Tom Marks's Reviews
The best fan experience for the series by far, but cut corners and poor design choices bog down an otherwise fun beat-em up.
Valkyria Chronicles is one of the most unique and fun strategy games I've ever played, despite a few flaws with the port.
A fun, unconventional RPG with interesting new ideas that aren't entirely overshadowed by its repetitive nature and stale combat.
Fun combat, great writing, and a great look, but with pacing and progression tuned for a mobile experience, not the PC.
A fun, nostalgic platformer and a cool use of VR, but repetitive design makes its short length a boon.
A gorgeous tactics card game that's simple to pick up but has significant depth.
Mighty No. 9's dash mechanic is a lot of fun, but bad art, imprecise hitboxes, and awful level design make the experience extremely frustrating.
One of the most fun and challenging local co-op games ever made, but the single-player experience is less thrilling, making the lack of online play disappointing.
A beautiful, if simple, puzzle game that remains faithful to Myst without feeling dated.
A decent revival of the N64-era 3D platformer, but with all the flaws that carries, as well as some new ones of its own.
A beautiful but short-lived expedition that left me wanting more of its best ideas.
Hollow Knight is a new classic, with a dense and detailed world full of secrets to discover.
Overcooked is one of the freshest couch co-op games I've ever played. It's a perfect blend of strategy and chaos, asking you and your teammates to think on your feet as its smart and strange levels do everything they possibly can to make sure you are shouting at each other. The Switch port has some framerate and rumble issues that keep it from matching the best versions available, but for local multiplayer fun it's hard to beat.
In its best game modes, LawBreakers manages to make simply moving around feel amazing. Learning how to fall with style in the most deadly way possible is a thrilling challenge. Getting stuck playing a weak mode and map thanks to the grab-bag matchmaking can be frustrating, but it doesn't ruin an otherwise fast and tense shooter that lets you gleefully propel yourself through low-gravity with rocket boots and miniguns.
It was wonderfully satisfying to have more Dishonored to play, even if Death of the Outsider doesn't quite meet the high bar Dishonored 2 set in story or mission design.
Golf Story's clever writing and sound golf fundamentals keep it entertaining, even through some stale moments. Despite its light-hearted RPG structure, there's a challenging and very real golf game here that's worth coming back to even after the story is over. But it left me wishing that more of the campaign focused on the golf itself, and less on the often repetitive side tasks.
Opus Magnum is a collection of brilliant puzzles that I want to endlessly replay and re-solve, subtly encouraging my creativity as I hunt for better solutions. It's also managed to create a community around itself, one that encourages both competition and collaboration while ensuring Opus Magnum has no shortage of new challenges even after I had my fill of its campaign. It feels one-of-a-kind, and is without a doubt one of the best puzzle games I've ever played.
Rainbow Six Siege's focus on teamwork and strategy over just aiming prowess sets it apart in exciting ways, and the constant stream of new maps and operators have made it a wonderfully varied FPS. All that new content has made it harder for new players to catch up, and I wish more work had been done to address this, but smart play and good communication will still win you more games than having the newest operator. It's got some growing pains to sort out, but the future continues to look bright for Siege.
Celeste is a surprise masterpiece. Its 2D platforming is some of the best and toughest since Super Meat Boy, with levels that are as challenging to figure out as they are satisfying to complete.
Fe is a short-lived platformer that still manages to outstay its welcome in some regards. Its platforming is okay but unimaginative, and its best ideas, like the tree jumping and singing affecting the world, remain underused. It can be a beautiful game at times, especially with regards to its music and audio design, but not so much so that it hides its rougher edges and undeveloped concepts.