Digital Chumps
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Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a good entry into the RPG and 2.5D platforming genres that will give newer and younger players a taste of what similar games of this genre should look like. Its charm, simplicity, and accessibility can become overshadowed by the amount of conversation, but those who love reading will have a good time with this game. It's beautifully charming, and it was clearly made with love. Just be sure to temper your expectations.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows from Monochrome is a cleverly designed game that puzzle-loving gamers will enjoy. The range of difficulty helps to sell this, as does the level design and characters you confront in the game. If you don't like puzzle games, then this probably won't bring you into the genre.
Rollerdrome is one of the most unique combo-building games in years. Its combination of Tony Hawk-style skating with Max Payne-esque gunplay is a joy to play. Nailing combos while taking down a swath of diverse enemies does feel nice, even if it does get a bit overwhelming at times. Plenty of players will find a ton of challenges in repeat playthroughs of levels to achieve everything, and will assuredly be able to pull off some sweet moments.
Moonlight Kids have a hit on their hands with The Wild at Heart. It brings a strong narrative, some clever puzzles, and enough of an endearing journey to make it one of the better releases this holiday season on the PlayStation.
G-Darius HD is a fun trip down memory lane and reminds us that arcade games knew how to eat up your quarters. It will certainly frustrate common gamers out there, but for nostalgia-seeking suckers like myself, it was fun frustration.
This is one of the best 3D fighting games released in years, made only better since its original release thanks to patching and gobs of extra content along the way. This is the culmination of about four and a half years of new content and tweaks, and serves as a celebratory release, a call for hold-outs to finally jump in, and a closing of the chapter of Tekken 7. Surely all eyes will be looking for news of Tekken 8 next year and into 2023, and it will be exciting to see where Harada and Bandai Namco take the series next.
Lost Ark is a wonderfully fun MMOARPG with a compelling story and unique gameplay. If you can wrap your head around it all, that is. The game itself is a breath of fresh air with its 2.5D style and fast-paced combat. However, for an "open-world" RPG, Lost Ark takes its time opening the world to you. A barrage of info-dumps for lore and tutorials make Lost Ark overwhelming at first. With some time, exploring, and no shortage of patience, you can see what Lost Ark really has to offer.
As designed, Sable is a freeform journey across gorgeous landscapes in pursuit self-discovery. Agency is at a premium and the player can go as far as their initiative can take them. As executed on an Xbox One, Sable is a devastating technical calamity unfit for basic service. It was a cruelty to observe the heights Sable was capable of reaching and yet not be able to experience them for myself.
Grapple Dog is an excellent proof of concept for a 2D action platformer that requires you to swing through levels and traverse through the air as an adorable pup. While I did enjoy the gameplay despite the quirky movement, I couldn't help but wish there was more, as Medallion Games are onto something fun, charming, groovy, and unique with Pablo. I hope to see this game optimized and updated for the Switch, as the gameplay issues I encountered slightly detracted from this short but sweet indie platforming gem. Need I remind you to pet Pablo every time you complete a level? Please give him all the pets; he deserves it.
Flynn: Son of Crimson is an excellent indie specimen of what makes action platformers great. The refreshing combat system and beautiful yet increasingly complex level design will remind you of what you loved the most from your childhood platforming classics. Aside from Flynn's unfortunately short length, I am quite excited to see more from Studio Thunderhorse, as they created a fantastic game. And they let me pet a gigantic dog.
Loopmancer has difficulty committing to the hallmarks of better roguelites, making progression a chore. But past the questionable localization and writing is an action-focused platformer with personality and a few good ideas.
Battlefield 2042 is a good game at its core. It's fun, frantic, and as engrossing as Battlefield has ever been. While the launch has been filled with a myriad of technical issues that I failed to mention in this review, those are sure to be ironed out over the next few months. The majority of maps are too large to be impactful, the Specialist system has taken away a core aspect of what makes Battlefield work as a franchise, and the tone of the game is often at odds with itself. But through it all, I'm still enjoying my time blowing things up, screaming and laughing with friends, and making more of those Battlefield memories.
Deathloop brilliantly transcends its shackles as an amalgamation of "Arkane's Greatest Hits" by offering players a thrilling, stylish take on shooters. Combat puzzles involving webs of untruths and harrowing escapes turn Blackreef into a time loop you won't want to break from.
In short, Bravely Default II gives you reasons to grind, reasons to explore, reasons to learn, and reasons to listen. Square Enix and Claytechworks have ported an already fantastic Switch JRPG to PC (Steam), albeit with mostly graphical improvements. Bravely Default II (PC) is an excellent JRPG for those new to the series and want to relive the strategy found in Final Fantasy V OR for those familiar with the Bravely series who have yet to play BDII on the Nintendo Switch. The improvements that exist in the PC (Steam) version elevate BDII's quality, but there is little reason to purchase this game if you're already playing it on the Switch.
Dovetail Games provides an accurate train simulator. It's unforgiving, brutal at times, but oddly relaxing and fun when things start running smoothly. It is truly a train simulator.
I want to have faith that Ion Driver is a proof of concept for something bigger and better from Gammera Nest, but what currently exists is less of a test of racing skill and more of a test of patience for a futuristic racing enthusiast. The lack of content, inconsistent hit detection, and buggy racing experience will leave you disappointed. You will see everything Ion Driver has to offer within a few minutes of playing the game, so don't expect an experience of progression, futuristic and high-speed racing, nor skill.
At the end of the day, the upgrades from the PS4 version aren’t massive, but they are significant. If you’re looking for a solid sniping FPS on PS5, not only is SGWC2 you’re only choice, but also it’s a great one.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut is truly a masterpiece, much like its original release. It introduces an entirely new and separate experience with Iki while bringing and refining the beauty of the gameplay and visuals.
NEO: The World Ends with You was absolutely worth the fourteen year wait. Its unique battle system, beautiful art, and accessibility for multiple audiences make it worthwhile. Beyond that, the lack of a grind and ability to play as you want make this JRPG worthy of being added to your collection. Although the menus can contribute to information overload and the game itself is fairly linear, NEO: TWEWY succeeds in telling a unique and engaging story without the slog of other games in the JRPG genre. In short: NEO: TWEWY is outstanding; be warned: you will become addicted.
DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX+ is as thin as $40 can stretch the fifth iteration of its namesake. Its cumulative and sweeping arrangement of DariusBurst's horizontal shooting excellence is, objectively speaking, worth an investment of time. Its position against Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours in the same marketplace, along with its own slapdash assembly, weakens its necessity in any enthusiast's collection.