Reviews
OlliOlli World Review
Feb 03, 2022
We haven’t had a new OlliOlli game for 7 years, but thankfully that drought is finally over. OlliOlli World is the third installment in the skateboarding platforming series, and is easily the best so far. Roll7 has revived the series with a new look, a new publisher, but have left the gameplay largely untouched. This is one of the finest skateboarding games out there with incredible depth and detail. OlliOlli World is simply sublime, carefully balancing accessibility and challenge in one magnificent game that’s not to be missed.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human Review
Feb 02, 2022
Christopher Cross sang, “Don’t surrender to the dying light; don’t take it lying down.” The world has changed as the first cutscene plays before getting to the main menu, catching us up from where we left off from Dying Light, and things are not entirely for the better leading in to Dying Light 2 Stay Human. Humanity is put to the test, possibly its last; so there’s an undying hope, an unwavering passion to persist against the face of extinction. Techland has been doing the zombie thing for a while now, and I’ve yet to tire of their vision of a zombie apocalypse – I’m fascinated by all the dimensions that they explore. While there’s a deeper focus on relationships, actions, and consequences, there’s no forgetting what this game is really about: zombie slaying with inventive melee weapons, utilizing a now expanded parkour moveset, a larger focus on role-playing, and even a city to save.
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem Review
Jan 25, 2022
It may not be apparent that Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem is a standalone expansion to Serious Sam 4, mainly because it doesn’t have four in the title, but it is. Inserting itself into the main game as a lost episode opens the door for creativity without fitting into a mold. Timelock Studio (the developer formed out of making this expansion) offers up a challenging and memorable game, a rare case where it exceeds its predecessor. Croteam put hundreds of enemies onscreen and worked it around the gameplay. Timelock Studio instead built gameplay around the hundreds of enemies onscreen, and that’s the key to its brilliance and brutal difficulty within it.
God of War (PC) Review
Jan 21, 2022
Boy! It feels good to have more PlayStation games on PC, though I’d like to see PlayStation 5 games and not just several years old PlayStation 4 games. Santa Monica Studio re-invents Kratos and the God of War mythos to an exceptional degree, while still having threads tie back to the original series. Every element of God of War is so carefully thought out and well-executed. It’s all punctuated by punishing combat and powerful moments that simply have to be experienced for yourself. Nearly four years after its original release, those who don’t have a PlayStation for one reason or another can now enjoy it. God of War is an essential PlayStation game that’s now an essential PC game, as well.
Windjammers 2 Review
Jan 20, 2022
An arcade phenomenon rife with sun-soaked beaches, gigantic plastic sunglasses, musclebound athletes in tiny bathing suits, and a high-energy new-wave fusion of frisbee and tennis,Windjammers was a near perfect encapsulation of the essence of the mid 1990’s. It sat right at home in the NEO•GEO lineup, its cerulean attract screen and iconic theme music daring you not to jam your precious quarters into its slots and challenge your friends to the ultimate in Flying Power Disc competition. Now twenty five(!) years later, DotEmu is releasing a long-awaited sequel in Windjammers 2 which looks to update and upgrade the classic gameplay of the original into something that will endure for another quarter century or more.
Pupperazzi Review
Jan 20, 2022
I. Love. Dogs. I’m constantly taking pictures of them: my dogs, my family’s dogs, my friend’s dogs, dogs dogs dogs. So when I heard there was a game in development where the goal was to take photos of all sorts of doggos, I nearly jumped out of my seat! Pupperazi tasks you with exploring small stages in the pursuit of capturing the best pictures of the local pups. Along the way, you’ll see fun dogs, tired dogs, excited dogs, playful dogs, costumed dogs, and so much more.
Nobody Saves the World Review
Jan 18, 2022
DrinkBox Studios always delivers a twist on a well-worn genre to rework the formula. In Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, it was a terrific puzzle-platformer with a B-movie backdrop. And in the Guacamelee! duology, it was a Metroidvania soaked in Mexican history with luchador action. Now with Nobody Saves the World, it’s an action RPG where instead of rolling multiple characters, you play as a single character that’s comprised of multiple classes that you can switch to on-the-fly. DrinkBox Studios demonstrates how sure-footed they are in what they’ve made, because there’s such an enchanting world with delightful role-playing elements and varied gameplay you’ve gotta play.
MONSTER HUNTER RISE (PC) Review
Jan 14, 2022
Depending on what you like to get out of a Monster Hunter game, 2021’s release of Monster Hunter Rise on the Nintendo Switch was the best the series has ever been. By taking all of the lessons from Monster Hunter World, which was a huge leap forward for the series already, and shipping perhaps the purest distillation of all the things that make Monster Hunter great with almost all of the fluff and unnecessary friction removed, Capcom has landed on what is by far the most fun and most easily accessible Monster Hunter yet. The PC release of Rise is now upon us, and unsurprisingly it’s still an incredible game, especially now that it’s allowed to show us its full potential on considerably more powerful hardware.
Solar Ash Review
Dec 30, 2021
Skating across the strata of ruined wastes of planets long ago pulled across the event horizon, leaping between outcroppings and weaving through ruined civilizations against the backdrop of impossible geology, you can’t help but wonder how you’ve never played anything like this before. From its striking first moments of staring down the business end of a beautifully rendered accretion disk and plunging straight into the Ultravoid on your interstellar skates, Solar Ash is oozing with style, grace, and all of the neon-drenched sci-fi trappings you can handle. The game tells a story of sacrifice and loss using exploration as its primary device, and traversing the void to uncover its secrets (and hopefully save your planet) is an utterly sublime experience.
Epic Chef Review
Dec 30, 2021
Epic Chef looked like a game that would tickle my fancy. It’s a cooking-focused game composed of farm sim-ing, a dash of Iron Chef cooking battles, and crafting. So imagine tossing Stardew Valley, Battle Chef Brigade, and Minecraft into a stand mixer. The resulting batter is Epic Chef. The game is quite a fun experience out of the oven, but it’s not one without some faults; it’s still a fun experience nonetheless.
Date Night Bowling Review
Dec 27, 2021
You got your dating sim in my bowling game, no you got your bowling game in my dating sim! Date Night Bowling is a nifty combo of an arcade bowling title mashed up with some dating sim elements that end up feeling too light on content.
The Gunk Review
Dec 16, 2021
The Gunk comes from Thunderful Development, formerly known as Image & Form. While not a SteamWorld game, it has the intimate characteristics that have made those games such successes: tight gameplay, a rousing story, and unmatched exploration. While the story beats are formulaic and well-worn territory, it maintains your interest throughout to uncover this wide-reaching mystery. Cleaning up has never been so fun or as satisfying, and in The Gunk, you might just even save a civilization and the whole planet.
Thrustmaster TCA Yoke Pack Boeing Edition Review
Dec 14, 2021
Thrustmaster has been at the forefront of flight hardware, up until now releasing HOTAS (Hands-On Throttle And Stick) systems. For the first time Thrustmaster has, in partnership with Boeing developed a yoke system, and their first entry is a home run. This is the de facto way to play flight sims if you’re going for complete accuracy in your flight sims. The Thrustmaster TCA Yoke Pack Boeing Edition is simply in a league all its own, highly customizable, and feels like you’re flying a cloud.
Firegirl: Hack ‘n Splash Rescue Review
Dec 13, 2021
$17.99The concept of a firefighting game with a woman as the lead is immediately attention grabbing. Developer Dejima does well at making a great looking, playing, and feeling game centered around Firegirl. However, Firegirl: Hack ’n Splash Rescue fails to spark any long-term interest despite having a metagame for improving yourself and the firehouse you work for, the more you play. There’s some interesting story beats, but they’re predictable. Firegirl: Hack ’n Splash Rescue has the embers to start something big, but never fully catches fire.
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon Review
Dec 12, 2021
Bumping into people is seen as discourteous or even offensive in most circumstances. Which stands to reason how Shovel Knight & Friends use this as their primary form of attacking in this Dr Mario meets Wizardry mash-up of genres with Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon. It takes the concept of falling block puzzle games and wraps in the confines of movement like a classic dungeon-crawler. The result is an endlessly entertaining and challenging experience that’s also highly customizable to tailor to the way you want to play. This is an equally great game for those who know Shovel Knight well from his previous adventure, or have yet to meet him as this is a great introduction who may not enjoy platformers. There’s so much to love about Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, because no matter little or much time you have to spend, you’re always rewarded for your efforts.
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