Sunbreak's lack of innovation on the core gameplay loop and the threat of repetition burnout ever-present, this package is ultimately more of the same.
Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward is a horrifying dip into the labyrinthine and haunted mind of a tortured soul. The journey will test your tolerance for frights as well as your patience for constant death. Still, the two-man development team at NC Studio built a horrific world that'd be rather immersive making it a supremely noteworthy indie title if it weren't for the hurdles of overcoming impactful bugs.
You'll absolutely feel the punch of speed a superbike will grant you in this virtual high-speed affair just as hard as you'll feel the pain of consistently eating the pavement at every turn. This visceral and dicey racing gauntlet absolutely demonstrates why the real-world event is known for being so remarkably dangerous in the realm of motorsports. But a little bit of grit and patience may unlock the true potential of TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 for any committed player.
If you're a fan of Crash Bandicoot, then you might owe it to yourself to consider giving Crash Team Rumble the old college try. The platforming you love from the series is ever-present, but mixed in with a healthy dose of competitive multiplayer action. With several maps, powers, relic summons, and all manner of chaos at your disposal, Rumble is thrilling, fun, and engaging. However, it does put all of its eggs into one basket with its solid, but sole game mode. For longevity, Rumble could use a smattering of other modes or potential options to alter the current game mode to stave off rapid burnout.
Motorbike racing fans will no doubt enjoy the bulk of what RIDE 5 offers. It's an improvement visually with excellent haptic feedback for PS5 players, and quality racing simulations. However, it may be a bit harder to convince newcomers or players content with RIDE 4 to spend their hard-earned dollars on RIDE 5 without a more expansive or engaging career mode. RIDE 5 lacks the push in great modern sports games to create more value for the fans behind simply simulating the sport.
Madden NFL 24 aims for a safe play instead of truly revitalizing the series. While controls, animation, visual design, and quality of life improvements are welcome, this entry is more of an incremental upgrade over Madden NFL 23 than a refreshing overhaul of the series. It'll be up to fans to decide whether small improvements are worth the extra cash. Newcomers, however, might find more value in it.
SYNCED leans into its sci-fi themes as players combat swarms of machine-like Nanos while deploying their own in combat. The gameplay is solid, offering refined gunplay and elements of strategy that make this co-op (and PvP) experience a lot of fun. The progression grind, however, suffers from a lack of incentivization and a narrow range of objectives within its loop. Whether those elements are updated or players stick around for the long haul remains to be seen in time.
All in all, the game is entirely basic by design which is why the fun’s expiration date was rather quick. The cartoony frenzy and button smasher that is A Gummy’s Life offers instant thrills for groups of friends or family.
Simulacra interweaves a horror mystery with investigative work and puzzle-solving. However, the driving force of this title is simply the narrative and not it's gameplay offering.
From the arcadey '80s through the modern day, beat 'em ups are a dime a dozen. But the best of them offers a satisfying gameplay loop with thrilling co-op and unique visual stylings. Double Dragon Gaiden gets some of that right. It's not the worst beat 'em up game you could spend your time on. But it's most definitely not the best, either.
In a world where we have our pick of the Metroidvania lot, JackQuest simply does nothing to stand out in the crowd. As a result, we’re left with something entirely basic in both design and function.
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame sits in a weird place between licensed LEGO adventures and a “create-your-own-world” style LEGO game like, well, LEGO Worlds. It’s half of each game, but the two halves never manage to make a whole.
Despite being presented as a lonely creature, Gollum gets more attention than he might deserve in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. With average by-the-books platforming and stealth gameplay, there actually is a thoughtful and engaging story at the heart of Gollum. It's up to fans of the genre to decide whether time spent on ordinary gameplay is worth experiencing Gollum's history.
If you're looking for the next big rogue-like, Ed-0: Zombie Uprising won't scratch that itch. The rogue-like elements are absolutely there. But the bland combat grind and unbalanced difficulty may detract you from sticking it out and finishing this painstaking experience.
Overpass 2 attempts to bring racing fans a complete package at a seemingly discounted price. What players will find with this experience is that this is one case where the old "you get what you pay for" addage rings true. Everything in the game's core elements from racing to team management is unsatisfactory and feels half-baked at best. Visual design, controls, and physics don't fair much better. Players will find better racing experiences elsewhere.
Greyhill Incident is a frustrating slog through the cornfields and farmlands of the fictional town the game is named after. Stealth combat is plodding, robotic, and frustrating. The dark visuals only contribute to the problem. While the idea is intriguing, Greyhill is severely underwhelming and undercooked. This is one alien invasion you should probably avoid altogether.