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Hyper Light Breaker Early Access Review in ProgressSo far this roguelike feels hyper light on content and the wrong kind of broken.

IGN PC ReviewsJan 16

Marvel Rivals Review - I Can Do This All DayMarvel Rivals has come for the hero-shooter crown, and it's hard to argue that it doesn't have a legitimate claim to the throne. It has a big roster of heroes with a ton of variety across them, no role queue, and 6v6, all of which are important to a great hero shooter. Although it lifts more than a few of Overwatch's ideas, it is actively targeting and addressing some of the biggest complaints players have about Blizzard's shooter. Marvel Rivals expands on familiar ideas in smart ways and has a visually striking and distinct art style. Add in that it's a fun multiplayer experience and it makes it far more than just another also-ran hero shooter clone. Opting for 6v6 and a third-person camera view, Marvel Rivals has a vast variety of playstyles across its launch roster. Offering everything from simple shooting-focused heroes like Punisher to complex melee heroes like Spider-Man, all the while making it feel cohesive. Although it will undoubtedly be chaotic for players trying a hero shooter like this for the first time, there are a variety of heroes that make picking up the game simple and an impressive roster of alternative picks that can gradually increase complexity. It does have limited main game modes at launch, with only Domination, which involves fighting over a control point; Convoy, where a team escorts a payload; and Convergence, which is a combination of the two. These are split across a variety of maps taken from the Marvel multiverse, with locations like Tokyo 2099, Yggsgard, and the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda. These different locations provide a ton of environmental variety, with the pristine look of Asgard contrasted with the dense buildings of Tokyo 2099. While the visual styles don't change the flow of the game, the map layouts do. For example, both Tokyo 2099 and Klyntar have hybrid maps--where the attacking team must capture a control point, which unlocks a payload to push--but Tokyo 2099 has multiple buildings blocking the defenders' line of sight, while on Klyntar the area from spawn to the point is much more open, promoting more long-range hero options. It can become visually stale, but more importantly, having fewer modes means that your team's strategies don't shift as much from match to match, which can result in them blending together because each individual match doesn't feel unique, aside from the team compositions. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsJan 14

Aloft Early Access ReviewA very promising concept with plenty of early access problems.

IGN PC ReviewsJan 14

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Review - Apes HitDonkey Kong has always been the more brutal, off-putting relative to the affable, approachable Mario brothers. Both Donkey Kong Country and the Super Marios are classic side-scrolling platformers at their core, but DKC has been known less for joyful leaping and more for clenching your jaw. Now as the Nintendo Switch approaches its eighth year and Nintendo is increasingly reaching into its back catalog for ports, DKC Returns is back with a package that combines all the features of the Wii and 3DS versions--including some assists and visual enhancements--but still feels tough-as-nails in a way that could push away more casual platformer fans. DKC Returns HD does retain the tweaks made to the 2013 3DS port, including a Modern mode (originally called New mode in the 3DS version) with additional items in Cranky's shop and an extra pip of health. The items in Cranky's shop are especially tuned to let you selectively tweak the difficulty, since the banana coins currency are so plentiful that you'll almost always have enough to spare on an item or two. Those items range from help finding collectible puzzle pieces to temporary invincibility. You can always opt for the original mode to play with the original Wii difficulty, if that's more your flavor. And it does look nicely polished on Switch, especially on the OLED screen. That said, the character models look relatively simplistic compared to Tropical Freeze, a 2014 Wii U game that was already ported to Switch in 2018. The Modern mode is meant to sand off the edges of the notoriously punishing game and make it more approachable, but make no mistake: This is still a brutally difficult game. Even with three hearts instead of the original two, it's very easy to lose multiple lives (or near the end, tens of lives) in a single stage as you learn its rhythms and assorted traps. And the difficulty in DKC Returns is true to its roots, which centers heavily on memorization. The game frequently introduces threats too quickly to react to the first time, and DK himself feels stiff and heavy compared to the acrobatic Mario. Trickier stages will even give the appearance of one type of obstacle and then frustratingly punish you for reacting to the fake-out. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsJan 14

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Review - Army Of OneWhen it comes down to it, the essence of Dynasty Warriors' longevity is simple: Cleaving through hundreds of enemies like a hot knife through butter feels really good. It's the ultimate power fantasy, with each swing of your weapon sending bodies careening through the air in every conceivable direction as the KO counter ticks up into the thousands. For almost 25 years, this basic formula has remained virtually unchanged, lending the series a fervent albeit niche following. Dynasty Warriors 9 attempted to evolve the formula, but the shift to a lifeless open world was a misstep that didn't mesh with the series' core appeal. Dynasty Warriors: Origins, as the name implies, sees Omega Force returning to its roots, emphasizing the large-scale, hack-and-slash action Dynasty Warriors is known for while implementing a number of clever new additions that achieve what Dynasty Warriors 9 failed to. If you're unfamiliar with the long-running series, Dynasty Warriors is based on Luo Guanzhong's 14th-century novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms--and the ancient history it's based on--loosely adapting the classic Chinese novel by taking some absurd creative liberties along the way. While previous games in the series have typically covered the bulk of the Three Kingdoms period from 184 AD to 280 AD, Origins tightly focuses on the early parts of the story, beginning with the rise of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and culminating in the decisive Battle of Chibi. Unlike the rest of the series, the story is also told from the perspective of an amnesiac warrior who's meeting legendary figures like Guan Yu, Dong Zhuo, and the fearsome Lü Bu for the first time. This setup is clearly designed with newcomers in mind, making the series' enduring legacy and myriad beloved characters much more palatable for new players to dive into for the first time. Still, that doesn't mean returning players will be left wanting. By focusing on the early events of the Three Kingdoms' tapestry, Omega Force has opted to delve into the time period in greater detail than before, with a renewed emphasis on storytelling and character development. Even minor figures are more fleshed out, while pivotal moments are given the gravitas they deserve. This is somewhat of a double-edged sword, however. The writing is generally solid, with defined, charming, and likable characters engaging in moral quandaries and battles of both wit and brawn, but the overabundance of cutscenes sometimes works to its detriment. Too many conversations simply feel derivative, either repeating plot points or adding little of substance to the narrative and your understanding of its ensemble cast of characters. This disrupts the game's pacing, leading to more than a few occasions where you're forced to wait impatiently for the next battle to arrive as you cycle through one superfluous conversation after another. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsJan 13

Dynasty Warriors: Origins ReviewA great entry point for newcomers and a triumphant return for series veterans.

IGN PC ReviewsJan 13

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie Review - A Delightful Change-upI didn't expect much from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The first movie was a nice little diversion from COVID, but the sequel was quite irritating--and with the same director and writers back for another go-around, I figured we were in for another round of "more of the same." Fortunately for all of us, I was wrong: The threequel successfully reins in the pop culture references and Jim Carrey's wackiness just enough, while also giving us a serious villain for the first time with Keanu Reeves's Shadow, and the result is that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 works better for audiences of all ages than its predecessors, which were more squarely aimed at children. Sonic 3 picks up some time after the last movie, and the Wachowskis have adopted Tails and Knuckles along with Sonic--they've got a nice little family unit going. Robotnik, meanwhile, is very depressed, just hanging out in his crab mech binge-eating snacks and binge-watching telenovelas. In other words, all is well. At least until an unknown person manages to free the mysterious Shadow the Hedgehog from stasis, letting him loose to pursue revenge for something that happened long ago and putting him into conflict with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. That unknown person was, it turns out, another Dr. Robotnik--grandpa to the one we know (but still played by Jim Carrey). Robotnik Sr. and Shadow are allies, having shared a deep trauma decades earlier that is driving them both to extreme lengths for revenge. The younger Robotnik, the one who was a bad guy in the other two movies, serves as a wild card, because he wants to team up with his grandad but has a pretty different ultimate goal. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsDec 18

Alien: Rogue Incursion Review This first crack at Alien in VR is immediately compelling with lots of room to grow.

IGN PC ReviewsDec 18

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 4 ReviewA surprisingly haunting twist and a showcase for the best member of the team ensure episode 4 of Skeleton Crew is a great Star Wars adventure.

IGN PC ReviewsDec 18

Mouthwashing ReviewA horror game that paints an unsettling picture of who we can be in our worst moments.

IGN PC ReviewsDec 13