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I cannot lie, the world of Dune is one of my favorites, and any chance to visit Arrakis is a welcome one. Despite a its significance to gaming as a whole, there aren’t a lot of Dune games out there. Spice Wars is the kind of power struggle fantasy game that we’ve been seeing for decades, but its a winning formula. Sure Spice Wars might mostly be porting over a lot of the mechanics from Northgard and dressing them up with a new coat of paint, but it’s an incredible court of paint. If you were distraught to learn that the second Dune movie will be pushed back into next year, Spice Wars will probably hold you over until the big day for the big worms.
Although some mechanical elements suggest other games, Under the Waves uses deep sea exploration for its twin themes of personal grief and environmental exploitation in a unique way. There’s a lack of technical refinement here and there, and the messaging gets heavy-handed at times. Under the Waves is actually about something which puts it ahead of many other games in the survival crafting genre.
The sights and sounds displayed throughout The Crew Motorfest aren’t its only selling point. Motorfest is fun. Period. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel and certainly won’t scratch the sim-racing itch you may find yourself with. But, for what it’s trying to achieve, Motorfest mostly nails it. I desperately miss the ability to race across the entirety of the United States. And with a more focused setting, I hoped the narrative might receive more attention than it did. That said, Motorfest may be what you’re looking for if Forza Horizon 5 has overstayed its welcome.
All in all, ANONYMOUS;CODE is a fun science fiction adventure, a compelling mystery, and even a surprisingly sweet romance. It’s just also very short, very linear, and the mouths scare me.
At the beginning, I loved The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. It had a cozy JRPG prologue, gorgeous visuals, and an interesting narrative. These came together to create a world I was really excited to explore. I thoroughly enjoyed the combat at first, but it didn’t evolve much. And the dungeon areas got repetitive. I would say that maybe the main issue with the game is that it doesn’t evolve, and just repeats. I was very done with The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails by the end, but I was also very glad I got to play it.
Mineko’s Night Market has finally arrived. It lives up to everyone’s expectations, despite its limitations. It serves as a visually stunning tribute to Japanese folklore and culture, while also providing a humorous social simulation. And it’s a dream for those who have longed for a healthy and heartwarming relationship with your dad.
It’s a generally appealing game with decent graphics. Gloomhaven appears to be a fun turn-based adventure but requires a significantly higher amount of strategy than expected. Assigning unique quests to heroes, and having an ever-changing party when they finish their tasks, those are the ideas that make Gloomhaven stand out in a fun and engaging way. The actual mechanical experience feels like being asked to solve a Rubik’s cube every five minutes rather than immerse yourself in a fantasy world. For some, this might be exactly the tactical experience you want. For most, it’s more of an exercise in exasperation than imagination.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways is exactly what fans wanted from the Ada Wong-focused story. It improves on the original, giving more depth to the protagonist’s character and progressing her narrative. The acrobatics of the special agent opens up new gameplay options which allows the heroine to latch on to ledges and superkick enemies. While you don’t have complete freedom with the grapple gun and the runtime is short, there are no wasted moments which makes Separate Ways a joy from start to finish.
EA Sports FC 24 is a safe rebrand of the FIFA series. While it doesn’t stray too far from its predecessor, new additions improve the overall gameplay. Playstyles highlight skills and HyperMotionV helps to make each athlete feel distinct. All of these aspects merge to create one of the most authentic football games to date. Even though monetization plagues Ultimate Team and Career Mode is largely the same, FC 24 refines moments on the pitch to make each touch a thrill.
NBA 2K24 continues to dominate the paint when it comes to mainstream success. It also looks to dominate the wallets of fans each year. The game is undoubtedly fun to play along with its great gameplay and graphics, but the gutting of MyCAREER and increased incorporation of virtual currency does leave a bad taste at times.
Back in 2017, Shuyan Saga was probably a decent mobile game. It has a competent, if not very original, narrative and the graphic novel is broken up by real-time kung fu fighting. In 2023 and on bleeding edge consoles, Shuyan Saga feels out of place and unlikely to satisfy gamers used to more elaborate productions and nuanced mechanics.
RPGs don’t always age well. Things like combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving can change drastically in a handful of years. The Baten Kaitos games hold up pretty well, all things considered. The visuals are great and the combat is excellent. The Remaster also does a great job of smoothing over certain rough patches. There’s a generous autosave system in place, for one thing. The modern combat upgrades also go a long way to making those slow battles feel faster. On the other hand, the story feels very by-the-numbers. I felt like I was running down a checklist of tropes within a few hours of the first game. But if card-based battle systems are your thing, this collection is a godsend. If nothing else, Baten Kaitos I&II provides a fascinating snapshot of a lost era of GameCube RPGs.
Once again I ask, is the Pokemon Violet DLC worth buying? That depends. If you were hoping for a smoother framerate, you’ll be disappointed. The Teal Mask DLC runs just as well as the base game. If you want more Pokemon content, you’re in luck! There’s something like 100 old Pokemon being added to the total roster. There’s also new sidequests, new story content, and new items to acquire. The battles are challenging (by Pokemon standards), and there’s a wide variety of biomes within Kitakami to explore. For me, this was a perfect excuse to jump back into the game. But I recognize that I’m a hardcore fan of these games. Ultimately, that’s who Pokemon DLC is usually for. If you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy this extra content. Otherwise, you can leave this one be.
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten is a below-average JRPG in almost every category. But, it has a fantastic Grandia-inspired action ring combat system that fans of turn-based JRPGs should experience. The story is good, despite its poor presentation. I would recommend Monochrome Mobius to fans of turn-based JRPGs, who are starved for more games in the genre. But there are a lot of excellent JRPGs getting released right now, and the combat won’t be enough for casual fans to prioritize it over other genre offerings.
Gunbrella takes a ridiculous idea and creates an incredible adventure around it. The gun/umbrella combination allows you to quickly traverse and blast enemies with ease. Surprisingly, the narrative includes an emotional punch and is brimming with charm. Although some of the side missions are not as strong as the main objectives, the game is a delight from beginning to end and a must-play for fans of Metroidvanias.
Calling Lies of P derivative is both obvious and misses the point. It’s is a love letter to FromSoftware, but one that quite often matches or even exceeds its inspiration. Lies of P doesn’t quite attain the elegance of Dark Souls, Elden Ring, or Bloodborne’s best level designs, but its art, graphics, and combat are possibly the best of any Soulslike not developed by Miyazaki and company. Lies of P is addictive, challenging, and rewarding, and a must-play for fans of action RPGs.
Mortal Kombat 1 refines and improves on its solid foundation to deliver a devastating tag-team blow.
Touhou: New World was indeed a new experience of the franchise for me. Having played games in all the genres it touches on, this game provided an interesting new experience for me. The game started a bit slow due to its low difficulty. It eventually started to catch on and provide a more enjoyable challenge. Despite this, the overall inconsistency with the game in various aspects does detract from the overall experience at times. If the game interests you in the slightest, I would recommend giving Touhou: New World a try.
There’s a lot of cool little ideas on display here. The combat system and the use of bonds is excellent. The dating sim sections are fun. Even the survival scavenging elements are a fun distraction. But they all feel insubstantial. Certain activities feel repetitive or limited. The progression path you follow with every teammate feels almost identical. Scavenging is the same thing every time. Even the fights fall into a predictable rhythm after a while. But I still had fun. I’m not sure if all these subgenres add up to a proper game. But I did enjoy the ride. If you’re looking for a pretty, Persona-style RPG, check out Eternights.
2023 is such a banner year for great games, but this is not one of them. It saddens me that I cannot recommend Hammerwatch II. It is, at best, enjoyable for a night or two with friends.