MotoGP 20 Review

Apr 23, 2020

MotoGP 20 comes early this year, and ahead of the real-life season for once, but only because of these extreme circumstances. There’s some omissions from last year’s entry that I can’t say are big losses, but there was some emphasis on them that makes it feel odd they’re no longer there. Instead, Milestone has tuned last year’s strongest elements into being even stronger this time around. MotoGP 20 is another solid entry in the series with vast improvements to the visuals and career, though some parts feel a bit samey.

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected (Switch) Review

Apr 17, 2020

To say that Saints Row IV is bombastic would be a drastic understatement. This game is literally exploding with energy, creativity, and all-out adrenaline from its opening moments and never lets off the gas until the credits roll. It is the embodiment of a big budget action film, heavily inspired by blockbusters from the 90’s and early 2000’s both in spirit and in many of its concepts. It wears these influences proudly, and loves to show off how far it can push the ideas upon which it’s based, demonstrating that it can in fact outdo the things that shaped it at every step. It’s a big, loud, weird, thrilling package, and it was one of the highlights of the previous console generation for me. At a time when most games were becoming increasingly self-serious, the Saints Row series wielded levity and parody as its most powerful weapons alongside strong design and well-tuned game play. And now, you can take that experience anywhere, because it’s available for the Nintendo Switch, and I have good news: this game is still really good.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun Review

Apr 06, 2020

Operencia: The Stolen Sun is a dungeon crawler that looks modern, but acts like a classic. Zen Studios does something new for the studio, emulating games like Legend of Grimlock or Wizardry before it, but have given it a fresh spin using Central European folktales as the backdrop for its story. Operencia: The Stolen Sun is hampered only by design decisions that don’t give you the freedom of choice that you’re inclined to believe. It is however, a fantastic adventure start to finish with excellent gameplay to back it up.

CONTROL – The Foundation Review

Apr 03, 2020

A director’s job is never done. In the first expansion DLC: The Foundation, it aims to explore the depths of The Oldest House with the Bureau’s newest Director, Jesse Faden. CONTROL blew me away last year, and became my Game of the Year for 2019; which set high expectations for the expansions to follow, and The Foundation does not disappoint. Remedy’s weird, occult narrative-driven shooter is still very much present and accounted for here. It falls short in a few areas, but continues investing in and inventing bizarre problems for Jesse to solve. CONTROL – The Foundation in a lot of ways feels like the second season of a television show: some of the mystery is gone, but you know the characters, and now there’s a rhythm to it that keeps you interested.

HyperParasite Review

Apr 02, 2020

HyperParasite is a twin-stick rogue-lite adventure. This might be all you need to know to cement your purchase. It has an 80s esthetic that’s full of pixels, neon, and catchphrases that are totally radical. It has a really unique hook that separates itself from the other roguelikes out there, and requires a lot more skill from you as well. As quickly as you’ll die, you’ll just as quickly want to get back into the action.

Iron Danger Review

Mar 23, 2020

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace.

Iron Danger from Action Squad Studios and Daedalic Entertainment embraces time with a idiosyncratic gameplay mechanic that makes it unlike anything else out there. Though the patience to get through some encounters has been sometimes draining. Iron Danger offers a ton of possibilities under the banner of tactical combat where you can erase failure and write success at-will to great triumph. While I think there’s something special to be found here, this is a game undercut by an overall lack of polish.

Exit the Gungeon Review

Mar 20, 2020

You’ve Entered the Gungeon, now it’s time to Exit the Gungeon. Exit the Gungeon is admittedly a bite-sized game in size and scope, and this self-proclaimed ‘dungeon climber’ has finally left the exclusivity on Apple Arcade for PC and Switch. The shift from an overhead to a side perspective has its ups and downs, mostly ups. Exit the Gungeon is a tightly packed adventure that’s better enjoyed in short bursts, and captures what worked well in Enter the Gungeon, but on a smaller scale.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Review

Mar 10, 2020

You know those special experiences in life that change you? Those trips to new and exciting places, or small discoveries in your own back yard that completely alter your perspective? The one-of-a-kind memories you cling to and spend hours marinating in, longing to relive, hoping one day for a chance to recreate that magic. In many ways, that was Ori and the Blind Forest for me. It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was damn close to it, and the world created in that game was unlike anything else I had seen in a video game before, and I have longed to go back and see more of it ever since completing that game.

Darksiders Genesis (Switch) Review

Mar 09, 2020

Nearly ten years ago we were introduced to War, youngest of the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse, in the first release of the Darksiders franchise. Now in it’s fourth installment, Darksiders: Genesis, War returns alongside Strife for another mutation of the Darksiders formula, this time blending its light character action combat and exploration mechanics with aspects of ARPGs to create something that feels both familiar and fresh. It’s a clever approach to fleshing out more of the Darksiders back story, and continuing to experiment with the series’ format and mechanics, without necessarily having to go all-in on a full-fledged AAA release.

Knights and Bikes Review

Feb 27, 2020

There are plenty of games out there about making friends, exploring islands, and having adventures. There are games that explore themes of childhood, themes of tragedy and loss, and coming of age stories. There are even games that prominently feature geese. And then, there is Knights and Bikes, a game which combines all of these elements, but in a way that is unique, special, and meaningful. It encourages you to connect with the characters and the story, and it uses elements of imaginary play, fantasy, and a little bit of magical realism to bridge the gap and draw you in. For a game that looks like a cutesy romp on its surface, Knights and Bikes delivers a solid story and memorable characters that will stick with you well after you set down your controller.

BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION Review

Feb 26, 2020

THE BROTHERHOOD, a development team of two brothers who brought us the horror adventures of STASIS and CAYNE are back, in a big way. BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION is an extremely apt name. This is a game that delivers a post-apocalypse experience like no other. This is an isometric adventure game where you’ll explore, engage in conversation, and solve puzzles. How it comes together is just masterfully executed, making BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION the best game I’ve played so far this year.

Audica Review

Feb 20, 2020

Harmonix will always have a place in my heart because of their smash hit Rock Band. Unfortunately, extra space will not be made for Audica.

Table Manners Review

Feb 12, 2020

Table Manners ups the dating game, allowing you to get hands-on in your relationships with every date. You’d expect controlling a disembodied hand to be a VR title, but this purely a non-VR game with a focus on simulation. Once you get a handle on the controls, you will have a good time. Until then, there’s a bit of frustration fighting the physics as you are trying to impress your dates. What’s love got to do with it?

Dead Cells: The Bad Seed Review

Feb 11, 2020

Dead Cells: The Bad Seed from Motion Twin and Evil Empire provides several new areas to Dead Cells meant to shake things up. They modify the game in a way that makes it feel exciting and new, that if you’ve been playing for any length of time, has either become incredibly predictable or overstayed its welcome. The DLC is well worth the asking price, and the locations and associated enemies are to die for. The Bad Seed never felt so good.

KUNAI Review

Feb 06, 2020

TurtleBlaze and The Arcade Crew have something special in KUNAI. It’s what they call a “techroidvania” which, you know what means, and you know what kind of game this is. KUNAI is full of style and self-aware humor that blends so well. KUNAI has zippy traversal, swift combat, and satisfying progression that makes it an early must-play for the year.