If nothing else, Aftermath is a must-play for both newer fans of the modern Mortal Kombat narrative and old-school fans who enjoyed the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie. While there have been offshoot projects like the Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge movie that released earlier this year, Aftermath's story shows once again that there are no better tellers of the Mortal Kombat lore than the NetherRealm team themselves.
For those who were disappointed by Ultimate Alliance 3's first few DLC offerings, Shadow of Doom has some more meat to it and should be more of what true believers are looking for.
Even the true fans will retreat to YouTube to watch the cutscenes, because there's nothing to entice players here. Re Mind is a dud and a total disappointment for any KH fan.
Bounty Battle is one of the coolest ideas for a game I've seen in some time, which is partly why I feel like part of my soul has been crushed. This game is an absolute mess. It's presentation is terrible, the character models are laughable, the systems are confusing, and it made me wonder half the time if my PC was broken. Given the rich roster of wonderful indie characters, this should have been a contender. Instead, this fighter's career is over before the bell even rang.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered is a lot of things, but a classic is not one of them.
You can't always mix peanut butter with chocolate and end up with something good.
I feel sad more than anything, because buried underneath the live service slop, there's real potential for a good Suicide Squad game in here. The boss battles show the game's potential. Now imagine more varied missions, different enemy types, and a more interesting gameplay loop that makes the most of this license. Above all else, imagine a better Rocksteady game. Instead of being trendsetters, like with the Arkham series, this studio is now reduced to being trend followers.
Foamstars is a lot of unrealized potential. It's like getting excited about a bubble bath only for the bubbles to quickly dissipate and leave behind only some filthy bath water.
For those reasons and more, it continues to baffle me as to why Stubbs got this modern re-release. The story is fine, but clever narratives can only take a game so far. Nothing about this game feels like it belongs in 2021, whether it's the repetitive gameplay or the dated graphics. Like Stubbs' character in this specific story, this game should be approached as a curiosity and nothing more.
While Kirby Fighters 2 is fun for a night with a co-op partner, there's little entertainment beyond that. There are better Kirby games out there. Try those instead.
Battletoads does have its good moments, between its beat 'em up gameplay, metal-heavy soundtrack, and strong boss design. It's just drowned out by its awful pacing and poor comedy that gets maybe a couple of chuckles from the entirety of its brief five-hour adventure.
Easy Day makes a valiant effort with Skater XL, but this game isn't a pro skater just yet.
If you're a fan of the anime, you're going to enjoy this and you might even come to enjoy the flawed fighting mechanics. For anybody else, My Hero One's Justice 2 is just another aggressively mediocre anime fighter, the latest in a long line of them.
It's a strong introduction to the One Punch Man mythos and when this fighting game gets down to the actual fighting, it's actually pretty fun. And there are enough different ideas at work to make it stand out from other anime and fighting games. It's a novel effort, but nothing else beyond that.
At this time, The Blackout Club isn't a club worth joining. For now, close your eyes and try to imagine a better game.
Unfortunately, those looking for a deeper, more immersive baseball experience can do so much better than R.B.I. Baseball 19.
Right now, Anthem is not good. And given what's come out of BioWare in the past and the kinds of lasting, impactful experiences that the gaming world knows BioWare is capable of delivering, that's truly sad.
Ultra Street Fighter II tries to add a robust package around its tried-and-true Arcade mode, but much of that package doesn't pan out. All that leaves is the Arcade and Versus modes and for as great as Street Fighter II is, it's a game that also shows its age after a while.
The Yoshi's Island series is one of my favorite gaming series ever, which is why it's so painful to see Yoshi's New Island fall short in so many ways. It's not a bad game and certainly a serviceable one for younger audiences and new players. Unfortunately, for those that have followed Yoshi since his first starring role nearly 20 years ago, this game is a tremendous disappointment.
Had 'Russia' stuck to some of the roots of the main AC series, this could have been an interesting departure from the 3D games. But making the main characters feel paper thin while stacking the deck with inconsistent stealth mechanics, fussy controls, and timed objectives starts to make 'Russia' feel like a weekend in Siberia.