Violence has never looked as vivid, gorgeous, and wild as it is in Mortal Kombat 1. Its fighting mechanics remain just as approachable and appealing as prior entries, with one key difference: It's the best-feeling Mortal Kombat I've played thus far. There're some minor quirks that are still being ironed out at the time of writing, but I'm excited, legitimately excited, to see what Netherrealm chooses to add to this game.
AK-xolotl is a difficult yet highly engaging roguelike that will make you fall in love with its charming woodland creatures while laughing at its absurd violence. Seeing my goofy little AK-xolotl with a giant gun made me grin from ear to ear. It's the roguelike fever dream I've always wanted. Once it gets in the hands of players and additional content is added that can smooth out its presentation of information, I'm confident that folks will enjoy this game.
WrestleQuest oozes with charm, easter eggs, and sweet chin music thanks to how well it blends traditional RPG elements with a clear love of classic wrestling. It's easy to look past some of its design quirks because of how well other RPG elements are implemented that respect the player's time and encourage them to play an active role in worldbuilding. The Switch's current implementation ain't the best, but the game sure had me in a cobra clutch for hours.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge – Dimension Shellshock is seated in the halfway point between good and great. On one hand, the Survival mode is better served for parties wanting a good challenge. On the other, TMNT fans should be excited about additional characters for replaying the already fantastic beat-em-up. If you're looking to replay the single player experience with two new characters or a challenge for yourself and your friends, then Dimension Shellshock is a no brainer.
It's pretty clear to me that 30XX is gameplay-forward over anything else. This isn't a bad thing, but setting your expectations as such will prevent you from thinking that you'll become invested in 30XX's protagonists, antagonists, and everyone in between. Instead, you should expect a casual yet fun roguelite platformer that can be picked up and returned to at any time without needing to remember your progress, any side missions, and/or any other progression-based mechanics. I've quite enjoyed seeing 30XX progress through Early Access; I've enjoyed its official release on the Switch, too. I'm quite excited to take 30XX with me when traveling and returning to it when I need a good platforming roguelite fix if I need to wind down after a long day at work. I just hope that someday the Switch version will get the map maker in some capacity.
Starfield changes the RPG game by adding a slow burn of a main quest alongside a character management system that keeps players' power in check. It's nearly perfect, and I can't wait to spend another chunk of my life playing another excellent Bethesda RPG.
By just about every single metric for evaluating a boomer shooter, Turbo Overkill excels and delivers in spades. I had a near limitless amount of agency to play as I want and still enjoy a boomer shooter experience without frills, gimmicks, and other artificial difficulty spikes. It oozes creativity while taking players on an exhilarating ride through a cyberpunk apocalypse. It's the perfect blend of gore, seriousness, and silliness. Turbo Overkill is a literal spectacle of unfettered, high-octane boomer shooter gameplay. Call it a symphony of destruction, mayhem, gore, and violence. Call it bloody good fun. Call it whatever you want, really, so long as fun is somewhere in that mix. The world of Turbo Overkill is one worth exploring and desecrating with Johnny Turbo's chainsaw leg.
Gravity Circuit contains the best parts of the SNES-era of 2D action platforming without the artificial difficulty spikes and frustrations. Its combat is fluid, easy to pick up, and exciting to master. Its pacing ramps up with the player. Its music is a nostalgia bomb of high-energy and synthetic charm. Yes, it's a short play, but it contains enough content to satisfy most players and get them hooked into using Kai's hookshot over, over, and over again. If this doesn't sound like a love letter to retro platforming, I don't know what will.
Sonic Origins Plus is inching toward being a definitive Sonic the Hedgehog anthology of classic games, some of which are remastered. The inclusion of Amy and the Game Gear titles are arguably two steps forward, but the quality of those emulated titles in comparison to their remastered counterparts and lack of Genesis and Master System titles are two steps back. Either way, for Sonic fans who do not yet own Sonic Origins on their PS5, Sonic Origins Plus should be a very easy recommendation.
In short, Final Fantasy XVI is a breath of fresh air for the Final Fantasy franchise despite its first steps into its grittiest, darkest, and most mature space yet. Its combat showcases action-forward combat held together by a backbone of RPG-similar ability management. Its highs truly showcase phenomenal displays of power in many forms, while its lows effectively strike emotional chords in the hearts of players. This might not be a Final Fantasy fans expect, but boy, it's what Final Fantasy games SHOULD be going forward. FFXVI doesn't have a strongest asset, per se, because its entire presentation is a gripping and fun compilation of the best parts of gaming without the filler and frivolity. PS5 owners, I implore you, don't miss out on what is currently my favorite game of the PS5 generation thus far.
Yes, The Last of Us Part I for the PC has somewhat improved a little under two months in. Graphical stutters, framedrops, and other visual artifacts currently exist. If you're able to look past those graphical shortcomings, The Last of Us Part I is a truly exceptional game. Consider waiting just a bit more before jumping into one of the best series from Sony and Naughty Dog to date.
All in all, DOOMBLADE excels as a Metroidvania and is worth your attention. I was incredibly addicted to its control scheme and its combat despite its few faults. By the time I reached the final boss, I felt challenged in all the right ways. Considering its disruptiveness, I highly recommend DOOMBLADE for Metroidvania fans who desire something new, especially those who're playing with a controller.
"Be kind rewind!" is the core experience of CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story. Mastering Ekko's time-based combat and platforming skills becomes incredibly rewarding for those wanting a new metroidvania experience. For Ekko mains, CONVERGENCE should be a no-brainer as it faithfully implements Ekko's power in inventive and satisfying fashions. For other League fans as well as those unfamiliar with Riot Games' other titles, CONVERGENCE will offer you memorability, challenge, a thoughtful story, and another blissful audio experience Riot (and Riot Forge) are known for.
God of Rock is an interesting concept blending rhythm and fighting game elements, with some elements being executed better than others. On the rhythm side, the large soundtrack, complex note patterns, and vibrant visuals offer a good experience for those who excel at multitasking. On the fighting side, the combo system may feel familiar but less satisfying because of so much attention needing to be had on the note chart rather than the visually striking character dishing out damage. I am excited for the future of God of Rock, because once this ends up in the hands of creative community members, I'm sure that the competitive experience will be wild.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series is a near-perfect collection of the original six Final Fantasy titles, updated quite well to be played by today's Final Fantasy fans and new players. The smoothed graphics, orchestral arrangements of the beloved original soundtracks, and litany of gameplay updates demonstrate that this is not just a simple rerelease, but a clearly thought-out collection of titles ready to be enjoyed by anyone who's willing to take a step into classic RPGs from Square Enix. While I don't consider this collection to be truly definitive because of a smidgen of cut bonus content, I still consider this collection worthy of any RPG fan's time and an absolute must-buy for anyone interested in playing through the first six Final Fantasy titles for the very first time.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series is a near-perfect collection of the original six Final Fantasy titles, updated quite well to be played by today's Final Fantasy fans and new players. The smoothed graphics, orchestral arrangements of the beloved original soundtracks, and litany of gameplay updates demonstrate that this is not just a simple rerelease, but a clearly thought-out collection of titles ready to be enjoyed by anyone who's willing to take a step into classic RPGs from Square Enix. While I don't consider this collection to be truly definitive because of a smidgen of cut bonus content, I still consider this collection worthy of any RPG fan's time and an absolute must-buy for anyone interested in playing through the first six Final Fantasy titles for the very first time.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series is a near-perfect collection of the original six Final Fantasy titles, updated quite well to be played by today's Final Fantasy fans and new players. The smoothed graphics, orchestral arrangements of the beloved original soundtracks, and litany of gameplay updates demonstrate that this is not just a simple rerelease, but a clearly thought-out collection of titles ready to be enjoyed by anyone who's willing to take a step into classic RPGs from Square Enix. While I don't consider this collection to be truly definitive because of a smidgen of cut bonus content, I still consider this collection worthy of any RPG fan's time and an absolute must-buy for anyone interested in playing through the first six Final Fantasy titles for the very first time.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series is a near-perfect collection of the original six Final Fantasy titles, updated quite well to be played by today's Final Fantasy fans and new players. The smoothed graphics, orchestral arrangements of the beloved original soundtracks, and litany of gameplay updates demonstrate that this is not just a simple rerelease, but a clearly thought-out collection of titles ready to be enjoyed by anyone who's willing to take a step into classic RPGs from Square Enix. While I don't consider this collection to be truly definitive because of a smidgen of cut bonus content, I still consider this collection worthy of any RPG fan's time and an absolute must-buy for anyone interested in playing through the first six Final Fantasy titles for the very first time.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series is a near-perfect collection of the original six Final Fantasy titles, updated quite well to be played by today's Final Fantasy fans and new players. The smoothed graphics, orchestral arrangements of the beloved original soundtracks, and litany of gameplay updates demonstrate that this is not just a simple rerelease, but a clearly thought-out collection of titles ready to be enjoyed by anyone who's willing to take a step into classic RPGs from Square Enix. While I don't consider this collection to be truly definitive because of a smidgen of cut bonus content, I still consider this collection worthy of any RPG fan's time and an absolute must-buy for anyone interested in playing through the first six Final Fantasy titles for the very first time.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series is a near-perfect collection of the original six Final Fantasy titles, updated quite well to be played by today's Final Fantasy fans and new players. The smoothed graphics, orchestral arrangements of the beloved original soundtracks, and litany of gameplay updates demonstrate that this is not just a simple rerelease, but a clearly thought-out collection of titles ready to be enjoyed by anyone who's willing to take a step into classic RPGs from Square Enix. While I don't consider this collection to be truly definitive because of a smidgen of cut bonus content, I still consider this collection worthy of any RPG fan's time and an absolute must-buy for anyone interested in playing through the first six Final Fantasy titles for the very first time.