Comprehensive Game Reviews

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From AAA titles to indie games, we cover it all. Our comprehensive reviews provide detailed insights to help you find your next favorite game.

Terminator 2D: No Fate Review - Yesterday’s Battle For Tomorrow Reviewed on: Switch 2 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Publisher: Reef Entertainment Developer: Bitmap Bureau Rating: Mature The Terminator franchise’s overlap with video games is full of mixed results. Despite it being a universe overflowing with video game catnip-like explosions, robot skeletons, and laser guns, there have been plenty of misses and only a few hits. The same could be said of the film franchise, as well, but Terminator 2: Judgment Day is an undeniable classic – a defining action film of its time that is still entertaining more than 30 years later. Terminator 2D: No Fate is exclusively an adaptation of that film and seeks to recall both the movie and the era in which it was released. As a nostalgic recreation of that time in entertainment, No Fate feels just right. But it is also sometimes a frustrating retread of video game design that we have moved past.   Developer Bitmap Bureau has become an expert in creating pixel art and releasing games that feel like they’re from the past. No Fate’s art direction is some of the developer’s best to date, and seeing all the iconography of Terminator 2 translated into classic arcade visuals is a treat. The animations of all the characters, enemies, and robot tanks look great, and the cutscenes that play out the movie's most memorable story moments are extraordinarily charming. Gameplay is straightforward, primarily recalling Contra III: The Alien Wars’ run-and-gunplay with a handful of visually engaging vehicle levels that rely on quick reactions. The majority of No Fate’s levels play out with Sarah Connor, or an adult John Connor, in a ravaged future, taking a few steps, crouching to shoot enemies, and moving on. It works well and feels good, but I grew tired of the process, especially considering that beating the game and seeing all it has to offer requires replaying the same levels repeatedly. Making your way to the end (which takes about an hour), dying at the penultimate level, and restarting all the way back at the beginning is an outdated style of game that I don’t miss. Thankfully, acknowledging the necessity of replaying, the vehicle levels, a beat ‘em up level where you play as the T-800, and a stealth level where Sarah escapes from the Pescadero State Hospital keep things from getting too monotonous. Replaying levels also means that when you do find secrets (like a better gun or additional continues), they are incredibly rewarding, helpful, and worth re-acquiring on every playthrough. Once you make it through the game to credits, there are opportunities to replay the campaign and make a few key narrative choices that lead to big story changes and new original levels. I like this option a lot, as it’s fun to imagine a different version of Terminator 2 (with at least one really dour ending), and it makes me reminisce about bizarre video game movie adaptations of the past that had no problem going off the rails from properties that inspired them. Terminator 2D: No Fate nails the feeling of a game that should have existed in the early ‘90s to coincide with the release of the film. It’s the kind of game that, had it released at that time, would have likely been revered as a great adaptation to this day. In 2025, it is still a strong retro adaptation of a beloved film, but it is not without some design annoyances that we’ve moved beyond. Score: 7.75 About Game Informer's review system

Game Informer ReviewsDec 19

Octopath Traveler 0 ReviewOctopath Traveler 0 asks you to stick with a 100-hour journey, and it rewards you with an experience only lengthy RPGs can pull off.

IGN PC ReviewsDec 19

Bluey's Quest For The Gold Pen Review - Kindergarten ZeldaLots of cartoon trends come and go, but Bluey's rise to the top of the streaming landscape has been fueled by more substance than the typical preschool kids cartoon. The phenomenon has been almost as strong among adults as kids, as the show's strong writing, imaginative play, lovable characters, and surprisingly deep emotional intelligence has moved many adults to watch it as well. It was inevitable that the popularity of Bluey would invite video game adaptations. And while Quest for the Gold Pen is simple and familiar, it's also well-made in a way that could serve as a gentle early introduction for a new generation of gamers. It's hard to talk about Quest for the Gold Pen without inviting comparisons to the other Bluey video game release, Bluey: The Video Game. That game from Artax and Outright Games captured the look of the cartoon remarkably well, but it was a bit dull. You mostly took part in minigames around the Heeler household, loosely built around the story of finding a treasure map. It was cute, but it lacked the heart and imagination of the cartoon, and its gameplay hooks weren't all that compelling. Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen, from Jetpack Joyride developer Halfbrick Studios, is almost the precise opposite: a more imaginative setting, with solid game mechanics underpinning it, but also more structured. You aren't just playing around the household and making your own fun this time, and a lot of the activities are very similar. But since it's presented in a familiar framework, this feels like a proper and recognizable video game--just paced a little slower to make it approachable for youngsters. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsDec 18

Review: News Tower Offers a Satisfying Newspaper Management Loop In games where we manage a business, organization, or city, there’s always a consistent gameplay loop. We set up a situation. We let that run for a bit and hope for success. Depending on how that goes, we respond. In the best case scenarios, it’s setting a path for consistent expansion before maintaining stable success. But it can also be just as engrossing if things aren’t going as expected and we need to triage. News Tower, Sparrow Night’s newspaper management simulation, offers a near-perfect gameplay and feedback loop that encourages constant investments. The general premise is very simple. You’re living in New York in 1929. You get the chance to create and manage a newspaper inherited from your deceased father, deciding the direction you take and your sphere of coverage. (Yes, this means you could go moral or sensational.) This means maintaining and organizing your building and newsroom, as well as determining your sphere of coverage, revenue sources, factions you support, and range of distribution. If you do well you won’t only survive, but also best competing newspapers Empire Observer and Jersey Beacon. (Doing that nets you Lowrise and Highrise building and game modes with new challenges.) Basically, you get the opportunity to cover topics that would come up between 1930-1939 based on actual events. Maintain your office, find stories, prepare a weekly paper, see the response, invest in your office and employees, use what you learned to fine tune stories for next week, and keep learning, reporting, and hopefully succeeding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEya-_8sxsI General News Tower progression is divided into two parts. One involves building layout and management. You can purchase floors, place staircases, a generator, and lights, set up a research section with things like telegraphing stations and reporter desks, a text area with assembly tables and typesetting desks, and setting up a printer with input and output modules, belts, and a printer page module. There are also elements to help increase comfort, divisions, and efficiency, like a bathroom, pneumatic tubes, elevators instead of stairs, comfort elements, and walls to further set up divisions. But there’s a lot of getting things set up, then hiring people to manage them. Now, this part is incredibly enjoyable, but it also is an element that I found I didn’t engage with as often as I did the actual newspaper management. Setting up a building to ensure everything flows together, there’s efficient movement between stations, and people can get around matters! I did find I’d need to tweak and adjust things, especially as the paper and building grew. But that actual setup part doesn’t seem to come up as frequently as other management elements. Image via Sparrow Night Which may be for the best! There are a lot of management elements in News Tower , such as keeping an eye on staff, making decisions about news coverage, trying to improve circulation, balance faction requests, and deal with malicious attempts to hamper your success. When we start a game, we can hire reporters who focus on crime, the economy, entertainment, politics, society, sports, and world news. We invest in people to improve them, but also need to take care when sending journalists on assignments as they could end up injured. You wait for ideas to come in on the telegraph. When a story possibly comes up, you need to go through different parts and assign a person to work it. Skill points can dictate how fast progress goes. The number of printer page presses you have determine how many stories you can do, with one page having room for three stories. The meat of it comes from assigning stories, having staff move things from one section to another, and prepare to put out your Sunday papers. Though, from what I’ve seen, a little extra micromanagement to ensure priority stories are staff’s main focus and manually moving some elements along is better than leaving folks to their own devices. I mentioned earlier that you can decide how you cover things. News Tower lets you choose between lies and the truth. You can be practical and honest, or try and lean toward clickbait sorts of situations. These elements can affect popularity and public response. (As can things like pricing.) It also determines whether you’ll catch the attention of different factions. Which plays into the hazards that can come up in News Tower . Issues like smells from a bathroom or sound could be a problem, requiring acoustic panels, walls, and sinks. The printing press is a mechanical monster that’s hot, noisy, and generally unpleasant, so building layouts need to take that into account to ensure people are comfortable enough to actually work. Because if people aren’t happy, they won’t perform. Factions might be unhappy with your coverage choices. (You know, reporting the truth.) This could lead to members of the military or criminal organizations coming in with threats or bribes. Spies can come in to damage equipment. It feels like there’s never enough money, which means taking out loans. Images via Sparrow Night Given how much is happening at once, that News Tower works so well is a testament to Sparrow Night’s work. However, I found that can make it especially noticeable when something doesn’t work exactly right or is a little unbalanced. The UI is a bit cluttered and sometimes isn’t as intuitive as you’d expect for all the information coming in at any time. I got used to it, but it’s a bit to take in when you start. Also, while moral and quality decisions come up, I felt like the simulation didn’t go far enough to reward or penalize these kinds of actions and decisions. While going bankrupt is a threat and there are rivals, it’s pretty easy to work out how to get ad opportunities and the other papers aren’t a genuine threat. Which meant after about 10 to 15 hours or when you are in your second or third run, it might not feel as thrilling. (But even then, it taking that long to start feeling “routine” is pretty good!) I encountered an array of bugs as well, but found the issues with staff intelligence and minor problems seem to be covered in Sparrow Night’s patches , so I’m pretty sure they’ll be squashed in the next few weeks and months. News Tower is a satisfying business management simulation that involves optimizing offices and reporting procedures to ensure success. It feels like there’s are opportunities to keep investing and growing. It can even be so satisfying that it stays compelling for hours. There are some minor issues and sometimes it might feel a bit too easy or routine when you get used to things, but I still very much recommend it. News Tower is available on PCs, and there is a demo on Steam . The post Review: News Tower Offers a Satisfying Newspaper Management Loop appeared first on Siliconera .

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraDec 18

Terminator 2D: No Fate Review

IGN ArticlesDec 18

Review: Dogpile Is Full of Good Dogs Dogpile is a Suika Game like puzzle, which isn’t uncommon as of late, but it’s one of the most intriguing due to its deck-building nature and implementation of roguelike elements. While there is a barebones, straightforward sort approach that just involves matching dogs, the real fun comes from playing around with your deck, dogs’ traits, and other elements to keep successfully adding more pups to your yard. In Dogpile , you start with a yard and no dogs. Which is no good. You need puppers in your life! Fortunately, there are small and big ones, ranging from a score of a teeny lil’ dude at a “1” or a big ol’ buddy that is a “King.” Each hand deals you three cards you must play, which could be dogs, trainer ones that affect the dogs, or a pet store for a shopping visit. (Depending on the tags on your collar and traits, you might draw more than three.) Your goal is to keep hitting bone objectives through merging dogs to get bigger ones, to meet objectives and get to go to the dog wash for perks, while also earning money you can spend at the pet shop for more dog cards, trainer cards, and tags with perks. It’s all incredibly clever, coupled with an amusing “script” that features great descriptions for items and a personable flea as a “guide.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nypRrTHPCE At its heart, Dogpile is a matching game like Suika Game , since we have the well in the center of the screen and the different sized animals that merge with identical pairs of themselves to create a bigger one, continuing to merge them until they can get no bigger. But it’s the implementation of the deck-building elements and sorts of traits found in roguelikes that makes it feel like we have more decisive and strategic control over things. For example, the dog wash allows us to grant one of three traits to three dogs from our deck. Maybe we go with an upgrade that improves all of them by one level? Perhaps we make them all teenier than they were before. We could also always go with making them friendly, which I love because it then automatically makes them rush over in the yard to pair up with their match. While there are good traits like the ones I mentioned, such as making them extra good to get more currency or a pack trait that will automatically also use another dog card from your deck and deploy it, there are negative traits too. Timid will make them run away from other dogs. If one is fostered, it becomes a single-use card. A dog could end up temporarily crated, which makes it unable to match for a number of hands. And if a dog has fleas, none of its positive traits will come in. A royal dog is opposite of a miniature one, as it will be bigger than usual. Not to mention missing bone criteria via matching will mean incurring a punishment like temporary crating, fleas, or adding a rock to the yard. It makes you think about your decisions and consider adding more trainer cards like a sponge that could wash negative traits off a dog in the yard, sheers to make one in the yard miniature, or a treat to make a specific one extra good. Images via Studio Folly, Toot Games, Foot The tags are also great. You’re limited to a certain number on your collar, and these are exclusively purchased in the pet shop. These can give you things like more bones or more money for certain actions, ensuring a certain option always appears at the dog wash, automatically assign traits to certain classes of dogs, and other bonuses for playing in certain ways if equipped. While we can only hold a certain number on our collar at a time, they can be sold back for funds and to make room for more. It’s almost like they’re relics like in typical roguelikes or deck-builders, offering a reason and excuse to tailor our deck and playstyle to a certain situation. Dogpile also deviates from Suika Game to behave more like Balatro with its varied decks. If you “beat” a game by getting the Saint Bernard (King), you can unlock a new deck. These could change the difficulty of a run, depending on the situation. I also noticed that, while no new dogs appeared, I did sometimes see new tags after getting more decks. Images via Studio Folly, Toot Games, Foot Dogpile combines the Suika Game formula with deck-building, and I really like the results. It’s quite clever and incredibly cute. I loved playing around with certain builds and trying to capitalize on putting together decks that involved certain mechanics. Did I see myself getting near the endgame? Eliminate all smaller dogs to prioritize minimized versions of larger ones in the deck! Did I want to make things easier for myself and not worry about placements? Try and add friendly and pack traits to as many dogs as possible. I really loved challenging myself and working things out. Dogpile is available for PCs. The post Review: Dogpile Is Full of Good Dogs appeared first on Siliconera .

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraDec 17

Terminator 2D: No Fate Review - No ProblemoIf I could use only one word to encapsulate Terminator 2D: No Fate, it would be "authentic": Both in the way it faithfully recreates James Cameron's seminal 1991 action movie and its nostalgic love affair with the 16-bit era of video games. Movie tie-ins were mostly awful in the early '90s, but I could easily see myself renting No Fate from my local Blockbuster and blasting through its sidescrolling run-'n'-gun action in between episodes of Dragon Ball Z and WWF Smackdown. It's a brief experience, with the credits arriving in less time than it takes to watch the entirety of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but No Fate is a licensed video game done right, created with palpable reverence for both its source material and the era of video games it emulates. No Fate's story mode opens with a shot of rolling tarmac, as the painted yellow lines in the middle of the road scroll past at regular intervals. If you're a fan of Terminator 2, this shot will be a familiar sight, albeit one now rendered in gorgeous pixel art, with chiptune music and Sarah Connor's monologue presented as blocks of text rather than through Linda Hamilton's hushed tones. It's also in a different place--on a desert road instead of a Los Angeles freeway--and opens the game as opposed to bookending the movie. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsDec 16

Destiny 2: Renegades Review - More Than An Inspiration Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Bungie Developer: Bungie Rating: Teen Destiny’s earliest incarnation drew heavily on the science/fantasy roots established by Star Wars, nodding in various ways over the years to that mainstay of genre fiction. As an expansion, Renegades makes those inspirations far more explicit, borrowing directly from that galaxy far, far away to bring in the likes of lightsabers, Jedi, blasters, specific storytelling beats, and familiar costumes – albeit with distinct naming conventions. The suffusion of familiar Star Wars elements is sometimes odd and forced, and at times, it loses touch with some of the things that have always helped Destiny stand apart. Nonetheless, the fun of some of those transplanted elements (especially lightsabers) is hard to deny. Moreover, on a more moment-to-moment level, Renegades represents a strong loop of storytelling, game modes, and upgrades that is a notable step up from Edge of Fate earlier this year. In total, it’s a strong batch of content that’s well worth exploring, especially if you’ve been away from the game for a time. In the wake of the revelations in Edge of Fate, the Guardian is now contending with the godlike power of the Nine as they contrive to shape fate as they see fit. In particular, one of the Nine has exerted control over a Kylo Ren-esque individual who takes issue with the Vanguard and is preparing a doomsday weapon that will devastate the Guardians. As Wilhelm screams sound, trash compactors squeeze, and red energy blades clash against green, the narrative that ensues is fun but almost forcibly familiar, demanding you acknowledge each moment as a nod to Star Wars canon. What saves it is the pace and action that drive everything forward. Your guardian is now a truly epic one-person army in their own right, and Renegades stacks up dozens of enemies in each battle to mow down. Bosses are potent and enjoyable; traversal puzzles are exciting, especially the lengthy temple visit to get your glowing blade; numerous seasonal and expansion rewards provide a steady stream of gradual, compelling upgrades. The ample new social space is built around a lawless Cantina, and I enjoy the loop of different competing factions you bounce between from their home base around the bar. Venturing out into distinct play spaces on Venus, Mars, and Europa, the bounty hunting, smuggling, and other jobs you undertake feature varied and challenging objectives, especially as one climbs to higher difficulties. These jobs borrow concepts from the likes of Helldivers or extraction shooters like Arc Raiders, but the core action and shooting is unmistakably Destiny. Of all the Star Wars inspirations, the unqualified success in the mix is the introduction of the Praxic Blade, a lightsaber analogue that dramatically changes up playstyles for everyone, and features a variety of sought-after customization options. There’s an undeniable power fantasy to being a mythic warrior with a glowing blade in hand, and Bungie has really nailed what’s fun about slicing into enemies, throwing the weapon in wide boomerang-like arcs, and deflecting blasts onto foes. While content organization has seen significant reworking in the last year, I quite enjoy the customizability available to tweak the many activities on offer. Bungie seems conscious that many players may have lapsed and might only now be returning, and much of the current game aims to resurface some great dungeons, raids, exotic missions, and other high-end content that a player may have missed, but with great flexibility in how challenging (and rewarding) that content will be. Alongside new fun chases, like the engaging new 3-person Equilibrium dungeon, there’s a lot to do, and a lot of it is immersive and thoughtfully crafted. I’m not totally sold on the melding of universes that Renegades aims for, but I think the expansion as a whole offers many hours of satisfying exploration, build-crafting, and new rewards to discover. This isn’t the fundamental reinvention of Destiny that many fans seem eager for, but as a creative twist on expectation, it offers plenty of good times. Score: 8 About Game Informer's review system

Game Informer ReviewsDec 16

Destiny 2: Renegades ReviewThis Star Wars-flavored expansion is cringey and light on content, but what’s there works surprisingly well.

IGN PC ReviewsDec 15

Review: PancitoMerge Adds More Flavor to the Suika Game Recipe Ever since the Suika Game ( Watermelon Game ) appeared in 2021 , we’ve seen a lot of companies build on that matching formula for their own titles and takes on the concept. Inti Creates made a version tied to Azure Striker Gunvolt . BeXide made 3D generic and Hololive takes on the concept. With Fayer and Sketchy Ceviche’s PancitoMerge , we again get a 2D Suika Game like, but there’s more strategic intent to it that adds extra flavor to the affair. There’s no need to worry about any sort of story in PancitoMerge , as just like Suika Game it gets right down to making matches. This puzzle game takes place in a Mexican bakery. As you drop different types of pan dulce, you’ll see two of the same variety merge together to create a new, larger option. The “well” in which all items drop looks like a bag, which gradually fills as you let new elements fall in. Every few moves, a new customer will come to the door in search of a different pastry, which you can then pluck from your bag and give to them in order to maintain a combo. You’re scored based on number of pastries in the bag and successful maintained combos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDGiXRE4Hgo Now, there are a lot of things that PancitoMerge does that I like more than Suika Game . The first is that I felt like it was better about the variety of items that show up as potential things to drop into the bag. In Suika Game , it typically feels like it sticks to the first two to four options most frequently appear as drops. Here, after both getting past 1,000 points and unlocking certain treats, I’d occasionally see some of the larger, later drops come up like an empanada de fruta or concha. (I think I even saw a Marranito come up as a drop once.) This is helpful for matching purposes, of course, but it’s also pretty invaluable for the “customer service element of things. By the way, the pan dulce designs are fantastic and incredibly recognizable. Like you can clearly tell these are things like besos, chinos, cubiletes, galletas, gendarmes, nino envueltos, and polvorones. There are a few different bakery designs that can unlock, with each one featuring different desserts, which is a nice touch. Images via Fayer and Sketchy Ceviche The customers part of PancitoMerge is also absolutely fantastic. Every few turns, a new individual will show up at the door requesting a specific type of baked good. Like a luchador might want an oreja. If you have it, you press a button to pluck it from the bag and offer it to the person. If you have more than one of it, you could select each one. If you don’t have the item, you have some leeway where the person will keep that request for a few drops before changing their order to something else. (That breaks your combo in the process.) Strategically, it’s fantastic. It frees up room in your bag! It might help you with some matches, in case one is in the way. Or you could just get rid of one of the smaller galletas that fell through the cracks to the bottom. Speaking of rearranging, PancitoMerge includes a shake bag mechanic. From time to time, you can occasionally press the triggers to shake things slightly. Think of it like the tilt function in a pinball game. Does it help? Sometimes, yeah. So much so that I would even save up the shakes to ensure it might be ready when I’d be closer to the top or in need of a larger, more high-value pastry. Screenshot by Siliconera The only thing I noticed is that if someone does prefer shorter Suika Game style merging puzzle sessions, PancitoMerge isn’t that. Because of the more strategic elements like serving certain items to customers and shaking the bag, it is very easy to get a minimum of 2,000 points before things start to get challenging. Even then, as long as you’re playing smart, I think someone could maybe even get to 3,000 without too much trouble. (But then again, I have been playing a lot of games like this lately.) I really love PancitoMerge and feel like it’s a more stylish and thoughtful approach to the Suika Game style matching and merging puzzle. The different pan dulce desserts all look fantastic. The themes are great. I loved being able to serve customers in the name of more points and bag management. Even something so similar as a little bag shake helped a lot. It means longer game sessions, which I saw as a plus, as well. It’s just a lovely little puzzle game. PancitoMerge is available for PCs via Steam . The post Review: PancitoMerge Adds More Flavor to the Suika Game Recipe appeared first on Siliconera .

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraDec 15