Reviews

Observer: System Redux reviewed by Sarah LeBoeuf on Xbox Series X, also available on PlayStation and PC. Bloober Team’s Observer: System Redux is an enhanced version of 2017’s Observer, and it uses sci-fi and cyberpunk themes that are familiar to fans of works like Blade Runner or 1984. It’s a compelling horror mystery in a

The Forgotten City reviewed by Gabriel Moss on PC, also coming to PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox. Originally a mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim back in 2015, this standalone remake from original developer Modern Storyteller does a great job taking the already fantastic adventure out of the Dwemer ruins while still exploring interesting

Samurai Warriors 5 reviewed by Alex Santa Maria on PlayStation 4, also available on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Koei Tecmo’s new Samurai Warriors game won’t shock anyone who’s played one of Omega Force’s Warriors games before, but it does present a great new style and enough over-the-top action to keep you coming back.

NEO: The World Ends With You successfully captures much about what made its predecessor so special, but it does so at the expense of its newer characters and stories. #IGN #Gaming #TWEWY

Cris Tales reviewed by Travis Northup on PC, also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. This indie love-letter to JRPGs from developers Dreams Uncorporated and SYCK and publisher Modus Games is a clever time-traveling RPG that’s held back by monotonous combat. #IGN #Gaming #CrisTales

Reviewed by Tristan Ogilvie on PC. Also available on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. “Last Stop spins three intriguing tales in an enjoyably vibrant vision of London, but the superficial depth of its dialogue options and redundant quick-time events made me feel like I was just passively pushing buttons to cue the next cutscene, as

Death’s Door reviewed on PC by Brendan Graeber. Death’s Door is a must for those looking to scratch the itch of a classic Zelda dungeon-delving game, with the added bonus of impeccable combat against waves of foes in a creepy world. Secrets are plentiful enough to offset the low variety of rewards, and the cohesion

Warhammer 40K: Battlesector reviewed by Jon Bolding on PC. Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector beats the pants off of other recent 40K tactical games, making a run at skirmish wargame greatness. While it’s limited in places and the interface can struggle, the tactical combat is well worth the time it takes to learn and the Momentum system

Wildermyth reviewed on PC by Rowan Kaiser. The magic of Wildermyth is that it loves stories so much that it builds its entire structure, from graphical style to prose to combat to campaign structure, around its characters becoming legends. It then cements those ideas in place with a Legacy system that turns those legendary characters

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD reviewed by Travis Northup on Nintendo Switch. This HD remaster is a fantastic Zelda adventure that’s aged like wine, even if Wii-era motion controls still aren’t great and its new joystick controls don’t do much to help. #IGN #Gaming #Nintendo

Old World reviewed on PC by Leana Hafer. Old World can be vexing at first given how much more there is to manage on top of the usual 4X concerns we’ve gotten used to in the past decade or so, and the UI can feel cluttered as you’re trying to piece it all together. But

Reviewed by Cam Shea on PC. “Roguebook’s positional gameplay makes for a really fun combat puzzle, but the downside of the two hero system is that player strategy feels less focused than the best the genre has to offer. I enjoyed trying to combine hero abilities in unexpected ways, but the bespoke hero mechanics often

Sniper Elite VR reviewed by Gabriel Moss on Oculus Quest 2, also available on PlayStation VR, Steam VR (PC), and Oculus VR (PC). Sniper Elite VR is a decent VR shooter from Rebellion Developments that scratches both World War II and arcade sniping sim itches. #IGN #Gaming #SniperElite

Reviewed on Xbox Series X by Luke Reilly. Also available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. “F1 2021 is the best-looking and most customisable instalment of the long-running Codemasters series to date, and the ability to tinker under the hood of the core career experience and play co-op with a friend is

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a beautifully presented JRPG with a plethora of fun things to do and deep systems I happily got lost in – but a few issues leave it short of being flawless. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is out on the Nintendo Switch and PC on

Mass Effect Legendary Edition – Mass Effect 2 reviewed on Xbox Series X by Dan Stapleton. Also available on Xbox One, PlayStation, and PC. Mass Effect 2 Legendary Edition remains the highpoint in an amazing trilogy, and its 4K makeover allows its graphics to hold up nearly as well as its strong gameplay, excellent story,

Scarlet Nexus is an ambitious action RPG that blends the disparate genres of the character action and epic JRPGs along the lines of Persona and the “Tales of” series. The result is a surprising mix that hits far more often than it misses. Reviewed by Mitchell Saltzman on PlayStation 5. Also available on PlayStation 4,

Legend of Mana reviewed on Nintendo Switch by Seth Macy. Also available on PlayStation. The Legend of Mana of 2021 is as close to the original version as you could hope for while still bringing this classic original PlayStation JRPG into the modern era. The sprite work is timeless, and the newly redrawn widescreen backgrounds

Speed Golf is a fun addition, but a poor adventure mode, a slight selection of courses and low replayability results in Mario Golf: Super Rush being an underwhelming entry into the series. Mario Golf: Super Rush is out on Nintendo Switch June 25th 2021.

DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power reviewed on Nintendo Switch by Sarah LeBoeuf. Narration by Max Scoville. Even if it doesn’t do anything new or exciting, DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power has its charms. The heroes and villains of Metropolis High School are endearing and expertly brought to life by their voice actors, though

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance reviewed on Xbox and PC by Travis Northup. Also available on PlayStation. I badly wanted Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance to be an awesome co-op version of the pencil-and-paper tabletop RPGs I’ve loved for decades, but it just isn’t. It’s a bland, boring trek through repetitive encounters that’s filled with

Chivalry 2 reviewed by Leana Hafer on PC. Also available on Xbox and PlayStation. I am having a ton of fun with Chivalry 2. The maps, outside of a few balance issues, are a total blast – everything from the shining armor to the soaring castle walls looks great and there are  a huge range

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a pristine little adventure with fun puzzles, a rich paint mechanic, and a story that’s disarmingly real, difficult, and heartfelt. #IGN #Gaming

Reviewed on PC by Tristan Ogilvie. Also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. “Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 blows off a heck of a lot of heads, but never managed to blow my mind. Its long range sniper shots feel genuinely satisfying to pull off, but the enemy AI is so

Intermission serves as a tantalizing tease of Yuffie’s inevitable meeting with Final Fantasy 7’s core cast, and an excellent reason to return to Midgar to experience her new exhilarating style of combat and entertaining side activities. Reviewed by Mitchell Saltzman on PlayStation 5. #IGN #E32021 #SummerofGaming