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Darwin's Paradox! ReviewKonami's quirky new platformer brings good times, but occasionally hits a brick wall.

IGN PC ReviewsMar 30

This Fun New Puzzle-Platformer Is Limbo, But Not Creepy | Darwin's Paradox ReviewDarwin's Paradox takes the 2D puzzle-platforming sensibilities of a game like Limbo or Inside and makes it distinctly less creepy and unsettling. Whereas those games presented elements of light body horror and spooky high-contrast compositions, Darwin's Paradox evokes classic cartoons starring goofball protagonists in vibrant, colorful settings. The result is a pleasant little gem of a game with loads of variety that makes the most out of its relatively short playtime. There's a core comedic premise to Darwin's Paradox that begins subtly and then slowly becomes more obvious as time goes on. Your eponymous little octopus, Darwin, just wants to get back home to the ocean. But on his journey he haplessly bumbles his way through what is clearly a full-scale alien invasion of Earth. In most games, the hero would steel their resolve to take on the alien menace, but Darwin is just an octopus. For all he knows, this is normal among land-dwellers, and he doesn't really seem to care either way. So he's less of a hero and more of a Mr. Magoo, with his own perception limited to the threats around him as he gets flung around a hostile world and just tries his best to survive. We as the (human) viewers understand what's happening in a different context than he does, and that makes the story work on two levels at once. Though he's not a hero, Darwin certainly has an expansive move set, which makes the game's platforming feel natural and fluid. They all trace back to the behaviors and adaptations of real-life octopi, like suckers to stick to walls, shooting ink to escape predators, and camouflage to blend in with their environment. And like a real octopus, he's most mobile underwater, where you have full 360-degree freedom of movement. Though traversing your way through land environments feels good, going underwater is immediately more natural. It really accentuates the feeling that you're a fish out of water the rest of the time. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 30

Marathon ReviewThis ruthless, deeply unapproachable extraction shooter is worth every ounce of hell it puts you through.

IGN PC ReviewsMar 30

Marathon Review - Incredible Highs, Painful LowsWe started on Perimeter, the map tuned to provide the "easiest" experience in Marathon , and spent the next 15 minutes trapped in the very first building we entered, fighting every single team of player "Runners" in the match. It was GameSpot senior producer Jean-Luc Seipke's very first match in Bungie's online first-person extraction shooter, and it was nothing if not a trial by fire. Together with our matchmade teammate, we battled down hallways and around corners, flanking and catching opponents out, dying and reviving one another time and again. We came back from near-defeat over and over, hanging on by a thread. At one point, with my guns completely dry, I slipped an opponent by hopping over a railing to a lower floor, only to sneak back up the stairs, find them facing away, and knife them in the back until they died. Another time, an invisible Assassin character lost us in a cloud of smoke, and I jumped through some broken windows into the room where we'd last seen them, hoping to flank--only to find them hiding in a corner, a claymore at the door, ready to ambush my teammates. They never even saw me as I machine-gunned them. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 25

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection ReviewThe best way to play as the most underrated version of the Blue Bomber.

IGN PC ReviewsMar 25

Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup In Bellabel Park Review - Bring Your FriendsNintendo has consistently leaned on Switch 2 upgrades to fill gaps in its release calendar, enticing fans to return to their favorite games from the Switch 1. Those upgrades usually enhance graphical fidelity or add some new bells and whistles, like the Zelda Notes feature added to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The upgrade for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Meetup at Bellabel Park, is pricier than some other Switch 2 upgrades, but its novelty comes from transforming Mario Wonder into an almost completely different game. And that new game is a well-made party experience, even if it may not be exactly what Mario Wonder fans are looking for. Bellabel Park is almost entirely focused on its multiplayer component, which is admittedly a strange turn for a game and series so known for its single-player platforming prowess. That isn't to say that there's no regular single-player content whatsoever, though. The story of Bellabel Park, such as it is, involves a new area of the map: the eponymous park that houses special Bellabel flowers. The Koopalings show up to steal the flowers, so Captain Toad and the Poplins agree to scour the world map for them. You'll find a new brigade tent belonging to a Poplin scout in each world, which leads you to one of the Koopalings. If you're making your way through Mario Wonder for the first time, this will be a neat little throughline that you encounter occasionally, but if you've already finished the game, you can easily just jump into the series of boss-fight stages. This time the Koopalings are enhanced by the Wonder Flower, so each one reimagines the Koopa kids with some fantastical effect. Wendy turns into a bulbous Cheep-Cheep-like fish, while Morton becomes a massive marionette puppet. You have to traverse a stage being terrorized by their special effects before confronting them as bosses, and it's fun how these classic baddies--who, let's be honest, haven't gotten much to do lately--are recontextualized with wild, stage-changing effects. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 25

World of Warcraft: Midnight ReviewEnthralling zones and a satisfying endgame loop.

IGN PC ReviewsMar 23

Screamer ReviewTedious characters and difficulty spikes notwithstanding, Screamer is a unique and confidently assembled racer that feels like the result of locking Blur in a room for 12 months with nothing but a Crunchyroll subscription.

IGN PC ReviewsMar 22

Crimson Desert ReviewThis extremely ambitious open-world adventure swings wildly from incredibly cool to gobsmackingly infuriating.

IGN PC ReviewsMar 20

World Of Warcraft: Midnight Review - Back At It Again In Quel'thalasA game doesn't survive for decades without evolving, and World of Warcraft has evolved more than most in its 22 years, slowly transforming to cater to players' changing tastes and expectations. But despite being around for so long, many of the biggest, most foundational changes to Blizzard's MMO have happened more recently. It was only the game's previous expansion, The War Within, that added proper account-wide progression and the ability to earn endgame gear playing solo. It was only four years ago that Blizzard made it so Alliance and Horde players could finally team up. WoW's new Midnight expansion continues that evolution. It's not as dramatic a transformation as The War Within, but nonetheless sees Blizzard continue to confidently push WoW forward in ways that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable. New systems like Prey bring actual challenge and endgame rewards for those who prefer to quest out in the game's outdoor world. Blizzard's new built-in user interface tools, like the Cooldown Manager and damage meter, give players the information they need to succeed without having to rely on third-party add-ons like in the past. Midnight also introduces the biggest new feature in the history of the game with player housing, finally allowing players to properly call Azeroth home after decades of waiting. Even as Midnight advances WoW's various systems, the expansion leans more heavily on WoW's past than ever before. Modern WoW has rarely felt nostalgic, but it's hard not to think fondly of the game's early Burning Crusade days while running around a lovingly revamped Silvermoon City and Eversong Woods. That duality is Midnight in a nutshell. As a game, WoW has never felt more modern and approachable in its gameplay. At the same time, Midnight is more willing than ever before to pay homage to the past, mostly to its benefit. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 20