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Game developer, Prideful Sloth, places a premium on marrying narrative storytelling with detailed world building. This is a great game for players who just want to unwind or for parents looking for a safe game for their children to play.
For any console player who already owns the Special Edition, some of the improvements of the Anniversary Edition are already available as free patches. Those folks will find the Anniversary Edition a reasonably priced add-on. It provides a significant new quest, some new mechanics, a new mode, and lots of cosmetic additions, plus access to the Creation Club and mods. Just don’t expect a graphical facelift. For console gamers without any experience of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at all, the Anniversary Edition is definitely the version to pick up. With the Elder Scrolls VI in production, the Anniversary Edition is most likely (and hopefully) the final version of a seriously aging but still viable classic RPG.
While Next Space Rebels’ story tends to run a bit long and the middle part feels like a grind, it’s still a great loop with FMV actors playing out the weird times we find ourselves in. It made me consider just what it was actually like to grind out an existence as an influencer at the mercy of a platform’s whims when you start with a small idea of building a soda bottle rocket in a field. Hopefully, people do stand up against the predictable dystopia we find ourselves hurtling towards. And if they do it with rockets, maybe we’re all the better for it.
It’s interesting how ENCODYA began as a short film called ‘Robot Will Protect You’ before becoming a game and story. It is a wonderful adventure and honestly, Tina and SAM’s relationship was nothing but heartwarming. For fans of the point-and-click genre or a good cyberpunk-themed story, you should definitely check this one out as it’s certainly worth a try. I’m hoping the frame rate issue is because of the age of my machine and not because of possible poor optimization for the previous generations of consoles, or that a patch is forthcoming to address the problem.
Here’s the thing, though; despite every issue that the GTA: DE suffers from, I’ve still been having a good time with it. Which is simply a testament to how well-written the Grand Theft Auto series is. The GTA: DE needs a patch. Or, maybe, it needs a boatload of patches. Though, I still find myself enjoying the over-the-top storylines, ridiculous dialogue, and outrageous mission structure. It’s hard to call these definitive, but still easy to call them classics.
As much as I loved playing through the Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster, I can’t call it the definitive version. A definitive version would have the GBA bonus content, the PS1 cutscenes, the option to switch graphics and music, and multiple difficulties. But what we have is a beautiful version of a JRPG classic that has not been widely distributed outside of Japan. It’s an amazing game that holds up really well today. So, if anyone from Square-Enix is reading this review, please release the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters on console, with physical editions. I would buy the heck outta that.
Aside from the in-your-face self-promotion, lack of evolution, and sketchy phone control, Just Dance 2022 retains the positive elements that have kept both would-be and accomplished dancers coming back for each new version. The starting setlist is relatively strong, and there are lots of options to craft the experience. How long the good times last probably depends on whether you’re willing to finally cave and buy into the Unlimited option to get your sweaty hands on those 700 other songs. There’s a way in which Just Dance 2022 feels more like a starter pack than a full game, but it’s still a great excuse for us sedentary endomorphs with multiple left feet to move and have fun.
Overall, the first chapter comes together as a wonderfully fun and exciting dungeon crawler. Shadowgate is a superior first VR effort from the Zojoi team. They have struck an engaging balance between the roots of the game, the tropes of the fantasy genre, and the spatial and immersion possibilities that VR offers for gaming. Hopefully, there will be more VR chapters of the Shadowgate saga to enjoy in the future.
Brilliant Pearl feels well-crafted yet confused, like they pursued several disparate visions at once. If you can see past these strange decisions, you’ll find a set of pretty respectable Pokemon games.
As it is, The Last Stand: Aftermath distinguishes itself from other zombie survival/roguelite games by virtue of its unique new character respawn idea and the incredibly detailed and believable post-zombie apocalypse world it imagines.
The idea of Sherlock Holmes essentially investigating his own origins is an intriguing conceit, though that’s really only a small element of Sherlock Holmes Chapter One. The invented island of Cordona is a great backdrop for commentary on the late Victorian British Empire in all its excessive and tone-deaf glory, though again, those considerations are secondary. Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is, at heart, a collection of large and small mysteries to be solved, the chance to inhabit the mind of a legendary polymath and play detective with a wide and deep arsenal of tools and toys. Although the series is still bogged down by its fiddly mechanics and the pace can move too slowly for us fidgety gamers, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is far more ambitious in scope than its series predecessors and may represent a new, high bar for the franchise.
Kathy Rain: DIrector’s Cut is definitely the edition of the game anyone new to the title should play. It polishes up the original, keeps the original characterization, expands some of the plot, and adds some quality of life improvements that go a long way for this short adventure. If you’ve been craving an adventure game that stokes some old nostalgia of the 90’s and VHS tapes, then look no further.
Despite being frustrated by the initial limitations of the Sandbox Mode and the lackluster campaign, I found a lot to enjoy and appreciate about Jurassic World Evolution 2. Chaos Theory is an engaging and creative way of blending the iconic films into the game, and the new aquatic and flying dinosaurs are among the best of many new animals. Building and managing a theme park full of impossibly ancient animals is challenging and rewarding, and despite some annoyances, the game also manages to retain many grin-worthy moments of wonder at the improbable. People and dinosaurs just aren’t meant to be in the same place at the same time.
Hoplegs is really a masterpiece in its own genre of ridiculousness, though it may not be for everyone. The par time is hard to reach, to the point where I think the numbers are made up because there’s no way everyone can reach the checkpoint in under 3 minutes. Though the solo mode may be easier to reach the preferred time, playing with other people and completing levels together under the expected time is a near impossible task. Despite that, however, multiplayer is the way to go if you want to enjoy Hoplegs. This simple and creative game wasted two hours of my precious date night, I hate how long it took but I also love how it took us two hours to do the bare minimum.
The ambient weight of the setting provides essential context. We’re watching the antagonists as they struggle with impending defeat. Every glimpse of the flagship Gundam across enemy lines spins up genuine dread. Yet even this power is used too sparingly. The Gundam franchise is a massive, sweeping saga whose greatest battles are also remarkably intimate. Colossal wars are distilled into two machines engaging in physical and ideological struggles. So far, this is markedly absent from Code Fairy. Hopefully, the next two volumes find more solid narrative footing.
All in all, these are minor points to one of the best Battlefields we’ve had in a while. It’s rekindled my excitement for the series for sure. With new modes like Hazard Zone and the ability to play old games like Bad Company 2 remastered, the game is full of content, even without single-player. If you’ve been thinking of diving into BF, whether it is your return or a first in the series, Battlefield 2042 might be exactly what you were looking for.
It’s still a good story, though, with an arc and characters that impressed 2003 Star Wars fans and RPG players hungry for more of what they loved best. Mechanically, the moment-to-moment gameplay definitely shows its age and the writing isn’t as strong or nuanced as we might remember it being. There’s a bit of consolation prize sadness around this unadorned, unimproved semi-museum piece coming to Switch, which won’t be seeing Aspyr’s remake when it’s released. Knights of the Old Republic looks and plays like the exceptionally good game it most certainly was in 2003, but it’s hard not to see, hear and feel all the ways in which games have moved on since.
Overall, Roki was a big win in my book. Initially, I found its family-friendly focus to be a detriment to my enjoyment in my first sitting with it. In my second, I began to appreciate more of what it was going for, and in my third sitting, I played for 5 hours without even realizing it. Roki has a lot going for it, including a unique story, well-done but straightforward mechanics, and a simply beautiful art style. Don’t let this one slip past you like a tomte hiding in his hat.
Treasures of the Aegean is an intriguing and audacious game. Giving you complete freedom, you can decide how you want to tackle the enormous environment. Due to the protagonist’s free-flowing approach to traversal, you can gracefully cruise through areas to discover the plethora of secrets that are buried within. Whilst some may be deterred by that lack of a clear objective, those who crave an adventure that gives you control should definitely check out this liberating trip to a lost, ancient world.
Tunche is a refreshing take on an established genre. The incredible aesthetics will immediately make this one stand out amongst its peers but its faithful implementation of mechanics hinders the experience. Whilst the rogue-lite features put a fun twist on every run, the repetitive combat can quickly become tiresome. Although there are a few issues, it’s certainly an interesting game that shines when playing with others.