Up until the Dread Lords, Doomblade is easily one of the best metroidvanias I’ve played in a long time.  The speed of the combat and responsiveness of controls feels great when the action heats up, and the difficulty balance is tuned so that more than a few times I ended up nursing one final HP of health through a dangerous room to discover a save point just beyond it.  The art in the game is excellent...

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Based on the franchise’s history, Diablo IV has large boots to fill, but does an admiral job of meeting this longtime fan’s expectations. Diablo IV maintains the core gameplay that made it popular while combining the best elements of the the previous games. The continuous open world is an improvement over the completely separate acts with an intriguing story that feels more nuanced than the previous...

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There’s no hesitation in saying that Fuga: Melodies of Steel has some of the best tactical turn-based combat ever created. Both the first and second titles create a stream of combat based on skill and strategy that keeps the player from feeling both weak or overpowered at any time. Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 manages to feel much the same while adding new abilities and changes that help combat and challenge...

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The Lord of the Rings: Gollum could have ushered in a new era of The Lord of the Rings-based games. One that had the daring to fill in Tolkien’s gaps, but still showed respect for the source material. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum isn’t that game. While the story is compelling with a great performance from Smeagol/Gollum, the remainder of the game is a woeful mess. While Daedalic’s vision for Middle-earth...

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Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a solid throwback FPS that makes up for being too generous with the resources by its excellent weapon, monster and level design.  The world of Warhammer 40,000 translates fantastically well to this type of game, with decades of lore and design to draw from to create a fully-realized backdrop.  The enemies come in a variety of styles from various normal humans to huge and...

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Far from the most inventive or unique take on the puzzle-platformer formula, Planet of Lana mitigates its relatively-safe gameplay with a striking visual style and a surprisingly compelling use of music alongside. In a genre so used to feelings of helplessness, hostility and horror, Planet of Lana serves up a refreshing alternative in an already-crowded market. And while the game isn’t entirely hostile...

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It’s easy to say without hesitation that Tears of the Kingdom is better than Breath of the Wild. It improves and adds to what was already a great title. It’s not a perfect experience through and through, but it lends to the creative side of the franchise with some of the best puzzle-solving in any adventure title to date. While it would still be nice to see a return to form of the shorter and more...

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Other than having vague missions at times to get to story-essential races, LEGO 2K Drive is an incredible time. There’s so much fun to be had that it’s impossible to be bored by anything that goes on and the mission variety is far more of a blessing than a curse — although work does need to be done to explain how to accomplish mission objectives. The racing action itself is top-shelf and a fantastic...

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TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 seems to focus more specifically on the technical aspect of the bikes while touching up other areas. The physics are improved and realistic, which also leads to a hard learning curve. Upgrading the bike through the Seasons is key for not only more success, but also overall enjoyability of the game itself. Atrocious visuals and the lack of life on the track hamper...

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Darkest Dungeon II brings fresh ideas to an already stellar series. Red Hook Studio should be praised for continuing to strive for better mechanics and overall gameplay experience. Fresh UIs and the pairing down of excessive elements makes this installment a prettier version alongside gorgeous, macabre visuals. City management as we knew it has been streamlined and contained into one hub, which makes...

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Super Dungeon Maker is an wonderful but flawed creation experience so far. It’s painfully easy to lose time working on a dungeon for hours, crafting every little element to make things feel perfect and add little decorations as a finishing touch. The key downside are the current bugs and glitches that occur semi-frequently. While building is fantastic, it’s easy to glitch things accidentally and never...

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From a studio having delivered far better and should in all likelihood have done so once more, Redfall is an uncharacteristically poor and cobbled-together brand of tedium. Though pockets of the developer’s signature traits remain when it comes to exploration, level design and reading up on the world of this fictional small-town settlement, it’s as far as the game goes in injecting a sense of care...

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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order built a solid foundation on which to build a sequel, and Respawn Entertainment has happily obliged. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor takes what worked in that first game and expands it significantly. It’s bigger, grander and more ambitious, with a few trade-offs. While the story isn’t as personal, the events feel more significant and have greater consequences for Star Wars as a...

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Guerrilla Games already proved once they could deliver a compelling expansion and they have done so again. Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is a solid influx of new story, explorable locations and new gameplay elements to keep things fresh. The story builds on Aloy as a character and adds an intriguing new character to the mix in Seyka, all while introducing a great mystery and the series’ first...

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Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is a worthy remake of some of the best strategy titles around. Deserving renewed love, these Advance Wars titles bring rich layers of tactical gameplay to a new generation. Upgraded visuals are gorgeous and continue to reflect the game’s essence despite some design changes. Players can experience the campaigns at their own pace with varying degrees of difficulty, as well...

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