Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
I’m a big fan of roguelite action games and city builders, but even if you’re on the mild side, Cult of the Lamb is a winning combo. It draws many of the best aspects of those genres, places them in a one-of-a-kind world, and charts its own condensed course.
I’m so happy Stray exists and that BlueTwelve Studio stuck the landing.
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage.
I’m not convinced Core Keeper can match the quality and scope of its best-in-class inspirations, but it’s already worth a look.
On the bright side, the core concept of Monopoly Madness is shockingly good, to the point where I can recommend it at the right price. I really dig how fast-paced it is. It’s a worthy party game through and through — with a twist I haven’t quite seen before — and from that lens, I’ve been having a blast. A little more budget could have gone a long way, so I’ll be curious to see if this is a one-and-done project or if Ubisoft will explore a follow-up.
For as simple as the challenges seem, the stakes sure feel high when you’re racing to get the most points and every wrong answer feels like a tragedy. I didn’t expect to get this swept up in Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain, but it has become an honest-to-goodness competition in our household. These are the bragging rights to end all bragging rights.
Even in the frustrating moments when the controls seem to have it out for you, there’s so much to like about Heavenly Bodies. It’s a wonderful concept for a game, it’s impressively polished, and it’s hyper-focused in the best way. It feels like the devs took their time.
I’m not sure I’ll go back to beat it on all five Mind Level difficulty tiers (twice is enough for now), especially with more DLC packs on the way. But I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Vaas: Insanity, and I hope I feel the same about Far Cry 6‘s next two villain stories. I’d give it a nod even if you don’t always mesh well with roguelites. Because it doesn’t outstay its welcome, the format works well for Far Cry. A lack of true variety hurts the long-term appeal after the first successful run, but that first win is exciting.
Battlefield 2042 feels like it could become a cool game, but it’s tantalizingly out of reach today. There’s enough promise with the satisfying-when-it-works gunplay, large-scale chaos (that’s starting to feel more controlled over time), and fantastic legacy Battlefield content in Portal that I’ll stick around for a bit. It didn’t have to be this way, though.
Not all of the activities are equally enjoyable in Riders Republic, but the highs — namely, the harrowing downhill mountain bike races and over-the-top snow sports — deliver.
As much as I feel like this series is stuck in the shadow of Until Dawn for a large part of the audience, collectively, The Dark Pictures Anthology is becoming something memorable in its own right. I’ll keep enjoying these games as long as I can, House of Ashes included.
In a vacuum, Far Cry 6 is a great open-world action romp, and I should love it without caveats. Plenty of fans will. But when we’ve seen these same old tricks so many times before, year after year
I don’t have many complaints if I’m being honest. I feel like this is a rare case of a strange game that really goes for it while still, first and foremost, being enjoyable to play. I could see some people potentially wanting more traversal abilities, or more shakeups in the explore-survive-escape format, but I like that things never get too complicated, and most of the “cycles” introduce something new, even if it’s a small surprise or change-up.
Despite some disappointing and frustrating moments, there’s enough compelling stuff that I can still recommend In Sound Mind to fans of adventure-leaning indie horror games. Overall, I dug this team’s ambition, and I was excited to see where it was headed. I just wish the game ran better and streamlined some of its level and puzzle design.
Brand-new players, by all means. Tear into this poignant, artisanal, off-the-rails hiking video game, even if it’s slow at first. And don’t forget to smash that “like” button.