Street Fighter 6 succeeds in its ambition to cram some big things into one fighting game. Battle Hub may be silly, but it has a lot more personality and more to do than most other titles with their own online lobbies. Fighting Ground does a great job of showing off the new roster and improvements to the fighting engine, while placing an equal amount of attention on both offline and online players. World Tour makes for a somewhat nonsensical yet addictive adventure that can serve as a good basis for a full-fledged Street Fighter RPG. All of this is tied together with a presentation that does well in improving what came before it, only with more fidelity and flash. As stated at the beginning of this review, fighting game fans are going to have a good year, and Street Fighter 6 is an excellent component of that.
Idea is a game that'll only appeal to a niche audience. Those looking for any sort of exciting adventure or meaningful ending won't find it here, especially since the game's own idea messaging system is filled with random characters instead of something meaningful. The game is a nice distraction, as it can be relaxing to see where the ball ends up if given a little push. It's neat, but don't expect anything profound.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is everything that retro first-person shooter fans can enjoy, even if they have no love for the grimdark space setting. The action is constant, and the gore is plentiful, but the game forces you to play smart, even at the lower difficulty levels. The gameplay loop doesn't deviate from the classic key-finding formula, but the levels are larger, which means more enemies to shoot and a higher chance of getting lost, whether or not you're trying to find secrets. The game is long enough that multiplayer isn't needed, but it also never feels tiring despite some things that may be irksome. Boltgun is a solid piece of work and one that we'd definitely recommend checking out.
Planet of Lana is a pleasant surprise. It tells a compelling story with some unexpected twists, and it does so without the need to utter a word in a language we understand. The puzzles aren't obtuse enough to be frustrating, while the platforming never feels imprecise. To top it off, the presentation both looks and sounds amazing. Unless you dislike the entire genre, Planet of Lana is easily a contender for any "best of" lists this year.
Tents and Trees is a solid nonograms game that does a good job of handling the twists it has for the player. The board limitations make for some very interesting puzzles, while the casual nature of the game and generous hint system don't scare away those who aren't already well versed in this type of game. With a near-limitless supply of puzzles at hand, Tents and Trees is a great recommendation for anyone who is a big fan of the genre.
LEGO 2K Drive is a fun romp if you know what you're getting into. The racing is fast and exciting, and the catch-up code seems tuned just right. The open worlds provide a ton to do, and the freeform exploration and destruction makes driving around feel enjoyable. The amount of grind needed to make some real progression can drag down things in the intervals, when there are no story-based missions. Some of the quests that aren't strictly related to racing can be very hit-and-miss in terms of enjoyment. The presence of microtransactions is unsettling to see in the publisher's non-sports titles. If you can ensure you aren't tempted to buy new cars due to the paltry reward payouts, you'll have a very good time with this racing title.
There's a good idea behind God of Rock. The concept of a rhythm game with the trappings of a fighting game has worked in the past, so we know this combination can work. The execution is flawed enough for both genres that the idea can't shine through. Some more polish and perhaps a rethinking of readability would help this become more desirable, but it's currently difficult to recommend.
Arto isn't ready yet. There's a good premise, the mechanics play out well enough, and the hook of painting the environment with different art styles is certainly appealing. However, there are simply too many issues in every category that cannot be ignored no matter how hard you try. Should this extensive list get fixed, players will encounter a decent game that we could recommend checking out if you're curious. As it stands now, you should avoid Arto.
It's a bit difficult to parse out the overall quality of Redfall. If you're talking about it from a technical perspective, it's scattershot but comes out better than some games that look and sound pretty but have terrible performance. If you're looking at it from a story perspective, it's a slow burn that cranks up things once you get close to beating the first major vampire, and the same can be said for the gameplay. Solo play is also better than co-op, based solely on the issues we ran into with connectivity, but mileage can vary. Overall, Redfall asks quite a bit of time from players before getting really good, which makes it perfect for Game Pass but tougher for those who don't have the patience to spend the time to wade through the jank to reach that point.
Akka Arrh won't click with most people right away. It takes a while to understand how to effectively use the bombs and bullets while wrangling a free-aiming cursor. The inclusion of another level to travel to briefly when things get hectic can be a bit too much to handle all at once. When it does click, it becomes a beautiful destructive symphony that pushes a psychedelic landscape for a signature Jeff Minter title. This is well worth the trip if you want a shooter that moves away from the genre norms.
Your assessment of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a deep and serious story, you'll be severely disappointed. Even as it holds some Easter eggs for longtime fans of the series, the dialogue and characters and haphazard way it's all told will only appeal to fans who love bad but ultimately lovable cult classics. If you enjoy action games, this is a surprising treat that takes the Nioh base mechanics and loosens things up to make it more appealing. It's a fun title that's worth trying out - despite what the initial trailer might have led you to believe.
In the end, Road 96: Mile 0 doesn't quite pull together everything to create something that reaches the heights of the original title. The first-person exploration portions are flawed but fine, while the auto-runner sequences can be unfair but ultimately get a pass thanks to a skip feature. It is the uneven tone, characters, and story that sink the game, as it plays more to caricature and wild logic leaps rather than the original's more thought-out approach. The low asking price might be tempting for those looking for more from the world of Road 96, but ultimately, we were probably better off waiting for Digixart to create a brand-new project in a brand-new world.
There's a good golf game hiding in EA Sports PGA Tour. The litany of courses is enough to entice fans of the sport, while the roster of pro golfers is amplified by a presentation that looks gorgeous even if the TV-style broadcast feels excessive. However, the imprecise controls make one hope that the upcoming three-click system will make the gameplay more palatable, since everything else related to the actual sport does a great job of trying to help you understand how to perfect shots. Although PGA Tour 2K23 is the better golf game this time around, there is a good base to work with here. Hopefully EA's future iteration can fix the issues to make this a contender for best pro golf simulation on the PC.
As a compilation, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is fairly well done. The gameplay concept works not only as an alternative for a standard Mega Man title but also as an action/strategy title. Combined with the deck-building elements, it makes the game resonate with a modern audience, and the extras are sure to please any fan. Players will wish that the series weren't so repetitive over the years, as that doesn't play out as well for a title like this compared to a straight action-platformer.
Ship of Fools is the kind of game that works well in bite-sized chunks and with a friend in tow. The chaotic nature of fights lends itself better to two players rather than one, while the start/stop nature of the combat flow works wonders to prevent the whole thing from feeling like a slog. It doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the genre, but it produces some solid fun. It could use more polish online and more bosses to fight, but it is enjoyable for genre fans who are looking for something to play with a friend.
Signalis is the type of horror game that keeps you hooked from beginning to its true end. The story is told in a confusing way, but the delivery succeeds in keeping you intrigued enough to see its conclusion. Sparse inventory management aside, it achieves a nice balance between puzzles and combat, and even if you figure out that flight is a more formidable strategy than fight, the overall tension and sense of unease remains. For horror fans who want the feel of a bygone classic, Signalis is worth checking out.
Beacon Pines is the type of adventure game that's perfectly suited for genre newcomers and those seeking to get away from the point-and-click style while retaining the genre's deeper storytelling. The story remains fascinating, since it clashes with the idyllic town setting and cast of cute characters. The ability to uncover every branch of the story tree via your discovered actions drives the desire to see every possible outcome even, if it is forced on you via the game design. The overall gameplay length ensures that it doesn't overstay its welcome, but some players may not like the semi-visual novel flow of most of the game. If you're willing to overlook that design decision, you'll be more than happy with this unassuming adventure.
Prodeus is a classic Doom clone through and through, but that isn't a knock at all. It nails the core mechanics well from the level design to pacing. While the enemies feel like reskinned versions of what you're familiar with, the gameplay loop works thanks to some solid shooting mechanics. Even though it lacks real innovation in the space and the multiplayer is practically dead, the inclusion of a map maker along with a plethora of custom maps almost negates those issues. Overall, shooting fans will like this one, and curious players can use as an entry point into the re-merging boomer shooter genre.
This should have been a victory lap for the PC iteration of The Last of Us: Part I. From the gameplay to the characters to the story, this is one of the highlights of the past few gaming generations. The appearance on the PC should've given the game even more room to show off things like higher-quality textures and reflections along with Sony's now-standard ultrawide support. Yet the game's ability to only work with reduced risk after waiting for an abnormally long time for shader caching mars the release. The game crashes, frequent pauses in gameplay and other nonsensical bugs put into question the decision to release this despite the obvious issues. There's a chance that this will recover via patches and the game can bounce back. For now, it is sad to see that one of Sony's best games has received one of the worst PC ports thus far.
Sifu is still a solid action game that feels tailor-made for those willing to put in the time to learn the systems. The subsequent patches have opened up the game to more players who lean on either side of the difficulty spectrum, but it remains challenging even if you try to make the game as easy as possible. The main adventure is a more than satisfying romp thanks to the deep fighting system. The new Arenas mode adds loads more life to the game, even if your only interest is seeing which movies get referenced in a given scenario. Players on both the Xbox platforms and Steam are rewarded for their patience with a very good game, while the Arenas mode alone gives owners on other platforms and stores a big reason to return to Sifu.