Travis Northup's Reviews
Bleeding Edge is a solid hero brawler that currently lacks content badly. While the foundations of this hack-and-slash arena brawler are strong and the roster of misfit circus rejects is absolutely stellar, there aren't enough reasons to play beyond the first few hours. Still, every match of Bleeding Edge I've played has been enjoyable and fiercely competitive, and if they can retain their player base I'll happily return to Ninja Theory's latest chaotic playground.
The Sinking City is held back by extreme technical issues, weak presentation, and monotonous combat, but the high quality investigation mechanics and incredible worldbuilding make it a one-of-a-kind ride.
The Crew 2 is an ambitious undertaking that puts over-the-top arcade racing front and center. Though it makes large strides in the right direction over its predecessor, it suffers from odd game design choices, a lack of PvP, and a lackluster presentation that puts it squarely in the rearview mirror of its competition.
The first few minutes of Valley show a lot of potential, but it quickly falls short, and gives way to repetition, a bad narrative, and some downright disappointing game design. Lasting only 3-4 hours, $20 is a steep price for an experience that leaves you bored and frustrated as often as it proves to be an enjoyable experience.
Wondershot succeeds at being an entertaining party game, but is too easy to master, and best played in small doses.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a gorgeous game that nails the free-running experience that fans want, but lacks an interesting narrative, compelling combat, and a fast travel system that will likely leave many fans disappointed.
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is a worth addition to the LEGO Batman series, but while all that is good about these games has returned, all of the glaring issues with the series are worse than ever.
No Rest for the Wicked is a compelling and unique action-RPG with a lot going for it, and lots of room still to grow.
In 2024, Fallout 76 finally captures a lot of the post-nuclear experience I love. It trades roleplaying decision-making for multiplayer shooter antics, but it still needs more endgame content and a fair inventory solution.
An incredibly unique mix of FPS, RTS, and tower defense ideas, Outpost: Infinity Siege is absurdly complicated but a whole lot of fun.
Tribes 3: Rivals is a rocket-powered sequel that packs some serious horsepower, but its current Early Access options run out of fuel quite quickly.
The Outlast Trials is a bloody cooperative horror game that burns brightly, but fizzles after a few enjoyable hours.
Skull and Bones is a maritime RPG with a strong foundation, even if it feels like a live-service first draft.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden’s memorable story and inspired investigative cases help carry it across its rougher patches.
The version of Palworld on Xbox and the Microsoft Store might not be nearly as polished as the Steam version right now, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a ton of fun.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus is an impressively complete Ubisoft game, even if not all those parts stick the landing in VR.
WarioWare: Move It! is another amusing entry in the series, with creative multiplayer modes making up for a roster of minigames that quickly become repetitive.
Payday 3's cooperative heists are off to a strong start, even if the vault is a bit bare at the moment.
The Outlast Trials is a unique cooperative horror game with a lot of potential, but it's one of those early access games that's unpolished and lacking content.
Dead Island 2 is a hilarious gore-fest and a competent zombie-slaying adventure, but lacks creativity outside of its great sense of humor.