echelons of deck-builders
Split Fiction is a game that gets better as it progresses. At the beginning, sections bordered on overstaying their welcome, but as the journey unfolded, I quickly found myself not wanting to leave these worlds. Split Fiction was a perpetual flow of variety, challenge and pure fun accented by resonant story. Hazelight have solidified themselves as masters of the co-op adventure and Split Fiction is best in class.
Two Point Museum is a lot of what you already know and love about the series. However, the changes made to the existing formula elevate Two Point Museum from just another entry in the franchise, to the new standard moving forward. The expanded gameplay and improved variety means that not only is there a lot more to manage, but it also means that the lighthearted tone isn’t doing the heavy lifting anymore, instead it accentuates the experience, which is now equal parts addicting, strategy and fun.
Avowed isn’t doing anything revolutionary, but it just does everything a little bit better. Avowed is dense, everything has purpose and most importantly, it gives the player freedom to approach the adventure how they want. Avowed is a game that has all the ingredients to be a cult classic and an RPG that people will bring up when discussing Obsidian's best games.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a fantastic and addicting narrative sci-fi adventure that does one important thing the first game didn’t, which is offer the player more freedom. The beloved core experience returns with a few new mechanics that added depth to the gameplay, freedom to explore, and a story that over twice as big, but didn’t take any risks or innovate in a way that would have opened the game up to a much broader audience.
The new order is Raiders of The Lost Ark, The Last Crusade, The Great Circle, Temple of Doom, Dial of Destiny and finally, The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull. MachineGames have carefully crafted one of the best Indiana Jones entries of all time featuring nearly four hours of cinema quality cutscenes, on par with Spielbergs masterpieces. The Great Circle transcends the gaming medium. Not only does Indiana Jones and The Great Circle find itself nestled among the greatest in the franchise, but it’s easily our game of the year. There are a few minor imperfection, but nothing that affects the experience in any meaningful way. The Great Circle is a quintessential Indiana Jones experience and when everything is firing on all cylinders, it’s hard not to get swept up in the magic and feel like a kid again.
Balatro’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t have an overarching plot as to why you are playing cards, which doesn’t seem like a requirement for traditional card games, but for a roguelike deck builder, a little story seems like a necessity. The good news is that this is an easy enough deficit to look past due to how addictive and satisfying the gameplay loop is. Developed by only one person, Balatro is about 15 bucks and works around your schedule. If you have 20 minutes, you can play a few hands. If you have a free day and lots to do, Balatro can also ruin that for you. At the end of the year, Balatro might turn out to be the best deck-building game of 2024, but no matter what, it’s definitely going to be the best use 64mb of hard drive space