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Jurassic World Evolution 3 has the workings of a solid game, complete with options for newcomers and genre fans alike. The hardcore fans may not find enough here to satiate their sim appetites, but the appeal of dinosaurs is hard to resist. Even if this is a game, there aren't many consequences to your in-game actions; the big hurdle is learning to navigate the game's many menus while using a controller. Thankfully, you can pause the game and make choices, but even though it's a welcome option, this still feels more like a hotfix rather than a design choice. $60 isn't an attractive asking price right now, but it might be too much to ask for those on the fence, even if there are dinosaurs on the other side of said fence.
If you're craving the wholesale slaughtering of otherworldly beings, Painkiller has you covered despite a myriad of superior alternatives. You'll enjoy buddying up with co-operative pals and relish in the carnage of the game's meaty weaponry. However, if you're a veteran of the arena shooter or a learned observer, you'll find Painkiller is far too similar to the genre's juggernauts than can be comfortably accepted.
Another home run for those wizards at Digital Eclipse whom I hope will never stop weaving their game preservation magic, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection isn't just a pitch-perfect trip down memory lane, it's a love letter, a tantalising peeling back of the curtain, a look behind the scenes of one of the most legendary and landmark videogame franchises ever made. If you have even the smallest modicum of fondness for gaming's original bad boy, then the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is as essential as essential can be.
Wreckreation takes a very specific direction. For what it's worth, it's still a fun time. Regardless, it still feels more like a reimagining of Need for Speed Most Wanted with elements of Burnout and Hot Wheels rather than a full-on open-world Burnout game. The game includes its fair share of issues, such as pacing, rules around crashing, and general oddities when interacting with objects in the world. Having said that, there's definitely fun to be had here; it perhaps just needs some extra attention that a ten-person development team may not have the resources to apply. $40 is a bit of a hard sell for what's on display here unless you are craving another Burnout Paradise or Need for Speed: Most Wanted clone.
It's another swing and a hit for Square Enix. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake upgrades the first two games in the legendary franchise with improved combat, refined writing, and a much-improved story across both games. Meanwhile, the incredible visuals and a fantastic soundtrack round out a package that should make any JRPG fan giddy with excitement.
Though Streets of Rage 4 remains the bar to pass, Double Dragon Revive even feels markedly less satisfying than the excellent Double Dragon: Rise of the Dragons which was released a little over two years ago. That said, while Double Dragon Revive does implement some neat mechanics which would serve future games well, the lackluster 3D character models and dull worlds act to its ultimate detriment, resulting in plodding combat that rarely satisfies or compels. If this was intended to be a true revival of Double Dragon, then someone forgot to bring along the soul because what we've ended up with is a hollow facsimile of what Double Dragon should be, rather than an evolved celebration of everything we loved about it in the first place.
A good sequel makes sure to keep all of its main components the same while enhancing what makes those components enjoyable. PowerWash Simulator 2 manages that in spades. Providing new equipment, changing how you use soap, and adding meaningful elements to the gameplay loop keep the formula fresh without dirtying up what makes the game a fan favorite. At $25, PowerWash Simulator 2 is a steal.
I can well imagine that when you're situated in a hydraulic miniature car attached to an arcade machine that is blaring out the audiovisual presentation of Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition at full tilt, that it's something of a compelling if not a mildly intoxicating quick fix of arcade racing goodness. At home however, and stripped of such performative trickery, Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition fails to impress and really needs much more meat wrapped around its bones to justify its existence away from the din of the arcade scene which birthed it.
The Outer Worlds 2 excels on almost all fronts, presenting you with an open RPG that lets you choose how you progress while still keeping you on a clear path. The in-game systems allow you to customize how you play and give you versatility in the choices you make along the way. Combine that with great writing, and you have a recipe for success. Equipment menus are a bit clunky, enemy encounters can be manipulated, and the act of looting takes some getting used to. Still, none of these issues will keep you from enjoying the game. The Outers Worlds 2 is worth every penny of the $70 it asks for.
Once Upon A Katamari feels like a confident step back into the series after having a crack at some remasters, and feels like a game that perfectly follows up on what those remasters set out to do. Everything that we all love about Katamari is still here and absolutely kicking. Small reservations with the progression system do precious little to take away from what is - ultimately - one of the most pure and appealing game concepts ever put to players. An absolutely fantastic return to form for a legacy franchise.
Maybe Ninja Gaiden 4 could be the weird transition game that helps the franchise find a new path in future entries. Like I said before, there is a good combat loop here. It just lacks the refinement and potency that fans have come to expect from this franchise. The Ninja Gaiden stories have never been complicated or over-the-top, but this one offers very little substantive content or drama to get its hooks in you. It's not perfect by any stretch of the word, but the right person can find a good time here.
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 might not be the sequel that folk from 2004 wanted for their game, but it is the game we've got. Though largely sparse open world and technical issues are hardly encouraging, the beautifully evocative interior environments, surprisingly engaging traversal and combat mechanics, together with its neatly unconventional 'buddy movie' conceit which sees two vampires attempting to inhabit the same body and each with their own motivations, makes Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 a good deal more intriguing than I originally expected it to be.
Borderlands 4 doesn't reinvent the Vault-it just rebuilds it stronger. The writing occasionally misfires, and the performance hitches are unacceptable in a AAA series like this. Still, the moment-to-moment thrill of firing absurdly designed weapons at even more absurd enemies carries the experience. It's messy, noisy, and entirely too much at times-but that's Borderlands at its most honest. Gearbox hasn't made a flawless sequel, but it's made a hell of a fun one.
A breath of fresh malodorous air, Blood West's take on ponderous demonic murder in a Wild West that is as weird as it is wild feels overdue for a setting that has otherwise stagnated with traditional open world efforts and fairly dunderheaded shooters. Sure, it's a little rough around the edges and the low-poly, retro 90s visuals invariably won't be for everyone, but there's an old-fashioned earnestness to its design and approach to progression that is almost overwhelmingly endearing all the same.
Bye Sweet Carole delivers on the promise of a narrative-driven horror experience with the visual inspiration for classic Disney cartoons. Though it succeeds in this endeavor, it falls short of keeping you engaged with frustratingly unresponsive controls and easy stalker encounters.
Blow for blow, Yooka-Replaylee is a quality 3D platformer. It does what it needs to do and does so in a way that's inoffensive and pretty bogstandard. My issues with the game come from its existence as a replacement for a game with genuinely interesting ideas. Replaylee does away with every interesting wrinkle in favour of an experience that, unfortunately, falls far too close to certain other games for me to want to prioritise this one. It's a bizarre exercise in overcorrection that misses what the original game was literally made for. Is it a better game than the original? Probably. But it's a lesser imitation of its far more modern inspirations.
Little Nightmares III is generally a successful sequel thanks to its refined mechanics and the integration of co-op to its particular brand of horror experience. If you've played previous Little Nightmares games, you can rest assured that Little Nightmares III will bring you another deformed slice of horror you'll be eager to lap up. However, the formula of Little Nightmares hasn't changed and although it all works wonderfully well and you shouldn't try to fix what the wrench cannot, Little Nightmares deserves something more ambitious in the future. For right now though, fill those baleful boots and enjoy this unhinged third course.
An absolute treat that kept me coming back for more. Absolum does a lot right, and it's all due to the hard work of DotEmu and Guard Crush's previous efforts. With incredible combat, stunning visuals, and a soundtrack that packs so much variety, it's hard to imagine how DotEmu can top themselves after Absolum.
Battlefield 6 is a spectacle with jaw dropping visuals and sublime audio, while delivering their best multiplayer offering in many years. However, despite it being predominantly a multiplayer experience, its campaign plays it far too safe, and feels all too familiar.
Baby Steps won't click with everyone, but if you have the patience, it delivers one of the most memorable and oddly inspiring platformers in years. Every laugh comes with frustration, every fall makes the next step sweeter, and the whole thing somehow feels worth it. It's clumsy and challenging, but also one of the most charmingly human games you'll play this generation.