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Hogwarts Legacy is mostly everything it promised it would be. The main story is quite good, the side quests seem endless, and the magical mystery that most know in this wizarding world from books and movies is ever present in this game.
Akka Arrh is a fascinating game that finally gets a proper release after forty years. The gameplay is fast, addictive, and embodies everything great about an 80s arcade experience.
Breakout Beyond from developer Choice Provisions and publisher Atari is a nice tip of the cap to the classic game. While its screen configuration and pacing might be a little jarring for new players, the power-ups and gameplay elements that present good challenges will certainly hook them. The game does a great job of balancing classic Breakout ideas with well-thought-through gameplay design.
Rhythm games are often evaluated on their complexity, soundtrack, and replayability. Rhythm Sprout succeeds in just about all of those categories while also capturing players' attention with some of the funniest writing and story I've seen in a recent game. Despite not taking itself too seriously, Rhythm Sprout is a treat for multiple audiences, especially console players who lack a good rhythm game to get their feet wet into the best of the genre. I sincerely, dare I say desperately, hope that SURT does more with the Rhythm Sprout universe, as it's currently one of the better (if not one of the best) rhythm titles I've played in recent memory.
Metroid Prime Remastered is a solid return to one of the best games in the Nintendo library. Its upgraded visuals, outstanding audio and controls, and timeless adventure is worth the revisit.
Wild Hearts is a massive single-player and co-op hunting game with an RPG backbone supporting it. The mixture of story, creative mechanics, thick strategy, and beautiful visuals makes this a top-tier hunting experience. If the controls could be improved a bit and break from traditional stuck-in-the-action sequences, it would be nearly perfect. Overall, it’s a great first go at a genre that is severely lacking in competition.
Returnal is still a perfect game in my opinion. It hits all the right notes, even when it feels impossibly difficult. The gameplay structure is complicated, precise, and entertaining. The PC upgrade makes the experience even better with superior visuals and a plethora of ways to play the game. This is a superior version of a superior title.
Fashion Police Squad (FPS) is a delightful first-person shooter that's in on the joke of policing obnoxious neons, socks in sandals (who DOES that?!), and the faux pas of ill-fitting suits. Its DOOM-esque shooting and platforming hearkens back to a time where games were less serious, more simple, and in some ways, more fun. If you're a fan of shooting in style, Zoolander, and DOOM, look no further than FPS on the Nintendo Switch. Overly baggy jeans be warned -- Sergeant Des will slap you right into shape!
Mahokenshi is a fun game. It contains a healthy amount of tabletop strategy, an addictive deck-building component, and a dash of RPG elements to keep some motivation going. Its gameplay is challenging and brutal at times but in the end, it works more than it doesn’t.
Dead Space is a remarkable game, and surely one of the bigger surprises that will come out of 2023. EA Motive has done a great job in remaking one of the best horror games from the mid-to-late 2000s era; going as far as making certain segments feel wholly new again. As a player who never played the original, this remake feels like the definitive introduction to the franchise. I'm clamoring for more of Isaac's story, and even perhaps beyond.
Hi-Fi Rush lives up to the hype it has received. It’s a fun experience with a musical backbone that works perfectly with its action platformer roots. Definitely a huge plus for the Xbox family.
Life is Strange 2 on Nintendo Switch is a faithful port of a four-year-old game. The story of brotherly love leaves a lasting impact, even if this aging console continues to show its seams.
The Pathless is still a fun game after all these years. It is driven by a deep story and simple gameplay mechanics. While I would have loved to see a bit more life in the world, the gameplay is still very much engaging and endearing.
What we saw while playing the preview of Battlefield 2042 3.2 update was impressive. Going back to the tried-and-true class system was a great move and it will certainly pay off in pulling players back into Battlefield 2042. I know it’s certainly going to pull me back into the scrum.
Tortuga: A Pirate’s Tale from Gaming Minds Studios and Kalypso is a solid pirate simulator. It gives you a good dose of action and a large dose of complicated backend elements to keep your intellectual simulator side satisfied. While there are some hiccups with the repetitiveness of tasks and a camera with a mind of its own during battles, the game is still entertaining and fulfilling.
Yuppie Psycho: Extended Edition places players in a surreal corporate hellscape. A brisk horror adventure crosses grim visuals and dark humor while providing hours of new content and context.
One Piece Odyssey is a great RPG when the story isn’t getting in the way of its pacing. There is so much to enjoy about the gameplay with its action and creativity, as well as the turn-based structure that is typical of this genre. On its own, the story isn’t too bad either. It is fun and light-hearted with a small sense of good drama to keep it engaging. But the unbalanced space sharing between both gameplay and story causes such a stop-and-go pacing problem that in the end the gameplay experience is so heavily disrupted that it is tough to enjoy the game.
SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is another invaluable entry in Square Enix's increasing catalog of updated games. But this particular PlayStation 1 gem is distinct for its varying risks, impeccable style, and tendency to be different.
Kingdom Rush from Ironhide Game Studio is a casual and fun gameplay experience that doesn’t do too much to entertain but does enough to keep you coming back for more.
On paper, Cyber Hook taps into several gameplay elements that are innately appealing: It encourages high-speed gameplay, it blends parkour platforming with precision, and its retrowave environments look really freaking cool. But, its PlayStation implementation is somewhat buggy, hindering the momentum further beyond progression decisions that already prevent players from blazing through the games. I want to believe that Blazing Stick will continue to support the PlayStation version and iron out some of the kinks (and hopefully release new content, too), as its current implementation leaves much to be desired.