Toisto's Reviews
Avowed is the most comprehensively captivating fantasy experience since Skyrim. It’s a triumph of old-school role-playing that combines the thrills of Dungeons and Dragons with a sense of joyous wonder I haven’t experienced in years.
Despite the occasional gripe about difficulty, and the fact that this is the third remaster/remake of a title from 30 years ago, Donkey Kong Country HD remains such a joyous experience that it deserves a recommendation.
While Wukong is not a bad game, it's nowhere near the greatness of genre-defining titles like Bloodborne or Dark Souls 3, both over a decade old at this point. Moments of Wukong play it so safe, it feels like a product predating the iconic outings made by From Software.
I want to like Twinsen's Quest more than I do. It has all the elements of the classic game that I love and numerous great ideas and updates that make it worth a revisit. But it's a hard sell to newcomers, yet that's exactly who it should cater to.
Brothership is a great first-time-RPG, one that teaches about the genre as much as it does about kindness and compassion. Give it to someone who hasn't played Final Fantasy yet, and they'll be enamored by the possibilities Acquire's adventure presents. On that level, Brothership is a huge success.
It's a great first effort, one that should place the developers on your radar for whatever they make next. Sometimes that's enough.
It's a LEGO franchise title, which means that yes, you are sort of paying for one big advertisement for their future toys. But does that really matter? I don't think so. Not when the whole is this much fun. And I don't just say that because I bought the tallneck LEGO set. Well, maybe just a little bit.
If you can't get enough of Aloy's world, and you just want to experience it in the highest fidelity available, then Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is well worth the price. You still get a fabulous game, only prettier. That's not nothing.
This is still one of the premiere horror titles around, and one that I'm glad I finally got around to playing. If you haven't tried Until Dawn yet, do yourself a favor and get it the first chance you get. It's a terrifying thrill, one that has a surprisingly high replayability level, thanks to clever writing and game design.
Should Train Yard Builder continue updating as it already has, I hope it takes the time to ease off on certain repetitive tasks. It could also clean out the UI some. If not, I'll live and still enjoy what there is. But mostly, I just wish it will get more content in the future. After all, as all model builders know, the more you build, the more you want to expand.
You will get a bigger, bolder, and more visionary take on the building simulator. One that is unlike anything else out there. But it will be less personal and intimate in return. How much that bothers you is up to everyone to decide for themselves.
If you have kids or friends that come over on the regular, Jamboree is the finest installment in the long-running franchise, and one of the best games you can buy on the Nintendo Switch.
It captures the additive nature of classic city builders of the past and iterates upon them successfully. It's almost a comfort in how familiar it is, yet it never feels stale or repetitive. Instead, Citadelum builds on tradition through innovation and emerges as one of the most satisfying games of the year.
There's a myriad of reasons why I wouldn't recommend Kill Knight for most of my friends, and only a few why I would. But herein lies the beauty of it: Kill Knight does the things right that this particular audience wants, and in doing so it cements itself as one of the best games in its genre. Just as long as you're in that very small subset of gamers who like that kind of thing.
Ara: History Untold is a bold and terrific first game from an interesting studio. I think their sequel will be better. For now, this is a solid title to tide you over until Civilization 7 launches next year. Next time, I wouldn't be surprised if things didn't turn out the opposite, as Ara has room to grow into something even more impressive.
Despite the occasional grumble, I can't fault Echoes of Wisdom for anything consequential. This is one of the most joyous Zelda titles out there, and easily in the top five of any game in the series.
For fans of murder mysteries, thrillers, and visual novels, Emio: The Smiling Man is a must-buy. For everyone else, it’s a solid recommendation with some caveats. You’ll have to adjust to an old-school play style, and it won’t deliver the constant gamification modern titles offer. If you can overlook these aspects, Emio offers a smart, often terrifying experience that is different from anything else out right now.
Astro Bot is a nearly perfect platformer that joyously redefines everything we love about the genre. A must-own title.
This is a game that I can recommend to everyone, regardless of their love of Star Wars, and be comfortably certain they will enjoy it. What a time to be a Star Wars fan.
It’s not a perfect new beginning, but new beginnings rarely are. Instead, it has the growing pains of every long form story that has taken a shift into uncharted territory. We’re only just diving into a big new mythology, and there’s a certain excitement to that uncertainty.