Reviews
Skate City Review
May 03, 2021
The collaboration between developers Agens, Room8, and publisher Snowman gives Skate City a sense of both style and substance. Originally released in late 2019 for Apple Arcade, it has finally made its way to PC and consoles. The game is no poser, as it successfully bridges a gap between arcade and realistic skateboarding games that evokes prior games, but defines itself as something wholly unique. Skate City is not a place, it’s a state of mind.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (PC) Review
Apr 27, 2021
The final chapter in Kazama Kiryu’s story has at last made its way to the PC, bringing this portion of his story to the platform and sporting a set of improvements that make this a fitting way to complete out the core series’ availability for PC players. Already hailed as a critical success and a high point for the series, the question now is how well does this particular installment translate, especially given the stellar Yakuza: Like a Dragon‘s showing on PC in late 2020. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is the first Yakuza series entry to utilize the Dragon Engine, which we’ve seen do some impressive things since its initial release. In keeping with the excellent work that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has been doing on all of its PC releases in recent history, Yakuza 6 runs impeccably well on PC is what I would consider the definitive version of an already excellent game.
It Takes Two Review
Apr 23, 2021
It Takes Two delivers one of the best cooperative gaming experiences on record, wrapped in a visually stunning package that exudes whimsy and adventure, and is accessible to players of nearly all skill levels. It’s a playful, genuinely enthusiastic romp through an incredible adventure about a couple in a fractured relationship, with inspired mechanics and pitch-perfect humor, and though the story has some pacing issues, it’s still a knockout hit that’s easy to recommend to anyone.
MotoGP 21 Review
Apr 22, 2021
While the world is on the path of lifting lockdowns and reducing restrictions, motorsports and specifically MotoGP have been operating on a modified schedule. With MotoGP 21 you can play the season as-is you can play that or the full schedule as it was intended to be. With a pandemic impacting development, it’s clear why some modes and features have gone missing, but they are losses all the same. This year’s entry makes its debut on the new generation of consoles, but does so by being stagnant off-the-line.
Crash Dive 2 Review
Apr 20, 2021
Crash Dive 2, or Crash Dive II: The Silent Service as the game’s art shows, is an open and tactical experience in which you’re at the helm for every decision or indecision. While the game is designed for mobile and tablet devices, it’s a game that translates well to PC. The first game was released on the same devices and systems in 2015, so it’s long overdue for a follow-up. It’s also a lightweight and scalable game that can be played in short bursts or long sessions, giving you that control on how much you want to pursue. Crash Dive 2 is featured-loaded and offers more than I could have thought of to have in a sequel.
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark Review
Apr 15, 2021
After rebooting the sun using a rocket imbued with a gemstone from the help of druids while in Ireland, I knew The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark was something special. Spooky Doorway returns in spooktacular fashion with Season 2 of their comedy slash supernatural point-and-click adventure series, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark. While it’s entirely new, it manages to feel like classic adventure games while relying on its satirical and sardonic humor established in the debut entry. If you need a good laugh, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark shines with every written word.
Astro Aqua Kitty Review
Apr 13, 2021
As someone who’s reviewed every incarnation of Aqua Kitty there has been, the unique blend of Defender and Gradius has been so joyous to experience time and time again. When I heard Astro Aqua Kitty was dropping the arcade aspect and adding RPG mechanics like multiple characters, experience points, quests, and loot – it was exactly the follow-up I didn’t know I wanted. This is a game that will have you hooked for at least a dozen hours, per character. Tikipod does it again; with its irresistible charm, gorgeous visuals, and effortless gameplay, Astro Aqua Kitty is the cat’s meow.
Evil Genius 2: World Domination Review
Mar 29, 2021
I couldn’t be more embarrassed than when I lost power to my base; because this then released all the imprisoned enemy agents, who then assaulted my minions, and eluded my pursuing security team. They were essentially home free as they ran through my casino, and ultimately escaped without a trace. This is a lowlight for my evil, supposed genius. Reflecting back on this little incident, I was able to better beef up my security, traps, and overall layout to make escapes a lot less easier going forward. For a game that originally released in 2004 from Elixir Studios, the sequel serves as a great reintroduction that doesn’t miss a step. It’s been a sleepy period for the genre, but I can’t think of anything as devilishly clever as Evil Genius 2: World Domination to reawaken it.
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse Review
Mar 19, 2021
There’s something special about Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse. It’s a bizarre thing too, and not just from a gameplay design choices from 16 years ago. It’s peculiar because it’s a game from three console generations ago, and it just resurfaced as it got re-released by publisher Aspyr. Now available on all modern consoles and PC, it looks and plays just how I remember. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse may not have been a massive hit, but it’s looked back on fondly. Now this is different kind of zombie game, and it’s a good way to kill the time. “Would Anyone Like A Peanut?”
Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review
Mar 18, 2021
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is easily one of the most unique and most memorable entries in the franchise to date, and it’s a stunning entry point for new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga. Shedding the brawler roots of its predecessors, Like a Dragon sports a fully-fledged RPG combat system that leans into Ichi’s love of Dragon Quest, combined with the incredible storytelling and unforgettable characters that have long been hallmarks of the Yakuza games. Ichi’s tale is tragic on many levels, yet his unyielding resilience and optimism in the face of adversity makes him incredibly endearing and fun to watch. He’s impossible not to root for, and his enthusiasm for life and adventure will carry you through this over the top, silly, and heartfelt romp through the back alleys and seedy corners of Injincho.
Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 Review
Mar 17, 2021
In 2019, I reviewed Monster Jam Steel Titans and felt it was middle of the road. I’m here now with the sequel, Steel Titans 2, and though I think: it’s an upgrade, and there are things the game does that make my time with it less than enjoyable. The initial presentation of colorful open worlds feels deceitful when you find out there mostly isn’t much to do within them. Overall, you find out quickly how much of a slog things are.
Stronghold: Warlords Review
Mar 16, 2021
While it may not hold the same prestige it once used to, the Stronghold series is still one of the best. It offered sieging and defending within a real-time strategy wrapper. Firefly Studios returns with the first new Stronghold game in over five years with Stronghold: Warlords, offering an exciting new direction. While less of a sieging kind of game, and more of a traditional real-time strategy game, there’s a foundation laid here that Stronghold: Warlords shows a lot of promise for its future, and possible sequels.
Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron – Flyboyz Edition Review
Mar 15, 2021
Arcade-style dogfighting games are a rare find these days, and coupled with taking place in the Warhammer 40K universe — this one’s a unicorn. With Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron – Flyboyz Edition, Phosphor Game Studios has brought their mobile game to PC, though the transition is a bit rough. The game’s controls are not standard, sounds clips often repeat, and mission objectives are rote. Thankfully, Orks are arguably the best thing in anything Warhammer, which might keep things entertaining long enough to see what this has to offer — maybe.
RetroMania Wrestling Review
Mar 15, 2021
RetroMania Wrestling has been given all the blessings to be the official sequel to 1991’s WWF Wrestlefest. In the thirty years since that game, a lot of superstars have come and gone that could appear here, but don’t. And despite its sequel status, the limited roster keeps it from being larger than life even though it’s filled with notable names. From a visuals and gameplay standpoint, RetroMania Wrestling stands tall; and that should be enough to land the finisher, but it gets too gassed to pull it off.
Maquette Review
Mar 12, 2021
Stepping inside the dome for the first time, you enter a place that feels both real and imagined; affixed in reality, and made of memories. This dreamlike sense of grounded surrealism sets the stage for your journey through Maquette’s story, in which you unravel the narrative by solving environmental puzzles entwined with the exaggerated locales and features of Maquette’s chapters. It’s a tale of love and loss interwoven with the game’s artwork and environments, in ways that are sometimes novel and others less so. While the primary draw of the game from the outside is its art and its puzzle design, it it is clear from moment one that the game’s true emphasis is on it’s love story, and it bets everything on the successful marriage of these elements.
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