Since its release, Minecraft has been inspiring generations to use their imagination in order to create and to harness the collaborative possibilities that the game’s universe presents to the player. In the vacuum of story or purpose, Telltale Games seeks to draw our curiosities back into the pixelated world of blockheads once more to discover the hero that lies within, the calamity to defeat, and a pig that’s people, too.
Before you pick this game up, know what you are getting yourself into. It gets messy and you may only play it once. This is not a game you play for the fun, but for the feelings. So, be open to getting a little uncomfortable… and don’t blame the onions, it’s ok if you tear up a bit.
he story of Ghaul in Destiny 2 mirrors the story of Bungie as a publisher: humble, runty beginning (being a Mac game publisher), molding by an older mentor (Microsoft Studios) with an ulterior vision for their company, rise to indomitable power (the Halo years), a search for meaning beyond the power (splitting off the Halo franchise to 343 Industries), a fall from grace (leaving Microsoft), to becoming engulfed in the Light of their achievements (partnership with Activision), ushering in a Second Golden Age (Destiny 2). But, hey, that’s just a theory… for another time.
Knight Terrors is a game that feels at home on the Switch because of the Switch’s mobile appeal. It falls right in the category of a cell phone game; it’s something that you’d pick up for a few minutes, play a round, and be on your merry way. It isn’t a living-room blockbuster like a certain plucky plumber keeps producing, but at $3 USD, it’s hard to shake a hat at it… or a Stick of Returning.
Bubsy is a cat-out-of-time trying to find his fit in a world that’s memories of him haven’t been too endearing. Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back is a moderately enjoyable game, but it just out of place within it’s current price bracket. Aside from the price, there are moments where Bubsy’s commentary feels rather forced (occasionally annoying), but other times he delivers one-liners that made me chuckle. It feels like Bubsy is trying too hard to be Deadpool-esque in relevancy and self-awareness.
So, does Star Wars Battlefront II fulfill the Star Wars fantasy? I believe it does, but it's a very Empire Strikes Back fantasy; it's not all lightsabers and Force-using. Sometimes it takes a blaster or two to get the job done or some fancy flying. It may require some frustrating moments of Dagoba-style training. At the end of the day, no matter who gets frozen in carbonite or loses a hand, you've got your squad to think about. Only together can you overcome the odds stacked against you.
All in all, if you’re looking for a fun pick-up-and-play game that’s easy to race a round or two and then move on, Mantis Burn Racing might be for you. If you like driving games which offer you the option to tune your machine to the way you like your car to handle, MBR has a promising system to allow you to do just that.
Whatever direction can you go, I can say this: It’s less expensive than Space Camp. Go get yourself one of those freeze-dried ice cream bars, strap a Kerbal or two to some rockets, and call it good.
If you enjoy the Final Fantasy series and are looking for a team-based brawler for some competitive play or just want to kick back with some decently intelligent AI team mates, DISSIDIA Final Fantasy is worth checking out after the $60 USD price drops a bit. Even if you aren’t big into fighting games, there isn’t a steep learning curve to it and there is something satisfying about building your best Final Fantasy draft and letting them rumble in glorious combat.
In a world of fast-paced games with extra gimmicks and money-grabbing tactics, Earthlock is a breath of fresh air. I have a lot of respect for what it is: it is a love letter to a genre that shaped me as a gamer. And for that, I am thankful.
Far Cry 5 is an artistic lesson in juxtaposition. On one hand you have a group of devoted followers of a "message of peace" that live in violence. You have a calm and charismatic leader who insights calamity. There are communities united in anarchy. Far Cry 5 provokes its audience to think and wrestle with the uncomfortable answers to our own "what-ifs" about faith, family, and the power of community.
If you are looking for a tactical RPG with comical themes, an unlikely protagonist, and plenty of heart, Regalia is worth its weight in gold.
Lucky is adorable and his world is full of wonder, but the lack of diverse controller options along with poor camera handling make this game less than excellent.
If you have been itching for a Metroidvania game with a good sense of humor and a new level of challenge, A Robot Named Fight is worth the investment of time. Your metal will be tested as you throw a lot of robots at a ton of meat, but the Megabeast must be vanquished and its secrets must be revealed - in at least one of its multiple endings!
Without spoiling any more of the story, Inked will take you on an adventure of grief, loss, and healing. It does, as stated in the beginning, what good art should do: provoke thought and feeling. It is gorgeous in its presentation, but flawed in some of the execution of its gameplay features and controls. Even with its flaws, Inked is a satisfyingly paced game with a descent length of around 4 - 5 hours that throws new challenges at you as you play.
Jurassic World Evolution is a simply gorgeous and robust game. This multilayered gameplay experience takes place in a beautifully crafted world with lush terrain, changing weather patterns, and an incredible amount of control. Even the musical score awakens that sense of wonder and the gravity of what you are doing - you get to run Jurassic World! It is an outlier in the long line of movie-based video games, standing as a beacon of hope that it is possible for them to actually be good while staying true to their source material.
Quarantine Circular is, much like its predecessor a short playthrough but has multiple branches that the story can go down, so one playthrough is not enough
At the end of the day, Baobabs Mausoleum is an odd trip down memory lane. It contains elements of classic titles presented in a way that makes sense within the genre
You will be hard-pressed to find a puzzling game more beautifully crafted as Gorogoa. Everything from its music to the hand-drawn puzzle frames ignites the imagination to keep search and digging for more. Even with its short length, Gorogoa is a satisfying game. It is also an exercise in asking questions about our own devotion and the lengths that we might go to in order to connect with the divine.
Hours of Darkness explores the backstory to a minor character in the Far Cry 5 setting. While maintaining Far Cry's exceptional gun handling, Hours of Darkness gives players a truly different way to play, much more akin to classic titles in the series. It is story light and the allied AI still troublesome, it richly delivers a lush environment to survive within. If you are looking for a Far Cry experience to play in between major titles, Hours of Darkness is worth picking up.