Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is a fun and exciting take on the pinball genre, but within the big-breasted ninja girl series Marvelous is known for.
Despite putting a lot of time into the game, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of Super Mario Maker 2. There really is a massive amount of content here just waiting to be toyed with, and it makes me wish for more. I simply can’t get enough, so back to Course Maker I go!
Dandy Dungeon – Legend of Brave Yamada is an irreverent and extremely silly yet enjoyable take on classic gaming themes and tropes, all bundled into a package that only Kimura and his team could produce. The game has quite a lot of charm, and really cannot be properly experienced or explained properly until you’ve played it yourself.
Oninaki is an enjoyable RPG if you’re looking for a melodramatic hack-and-slash RPG from yesteryear, and if you properly explore its Daemon mechanics. The game may have some missteps, but I think Tokyo RPG Factory could really shine with more time and a bigger budget.
If you’ve never played Link’s Awakening because you never owned a Game Boy or are too young to have given it a chance, you have absolutely no excuses to miss the game again now. Link’s Awakening is simply a joy to play, and remains a love-letter to the franchise.
All in all, Atelier Ryza is a welcome breath of fresh air for the series with its overhauling of core mechanics, as well as its visuals – which look better than ever. This is yet another excellent game in the series, and makes me feel like Gust is thinking of ways to refine the formula even more.
Siege of Centauri is a very enjoyable tower defense and strategy game hybrid. The game had some bumps at launch but has received patches and updates since. This honestly feels like somewhat of an experiment for Stardock, a side project while they have the next big RTS cooking in the oven.
The Ascent manages to create an unbelievably detailed and dirty cyberpunk world for you to explore and find your place in. All the while you’ll unravel cyberpunk-esque corporate schemes. I couldn’t stop playing the game, The Ascent is absolutely dripping with cyberpunk aesthetics and is a true love letter to the genre by clear lovers of cyberpunk fiction.
Despite the server latency issues and the stupid censorship, this is still the Diablo II I’ve loved for most of my life. The Blizzard Entertainment that produced this timeless classic is sadly not around anymore, but at least the archaeologists that touched this up for 4K displays did a fantastic job. How can such a dark and twisted world feel so much like a nostalgic, fuzzy homecoming?
I had an enthralling time playing and experiencing an aquatic, post-apocalyptic world in FAR: Changing Tides, and the game shines as an example of true high art in video games. FAR: Changing Tides is a little gem that cannot be missed, it’s a masterfully crafted emotional adventure.
So many games have tried to present a cinematic experience but the vast majority have no idea what they’re talking about. Trek to Yomi is one of those rare games that not only mesmerizes with its finesse and all-encompassing presentation, it manages to leave an impression on you just like Kurosawa’s films did. Trek to Yomi receives my highest recommendation.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is a proper return to form for one of the most beloved mecha game series. Everything in the game has been carefully looked at, designed, and fine tuned to appease both longtime fans like myself and newcomer pilots as well. I couldn’t put the game down, every bit of the game is fun – Armored Core VI is a love letter to mecha action.
Players that don’t like typical Bethesda RPG tropes like the combat, the skill system, the exploration, or the questing will likely not enjoy Starfield because it’s definitely more of the same. However, if you enjoy Bethesda RPGs and have been itching for them to finally do a sci-fi game, Starfield is quite a fantastic ride.
Unicorn Overlord is a true gem, a genre-defining strategy RPG that should be lined up with the other greats released through time. I truly love Unicorn Overlord and now consider it one of my all-time favorite games, I only wish Vanillaware didn’t run out of money again because I’m dying to return to Fevrith.