Jordan Ramée
Aspyr Media's remastered collection does too little to keep the first two Battlefront games relevant for modern audiences.
All Walls Must Fall should have had everything going for it. Both the combat and dialogue mechanics are solid. The game has a premise that is ripe for character interaction and analysis of human choice in the face of time travel. Had it established at the outset that time traveling was a one-and-done deal and restricted the player from using the power at all, All Walls Must Fall could have had something. As is, the title provides a few hours of decent enjoyment that is too easy to truly enjoy.
Though golfing remains a highlight, Sports Story overloads its charming and intriguing premise with unrewarding side activities and boring fetch quests.
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is an unfulfilling survival game, one that never provides a compelling reason to see its journey all the way through.
Though it features some of the best parts of modern metroidvania games, too often Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is waylaid by its lack of direction and poor platforming.
The first-person shooter action of Immortals of Aveum suffers from a difficult-to-navigate control scheme and lackluster story.
Forspoken is visually stimulating and a musical delight, but boring combat, poor characterization, and loose movement mechanics make for a mediocre experience.
Though it starts off on a strong note, The Callisto Protocol's focus on action-heavy spectacles fails to adequately explore its horror and overcrowds its weak combat mechanics.
Jett: The Far Shore is thrilling when you're flying through the air, but boring puzzles and an unsatisfying conclusion keeps it from soaring.
Wrath of the Druids is Assassin's Creed Valhalla's first major post-launch DLC, though its story unfortunately doesn't tie back to the main game very well.
Apex Legends continues to be a superb battle royale game, but you do not want to play it on Switch unless that's your only option.
Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a better 3D platformer than it is a stealth game.
Assassin's Creed Mirage's focus on social stealth and detective work makes for a compelling dive into ninth-century Baghdad.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox's incredible lore and art direction are regularly hampered by mediocre combat and platforming mechanics.
Minecraft Legends has a lot of good ideas, but the combat mechanics aren't suited for actively engaging in the act of war.
Atomic Heart lacks follow-through on its most interesting narrative concepts and plays it safe with its first-person shooter gameplay.
Pentiment too often limits its most enjoyable pieces to reach an ending that makes sense but is still unfulfilling.
Digimon Survive stumbles with its tactical combat but manages to recover with its compelling visual novel storytelling.
Roller Champions has an impressive, unique core but squanders it with a gameplay loop that gets stale.
Dawn of Ragnarök doesn't tell a compelling story, but its introduction of god-like powers creates new avenues for how players can explore and fight in Assassin's Creed Valhalla.