Andrew McMahon
If you enjoy a challenging platformer, The King's Bird will test your limits. Even if you don't, it is at least important to note what the indie title is able to accomplish with its physics. Still, a lacking progression system, threading the needle difficulty, and bad camera work currently hold The King's Bird back from being a great game, and it is instead merely a good one.
Instead of forcing story-based planet missions into a game that doesn't have an interesting story, Starlink should have doubled down on space combat. If it did, the flaws in the story would have been outshined by the constant joy experienced while dogfighting in space.
Whether it's your first time playing a game in the genre or not, Steins;Gate Elite is definitely one of the best visual novels available today. Just keep in mind that, while it may have taken a bit for the Phonewave (name subject to change) to heat the story up, the payoff is worth the wait.
While it isn't without its problems, Dragon Marked for Death embodies the best parts of the multiplayer facet of the side-scrolling 2D action RPG community. Anyone who enjoys the genre and has Nintendo Online would be remiss to not give this game a try.
Even if you’ve never played a SteamWorld game, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is the perfect place to start.
Despite the control and movement issues in Observation, I would definitely recommend playing it, as it is an experience few other games are likely to offer you. Just be careful, as you may have an existential crisis after the game’s crazy story wraps up.
Similar to how Citizens of Earth is a fun, yet imperfect, ode to Earthbound, so too is its sequel an interesting but flawed take on the RPG genre.
Overall, NBA 2K20 is still a solid experience for any video game basketball fan but it isn’t going to sway anyone who wasn’t already set on playing.
While moment to moment gameplay can be fun, the overall process is just too repetitive for a genre that already has so many unique and innovative games in it.
If you liked the original or are into the Soulsborne sub-genre, The Surge 2 is a game worth buying, even if you may want to wait for them to knock off a few bucks.
Even if you aren’t big into competitive multiplayer titles, the combined strategy and absurdity that accompanies playing with friends and strangers alike is a joy to be had.
Simulation & farming fans will likely want to skip this title, unless they are dying for something new to play until a notable game in the genre is released.
I’ve no doubt that many that loved Oxenfree will also be on board for this ride to hell, as its setting, characters, and dialogue are enough to warrant a playthrough for anyone who likes a narrative focus. At the end of the day though, Afterparty will leave many with a bit of a hangover, wondering if there was more that could have been done with the drinking system and its branching narrative.
Sure, fans of the television show will enjoy it, but considering it never really took off in the US, Doraemon Story of Seasons likely won’t appeal to too many gamers, unless you’re direly in need of any farm simulation game to fill the void.
Even though it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, at the end of the day, strategy fans – and certainly XCOM fans – will enjoy the improvements that Phoenix Point makes, especially if this is just the beginning.
Any Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, or Rune Factory fan should definitely check this one out on Nintendo Switch, as it has one of the most charismatic worlds I’ve seen in a game in the genre yet.
While it may not be for everyone, I encourage those who are frustrated to mess with things first before giving up on it entirely, as it’s an excellent example of a game you should give time to gestate.
If you’re a Nintendo fan that’s been dying to give this one a shot, then put on your big boy undies and give Catherine Fully Body on the Switch a try.
If you’re really looking to enjoy Crysis as it is meant to be played, I’d recommend booting up your PC and playing any of those versions. At least that way you won’t be limited in terms of fidelity, which will also likely improve gameplay fluidity simultaneously.
Considering my entire knowledge of the series before this installment was all based around memes, I’d say Battletoads far exceeded expectations. That said, the shortcomings it does possess keep it from joining the ranks of brawlers, like Streets of Rage 4, as a genre-defining title.