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.

WWE 2K26 Review - The Main Event Wrestling Game We Need Right NowIt's been 13 years since 2K Sports took over the WWE license, starting with the release of WWE 2K14 back when we were all still playing wrestling games on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In the time since, the franchise has evolved , crashed and burned , and risen from the ashes . Now, with WWE 2K26 , the franchise is at a crossroads; that's bound to happen with any annual title. While there are some years that see huge leaps forward graphically, there are also those other years that have iterative installments where the advancements are minimal. Last year's WWE 2K25 was one of those years, with the underdeveloped The Island as the marquee addition. While WWE 2K26 might not have a major new addition like 2K23's War Games match, there is a lot to love about this latest entry, as its developers have addressed a long list of ongoing issues that have plagued fans in recent years. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 6

WWE 2K26 Review So FarSo far WWE 2K26 is mostly proving this series has been built on a great foundation.

IGN PC ReviewsMar 6

Legacy Of Kain: Defiance Remastered Review - Redeemer And DestroyerFate and destiny are prominent themes throughout the twisting, time-hopping story of Legacy of Kain. And in that sense, it felt like protagonists Raziel and Kain were destined to remain absent from our lives forever--it's been 22 years since the release of the last game in the series, after all. It feels weird, then, to be able to say that a brand-new game in the vampiric series is coming out later this month, with Legacy of Kain: Ascendance launching on March 31. A small-scale side-scrolling platform-action game might not be what we were all expecting, but it's something. Before then, however, Crystal Dynamics has teamed up with PlayEveryWare to remaster 2003's Legacy of Kain: Defiance . After making Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered , tackling Defiance was the logical next step, as it serves as the climactic final chapter in Raziel and Kain's theatrical tale, catching people up on what is going on in time for the release of Ascendance. And while this is a fantastic remaster, the flaws of the original game still shine through. Defiance might be the third entry in the Soul Reaver story, but it's also the first and only game in the series to feature both Legacy of Kain protagonists as playable characters. From one level to the next, the perspective shifts between the despotic vampire lord Kain, and his former lieutenant turned vengeful wraith, Raziel. The story picks up right where Soul Reaver 2 left off, sending both characters hurtling into the past following a time paradox that altered Nosgoth's history for the worse. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 6

Review: Esoteric Ebb Is a Disco Elysium Style Fantasy I think of the best things about Disco Elysium releasing and being amazing isn’t just that we all got a great game to play, but that it’s encouraging other developers to experiment and create gems like Esoteric Ebb . It’s a similar sort of adventure with a gameplay structure that follows in some of the same footsteps as the ZA/UM piece, but with Christoffer Bodegård doing something also totally original and equally entertaining by encouraging all sorts of D&D elements. It’s clever and entertaining in so many ways, regardless of how you choose to portray The Cleric on this journey. Players, after a comprehensive character building session, start Esoteric Ebb as The Cleric. They were assigned to investigate The Tea Shop that Blew Up. But this wasn’t a simple act of vandalism against a particular individual. It’s tied to the current political climate ahead of the very first election in Tolstad, and our previous progress on this quest led to our avatar waking up with amnesia, no equipment, and only the ability to Cure Wounds. The Cleric needs to spend five days investigating alongside Snell, a goblin assistant, and the voices in our avatar’s head tied to the Charisma, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength, and Wisdom stats find out what’s going on and potentially save the city. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xayOde6o8J0 Part of what makes Esoteric Ebb such a delight to play is the commitment to make it feel like we’re going through a tabletop campaign and shaping both The Cleric and the narrative. This starts with a comprehensive character creator that involves assigning points to your Charisma, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength, and Wisdom stats, your background focus, and two proficiencies. What’s helpful about this is that you can see the lore, uses, and role for each stat, with Bodegård flat out spelling out what The Cleric will be like if they have a high or low value in that stat. (Pre-built options are available, in case you want to quickly jump into the adventure.) It’s possible to spend so much time here determining who you are, and I really appreciated it. Once you get into Esoteric Ebb proper, the Disco Elysium similarities become more apparent. This is an adventure and you can avoid the main quest to explore other plot threads. But it is a situation in which many voices in our character’s head will discuss the situation and choices at hand, there is loads of political intrigue about, and it is very easy to get caught up in the mystery of what happened to The Cleric and that tea shop attack. At the same time, while it can be quite dramatic and socially poignant, Bodegård also offered the opportunity to meet some hilarious characters and enjoy some absurdism. Images via Raw Fury What I also appreciated is, while Esoteric Ebb does feel like Disco Elysium , the D&D influence Christoffer Bodegård incorporated also ensure it feels unique. Some of this involves references throughout the script and character background elements that reference the actual behavior of roles like clerics in campaigns. But the other elements involve actual gameplay. You will roll dice (sometimes multiple ones, depending on your build) to determine your success when it comes to certain actions. When this happens, we’ll also hear commentary from the stats that might help establish what happens for successes and failures. You’ll gain first, second, and third level butts and prepare them to use them. While we start with Cure Wounds, we get ones that can influence investigations (Charm Person or Speak with Dead) or can affect the environment or ourselves (Barkskin and Aura of Vitality). There are feats as well, which affect The Cleric’s performance. As a result, there’s a replay value to Esoteric Ebb that feels like it invites someone to return to the adventure and try new things. Even if someone went with the exact same build, the fact that the dice rolls determine success and the nature in which both conversations and encounters can go made me feel like I wasn’t always seeing the full story and every possibility. There’s so much there that immediately after I got through a run, I wanted to go again and see what would happen if I chose to pursue different paths. Images via Raw Fury Esoteric Ebb is an unexpected delight that pairs elements of D&D campaigns with Disco Elysium , which turns out to be a perfect fit. There’s an absurdist element that’s delightful, but the social commentary also feels quite apt and deep at the same time. The execution of the RPG elements also means that feels like there’s always more to explore, which I appreciated. Esoteric Ebb is available for PCs. The post Review: Esoteric Ebb Is a Disco Elysium Style Fantasy appeared first on Siliconera .

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraMar 6

Scott Pilgrim EX Review - A Short But Sweet Millennial Nostalgia RompThe cult popularity that led to the creation of Scott Pilgrim EX is rooted in the comfort of nostalgia. The action-comedy movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, based on an indie comic book, was chock-full of references and recognition of gamer culture, even as it drew on more grounded themes of learning and growing after a messy breakup. A tie-in video game from Ubisoft was a pure throwback to classic brawlers, and its removal from storefronts in 2014 (and subsequent return in 2021 after years of fan outcry) only accentuated its cult status. Scott Pilgrim EX is very much a spiritual successor to that earlier game, amping up every aspect that made its predecessor memorable--especially the nostalgia. In fact, playing Scott Pilgrim EX often feels like a game of "Spot the References." The world is full of homages to everything from 8- and 16-bit game franchises to movies like Hot Fuzz, a movie that was helmed by Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright. Characters are self-aware that they're inside a video game and will casually mention elements like tutorials. It's all very Millennial-coded, and maybe slightly cloying for those of us in that sweet spot, but it feels at home in a game that so happily wears its inspirations on its sleeve. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 5

Review: Calamity Angels: Special Delivery Is a Sugoroku JRPG While sugoroku JRPG games aren’t exactly common, I’m delighted they’re common enough for us to get multiple localizations of them. Idea Factory International brought Calamity Angels: Special Delivery westward. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn’t fleshed out enough to make it feel as captivating as contemporaries like Dokapon . The idea is fun, but playing it can feel tedious. In the fantasy realm of Orkotris, delivery folks belong to their own guild and deliver letters and packages around the country. The couriers’ parties also consist of actual warriors who help get the job done. Players follow Yuri, a member who’s bascially in charge of the Calamity Angels Ivris, Luminous, Numero, Selma, Somnia, and Suliya. As the first part of their name suggests, they’re a mess. However, by taking on assignments and deliveries, defeating Omoikurai along the way, you’ll hopefully show they still show potential and can do some good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?goal=0_7a3b081dce-683aaf8f25-107996675&mc_cid=683aaf8f25&mc_eid=3fb0c7c863&v=H2Vjxrv8ABc&feature=youtu.be As a sugoroku with JRPG elements, Calamity Angels: Special Delivery largely involves moving around a board, spinning to determine how many spaces you move, to reach certain spaces to complete the deliveries the group undertook. Different spaces can trigger different events and altercations. If you end up in a fight, it’s a turn-based situation with Yuri directing members in a simple fight in which they may or may not listen based on their mood. Each run starts with accepting an assignment. Then, you do some inventory management to ensure you can fit the package and any items the team will need for their fights. You then spin to move across the board to where you need to be to complete the assignment. In concept, this seems like a novel approach to a turn-based JRPG, but Calamity Angels: Special Delivery falls short in a lot of ways. While the inventory management element when preparing for a quest seems novel, I never experienced any major issues when it came to ensuring room for my delivery and any items the crew might need. The only real management issue came up when I couldn’t equip characters right when I bought items. (Which is odd, considering even older RPGs would offer the option to immediately equip after making a purchase from the shop menu.) But even that’s not too troublesome, since it just means going through a few extra menus. Image via Idea Factory International While sugoroku JRPGs can and do work, with Dokapon being one that developed a cult following, Calamity Angels: Special Delivery doesn’t since I never felt a real incentive to not choose the quickest possible path. Could there be items? Would my team get stronger? Maybe, but the game is fairly easy and the enemy encounter rate is such that I didn’t feel a need to deal with more. Especially since, while novel, the combat system can get a little tedious due to its simplicity and the rate at which members might ignore my requests. Tedious at best, I’d say, and frustrating at worst when allies won’t listen when facing a boss. Calamity Angels: Special Delivery isn’t bad, but it can be a tedious game and the sugoroku don’t enhance the JRPG. Instead, it can feel like it drags it out more in a way that doesn’t add anything to the experience. It’s not bad, but quickly falls into a somewhat boring and unexpectedly bland routine even with the board game and inventory management elements. Calamity Angels: Special Delivery is available for the Switch, PS4, and PS5, and it will also appear on the PC. The post Review: Calamity Angels: Special Delivery Is a Sugoroku JRPG appeared first on Siliconera .

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraMar 5

Esoteric Ebb Review - Chaotic GoodIn one of Esoteric Ebb's chambers lies a chest. Above it, a sign: "Not a mimic." Snell, your goblin companion, deduces the most obvious outcome: The sign is the work of some prankster who's hoping to get one over on whichever unsuspecting rube decides to saunter into this secreted away room, ignore the sign, and loot the chest. Mimics are often "chest-shaped" like this--the game's joke, not mine--and seeing as how they are a trick as old as fantasy itself, it doesn't take a genius to piece together how such an encounter might end. Esoteric Ebb is a lot like the mimic in this scene. It looks and sounds like things it takes the shape of--some more obvious than others--but delights in playing with expectations one might have of it. Just when you think you might have it figured out, it contentedly throws another wrench in your understanding of its tone and aspirations. It's a fun ride. It does not veer wildly off course in the process, but it is a stylistic and colorful detour that is nonetheless a riot worth your time. In Esoteric Ebb, you are the Cleric, a bumbling idiot and magical savant sent by the magistrate to investigate the absolute hornet's nest that is an explosion of a tea shop in Norvik. The timing couldn't be any worse, since Norvik's constituency is voting on a referendum. Should it stick by the Urth-worshipping Nationalists who've governed and shepherded the city through its founding decades, consequently hardening the attitudes and beliefs that have called its rule into question at this very moment? Should it instead ally itself with the deep-pocketed Freestriders who are clearly strong-arming their way to a victory? Or should the city consider other policies, like the dwarven-born egalitarian platform of Azgalism? Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 4

God Of War: Sons Of Sparta Review - The Mildly Amusing Adventures Of Teen KratosGod of War: Sons of Sparta is a reasonably decent but not particularly great metroidvania spin-off that suffers from an identity crisis. A prequel set when franchise protagonist Kratos and his brother Deimos were coming of age in the Spartan army, Sons of Sparta lacks the over-the-top action spectacle of the other games in the God of War franchise. As a metroidvania it is middling and at times simply awkward, with a dearth of its own original ideas or excellent execution to liven up the genre. The result is a game that feels confused and muddy, despite a few bright spots. Sons of Sparta takes place across two distinct time periods in the God of War timeline: an adult Kratos telling the story of his adventure to his daughter Calliope, before the tragic events of the first game earned him the nickname the Ghost of Sparta; and the story itself, which takes place when he's a headstrong but duty-bound teenager just starting to make a name for himself in Spartan warrior trials. That tale involves Kratos and Deimos encountering mythical beasts and monsters and cultists as they search for another missing teen, Vasilis. As the story progresses it becomes an interesting look at a foundational time in Kratos' life, though as a side story it does feel removable from the rest of the canon. At the beginning, though, Kratos is not a very interesting character to follow at this point in his life. He's too rigid and committed to his duties and the rules. He can frequently be overly pious and condescending toward Deimos. The search for Vasilis carries as much weight as a Scooby Doo mystery--you'll get a clue to go towards a location, search around, and then Kratos realizes that he arrived a few minutes or hours too late. Aw shucks, you just missed him, but maybe he left to go here instead. There aren't many twists and turns; it's just following a wandering character around. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsMar 3

Review: Scott Pilgrim EX Feels Even More Like River City Ransom Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game was a very River City Ransom- coded game that also felt strongly inspired by arcade beat’em ups like Streets of Rage. Pick a character. Fight through side-scrolling stages alone or with up to three friends. Scott Pilgrim EX ended up a similar sort of experience, only now the structure feels even more like Kunio and Riki could pop up at any minute. This sort of similarity comes up immediately as Scott Pilgrim EX begins. Like many entries in the Kunio-kun line, it begins with members of Sex Bob-omb and friends of Scott and Ramona abducted. Three gangs moved into Toronto, with their members being Demons, Robots, and Vegans. By facing bosses and reclaiming key items around town, as well as dealing with GCorp, we’ll come closer to freeing the city and discovering who’s behind these kidnappings and turf wars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vygm3XQUiE I must admit, I found myself a bit disappointed in the story. Bryan Lee O’Malley, the original creator of the graphic novels, is involved. The concept does offer a solid excuse for everyone to be running around on a new quest. However, the characterizations didn’t feel true to their established personalities in either that comic or the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off anime series. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some funny moments, but sometimes I felt like it was a more general action game that happened to feature folks who looked like characters from Scott Pilgrim , rather than it being a true Scott Pilgrim story. But then, that could also partially be because it is a rather short game that you could perhaps finish in a single day with friends. Now, essentially, some elements of Scott Pilgrim EX gameplay feel very similar to what we encountered in Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game . This is a side-scrolling, 2D beat’em up. We pick a character from the initially available roster and use their standard attacks, special moves, and items picked up off the ground to defeat enemies. After clearing out a space, there’ll typically be a clearly telegraphed “go” sign encouraging us to move on in a certain direction. These controls feel really tight, with easy to pull off combos that are fantastic for felling foes. Now, I will note that I’m also a little disappointed with the playable characters we can choose from as Scott Pilgrim EX , but it’s mainly a personal preference. While Ramona was someone I’d use in Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game, I liked fighting as Knives, Kim, and Wallace most, and none of them are ready to rumble. Instead, we got folks like Scott, Ramona, Roxie, Lucas, Matthew, and Robot-01. The roster that’s there is okay, but they aren’t the folks I expected or hoped to go fighting around the city with on this adventure. Images via Tribute Games When you’re not in the midst of clear the area or objective-related fights, you actually move around places in Toronto inspired by the series. This means entering and exiting stores to purchase healing supplies, stat power-ups, and equipment, popping in at the apartment to swap your playable character, or going to locations to advance the story. In some cases, these are locked away and require you to obtain a key item and a certain sort of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time style short playable riff to advance. These aren’t actually well-explained in-game, so you’ll pass at least two before even being able to interact with one, but they’re very easy to figure out once you are able to go into them. While things generally worked well, even when playing online, I will note that I experienced both major and minor issues in Scott Pilgrim EX ahead of launch. The smaller ones involved the person I was playing with and I not being able to see when the other was holding things. It wasn’t the biggest issue, but it was odd when I brought up how psyched I was to be holding and fighting with a yo-yo, only for him to say my character wasn’t using one on his end. Or that when we gained access to bombs we could use, he said he was carrying one with us to our next objectives and on my end his character was holding nothing. It’s not the biggest issue, but it was odd. Worse was the game-breaking bug. I’m going to be vague in order to avoid spoilers, but at a certain point in the PC version of the game we found ourselves needing to follow Goth Neil. He went through to the next area, so we did as well. Things then crashed on my end, resulting in a black screen and no way to get back to even the title menu. The person I was playing with, who was hosting the session, said it looked like I dropped. We tried a number of combinations of things, which included things like restarting, and each time I’d rejoin with the party code, it would load up to a black screen for me and him being on the character select with it showing as me “being” there, but not choosing a character. This issue happened on Windows-based devices that were up-to-date with the most up-to-date build of the game at the time, but it hopefully is the sort of thing that will be patched. Images via Tribute Games While there are a few things in need of patching, one thing that is perfect at launch in Scott Pilgrim EX is the design direction. It is on-point. Tribute Games did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and their city to life. Everyone looks as they did in the comic and anime adaptation, and there are a lot of references to the series. Also, Anamanaguchi’s soundtrack is a treat, as always. I admire the fact that Tribute Games embraced the River City style with Scott Pilgrim EX, as it really makes this beat’em up more of an adventure. The artistic direction and soundtrack are perfect too, and the combat flows well. I do wish the story were stronger and some of my favorite characters from the previous game had been playable, and the presence of launch bugs that can affect multiplayer is a downer. But at the very least, after a patch or two, those gameplay issues should be fixed. Scott Pilgrim EX is available for the Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. The post Review: Scott Pilgrim EX Feels Even More Like River City Ransom appeared first on Siliconera .

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraMar 3

Scott Pilgrim EX ReviewAnother retro beat ‘em up revival that builds on its predecessor while adding depth and replayability.

IGN PC ReviewsMar 3