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Thanks to its setting, outstanding art, and level design, paired with excellent combat mechanics, Steelrising makes a strong case for itself in a very crowded Soulsborne landscape. Occasional uninspired bosses, sketchy platforming and technical issues only slightly marred the overall experience. Steelrising is a Soulslike from start to finish, but it stands out as a game I actually can’t wait to play through again.
The Alterna campaign is only a slice of the Splatoon 3 pie. As such, my final score comes with some caveats. Though the mechanical elements are rock solid, the look and feel of the game is still off. At least for me, this campaign content feels subdued and a little lonely. Taken as part of the complete experience, the single-player content is something of a safe house. A quiet space where you can sharpen your skills and experiment with new weapons. Even so, the solo campaign for Splatoon 3 had me longing for the chaos of the online arena.
Circus Electrique has a unique vibe, inventive art, and a thoroughly detailed devotion to its steampunk setting. For patient gamers with a love for stats and carefully managed decisions, the engaging combat will be icing on the cake. For some players, Circus Electrique might feel overwhelming, with one or two (or more) mechanics too many. There can be a lot of information on screen, and even more behind the scenes. The presentation is generally fantastic, but players used to simpler games might be surprised at how much work goes into running a circus.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R is a celebration of the weird and wonderful world of the franchise. Fans will love the number of characters and nods to key moments from the series, however, the gameplay lets it down. Its age becomes more apparent as you fight. The sluggish combat and simple systems mean that it can’t compete with its peers. While fans of the original will enjoy the new features, it misses that knockout blow.
Hopefully, Frontier Developments will address some of the current issues with updates. With some fine-tuning of the AI, the game could own the sim racing manager game niche. This is a good start for a game that seems poised to be the start of a new franchise. Despite current shortcomings, F1 Manager 2022 does make you feel like a manager of an F1 team.
Fans of the anime will still want to play Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness, but do so with caution. The main draw for new fans will be exploring the abyss and seeing all its layers. There’s just a lot of garbage to sift through to get to the good stuff.
But different isn’t necessarily bad! It’s as if the game is incredibly easy or way too hard. The level of challenge feels like it’s just in that Goldilocks Zone. There’s enough cleverness in the level design that you can’t help but admire it. I think there’s still plenty of room left in the hand-drawn indie Metroidvania genre. (Silksong isn’t even out yet!) Islets is another standout in the genre, fun and charming.
Hard West 2 is a great game for skilled strategy fans. It has a mixture of familiar western elements and supernatural accents, an energetic narrative, and fun characters. While it’s a challenging game, Hard West 2 usually gives you the tools you need to succeed. You’ll need patience and determination, but then, life in the old west was hard.
As much as people might argue that The Last of Us Part I was unnecessary (hell, I might not even argue against them), the fact remains that Naughty Dog has knocked it out of the park. The 2022 remake looks, sounds, and plays miles above both the 2013 and 2014 versions, and regardless of opinion on Part 2’s story, there’s no denying that this team of developers now has one of the most must-play one-two punches of all time under their belt.
I think it’s no exaggeration to say that Immortality is often brilliant. The acting, writing, editing and videography are meticulously intentional and if the path through the woods isn’t always clear, the trees are unfailingly interesting to study. While it isn’t perfect, I’m glad that games like Immortality exist. There are so many games that are sequels, copycats, reboots, remakes and retreads that you forget what originality actually looks like. All of Barlow’s games have been excellent but Immortality is probably the richest and most thought-provoking of the three.
Tower of Fantasy has some strengths and several annoyances. Its attractive world is populated by a generic story and forgettable NPCs. Its exciting combat is hampered by time-gated exploration and an overly complex, fussy gacha system. For fans of the Asian MMO genre or recent converts to Genshin Impact, the game might be worth checking out. I don’t think Tower of Fantasy is a good introduction to gacha games, and there are generally lots of better MMORPGs to invest your time in.
Midnight Fight Express captures the action synonymous with films like The Raid. Combat feels great and includes enough depth to pull off technical combos but is also simple and accessible for newcomers to the genre. The story is a miss-fire and lacks the cinematic flair which is within the gameplay. Whilst the aesthetics are basic, it does feel like a fight through a seedy underworld. The addictive gameplay loop makes you want to replay levels to achieve the highest score. Ultimately, Midnight Fight Express achieves what it set out to do: make you feel like an absolute badass.
I’m not sure how I feel about this collection. I didn’t enjoy most of the games I played. And yet, this release does an admirable job gathering up so much Turtles history and memorabilia. You’ve got the games, the box art, the concept sketches, the music, and the TV stills. You have a clear snapshot of the Turtles hype train running at full speed. The effect is so complete this collection feels like a curated museum exhibit. On the other hand, the games are mostly bad. The action is repetitive, the difficulty balance is busted, and the stage design is mostly an afterthought. If you’re looking for a thoughtful essay on Ninja Turtles history, then look no further. If you want a bunch of fun games, The Cowabunga Collection is not for you.
Destroy All Humans! 2 Reprobed is not hard to recommend for gamers who missed it the first time around, or remember it fondly and want to play it again. It looks, sounds and controls like a current title, and most of the jokes hold up just fine. Not all the gameplay mechanics and mission designs feel that fresh anymore, and it can feel simplistic and repetitive against the backdrop of recent action games. Like the remake of the original Destroy All Humans!, it’s hard not to wish that Black Forest had gone further into actual reboot territory, because the narrative bones, characters, and style could be something special in a more open-world, contemporary game.
Cursed to Golf is a great idea for a game. It’s a very difficult 2D golf game with precise controls. Although it’s a Roguelike, I enjoyed it less like I enjoyed Hades, and more like I enjoyed Super Meat Boy. I just can’t believe there are no multiplayer options! And there are some bugs that need fixing. Playing Cursed to Golf was great fun for a few hours, but as a single-player-only experience, I’m not sure how many players will be captivated long enough to try to conquer all 18 holes.
If you’re a fan of Persona 5 with a dash of Yakuza, I can certainly recommend Dusk Diver 2. The characters are incredibly likeable, the environment is bright and vivid. Despite not knowing the full context of the story from the original game, the story in this title was still intriguing. JRPG fans and fans of the hack-n-slash genre should definitely add this one to their playlist.
Tinykin is a joyous trek through the 90s. Full of charm and wonder, the game manages to add to the foundation laid by Pikmin to build a lovely adventure. Every area has lots to find and do which fleshes out the relatively short runtime. While the game lacks challenge, it makes up for it with a bucket load of character. The simple controls and intuitive design reduces any frustration and allows you to freely command your troop. Due to this, you can’t help but smile during the entirety of the game and will enjoy each second.
Overall, its gameplay will keep players coming back for as long as they can stand it.
Despite some tech issues and inconsistent mission design, this kinder, gentler incarnation of Saints Row is probably a step in the right direction.
There are people who will enjoy the dedication to making Way of the Hunter an ultra-realistic hunting simulation. Though I fear those people will instead be spending their days actually hunting. If you play video games to get some immersive feel and still have fun doing that thing you wouldn’t normally do in real life, you might not be as appreciative of the dedication to realism. While I fell into the latter camp, I know there are certainly people in the former camp. You’ll have to decide for yourself if Way of the Hunter is for you.